What I Hate about PDF's

PDF's aren't evil by any means, and they do have attributes like printing.  However, I'm not terribly fond of them.   Here's why:

 

• PDF's don't support flash.

• Text does not fit the computer screen.  PDF layouts are optimized for paper, which rarely match the size of a browser window.  Say goodbye to smooth scrolling and hello to mini fonts.

• Searching is cumbersome.  Most PDF files are large with little or no navigation.  Lacking a decent search function, users often give up, close the page and go elsewhere.

• Common browser commands don't work.  PDF lives in its own environment with different commands and menus. Even simple things like printing or saving documents are difficult because often standard browser commands don't work.

• Crashes and software problems.  PDF's are more prone to crash browsers and computers instead of an HTML page.
• The reader.  PDF's take longer to download and require a special reader.
• The secret location.  PDF files are not web pages and do not show in your navigation bar making it difficult to return to a home page.
• Users can't edit or copy text.  Users cannot cut and paste PDF text.  It has to be re-keyed.  Ouch.
• Hyperlinks are useless.  PDF's don't allow hyperlinks.   Period.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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