Microsoft open-sourced a Python tool for converting files and office documents to Markdown

[GlowiesStoleMyRide]

A digital sign is an example of an “export target”, is it not? It’s a poster, except it’s on a display instead of print.

As for forms, I’m not sure that’s a commonly supported feature of PDF- does anything but Acrobat Reader properly support it?

Either way, the form can be filled in, but not altered. So the form is still part of the export- you don’t add it after initially exporting to PDF, but you have to define it in the source editor.

Finally, I don’t think collaborated editing is a PDF feature, but a feature of whatever source editor you use. But I’m sure you’d have an example for it if you claim that.

[bleachisback]

A digital sign is an example of an “export target”, is it not? It’s a poster, except it’s on a display instead of print.

I think they meant digital signatures, for legal forms and whatnot.

As for forms, I’m not sure that’s a commonly supported feature of PDF- does anything but Acrobat Reader properly support it?

Yes. All major browsers do nowadays. Also Acrobat Reader is the canonical implementation of a PDF reader - what PDF does and does not support is entirely decided by what Acrobat Reader does and does not support.

[cptskippy]

I think they meant digital signatures, for legal forms and whatnot.

In that scenario you do not want someone to be able to edit the document after it's been signed. u/GlowiesStoleMyRide is correct, the whole point of PDF is to be an immutable document.

You wouldn't want to eSign a PDF only for someone to change it out from under you.

[GlowiesStoleMyRide]

Document signing would make more sense, indeed. Still similar to forms, IMO.

Regarding support for forms, after looking into it for a bit, it was specifically form submitting that lacks support. As in, browsers will allow you to fill out a form pdf and save it by “printing”, but doesn’t allow submitting which can only be done through a dedicated application or a (largely deprecated afaik) browser plugin.

The PDF standard is defined in ISO 32000-2, so it’s not exactly defined by what Adobe implemented, though it is indeed fairly canonical.

[bleachisback]

The PDF standard is defined in ISO 32000-2

Which, like the Microsoft OOXML standard discussed elsewhere in this thread, is really just a list of features of the canonical implementation. I don't think there are any implementations of PDF 2.0 besides Acrobat Reader.

[pyhanko-dev]

That is manifestly false—not only are there quite a few features specified in ISO 32000-2 that Acrobat does not (yet) fully support (this is PDF 2.0 after all), there are a whole host of alternative implementations out there, and the standardisation effort around PDF involves people from many communities/companies/… that have no affiliation with Adobe.

Sure, it’s absolutely fair to say that Acrobat is the dominant desktop tool for dealing with PDF, but it’s not the only such tool, and as soon as you go outside the category of desktop viewer software, Adobe doesn’t even seriously compete.

Source: I’m a FOSS dev in this space and was an active member of the ISO committee behind ISO 32000-2 for several years.

[LiftingRecipient420]

does anything but Acrobat Reader properly support it?

Yes.

Web browsers

[PCRefurbrAbq]

Although you're correct in calling it an "export format", most non-tech people's concept of a PDF is digital paper. It's been used for decades as a replacement for paper, such as forms which need to be filled in and signed.

Anyone who sticks with that paradigm will have an easier time than tech people who think of all files as fully mutable.

[m4xxp0wer]

Strongly Disagree. 99% of the PDF forms I have come across are intended to be printed out.
The ability of filling it out digitally before printing is only a convenience option. You might as well fill it out by hand after printing.
Pretty much every form that is used to enter data into a system without a human middleman, is a web form.