|
...preserve formatting and layout and making it easy to print documents has made it the format of choice. Yet it has its share of critics who complain that it's not the most effective digital distribution method. Among its most famous broadsides was Jakob Nielsen's June, 2001 Alert Box column in which he concluded that the PDF was great for printing out documents, but lousy for online reading. Others complain about Acrobat Reader's load time, especially on Web sites. In spite of these criticisms, the PDF has solidified its place as the leader in electronic document distribution.
Yet the story can't simply end there, can it? Surely technology must find a way for digital publishing to evolve, and, in fact, there are a number of competing and complimentary technologies on the market that push the digital delivery methodology well beyond the elementary PDF (Portable Document Format). Even Adobe has recognized that the PDF format has certain limitations and recently come out with a platform to use the PDF as a front end to distribute information throughout the enterprise using XML.
Other players are also making serious moves into PDF's territory. Macromedia, for one, introduced FlashPaper last year with the release of Contribute 2.0, and they have recently released a stand-alone version of this product, which provides a way to integrate documents directly into a Web page using Flash technology.
Meanwhile, traditional print publishers such as newspapers and magazines continue to search for the best way to distribute their publications online. Some have chosen PDF or HTML, but others have chosen "replica" digital distribution options such as Zinio, NewsStand, and NXTbook to distribute their publications online in a format that walks the line between print and the Internet. Not to be left out, newsletter publishers have moved to plain text and HTML email distribution. And as that avenue gets more and more jammed, they too...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos
have been removed from this article.
More articles from EContent
Local ad revenues: Google delivers pizza.(follow the money), July 01, 2004
Looking for additional articles?
Search our database of over 3 million articles.
Looking for more in-depth information on this industry?
Search our complete database of Industry & Market reports by text, subject, publication
name or publication date.
About Goliath
Whether you're looking for sales prospects, competitive information, company
analysis or best practices in managing your organization,
Goliath can help you meet your business needs.
Our extensive business information databases empower business
professionals with both the breadth and depth of credible,
authoritative information they need to support their business
goals. Whether it be strategic planning, sales prospecting,
company research or defining management best practices -
Goliath is your leading source for accurate information.
|
