pdf reader?

[seanz]

Anybody using Foxit?

I do like to follow peoples links when they post them on a thread but I've found that I've stopped clicking on them when I see it's a pdf because Adobe Acrobat is a pain.

[pcford]

Re: pdf reader?

I'm surprised. I find Acrobat and Reader quite satisfactory.

BZZZZZZZZZT! Wrong yet again, Donn, PDFs are miserable.

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030714.html

[elf]

Re: pdf reader?

Been using Reader for 10 years. Never had a problem.

Must be another reason to get a Mac.

[pcford]

Re: pdf reader?

Maybe for sub-par individuals like you, but I've been reading and making PDFs for years, and have never had the slightest problem.

Didn't read the url did you? They are a pain on the web. But the ill-informed press on.

Do you mind if I call you Squeaky? That was Meerkat's name for you...it always seemed fitting.

[elf]

Re: pdf reader?

I read the url. It was ill-informed.

[pcford]

Re: pdf reader?

I read the url. It was ill-informed.

Jakob Nielsen is the acknowledged expert on web usability. It costs $600 to attend one of his talks.

You (and Squeaky) should go into that business if you consider that he is ill-informed.

[ShagRock]

Re: pdf reader?

I for one have experienced problems using Acrobat, particularly with 'long' pdf files. It appears Foxit 3.1 is free. Is it easy to set up as default with Firefox and does Acrobat have to be uninstalled? I should ask who has compared the two before I do?

[S/V Laura Ellen]

Re: pdf reader?

The article had some very good points.

PDF is a valuable format because it creates a portable document.
Any PC can print the document and it will always look the way the author intended. PDF does not require the PC printing the document to have the fonts loaded that are used in the document.

PDF is also, in most cases, a non-editable document. This ensures that the document being hosted remains as it was originally authored.


So if the document is meant to be printed or to remain unchanged, PDF is a very suitable document format.

If the document is meant to be viewed online then PDF is a poor format to use. In most cases the document doesn't resize to suit the window dimensions. Also, what looks very good in print, often doesn't translate very well for an online experience.

[WX]

Re: pdf reader?

Another good point about PDFs, no one has figured out how to embed a virus in one. It is still the safest way to send docs via email.
Install Linux and use Evince.

[ShagRock]

Re: pdf reader?

I understand Donn, but is that what Seanz was asking?

[pcford]

Re: pdf reader?

Like I said, a PDF is a pi$$ poor format for the web. The problem is navigation, and a lot of other things. Read Neilson...won't repeat what he says.

Also, they are terrible bloatware. They can bring an old computer to its knees. They are a lazy man's way of doing things.

[WX]

Re: pdf reader?

Open Office has a PDF editor/viewer extension.

http://www.labnol.org/software/download/openoffice-free-pdf-editor-without-acrobat/2187/

[ShagRock]

Re: pdf reader?

Well then does it make sense to use Acrobat for uses as Donn points out and another program for simple reading of web pdfs?

[WX]

Re: pdf reader?

You can also create PDFs using Open Office, just click the PDF button and it's done.

[ShagRock]

Re: pdf reader?

Here's another review of Foxit and download, I assume the most recent version.

http://download.cnet.com/Foxit-Reader/3000-10743_4-10313206.html