Hi,
Malte made a very good point. The PDF Import Extension has two main
features. One is the PDF Import and the second is the Hybrid PDF. Hybrid
PDF is clearly ready for prime time and was already in Beta. You could
argue that Hybrid PDF with OpenOffice.org is actually the better PDF as
the PDF round trip is now possible with this extension.
When I look at the feature list, PDF import made significant progress.
For example I think opening password-protected PDF files is pretty cool.
Of course there will always be PDF documents that can't be imported
accurately as PDF is not designed for editing. And we also can't compete
yet with PDF Editors based on OCR technology. But those apps can't
compete with our price ;.) and don't have Hybrid PDF.
Stefan mentioned that users might be disappointed when they try the
"final" PDF Import extension. This is a valid point. To set the right
expectation we created the feature list and the list of non supported
features. Users now have a chance to read first what they can expect.
You could argue that we should implement feature xyz first and then call
it "Final". I'm sure that we find even more features if we have done so.
And there is one more point I'd like to make. There are a number of
users that don't touch Beta versions. This extension is in Beta for one
year now! So it's time that a few more users try PDF editing and learn
about Hybrid PDF!
With the recent improvements in PDF editing, the mature Hybrid PDF
feature and the list of supported and non support features I think it's
time for a PDF Import Extension 1.0.
Goetz
Malte Timmermann schrieb:
If you integrate PDF import into OOo, users might start thinking that
PDF would be just an other document format, and maybe start complaining
why certain documents don't work.
They will see PDF as "yet an other document format" because they can use
file/open - how bad!
IMHO, file/open should only work with hybrid PDF files, where the ODF is
included, but not for normal PDF. Normal PDF should work via import.
IIRC, the reason that you can use hybrid PDF only when import PDF
extension is installed was that UX said people wouldn't understand that
they sometimes can use file/open for PDF, sometimes not.
Might be difficult to explain to the user, not sure, but I would have
preferred to always have the Hybrid PDF feature, since this is _not_
related to PDF import.
Hybrid PDF is a great feature and full reliable.
PDF import will never have nearly the same quality for all kind of PDF
documents that only the OCR programs with PDF support have nowadays.
To be honest, I never would have started Import PDF at all...
But if you plan the pre-install it anyway, please keep in mind that it
brings xpdf with it. A third party library which has to be updated quite
frequently, because of security issues...
Just my 2 cents,
Malte.
Martin Hollmichel wrote, On 06/12/09 14:24:
Hi,
the situation is not easy: some people are sying, the PDF import should
already be integrated with the OpenOffice.org product and others are
complaining that the import does not fulfil their expectations (in some
cases). How do we come to an agreement on how to proceed ?
Martin
Stefan Weigel wrote:
Hi,
Martin Hollmichel schrieb:
I would like ask you to review the Feature List on
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Pdf_Import_Extension/Announcement
and specify either concrete issues or features of what you think that
should be in a 1.0 release.
I had already been looking at the Feature List. However, korrect
positioning of text and graphics is not on this list. I guess this is
self-evident and not to be mentioned explicitly.
The example files given in the issue are unusable after importing by
the PDF Import Extension, because of heavy displacement of text and
graphic objects. I could deliver countless PDF documents from
different sources that suffer the same. This is definitely something
one would *not* expect from a peace of software that passed the beta
phase and became Version 1.0.
Sorry, I am not an expert enough in order to specify this more
concrete. But what I can say for sure: I did get frequent complaints
from disappointed users that had been trying PDF Import full of
expectation after it had been greatly announced some months ago. The
announcements did not always mention the beta status. What I fear now
is a new wave of complaints when the extension is declared to have
left beta stadium now, but still most of the PDF documents out in the
wild will not be readable or usable after opening with OOo.
I personally do not need PDF import at all. So I wouldn´t care. But
for the sake of the project´s reputation I would suggest *not* to
claim that OOo is generally able to open PDF files. I would suggest to
name it "still working on this feature".
Regards
Stefan
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]
For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]
For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected]
For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
