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Re: Question re postscript and pdf

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On 2026-09-14, Waldek Hebisch wrote:

> James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> wrote:
>> 
>> "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> posted:
>> 
>>> On 2026-09-13 10:16, Lawrence D’Oliveiro wrote:
>>> > On Sat, 12 Sep 2026 07:32:15 -0000 (UTC), Ian wrote:
>>> > 
>>> >> ...then some idiot decided to allow javascript in PDF
>>> > 
>>> > That’s not in the ISO32000 spec, as far as I know.
>>> 
>>> It is an adobe extension an only them support it.
>>> Mozilla is trying, but results are not good.
>>> 
>>> Governments use those documents in interactive forms.
>>>
>> 
>> With good free alternatives, I've always thought that
>> government mandating pay-to-play formats like MS Word and PDF
>> is inappropriate.  Am I wrong? 
>
> I did not look at recent specs, but PDF spec was freely available
> and IIUC put no restricions on use.  I was able to implement
> my little PDF processing utility working from the spec.  And
> there were several free implementations of viewers and
> associated tools.  I certainly can do "full" PDF flow, that
> is create them, view, convert to bitmaps, add some annotations
> using only free tools.   That is quite different from MS Word.

The Office Open XML standard(s) were a response to the push that tried
to promote ODF and other open formats on grounds that they were
standards (or at least that seemed to be invoked too).

Of course Microsoft was found to have a spec that didn't exactly match
the implementation, and also proceeded to have the standard approved
with shady practices (like people being refused to attend
standardization meetings because of "lack of chairs").

In the end, it's probably a useless standard, existing only for the
purpose of saying Office Open XML is standardized.

(And given they gave a guy called Mike Rowe hell for naming his site
and/or company "Mike Rowe Soft", they should probably have been barred
from calling it "Office Open"...)

What really matters is a decent spec, that matches the implementation,
and that is freely accessible and usable, and having at least one
compliant implementation that is FLOSS is probably not a bad idea as a
requirement.

Base PDF is probably different in that, it not being from Microsoft, may
actually have an accurate spec and may be not a futile (to everyone
else) exercise in pretending there is openness.

> The PDF forms extention may be an exception.

(No idea, it's not something I have personal experience with or where
I've done sufficient research.)

-- 
Nuno Silva

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Question re postscript and pdf "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-10 19:57 +0200
  Re: Question re postscript and pdf usenet@spuddy.org (Stephen Harris) - 2026-09-11 08:09 -0400
    Re: Question re postscript and pdf "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-11 14:44 +0200
  Re: Question re postscript and pdf magardner2010 <magardner2010@gmail.com> - 2026-09-11 15:24 +0300
    Re: Question re postscript and pdf "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-11 14:42 +0200
    Re: Question re postscript and pdf Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-12 02:21 +0000
      Re: Question re postscript and pdf Ian <${send-direct-email-to-news1021-at-jusme-dot-com-if-you-must}@jusme.com> - 2026-09-12 07:32 +0000
        Re: Question re postscript and pdf Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-12 11:07 +0100
          Re: Question re postscript and pdf "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-12 13:20 +0200
            Re: Question re postscript and pdf Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-12 12:52 +0100
        Re: Question re postscript and pdf Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-13 08:16 +0000
          Re: Question re postscript and pdf "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-13 13:42 +0200
            Re: Question re postscript and pdf James Dow Allen <user4353@newsgrouper.org.invalid> - 2026-09-13 13:03 +0000
              Re: Question re postscript and pdf Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-09-13 07:33 -0700
              Re: Question re postscript and pdf John Levine <johnl@taugh.com> - 2026-09-13 14:50 +0000
              Re: Question re postscript and pdf "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-13 19:09 +0200
              Re: Question re postscript and pdf antispam@fricas.org (Waldek Hebisch) - 2026-09-14 16:22 +0000
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-15 10:41 +0100
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-09-15 07:41 -0700
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-16 00:23 +0100
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-15 23:25 +0000
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Dave Yeo <dave.r.yeo@gmail.com> - 2026-09-15 20:07 -0700
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-16 04:17 +0000
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-16 11:41 +0100
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-09-16 08:02 -0700
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Dave Yeo <dave.r.yeo@gmail.com> - 2026-09-16 14:41 -0700
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-17 01:56 +0000
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-17 10:27 +0100
                About OO vs LO "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-16 09:19 +0200
                Re: About OO vs LO Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-16 07:48 +0000
                Re: About OO vs LO "Carlos E. R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2026-09-16 11:57 +0200
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Peter Flass <Peter@Iron-Spring.com> - 2026-09-16 07:55 -0700
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2026-09-16 16:22 +0000
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Lawrence D’Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2026-09-17 01:57 +0000
                Re: Question re postscript and pdf Chris Ahlstrom <OFeem1987@teleworm.us> - 2026-09-18 17:35 -0400
      Re: Question re postscript and pdf Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2026-09-12 10:59 +0100
      Re: Question re postscript and pdf antispam@fricas.org (Waldek Hebisch) - 2026-09-14 16:08 +0000

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