[OT?] US & CA govt use of PDF fill-in forms

[Ernest Prabhakar]

On Apr 26, 2004, at 9:59 AM, Ihab A.B. Awad wrote:
> Actually, with all due respect to FSF India's opinion -- which is 
> pretty much
> what I would expect from FSF anywhere -- I claim the US tax agencies' 
> policy
> fails an even weaker standard: that of the availability of more than 
> one
> source for the software required to use the format.

That isn't quite true.

For example, Apple's Quartz technology is an alternative implementation 
of the PDF standard, and I use it regularly to read (and generate) PDF 
documents via the Internet.  And I personally consider PDF a huge 
improvement over having to download MS Word documents, in terms of both 
user experience and cross-platform compatibility.

Rather than focus on trying to insist on an alternative to PDF - is 
there a viable one? - I would think it more effective to encourage the 
development of alternative software for using it.   Apple has shown 
that it is at least possible.

I realize that Apple's technology on runs on the Mac.   However, the 
fact that multiple PDF readers don't exist on other platforms could be 
considered a limitation of those platforms, rather than of PDF. :-)

Perhaps what you are really saying - which might be at least slightly 
relevant to this list - is that you only want governments to use 
document formats that are supported by open source implementations.  Is 
that your point?

- Ernie P. (personal opinion only)
-----------
Ernest N. Prabhakar, Ph.D.
Product Manager, UNIX & Open Source
Mac OS X Product Marketing
(408) 974-3075 <ernest at apple.com>


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