Adobe Reader Alternatives for Linux
Hi folks, Yes, I am aware that there are many applications out there that can read pdfs. However the government of Canada (in its infinite wisdom) has mandated that to open and fill their forms, one use Adobe Reader. (As an example see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/citizen/CIT0002E-2.pdf ). Alternatives? Thanks! Dhaval
Dhaval Giani via talk wrote:
However the government of Canada (in its infinite wisdom) has mandated that to open and fill their forms, one use Adobe Reader. (As an example see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/citizen/CIT0002E-2.pdf ).
Alternatives?
Not sure if you tried this yet but Adobe released a version of Acrobat Reader for Linux in 2013 you can still download off their FTP server: <ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/unix/9.x/9.5.5/enu/>.
On Wed, Oct 11, 2017 at 10:16 AM, Myles Braithwaite 👾 <me@mylesb.ca> wrote:
Dhaval Giani via talk wrote:
However the government of Canada (in its infinite wisdom) has mandated that to open and fill their forms, one use Adobe Reader. (As an example see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/citizen/CIT0002E-2.pdf ).
Alternatives?
Not sure if you tried this yet but Adobe released a version of Acrobat Reader for Linux in 2013 you can still download off their FTP server: <ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/unix/9.x/9.5.5/enu/>.
Hi Myles, I thought about it. But 4 yr old software, from a company that has a history of security issues? :-). Not my first choice. Thanks! Dhaval
On Wed, 11 Oct 2017 10:18:31 -0400 Dhaval Giani via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
On Wed, Oct 11, 2017 at 10:16 AM, Myles Braithwaite 👾 <me@mylesb.ca> wrote:
Dhaval Giani via talk wrote:
However the government of Canada (in its infinite wisdom) has mandated that to open and fill their forms, one use Adobe Reader. (As an example see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/citizen/CIT0002E-2.pdf ). Alternatives? Not sure if you tried this yet but Adobe released a version of Acrobat Reader for Linux in 2013 you can still download off their FTP server: <ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/unix/9.x/9.5.5/enu/>. Hi Myles, I thought about it. But 4 yr old software, from a company that has a history of security issues? :-). Not my first choice.
//adjust tinfoil to scratch head https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/technology/kaspersky-lab-israel-russia-ha... the NSA also has "assets"? **amazed** - wondering who else has assets and how these assets work :) Andre
Hi Dhaval
However the government of Canada (in its infinite wisdom) has mandated that to open and fill their forms, one use Adobe Reader. (As an example see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/citizen/CIT0002E-2.pdf ).
Ah, you've just met XFA¹, Adobe's incompatible-with-itself forms standard. These files are produced by Adobe LiveCycle (aka DeathSpiral), a produce Adobe bought in some years ago and can't seem to integrate with its main code base. You can't even edit these forms in the very expensive Adobe Acrobat Pro. They come pre-encrypted (but with a blank password) so no-one can break DeathSpiral's mess further. What's very annoying is that the form data is in there somewhere. It's just that there's something (Javascript?) that only shows the first page. The determined can poke around in the files with qpdf and pdftk, but so far, no-one I know has worked their way around it.
Alternatives?
This opens and edits them, but it's commercial if you want the full version. This free one *might* watermark/distort your PDFs, but I haven't seen evidence of this: https://code-industry.net/free-pdf-editor Link looks dodgy af, I know. cheers, Stewart ¹: to be fair to Adobe, it *is* possible to create standards-compliant XFA forms, just not in LiveCycle.
On October 11, 2017 12:19:59 PM EDT, "Stewart C. Russell via talk" <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
Hi Dhaval
However the government of Canada (in its infinite wisdom) has
mandated
that to open and fill their forms, one use Adobe Reader. (As an example see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/citizen/CIT0002E-2.pdf ).
Ah, you've just met XFA¹, Adobe's incompatible-with-itself forms standard. These files are produced by Adobe LiveCycle (aka DeathSpiral), a produce Adobe bought in some years ago and can't seem to integrate with its main code base.
You can't even edit these forms in the very expensive Adobe Acrobat Pro. They come pre-encrypted (but with a blank password) so no-one can break DeathSpiral's mess further.
What's very annoying is that the form data is in there somewhere. It's just that there's something (Javascript?) that only shows the first page. The determined can poke around in the files with qpdf and pdftk, but so far, no-one I know has worked their way around it.
Alternatives?
Don't laugh, I use GIMP. Not perfect by any means but if you fill out the same form over and over again, you can figure out the best font and kerning to fit in the boxes and save those as defaults. Sure you have to draw the text entry box yourself and it never seems to line up correctly, at first but thats tweakable It does gets easier the more I do it. Between pdftk and GIMP I get ok results. There may even be some script-fu out there to make it easier, but for now I'm plodding through quickly enough.
This opens and edits them, but it's commercial if you want the full version. This free one *might* watermark/distort your PDFs, but I haven't seen evidence of this:
https://code-industry.net/free-pdf-editor
Link looks dodgy af, I know.
cheers, Stewart
¹: to be fair to Adobe, it *is* possible to create standards-compliant XFA forms, just not in LiveCycle. --- Talk Mailing List talk@gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
-- Russell Sent by K-9 Mail
On 2017-10-11 12:49 PM, Russell wrote:
Don't laugh, I use GIMP. Not perfect by any means …
Hey, if it works for your application, use it! I tend to find Inkscape better on most non-weird PDFs. But Dhaval's example - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/citizen/CIT0002E-2.pdf - was definitely weird. Unless you use Adobe Reader or the other proprietary thing I found, it renders as: Please wait... If this message is not eventually replaced by the proper contents of the document, your PDF viewer may not be able to display this type of document. You can upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader for Windows®, Mac, or Linux® by visiting http://www.adobe.com/go/reader_download. For more assistance with Adobe Reader visit http://www.adobe.com/go/acrreader. Windows is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Mac is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. So Gimp, Evince, Okular, mupdf, Inkscape, gv and all the others would only render the single page warning, and not the 8 expected page form. cheers, Stewart
Anybody else tried "Master PDF Editor" (http://code-industry.net)? I ran in to the same government document issue with another pdfnand wondered if an editor rather than a reader might be the solution. This one seems to work on the pdf under discussion, allowing filling and saving ... at least for me with Linux Mint 18.2 Cinnamon Cheers Brian On 2017-10-11 03:05 PM, Stewart C. Russell via talk wrote:
On 2017-10-11 12:49 PM, Russell wrote:
Don't laugh, I use GIMP. Not perfect by any means … Hey, if it works for your application, use it! I tend to find Inkscape better on most non-weird PDFs.
But Dhaval's example - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/citizen/CIT0002E-2.pdf - was definitely weird. Unless you use Adobe Reader or the other proprietary thing I found, it renders as:
Please wait...
If this message is not eventually replaced by the proper contents of the document, your PDF viewer may not be able to display this type of document.
You can upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader for Windows®, Mac, or Linux® by visiting http://www.adobe.com/go/reader_download.
For more assistance with Adobe Reader visit http://www.adobe.com/go/acrreader.
Windows is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Mac is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
So Gimp, Evince, Okular, mupdf, Inkscape, gv and all the others would only render the single page warning, and not the 8 expected page form.
cheers, Stewart --- Talk Mailing List talk@gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
On Wed, Oct 11, 2017 at 6:26 PM, Brian Carlile via talk <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
Anybody else tried "Master PDF Editor" (http://code-industry.net)? I ran in to the same government document issue with another pdfnand wondered if an editor rather than a reader might be the solution. This one seems to work on the pdf under discussion, allowing filling and saving ... at least for me with Linux Mint 18.2 Cinnamon
I gave it a run, and wouldn't use it for this form. For one, it prints the buttons as well, whereas Adobe Reader DC doesn't. So you would still be in the situation of finding a reader which can print it properly. I finally remembered that my work laptop also has windows :D. (Oh boy, the number of policy violations I must have hit while rebooting ;-) ) and could get access to Adobe through that. Thanks! Dhaval
On October 11, 2017 3:05:12 PM EDT, "Stewart C. Russell via talk" <talk@gtalug.org> wrote:
On 2017-10-11 12:49 PM, Russell wrote:
Don't laugh, I use GIMP. Not perfect by any means …
Hey, if it works for your application, use it! I tend to find Inkscape better on most non-weird PDFs.
But Dhaval's example - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/citizen/CIT0002E-2.pdf - was definitely weird. Unless you use Adobe Reader or the other proprietary thing I found, it renders as:
Please wait...
If this message is not eventually replaced by the proper contents of the document, your PDF viewer may not be able to display this type of document.
You can upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Reader for Windows®, Mac, or Linux® by visiting http://www.adobe.com/go/reader_download.
For more assistance with Adobe Reader visit http://www.adobe.com/go/acrreader.
Windows is either a registered trademark or a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. Mac is a trademark of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and other countries. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
Looks like more X509 encryption sig silliness. Unless the document is a part of a live net application, in which case you use a one time pad, or the actual meta text of the input form is subject to an NDA or other disclosure restriction, there is no need for encryption until SIG HELO. Thats when the key is turned; on public transmission of protected facts. Requiring a separate key to read input requirements is kind of looney. Takes the P right out of PDF if you ask me. The government should be its own blockchain for this sort of thing. That way it can be causual in distributing its own forms and as parinoid as it wants to about receiving information in that proscribed form.
So Gimp, Evince, Okular, mupdf, Inkscape, gv and all the others would only render the single page warning, and not the 8 expected page form.
Thanks havent looked at Inkscape or mupdf yet. I'll check them out. TIFF (That Information Form is Free) My way of saying the internet has a right to information in accessible formats. If the goverments not going to do this, then who is? ;-P on those who don't provide accessible forms, PDF or otherwise.
cheers, Stewart --- Talk Mailing List talk@gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
-- Russell Sent by K-9 Mail
On 2017-10-11 10:07 AM, Dhaval Giani via talk wrote:
Yes, I am aware that there are many applications out there that can read pdfs. [snip] Alternatives?
A number of Linux distros have installed Evince as a program that can read various document formats including PDF. I still mostly use the 9.5.5 version of Adobe Reader under Linux to read PDf files. -- Cheers! Kevin. http://www.ve3syb.ca/ |"Nerds make the shiny things that distract Owner of Elecraft K2 #2172 | the mouth-breathers, and that's why we're | powerful!" #include <disclaimer/favourite> | --Chris Hardwick
participants (7)
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ac -
Brian Carlile -
Dhaval Giani -
Kevin Cozens -
Myles Braithwaite 👾 -
Russell -
Stewart C. Russell