3 ms·
> PDFs are universally understood by most people and can be read on phones, desktops, laptops, and eBook readers. PDFs need a proprietary app to use, most of w
by lucideer 5y ago
> PDFs are universally understood by most people and can be read on phones, desktops, laptops, and eBook readers.
PDFs need a proprietary app to use, most of which are loaded with spyware & trackers. I may be mistaken in this but MacOS/iOS are the only OSes I know of that read them natively? There's absolutely nothing universal about the format.
HTML is truly universal: not only does every OS come with a built in HTML viewer, but it's a plain text file. You can read the source using anything.
> Once you’ve downloaded a local PDF version of the site, there is no risk that it can be changed or removed by the host.
Once you've downloaded a local HTML version of the page there's no risk that it can be changed or removed by the host. Yes, there's caveats to both: people can create PDFs with remote embeds or HTML sites with ajax content but both of these are the fault/responsibility of the individual author. It's as easy to make good downloadable HTML as downloadable PDF.
The so called "churn" is the responsibility of the individual HTML author. If you're making bad HTML, the fix is to start making good HTML. Not to switch to a closed inaccessible format.
- npteljes 5y agoPDF is an open format, with multiple FOSS reader implementations. You could argue that a subset of niche features can only be used in Acrobat Reader, but AR is far from the only PDF reader out there. And the churn is part of the zeitgeist, not really a responsibility of anyone in particular. Individuals are suckered into it, companies are supplying it, and governments are allowing it. We're all part of it. Not new either: I'm hearing it since the 90s how the modern life is rushed, and that's just my limited experience.
- lucideer 5y agoI said it wasn't universal, which is somewhat different to the vague idea of being "open", and yes, PDF is technically an "open format" depending on how you define "open". The ISO 32000 spec. costs in the region of ~200 USD/EUR. What that "openness" translates into in the real world is that there are zero non-Adobe viewers that support all of PDF's features, and even less PDF editors. The standard PDF editor costs ~200 USD/EUR (annual subscription). This is before we even get into the nightmarish world of PDF parsing. Or PDF accessibility. PDF is a great format if you're sending a document to someone for them to print immediately. It has no other valid uses imo.
- npteljes 5y agoI see your point, thanks for the elaboration. I'm not a fan of the format either.