No. It is designed for print. It is used for screens (that’s the crazy part). Something like HTML or epub is designed for screens. PDF later got extended with some features, that only make sense on screen but the original design is for print and it shows. For example everything has a fixed layout size (like paper). And most of the time the order of words got lost so you can not select text in a meaningful way (something that would not matter if it is printed).
PDF was developed to share documents, including text formatting and inline images, among computer users of disparate platforms who may not have access to mutually-compatible application software.[2]
Development of PDF began in 1991, when Adobe’s co-founder John Warnock wrote a paper for a project then code-named Camelot, in which he proposed the creation of a simplified version of Adobe’s PostScript format called Interchange PostScript (IPS).[1] Unlike traditional PostScript, which was tightly focused on rendering print jobs to output devices, IPS would be optimized for displaying pages to any screen and any platform.[1]
That’s interesting indeed. I knew it was about portability, being right there in the name, but I thought it was about being as compatible everywhere (any device) as possible, then over time also became the defacto way to share a printable document, then that use case waned in popularity since the mid aughts.
History of PDF is basically:
We need a standard format to get print jobs over there > Postscript > let’s add feature X > also feature y > make it do thing too! > uh oh, it’s gotten too powerful, security galore > reboot and slim it down > PDF > let’s add feature X > also feature y > …
pocorgtfo has some pretty cool/scary examples of what a pdf is capable of hiding. One issue actually starts with a boot sector that is a playble game of tetris
pdf is a print and typesetting format for printers. what’s crazy is that we’re using it for something other than that.
It’s not? The p stands for portable, which implies a digital format for software use. Maybe you’re thinking of postscript?
pdf is a postscript container format, yes.
Yep, but mainly meant for computer screens rather than paper, no?
No. It is designed for print. It is used for screens (that’s the crazy part). Something like HTML or epub is designed for screens. PDF later got extended with some features, that only make sense on screen but the original design is for print and it shows. For example everything has a fixed layout size (like paper). And most of the time the order of words got lost so you can not select text in a meaningful way (something that would not matter if it is printed).
PDF is designed for user interfaces, actually.
you’re thinking of display postscript? i think that was an extension of the original language.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_PDF
And yet any pdf reader has one of the largest libraries to render a single format.
Wait till I tell you what they’re doing with JavaScript.
actually, you’re kinda right! didn’t know this before, but pdf started as a slimmed-down version of postscript that didn’t support all print features.
Confidently incorrect.Edit: apparently I kinda was actually.
This is funny. They’re correct.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_PDF
That’s interesting indeed. I knew it was about portability, being right there in the name, but I thought it was about being as compatible everywhere (any device) as possible, then over time also became the defacto way to share a printable document, then that use case waned in popularity since the mid aughts.
History of PDF is basically: We need a standard format to get print jobs over there > Postscript > let’s add feature X > also feature y > make it do thing too! > uh oh, it’s gotten too powerful, security galore > reboot and slim it down > PDF > let’s add feature X > also feature y > …
Yes. PDF is an embrace - extended - extinguish job done on PostScript.
I feel like websites tried to do the same with seperating CSS from the DOM, but then the web said, actually how about we invent webasm anyway…
Almost as crazy as Adobe continuing to exist decades after purchasing Macromedia when it could not compete with Macromedia’s software on merit.
pocorgtfo has some pretty cool/scary examples of what a pdf is capable of hiding. One issue actually starts with a boot sector that is a playble game of tetris
that’s what happens when any file with a valid pdf header in it anywhere is a valid pdf…