[WEB4LIB] WAS Accessibility annoyance ... NEW: PDF/Adobe FormServer

[Raymond Wood]

Raymond:
> > Perhaps to a degree:  PDF is at least cross-platform.  On the 
> > other hand it is still a proprietary format that requires 
> > expensive software just to do anything more than read it.  I 
> > thought this was the whole point of HTML -- an open standard 
> > that facilitated the sharing of textual and multimedia information  ;)

On Tue, Nov 05, 2002 at 10:15:25AM -0800, Kevin Bishop remarked:
> It's my understanding that PDF is an open standard, not
> exactly proprietary.  

Define "open standard"  :)  PDF is no open standard...

To some, an open standard might be defined as a "fully
documented" format, in which case this might apply to PDF.

However the bottom line is that the PDF format is still
owned/controlled by Adobe.  They can change the rules of the
game at any point they may choose, and others do not have the
same rights, or opportunities for input.  I certainly do not
consider this a true "open standard".  Even Adobe themselves
refer to PDF as a "open *de facto* standard" (emphasis mine).

For a decent definition of what is, and is not, an "open
standard" see:
  http://perens.com/OpenStandards/Definition.html

> PDFs can be produced without Adobe software. 
> http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/adobepdf.html
> http://www.masternewmedia.com/issue16/pdfwithoutacrobat.htm

The applications listed on the URL above seem to work mainly by
converting from format 'x' to PDF, rather than allowing direct
editing of PDF documents.  I'm not sure whether Adobe software
uses the same strategy in the production of PDF documents or
not.

Cheers,
Raymond