RE: Re: OT: Electronic episodes

From: bernuetz.oliver_at_...
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2001 16:18:51 -0400

> I consider a PDF to be a second-string substitute for printed matter.
> I generally won't buy PDF material if a print or more readily
> manipulable version is available for purchase. PDF combines all the
> disadvantages of print (fixed in content and form) with the
> disadvantages of electronic (pain in the patoot to read, even on the
> best displays--astigmatism plus dyslexia). And I see no advantage as
> an end-user in the format except for the possibility of significantly
> lowering the price in comparison to print (but not necessarily in
> comparison to other electronic formats).
 

There's truth here but PDF does have the advantage of being quickly searchable which print doesn't necessarily have. (If we'd bought Hero Wars in PDF we wouldn't have needed someone to do indexes). It's also less platform dependant than some electronic formats like word processor files and has the ability to include graphics, etc. that RTF might not. The inability to manipulate the text is a curious thing to consider a shortcoming. If I sell you a book I've written I don't really want you to go mucking about with it either. Frankly for the purpose for which it was created it does what Adobe meant it to :  

"Anyone can open your document across a broad range of hardware and software, and it will look exactly as you intended - with layout, fonts, links, and images intact"  

I go into dozens of the damn things every month, heck every week and yes there are those out there that are screwed up or can't be searched from within Acrobat or that can't be printed (you can set your PDF to be unprintable if you want)but they're a great way to share files according to the aforementioned criteria.  

To criticize them as being unsearchable from browsers or incapbale of being manipulated is missing the point of the format. If you have problems with electronic formats then you have problems with electronic formats it's not just Acrobat. And people don't share their creations so other people can change them. If the above quote from the Adobe site is important to you then it works. Now would I buy a PDF adventure for myself? I've purchased $750 US reports for work that were in PDF (print was $25 extra) but bizarrely enough I haven't used a prepared scenario in years so I doubt it but then I wouldn't buy a print one either probably. Source material or Best of Tales in PDF sure. I'm still in favour of the format.  

Oliver