What are Adobe Acrobat documents?
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) documents are just another MIME document
type on the web, like movies, JPEG or GIF files. Traditionally
these files have an extension of ".PDF". Many web browsers directly
support the PDF format natively or through plug-ins, otherwise
an external application, the Adobe Acrobat Reader, is required
to view these documents. This plug-in or external helper application,
which is available free from Adobe, allows a document to be viewed
exactly as it was intended on all platforms. It may then also
be printed or stored on your local system for later viewing.
What do I have to do to view Adobe Acrobat Documents?
To view and print PDF documents you must have a browser that
supports the PDF format natively or through plug-ins (e.g. Netscape
or Microsoft Internet Explorer) or you can use an external application,
such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader or Adobe Acrobat Exchange. Both
the plug-ins and Adobe Acrobat Reader are free from Adobe Systems.
Complete instructions for installation are included with the software.
If your browser does not have native or plug-in support for the
PDF MIME type, your web browser can either be configured to launch
an external "helper application" or it will download the file
for external viewing. Instructions for configuring popular web
browsers are available from Adobe.
Free Adobe Acrobat Readers and PDF plug-ins are available
for the Macintosh, Microsoft DOS, Microsoft Windows, and Sun Unix
systems. For information about how to download the software and
configure it, please read the instructions from Adobe's web site,
http://www.adobe.com/.
Can I save the PDF document to my hard disk?
Yes. Select the document with your web browser. If your browser
is configured to recognize PDF files properly, it will display
on your screen and you can save it in your browser. If not your
browser does not support PDF files or is configured incorrectly,
it will most likely ask if you want to download the document as
a file on your system.
Do a lot of people publish documents on the Internet in Acrobat
format? Why?
Yes. Many sites publish documents on the Internet using the Acrobat
format since it allows the document to be distributed exactly
the way it was designed. Any two people who view or print a PDF
document will see exactly the same output. Different web browsers
often produce different results, and can use different fonts and
formating. For instance, the Internal Revenue Service uses Acrobat
to make its tax forms available online. By using PDF format, they
can be assured their forms will appear exactly the same as the
printed ones.
