Using the web to do my research, I often find the most interesting PDF resources and nick-nacks second hand. That is, from following posted links on the web pages I’m currently browsing at the time. This can become a long “six degrees of separation”, with its many twists and turns (thank goodness for the browser history). But this can also become easier when you find them linked on social bookmarking websites, such as del.icio.us.


If you’re familiar with the site, then you already know that all you need to do is set up an account to start bookmarking and organizing your favourite sites under a customized system of tags. The beauty about this is that it’s a network. You also get to see how many other users are bookmarking the same content as you are. On this social scene, networking means that you can branch off and check out other users’ bookmarks, or send and receive them from members in your network. You can even say that it’s a place where you can create a personalized web search engine, all linked and tagged to different pages you frequently visit.


And amidst the tagging clouds and bookmarking users, you can find numerous links to web content regarding the PDF. From related PDF products and websites to tutorials and books, Adobe has its own del.icio.us page, which makes it easier for you to look for Adobe content and PDF information. The page is choked with helpful links and user resources gathered from all over the web. The page is maintained by the Design Center editors of Adobe, and is set up for anyone looking for everything and anything Adobe and PDF.


And another helpful tip for aspiring bookmark worms: think PDF next time you post a web page to del.icio.us. From my experience and from searching other user pages, online PDF files containing URLs can be bookmarked. This comes in real handy if you need to quickly reference manuals and forms from a different computer. However, keep in mind that you may need to bookmark the gateway page instead as the file may be moved or the link may be deleted altogether overtime.


That’s it for this week. In the meantime, happy bookmarking!

While we were on Apple iPhones and phone bills last week, the news headlines had also been relentlessly covering the many controversies generated during ISO's review of Microsoft’s OOXML, right up until the final voting date on Sept. 2nd.

The result: Microsoft failed to get OOXML approved as an ISO standard. Yet, despite this, according to ISO standardization rules, because of the number and nature of the voting results, the OOXML proposal is set for a ballot resolution meeting scheduled for early 2008. Until then, submitted comments for the text proposal will be addressed.

OOXML Formats Aren’t Compatible

Now, although the OOXML issue, voting committees and ISO process may not seem like it has anything to do with you or your PDF work, if you’re a PC user looking to upgrade to Office 2007, it will have an impact on the way you conduct your work.

This also goes for the PDF industry because: 1) MS Office-generated documents make up the majority, if not the entirety, of PDF source documents, and 2) OOXML is the backbone behind Microsoft’s quasi-PDF format, XPS. On a realistic level, how will Office 2007 impact the PDF?

First, if OOXML is approved, it will mean that its default formats—.docx, .pptx, .xlsx, will gradually be implemented into workflows. PDF ones included. As of right now, OOXML formats are operable on Office 2007 and Vista. If you’ve come across one of these formats, and tried opening them in Office 2003, then you can begin to understand the compatibility issue.

Oddly enough, you can open .docx, .pptx and .xlsx files within Adobe Acrobat 8 Professional, which will automatically convert them to the PDF format, a quick strategy to avoid being locked out of an OOXML formatted document.

Yet, can you extract the PDF into these OOXML formats? As far as I know, No. PDF conversion software normally converts to Office 2003 formats. To get PDF content into an OOXML format, you’ll need to resave what Office 2007 calls a “compatible” .doc file as a “default” .docx file format. Apply this on a business level where the PDF is concerned, and you can get a sense of its potential impact on digital workflows.

The PDF Or The XPS Format: Which Would You Use?

This brings us to the second major Office 2007 issue as it relates to the PDF—XPS, Microsoft’s version of a final print and archiving format. Which one would you use?

When PostScript became a published standard, it generated a PDF industry built on third party developments, subset standards, and format recognition. If you remember, just a day before the Office 2007 release, Adobe submitted the PDF 1.7 specification for ISO certification, which said a lot on Adobe’s part, and the format. Adobe’s de facto standard format is based upon popular usage, and based on working trends. But as a standard, it can introduce even more stability for the workflows it has already generated.

Compare this to standardizing a technology just barely a year old. The XPS format is native to Microsoft products. If OOXML does take off, it will take time for the XPS format to reach that same level of versatility and reliability across systems and industries. To achieve this, Microsoft needs to focus on interoperability, which becomes a major factor on the adoption level. Microsoft has been heading in the Open Source direction to help facilitate that, which has many users scoffing as MS is notorious for closed source codes and associated with monopolization—both of which stifle innovation. Those 2 factors alone are primary examples of why published standards are important for vendors.


Where Competitors Meet

But the reality is that Microsoft Office is as common as the PDF is universal. There is no way XPS can not gain even the smallest bit of momentum with more developments, even if it loses a shot at ISO certification the next time, and despite the criticism thrown at OOXML. Already, there are XPS converters that are capable of viewing and converting XPS documents as you would PDFs. And this is where Adobe and Microsoft will have to make room for each other.


You can be sure that both formats will be out there, although, you can safely assume that the Adobe PDF, by far, will be the dominant one being used. But ironically, this duality can help to ensure that the best technology comes out on top.


The safest bet: if you’ve been a PDF user for a while now, chances are you’ll stay a PDF user for some time yet.