PDF is a standard?

[Mike Schwartz]

On Sat, May 24, 2008 at 7:45 PM, Kurt Granroth
<kurt+plug-discuss at granroth.com> wrote:
>
> PDF is an "ad hoc" standard right now.  It is on the path to being an official standard (ISO 32000) but it's not there yet.  Honestly, saying it's not a standard because it doesn't have an ISO code attached to it is nit-picking to an extreme.
>
> Adobe has always released the specifications of PDF and anybody is free to implement it.  Yes, Adobe does charge for their Acrobat Professional suite, but it's hardly required.  There are scads of PDF-capable apps out there.  Heck, OS X works with PDF as a native subsystem.  In no cases do you have to pay any sort of royalty or sign any agreement with Adobe to implement it.
>
> To sum:
> 1. Specification widely available... Check
> 2. Anybody can implement the spec royalty and patent free (now that the LZW patent has expired)... Check
> 3. Documents in PDF format are pervasively and inescapably common... Check
> 4. A multitude of 3rd party reader and writers for PDF... Check
>
> If that's not a standard, then we have very different ideas on what a standard is. :-)
>
> eculbert wrote:
>>
>> No more than windows is a 'standard' I believe. It IS
>> wide spread, but with the exception of the windoze
>> reader, adobe charges, but the ability to implement
>> apparently is NOT infringement or all the major
>> distro's would be being sued by Adobe. So IF that is
>> what makes it a standard, then so be it.
>>
>> My quarter cent worth.
>>
>> Ed
>>
>> --- Chris Gehlker <canyonrat at mac.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On May 24, 2008, at 2:36 PM, der.hans wrote:
>>>
>>>> Is PDF a standard? I thought PDF was owned and run
>>>
>>> by Adobe, but
>>>>
>>>> they were
>>>> allowing 3rd party implementation.
>>>
>>> Wikipedia says it's a standard:
>>>
>> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format>
>
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> PLUG-discuss mailing list - [...]

> 3. Documents in PDF format are pervasively and inescapably common...
Right!
For example, when I go to the web site of the IRS, (irs.gov), it seems
to assume that providing a document (like, a form or schedule)
(or, the instructions for one of them), in the .PDF format,
is just what I want, for purposes of being able to print a copy
of the form (as well as, maybe, to read it).
Actually, this may be true, (often), but at first I was a little surprised.
...and I certainly do consider it to be an example of :
> 3. Documents in PDF format are pervasively and inescapably common...
--
Mike Schwartz
Glendale AZ
schwartz at acm.org