Adobe To Release Full PDF Specification to ISO

nickull writes "Adobe announced it will release the entire PDF specification (current version 1.7 ) to the International Standards Organization (ISO) via AIIM. PDF has reached a point in its maturity cycle where maintaining it in an open standards manner is the next logical step in evolution. Not only does this reinforce Adobe's commitment to open standards (see also my earlier blog on the release of flash runtime code to the Tamarin open source project at Sourceforge), but it demonstrates that open standards and open source strategies are really becoming a mainstream concept in the software industry. So what does this really mean? Most people know that PDF is already a standard so why do this now? This event is very subtle yet very significant. PDF will go from being an open standard/specification and de facto standard to a full blown de jure standard. The difference will not affect implementers much given PDF has been a published open standard for years. There are some important distinctions however. First — others will have a clearly documented process for contributing to the future of the PDF specification. That process also clearly documents the path for others to contribute their own Intellectual property for consideration in future versions of the standard. Perhaps Adobe could have set up some open standards process within the company but this would be merely duplicating the open standards process, which we felt was the proper home for PDF. Second, it helps cement the full PDF specification as the umbrella specification for all the other PDF standards under the ISO umbrella such as PDF/A, PDF/X and PDF/E. The move also helps realize the dreams of a fully open web as the web evolves (what some are calling Web 2.0), built upon truly open standards, technologies and protocols."

Comments

mmmmmmmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

buttplugs first post buttplugs!

Re:mmmmmmmmm

[homey of my owney]

how appropriate... the word buttplug coming from an asshole

iso

[Anonymous Coward]

A full grown stallion's cock, when fully erect, will measure some two to three feet long. It can be three to six inches thick at the base, to about two inches thick at the head.

Open Standard != Open Source

[penix1]

... it demonstrates that open standards and open source strategies are really becoming a mainstream concept in the software industry.

I see nothing of that. When they open source Photoshop then we will know they support open source strategies. Until then, they are simply taking the path of least resistance.

B.

How to resize PDF ?

[dargaud]

PDF is fine for what is was designed for: creating print documents. But I hate pdf when reading it on the screen as it won't fit my window width: either you have to scroll back and forth every line or the characters are too small to read. Is there any app that can 'uncompile' a pdf and fit it on a screen width ? Might be a great app for reading docs on a laptop/pda/cell phone.

The rol of GTK+

[bogaboga]

Now with this development, I hope the role of GTK+ will slowly diminish or even simply disappear. I would rather have QT replace GTK in all [future] incarnations of Adobe's PDF reader on Linux platform.

Main reason for my view: GTK on Linux platforms is slow, hard to improve on, and plain ugly.

Re:Oh dear God.

[Anonymous Coward]

You are not a very good troll.

Re:Nitpick alert!

[Bert64]

> You save only 59 seconds over 8 miles by going 75 instead of 65. Do you really have to pass that guy? Do the Math!

1 minute every 8 miles...
10 minutes for 80 miles...
20 minutes for 160 miles...
Those minutes can mean the difference between getting stuck in a traffic jam and getting through before the jam forms. Not to mention many people make considerably longer trips and travel considerably faster than 75 (on british motorways, the speed limit is 70 and a lot of people travel around 90 and some people go a lot quicker than that)
As for passing "that guy"... You might get stuck behind a slow set of traffic signals with him infront of you, yet had you been 30 seconds ahead of him you'd have got through before the signal turned red. Worst case, your still stuck at the signal and he pulls up behind you, you've not lost anything relative to being behind him at that point.

Re:Oh dear God.

[Anonymous Coward]

Ouch, who got mod points today? This has to be the zillionth post I've seen mis-modded Troll.

Tho I'd have to admit I wouldn't have wasted karma bonus on it.... perhaps you saw it coming?

Re:Oh dear God.

[pNutz]

Fox-It saved my baby. The house was burning, everyone else said it was too late, but Fox-It was not deterred. Slim and fast, Fox-it dashed into the house and produced my baby, sooty and coughing, but alive. That you Fox-It pro, without you all of our children would die.