On Sat, May 24, 2008 at 7:45 PM, Kurt Granroth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > PDF is an "ad hoc" standard right now. It is on the path to being an > official standard (ISO 32000) but it's not there yet. Honestly, saying it's > not a standard because it doesn't have an ISO code attached to it is > nit-picking to an extreme. > > Adobe has always released the specifications of PDF and anybody is free to > implement it. Yes, Adobe does charge for their Acrobat Professional suite, > but it's hardly required. There are scads of PDF-capable apps out there. > Heck, OS X works with PDF as a native subsystem. In no cases do you have to > pay any sort of royalty or sign any agreement with Adobe to implement it. > > To sum: > 1. Specification widely available... Check > 2. Anybody can implement the spec royalty and patent free (now that the LZW > patent has expired)... Check > 3. Documents in PDF format are pervasively and inescapably common... Check > 4. A multitude of 3rd party reader and writers for PDF... Check > > If that's not a standard, then we have very different ideas on what a > standard is. :-) > > eculbert wrote: >> >> No more than windows is a 'standard' I believe. It IS >> wide spread, but with the exception of the windoze >> reader, adobe charges, but the ability to implement >> apparently is NOT infringement or all the major >> distro's would be being sued by Adobe. So IF that is >> what makes it a standard, then so be it. >> >> My quarter cent worth. >> >> Ed >> >> --- Chris Gehlker <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> On May 24, 2008, at 2:36 PM, der.hans wrote: >>> >>>> Is PDF a standard? I thought PDF was owned and run >>> >>> by Adobe, but >>>> >>>> they were >>>> allowing 3rd party implementation. >>> >>> Wikipedia says it's a standard: >>> >> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format> > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - [...]
> 3. Documents in PDF format are pervasively and inescapably common... Right! For example, when I go to the web site of the IRS, (irs.gov), it seems to assume that providing a document (like, a form or schedule) (or, the instructions for one of them), in the .PDF format, is just what I want, for purposes of being able to print a copy of the form (as well as, maybe, to read it). Actually, this may be true, (often), but at first I was a little surprised. ...and I certainly do consider it to be an example of : > 3. Documents in PDF format are pervasively and inescapably common... -- Mike Schwartz Glendale AZ [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - [email protected] To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
