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> You could say that a PDF reader, say, is an “interpreter," Yes. PDF is based on PS, which in turn is a programming language. With variables, conditionals, lo
by ordu 4y ago
> You could say that a PDF reader, say, is an “interpreter,"
Yes. PDF is based on PS, which in turn is a programming language. With variables, conditionals, loops and so on. One cannot render PDF without an interpreter of PostScript.
I'm not sure though what the difference is between PDF and PS, what PDF adds and how much it seems like an extension of the PS language. Never bothered to dig into this rabbit hole.
- kragen 4y agoThe main difference is that PostScript is a programming language, and PDF is not. PDF is a random-access file format that does not have variables, conditionals, loops, and so on. Most PDF renderers do not contain PostScript interpreters. PDF does borrow some syntax from PostScript, and the PDF imaging model was initially the same as PostScript's, though PDF has added features since then.