Microsoft to Introduce PDF competitor 'Metro'

RustNeverSleeps writes "Computerworld reports that Microsoft will be including a new document format called 'Metro' with Longhorn. Apparently, Metro is intended to be a competitor to Adobe's PDF and Postscript formats. The format will be open and available for royalty-free licensing, and will be based on XML. Can we expect Microsoft to do this right? If they do, I think it could be a good thing." Reader gsfprez is less optimistic: "... I noticed the main, and probably most important difference between old and busted PDF and new-hotness Metro (besides the Queer Eye styled name)... 'We will offer products based on this next generation RIP technology and make them available under license to printer manufacturers and software integrators worldwide.' Yes, I can see it now - entire industries undoing their time-tested, battle hardend PDF-based workflows with free and open files all for the chance to use patented, pay-for-use Microsoft proprietary workflows, software, and files. Good luck with that, guys."

Comments

they haven't done anything else right

[vijayiyer]

The splash screen to Win2K is a bitmap obviously blown up by 200% or so. Powerpoint can't correctly import encapsulate postscript. Can they do a graphics format correctly? I doubt it.

Re:they haven't done anything else right

[gordo3000]

come on, give them some credit. Its not really their fault most people who buy their products now adays don't realize how much they suck and for what reasons. I mean, they have competition all over the place today.

They are just doing what is best to do as a business, as are all other for profit businesses out there. It just happens to be they are better at taking advantage of computer stupid people.

Good, now we can get rid of Acrobat Reader!

[snotclot]

Although PDF's have proven quite prevalent and useful, I would be happy if Microsoft presented a solution, simply because Abobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 has been a royal pain in the ass to use.
I can't imagine how many man-hours have been lost due to Acrobat Reader 6.0 crashing numerously, in addition to the long load times full of useless plugins.

Acrobat Reader also is a huge memory hog, and remains in memory after closing it! Die fast, and Yippee ki-yay, stupid Acrobat Reader!

At least Microsoft will have the sense to make it load fast and without crashing innumerably...

No problems there

[interstellar_donkey]

As an end user, I look forward to any replacement to PDFs. Adobe is one of the most bloated, terrible peices of garbage installed on my computer, and if it wasn't for the fact that so many government agencies were duped into using it, I'd throw it out.

I honestly don't see why it's needed in the first place. But if people and orginizations think they need something like that, hopefully Microsoft's offering won't be so crummy.

Re:Too late?

[drsmithy]

Netscape had massive market share before IE was bundled with windows. Bundling with windows can do excellent things to your market share.

Netscape completely and utterly ballsing up their browser (4.x and up) while IE continued to get better and better probably helped a teeny bit, as well.

I'd be fascinated to hear what all the "IE only became popular because it was bundled with Windows" crowd has to say about Firefox's burgeoning marketshare...

Re:Royalty free license

[ThePromenader]

"The worst thing would be "It's free" for about two years - and then when the market is almost totally switched to this new format it becomes pay." ...you've just described MS's success in one sentence, my friend.

Re:Preinstalled Windows is free as in Budweiser

[AviLazar]

Wow, I never thought I would hear someone from /. say that about Windows....that or you can just take the converse and saythat the store selling the PC is ripping its consumers off, unless the consumers get some benefit for this CD (maybe they get tech support that would not normally be given to someone downloading the software from the website freely).