Re: "Acrobat file" vs. "PDF file"

Hi,

Not to incite an argument here with James and Deborah, but to make
Skot sound like he's talking nonsense is not taking into account how
many non-techy-savvy people may understand PDFs on the Web.

The PDF format was indeed created by Adobe, and the most popular
program for viewing PDFs is/was Acrobat Reader (now renamed by Adobe
to remove the Acrobat name).  Mmany sites still say you need to
"download adobe acrobat/reader to view PDFs".  So many users can
easily link the words PDF, Adobe, and Acrobat together.  It's similar
to how people don't talk about DOC files, they talk about Word files,
because Microsoft Word is what they use to create and view them.

Regardless, i agree that PDF is the more correct, universal,
platform-independent term that we should be reinforcing on websites.
But to put yourself in website visitors' shoes, i don't think the
expected use of 'Acrobat file' by some users is that far-fetched.

--Matt


On Mon, Sep 26, 2011 at 11:46 AM, James Wanless <[email protected]> wrote:
> You had asked what people use if not Acrobat, to read PDFs.  If you are on
> a Mac, then for simple viewing Preview is actually preferred because it
> loads fast and you can print from it as well.  As for the naming
> convention, it's a PDF document, not an Acrobat document.  Since PDFs can
> be produced and opened by more than just Acrobat software, this is far
> more accurate.  I've been producing web sites and applications for over 15
> years and this is the first I've ever heard a PDF referred to as an
> Acrobat document.  Sorry, but it sounds kind of stupid IMHO.
>
> James
>
>
>
>
> On 11-09-25 8:03 AM, "Skot Nelson" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Heh. Thanks Deborah (and all else who responded.) It seems that my
>>company is going to continue to use "Acrobat file" despite the fact that
>>*everybody* on two lists has agreed with you (and my personal feeling)
>>that "PDF file" is the right way to go!
>>
>>Inertia, it seems, outweighs rationality. Sigh.
>>
>>On Sep-24-2011, at 08:54 , Deborah Galdes wrote:
>>
>>> "PDF file" or "PDF document" is the correct terminology. The Adobe
>>>Acrobat software application allows people to create PDF files/documents
>>>and PDF forms. I've never heard of an "Acrobat file" and I work at Adobe
>>>Systems. :-)
>>
>>--
>>Skot Nelson
>>[email protected]
>>
>>       "In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when
>>        there is no longer anything to add, but when there
>>        is no longer anything to take away."
>>             -- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wind, Sand and Stars
>>
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