James C. King

A format design case study: PDF

We explain how the Portable Document Format was designed based upon some specific design criteria that were developed to make an advance beyond previous technology. The environmental variables (computing power, business climate) that affected the design are also discussed.

The nature of a document is changing

Electronic computers and display devices began a movement of documents from paper form to electronic form. But the vast array of options for electronic displays is so much broader than the options available on paper that the basic nature of a document and how it is created is changing. It is not simply providing an electronic analog to paper documents that is happening but we are positioned to take more advantage of the electronic components becoming available and their interconnectivity using networks like the Internet to provide more useful and pertinent information in the form of modern intelligent documents. We discuss the opportunities and possible ways to take advantage of these opportunities to move documents into a new realm.