*POLL* best portable document format ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter *ProteanThread*
  • Start date Start date
*ProteanThread* said:
1. adobe's PDF ?
2. microsoft's reader ?
3. other ?
Click to expand...

Text. It'll work on any computer created in the last 20 years, and any
created 20 years from now.
 
Remove said:
Text. It'll work on any computer created in the last 20 years, and any
created 20 years from now.
Click to expand...

I agree: you've got something there. I assume that you mean "ASCII."
Unfortunately, having evolved from teletype, it has nothing fancy -- not
even underline and bold, which has caused all manner of issues in
designing word processing programs and file conversion software.

I'm fond of those early machine codes that are built into the
low-numbered ASCII "characters." Like BEL (bell) -- that rings a bell on
the teletype machine; when I worked in radio, the machine would go "ding
ding ding ding ding" to indicate a hot breaking story.

Plain text rules when it comes to fast universal handling. I use it for
taking notes all the time. Couldn't live without it.

And I'm still looking for a "notepad" program that I can live with!

Richard
 
Text. It'll work on any computer created in the last 20 years, and any
created 20 years from now.
Click to expand...
Limited though - particularly when it comes to such things as
technical manuals.
I'd go with PDF for the time being....though I send out my text
documents in RTF ( I get 'em back in bloody .doc format though ).

Regards,
 
(e-mail address removed) ( Steve H) wrote in 4ax.com:
Limited though - particularly when it comes to such things as
technical manuals.
Click to expand...

Like, you need technical manuals for plain text ?
 
1. adobe's PDF ?
2. microsoft's reader ?
3. other ?

*curious*
Click to expand...

For now it is
PDF that rules

But I think the future belongs to
OpenDocument (a XML based format)



/CoMa
 
CoMa said:
For now it is PDF that rules
But I think the future belongs to OpenDocument (a XML based format)
Click to expand...

Damn straight. And the sooner .pdf files are a thing of the past, the
better.

--
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please.
 
(e-mail address removed) ( Steve H) wrote in 4ax.com:


Like, you need technical manuals for plain text ?
Click to expand...

The question was - what's the best portable document format?
A document can be anything from a printed transcript of this
discussion, to perhaps a schematic layout of a complex printed circuit
or an engineering diagram.

Regards,
 
Text. It'll work on any computer created in the last 20 years, and any
created 20 years from now.
Click to expand...
I really would like to second that... (been in this biznez for almost 30
years), but clean ascii have it's limitations though...

For about 8 years I have made a monthly club-magazine, I use MS
Publisher to make it with photo's, text and so. When it's finished I
convert ("print") it to *.pdf (I use PDF Creator) and mail it to a
copymachine-technician - also member of the club - and he prints it.
All I have to do the day after is to put labels and stamps on it, and
away in the mailbox..:)

When members mail me with an article I like it in clean ascii
though...it's easyer for me to implement the article in the work.
Sometimes I get a word.doc-file, but I save it as a *.txt-file before
the implementation...:)

So, I'm an "ascii-is-great-but-sometimes-pdf-is-better" guy...:)

--
Venlig hilsen / Best regards
Thore Sorensen - DK2700 Brønshøj / DK2620 Albertslund

(Erstat evt. AT med @ i mailadressen hvis du mailer direkte)
Min hobbyside: www.RacePhoto.dk
 
PDF for now since it can have images and text that will open in the same
exact
shape and size on any computer with a pdf reader.

Metro is something new from microsoft , that will be released with Vista
.... we will have to see how that goes
 
Gary said:
Well, since we are talking about "documents", TeX is it.
Click to expand...

Hey, Gary,

Please explain. It's like, I've heard the term, but my brain is tired
and soggy right now. Unix?

Richard
 
John said:
if you just want a reader and not use a lot of memory
this is pretty good

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php
Click to expand...

I gotta agree.
I recently switched to Foxit and I'm enjoying the quicker loading.

I cannot imagine what motivates Adobe to write their software the way
that they do. There has never been a time, no matter how fast my
computer, when loading a .pdf document and Acrobat/Reader has not
imposed an agonizingly sluggish time penalty. I mean, I can go brew some
drip coffee and when I come back with my cup, perhaps I'll be able to
view the document.

My additional complaints about Adobe Reader (formerly Acrobat) have to
do with the insanely complicated installation process. The only option
that worked was the infamous "drive-by installation" (install directly
from the internet) -- like, "what's it doing to my computer?" It looks
like these folks learned user consideration from the people at Real
Networks.

It's great to be rid of them.

Richard
 
Hey, Gary,

Please explain. It's like, I've heard the term, but my brain is tired
and soggy right now. Unix?
Click to expand...

See http://www.math.vanderbilt.edu/~schectex/wincd/list_tex.htm for
Windows programs

From Google

A powerful text formatting program initially written by Donald Knuth.
Widely used by computer scientists, mathematicians, and physicists.
www.arl.org/scomm/subversive/glossary.html

TeX is a typesetting language developed by Donald Knuth. We provide an
emulation of certain parts of TeX's mathematics mode in SM's label
commands. www.phys.unm.edu/~rjr/sm/sm_21.html

A method of encoding text that precisely describes its appearance when
printed, especially good for mathematical notation. LaTeX is a version of
TeX.
www.cs.cornell.edu/wya/DigLib/MS1999/glossary.html

a typesetting language, allowing you to typeset complex mathematical
documents (and more humble text documents) from the command line
www.archivemag.co.uk/gloss/T.html

A typesetting system which is used to create highly structured documents
which may contain alot of mathematics. A number of popular TeX macro
packages exist but the most notable is LaTeX.
www.aleph1.co.uk/armlinux/book/glossary.html

State of the art typesetting software that has found a niche for
typesetting mathematics. The defacto standard.
www.math.okstate.edu/system/terms.html

Computer language designed for use in typesetting, in particular for
typesetting math and other technical material. (According to Knuth, TeX
rhymes with the word blecchhh.)
pipin.tmd.ns.ac.yu/unicode/www.unicode.org/glossary/

Regards
Gordon
 
A powerful text formatting program initially written by Donald Knuth.
Widely used by computer scientists, mathematicians, and physicists.
www.arl.org/scomm/subversive/glossary.html
Click to expand...

(snip)

It's also probably the most famous piece of software with a "bug
bounty." If you discover a bug in the code, Knuth will send you a
personal check for 327 dollars and change.
 
No one has mentioned RTF.

I thought it was quite standard.

Any comments?
Click to expand...

I mentioned it...I send out all my text docs in rtf format.
Problem is, they open up in pretty much any document editor, then get
saved in the program's native format...and then get sent back to me as
..doc./.lwp etc...and at ten times the original size.

Regards,
 
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