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0 pointsTuring_Machine12y ago0 comments

There are FOSS implementations of PDF. Mozilla has one, I think.

Edit: yep.

http://mozilla.github.io/pdf.js/

0 comments

Yeah, that's the one that always bitched and moaned about not being able to display the document correctly. I got tired of it and disabled the thing.

I've used other PDF viewers (Evince, xpdf, gs, mupdf), and tell you what.. I've come across PDFs they cannot display properly.

If I have to rely on others implementing things for me, and there is concrete evidence that others have trouble doing it, why would I rely on such a format?

Turing_MachineOP12y ago

As they say: "patches welcome".

Do you also implement your own OS from scratch, or do you rely on others?

Every FOSS OS I know of has patches coming out on near-daily basis.

nknighthb12y ago

"Patches welcome" is an aggressive, user-hostile, anti-social response to being told that the thing you suggested does not work. It's telling the user to fuck off because your own suggestion was flawed. clarry didn't run to HN and scream "pdf.js sucks!".

2 more replies

clarry12y ago

Do you also implement your own OS from scratch

No, not today. Maybe in the future, who knows.

But I try not to depend on too many things and people, if there's a way around it. I like to have control. That's freedom to me, and freedom gives me peace of mind.

So, no, I don't see why I should waste my precious free time improving software support for a format that I find way overcomplicated and just plain silly. Why should I?

1 more reply

ibrahima12y ago

Hmm, I've almost never had issues with PDFjs, and the handful of times it's been a problem Evince has worked fine. It is the default PDF viewer in Firefox now so I assume it works well enough for them to do that. I think the PDFs that can't be opened correctly may be blamed on the creation tool screwing up rather than the reader. Though I guess I don't know if those handful of PDFs were up to spec or not.

ithinkso12y ago

This bugs me a lot. If the spec is known how it is possible for some random reader to not being able to display it. Is pdf now somewhat html in late 90's where it was browser specified rather than specification?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

clarry12y ago

Yeah, that's the one that always bitched and moaned about not being able to display the document correctly. I got tired of it and disabled the thing.

I've used other PDF viewers (Evince, xpdf, gs, mupdf), and tell you what.. I've come across PDFs they cannot display properly.

If I have to rely on others implementing things for me, and there is concrete evidence that others have trouble doing it, why would I rely on such a format?

Turing_MachineOP12y ago

As they say: "patches welcome".

Do you also implement your own OS from scratch, or do you rely on others?

Every FOSS OS I know of has patches coming out on near-daily basis.

nknighthb12y ago

2 more replies

clarry12y ago

Do you also implement your own OS from scratch

No, not today. Maybe in the future, who knows.

But I try not to depend on too many things and people, if there's a way around it. I like to have control. That's freedom to me, and freedom gives me peace of mind.

So, no, I don't see why I should waste my precious free time improving software support for a format that I find way overcomplicated and just plain silly. Why should I?

1 more reply

ibrahima12y ago

ithinkso12y ago

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse