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If you have a PDF document on your web site, please consider putting a link to https://pdfreaders.org/ https://pdfreaders.org/ instead of unfair advertisement o

by fghtr 8y ago

If you have a PDF document on your web site, please consider putting a link to https://pdfreaders.org/ https://pdfreaders.org/ instead of unfair advertisement of Adobe Reader.

xytop 8y ago
What the shit is there? Where is the most popular alternative, FoxitReader?
- consp 8y ago
  Foxit reader is closed source and the mentioned ones on that site are not. Addendum: Most links of the bottom row don't work anymore. Needs updates
  - oblio 8y ago
    That site is, in my opinion, hilariously bad for the non tech-user. Top row: Platform (what's that?): GNU (isn't that some kind of African animal?) Linux (oh, I know that one, it's the cute penguin!) The rest of the text in those boxes is mostly techno-babble for non-tech users (Gnome? KDE? DjVu?!??) I understand the intent behind it, but it would only serve a very small niche of users, who can already fend for themselves. Everyone else would go like: PDF? Ah, that's Adobe!
Sahhaese 8y ago
Is such a link even still neccessary? Edge, firefox and chrome have built in PDF readers. For more control sites can self-embed pdfjs so no external reader is required.
- joneser005 8y ago
  Unfortunately, yes it is. Just yesterday, my wife tried to open a pdf transcript from her college. It would not open on anything other that Adobe Reader on a traditional os, putting it out of reach for her, being an Android/Chromebook user. Neither Chrome nor Google Drive/Docs could open it. And I could only open it in Adobe Reader on my laptop - not Firefox, not Chrome, and not whatever default viewer my laptop has. We've had this problem with PDF's from another organization, too. It is a real problem.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago
    I think there used to be an official port of Adobe Reader to Android. Probably discontinued now, but it was a thing.
    - Liquid_Fire 8y ago
      It's not discontinued, it's actively maintained (last updated 5 Nov 2018): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adobe.reader https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adobe.read...
  - cozzyd 8y ago
    Yeah official transcripts from my undergrad have (or had, haven't needed one in a while) some sort of authentication thing. Fortunately adobe reader for Linux was still supported when I needed one...
danieldk 8y ago
Which gives (except for pdf.js) more PDF readers written in C, some with a long history of CVEs, and typically not sandboxed by default. Since many people are using a PDF reader to read PDFs from relatively untrusted sources, do yourself a favor and at least use a reader that does not have full system access. macOS: Preview.app (uses macOS sandboxing) Linux: Evince Flatpak on Wayland (Flatpak uses sandboxing. Wayland because X11 apps can read all keystrokes, mouse events, do screengrabs.) Windows: no clue All platforms: in-browser PDF reader with a browser that sandboxes.
- rvp-x 8y ago
  If you're counting on wayland to sandbox arbitrary code execution, you're getting in trouble.
  - danielhlockard 8y ago
    I think they're counting on flatpak.
  - Spivak 8y ago
    Applications that can send commands to X.org servers can completely control it. The same isn't true for Wayland. Flatpak is providing the actual application sandboxing, but being allowed to talk to the X server is a huge amount of privilege that can't really be restricted.
- Santosh83 8y ago
  > Windows: no clue I think UWP apps are sandboxed by default, so something like Xodo PDF could be a possibility.
  - Already__Taken 8y ago
    or Edge
SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago
Are you going to suggest that I should remove the "Made in Notepad" animated GIF from my homepage too? You monster.

by fghtr 8y ago

If you have a PDF document on your web site, please consider putting a link to https://pdfreaders.org/ https://pdfreaders.org/ instead of unfair advertisement of Adobe Reader.

xytop 8y ago

What the shit is there? Where is the most popular alternative, FoxitReader?

consp 8y ago
Foxit reader is closed source and the mentioned ones on that site are not. Addendum: Most links of the bottom row don't work anymore. Needs updates
- oblio 8y ago
  That site is, in my opinion, hilariously bad for the non tech-user. Top row: Platform (what's that?): GNU (isn't that some kind of African animal?) Linux (oh, I know that one, it's the cute penguin!) The rest of the text in those boxes is mostly techno-babble for non-tech users (Gnome? KDE? DjVu?!??) I understand the intent behind it, but it would only serve a very small niche of users, who can already fend for themselves. Everyone else would go like: PDF? Ah, that's Adobe!

Sahhaese 8y ago

Is such a link even still neccessary? Edge, firefox and chrome have built in PDF readers. For more control sites can self-embed pdfjs so no external reader is required.

joneser005 8y ago
Unfortunately, yes it is. Just yesterday, my wife tried to open a pdf transcript from her college. It would not open on anything other that Adobe Reader on a traditional os, putting it out of reach for her, being an Android/Chromebook user. Neither Chrome nor Google Drive/Docs could open it. And I could only open it in Adobe Reader on my laptop - not Firefox, not Chrome, and not whatever default viewer my laptop has. We've had this problem with PDF's from another organization, too. It is a real problem.
- yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago
  I think there used to be an official port of Adobe Reader to Android. Probably discontinued now, but it was a thing.
  - Liquid_Fire 8y ago
    It's not discontinued, it's actively maintained (last updated 5 Nov 2018): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adobe.reader https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adobe.read...
- cozzyd 8y ago
  Yeah official transcripts from my undergrad have (or had, haven't needed one in a while) some sort of authentication thing. Fortunately adobe reader for Linux was still supported when I needed one...

danieldk 8y ago

Which gives (except for pdf.js) more PDF readers written in C, some with a long history of CVEs, and typically not sandboxed by default. Since many people are using a PDF reader to read PDFs from relatively untrusted sources, do yourself a favor and at least use a reader that does not have full system access. macOS: Preview.app (uses macOS sandboxing) Linux: Evince Flatpak on Wayland (Flatpak uses sandboxing. Wayland because X11 apps can read all keystrokes, mouse events, do screengrabs.) Windows: no clue All platforms: in-browser PDF reader with a browser that sandboxes.

rvp-x 8y ago
If you're counting on wayland to sandbox arbitrary code execution, you're getting in trouble.
- danielhlockard 8y ago
  I think they're counting on flatpak.
- Spivak 8y ago
  Applications that can send commands to X.org servers can completely control it. The same isn't true for Wayland. Flatpak is providing the actual application sandboxing, but being allowed to talk to the X server is a huge amount of privilege that can't really be restricted.
Santosh83 8y ago
> Windows: no clue I think UWP apps are sandboxed by default, so something like Xodo PDF could be a possibility.
- Already__Taken 8y ago
  or Edge

SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago

Are you going to suggest that I should remove the "Made in Notepad" animated GIF from my homepage too? You monster.