Adobe won out with the PDF format because even though it was cross
platform, it reliably, exactly could reproduce the same page layout
and fonts on screen and when printed from any platform. This is a
huge deal for most corporations and schools! It was a huge,
difficult problem a decade ago! I do not think this is possible
with a HTML document today.
Adobe has had a stranglehold on their proprietary PDF format over
the years. They have submitted the basic PDF format as a Open
International Standard. Of course, they continue to add proprietary
additions to the product, which they usually submit as proposed
extensions to the standard. Note they intend to continue to tie you
to their products to use the proprietary extensions. In the next
release of Microsoft Word, it should allow you to open and edit and
resave a PDF document.
On 8/1/2012 9:54 PM, Alex Midence wrote:
On
8/1/2012 8:33 PM, Kyle wrote:
I never said that anyone should feel
pressured to use Linux or lose their jobs. It would
<snip>
Neither did I. I meant that they didn't know that Linux would
provide them with an accessible way to view ODF files. The
application that writes them, Open Office, at the time, was not
accessible in Windows. So, they thought they were going to be out
of a job because the file format they were going to use was made
by an inaccessible application. Now, do you understand? As for
being forced to switch to Windows, Mac or Linux, I mean, you use
whatever system is in use by the company you work for. You don't
always have a choice in the matter. If the boss uses Windows for
his business and you want a job there, guess what you have to know
how to use so you can work with the rest of the team? Again, if
he uses Linux, same thing. I've even heard of people being
obligated to use a particular desktop system because that's what
the company used and the sysadmins were invlexible. I seem to
recall someone on this list not being able to take advantage of a
job opportunity because KDE was the system of choice at the place
he applied at. At home, personally, I prefer using LInux for some
things and Windows for others. If I had an iDevice, I'd use it
for specific things it worked better with. I am not a developer
so, I am more concerned with using software than writing it. My
contributions to open source and free software are in the area of
helping with questions where I can and writing the odd
documentation file or two. All that stuff about litigations and
one company controling this or that does not concern me because I
don't code. I admit it would suck if an app I like got screwed
over by something like that but I don't know that I'd be up in
arms about it unless it was crucial to my livelihood or
something. I believe Adobe controls PDF because they created it.
That, and they have made a name for themselves in the area of
creative production software. Their reputation in the industry is
well-deserved and their software isn't priced too highly, in my
opinion. I use it at work and am very satisfied with it.
Alex M
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