[LINK] Government gives thumbs down to PDF format

[Darrell Burkey]

On Tue, 2010-12-14 at 09:03, Marghanita da Cruz wrote:
> The problem is that Graphic Designer have too much influence 
> in the online world - though I think this is changing - the 
> filmmakers are taking over. These two methods of 
> communication have evolved over time and no doubt effective 
> online communication will too. However, we are not there yet 
> and using PDF to deliver information online is not helpful - 
> unless of course you have an A4 screen...

I like the pdf format as it allows communications produced in a much
more sophisticated medium (print) to be viewed online. Then you have the
effectiveness of the printed medium available via the great delivery
mechanism of the internet. 

I don't think anyone intends pdf to be the format of choice for online
communications. For my preferences, I would much rather read a well laid
out printed publication with proper typography than any web page. IMHO
web publications are really quite crude and have a long way to go before
they have the sophistication of the printed medium, which is there for
very good reasons.

So for now, if a publication was produced properly and I want to read it
online, pdf is the only way to see it as it was published. Stripping out
the words and presenting them in a crude web page is blasphemy IMHO and
those that do this should burn in hell. :-)

If you have ever worked to produce proper printed reports, journals,
magazines etc you will know what I'm referring to, which I think will be
most people here. If you've grown up slumped over a computer and
consider Whirlpool, Slashdot etc as the pinnacle of the written word
then you'll have no idea what I'm talking about.

Cheers.

-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Darrell Burkey
UNIX Systems Administrator
College of Asia & the Pacific
Australian National University
Ph: (02) 6125 4160