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Rapid Responses: Rapid Responses published:
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Problems with pdf files?
- Phillip Simons (27 September 2000)
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Yes, problems with PDF files
- Douglas Carnall (28 September 2000)
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Our experience with pdf files
- Phillip Simons (11 November 2000)
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Phillip Simons, Communications Manager National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment, University of Southampton
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Dear Sir, We were glad to read that Douglas Carnall (Website of the week, 16th September) found the content of our site ( www.ncchta.org) useful for finding out more about evaluations of complex interventions. However he is under a misapprehension about the alleged deficiences of pdf files. You don't need to download the whole file before viewing. The latest version of Internet Explorer (and Netscape Navigator with an Acrobat ‘plug -in’) allows one to view the file page by page without downloading. Additionally all the HTA monograph pdf files are bookmarked to allow rapid access to any part of the document. Pdf format files also allow easy printing on A4 pages - this is not the case with HTML. Our pdf files are facsimilies of the typeset document including detailed graphs, tables and diagrams - these cannot be replicated in HTML. The cost of converting documents such as HTA monographs to HTML would be prohibitive. We therefore feel it is best to provide concise 2-3 page executive summaries of every monograph in HTML but also the full reports in pdf format as they can be searched and part printed as we’ve described. Our strategy appears to be working - over 130,000 downloads of full monographs have already taken place. Phillip Simons, John Gabbay, |
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Douglas Carnall, Associate editor, BMJ BMJ
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> a misapprehension about the alleged deficiences of pdf files. I do not believe myself to be under a misapprehension: my main criticism was that PDFs waste bandwidth, both human and electronic. For example, my article on open source software: http://www.carnall.demon.co.uk/OpSrcHth.htm is an 18kb download in HTML, but 197kb as a PDF (admittedly with graphical content added) That's a 10-fold difference in download time, which is highly significant for the vast majority of internet users on low bandwidth connections such as dialups or universities which also have low bandwidth at peak times. >You don't need to download the whole file before viewing. The latest
Which is fine as long as you are willing to upgrade your browser and have user rights to install new software on your machine (many institutional users do not). And that you know how to do it. And you happen to have half an hour to spare to download it. And the Netscape site hasn't slowed to 400 byte crawl when you try to download the plug-in. What if you're blind? Do Adobe make a reader suitable for people with visual disabilities? The reason the web works is because HTML is a good lowest common denominator. Publicly funded bodies should concentrate on providing their data in an accessible manner. > Additionally all the HTA monograph pdf files are bookmarked to allow rapid
Which means using Acrobat reader's navigation tools rather than your preferred browser's. This is something that I am not happy about: when Adobe "upgraded" Acrobat Reader from 3 to 4 they changed several of the key bindings for the navigational tools, most notably the keyboard shortcuts for "next page" and "previous page," which means I have to reach for the mouse too often for comfort. Using an open standard likes HTML means that the tools can be configure >Pdf format files also allow easy
Well, if I can have it both ways, earlier printing problems seem to have been solved in both Netscape 4.x and Explorer 4.x > Our pdf files are facsimilies of the typeset document including
That's just not true. You can link graphs, tables, and images from an HTML file. It's true that you can't make a paper facsimile with HTML, but the point is to *communicate*. > We therefore feel it is best to provide concise 2-3 page executive
Which is lot more than you might have printed, and I congratulate you for that. I must say, I am surprised you have not discussed what might be a more significant use: the fact that Acrobat documents can be rendered unmodifiable is potentially important for ensuring the integrity of distributed documents, though there are other more universal ways to crack this nut. I don't say "Don't use them": I just say, the web is made from HTML, PDFs aren't HTML, and in my view PDFs should be supplements, not the main content. > The cost of converting documents such as HTA monographs to HTML would be
What you are doing is externalising the cost of distribution to the reader... > over 130,000 downloads of full monographs have already taken place. The bigger your enterprise, the more important it is not to waste bandwidth. Let's say that downloading and reading PDF takes 1 minute longer than the equivalent HTML file. With 130,000 downloads you just used over 2100 hours of professional time. Makes you think doesn't it? |
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Phillip Simons, Communications Manager National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment
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I was interested to read your response which raises some useful points about making electronic access to HTA outputs easier both to professionals and to those with impaired vision. The NCCHTA will be looking at making its website comply with access requirements for the visually impaired early next year and will be considering the possibility of providing HTML versions of its outputs. However I am not entirely sure that html represent such a ‘saving’ in bandwith over html. I have found that our monographs in pdf format are only slightly bigger than when converted into html. This is when testing the pdf to html conversion facility which that Adobe provide for the blind and visually impaired at http://access.adobe.com/simple_form.html. Our main communication method is the monograph and the pdf allows the user to read it as typeset and as approved by the authors - which we think is an important advantage. Thus it is available worldwide for personal use at no cost in this format, which identical to the printed version (which makes cross referencing etc much easier). With pdf you know that you can print the pages you want onto A4 without problems. The size of each file is clearly visible so users can decide for themselves if they want to download the file. If they decide that downloading is a problem then they can order a printed copy from NCCHTA via the website which will be delivered within 3-4 working days (free to UK public sector employees, and at a charge of £50 plus £2 p&p to others ). We recognise that the decision is finely balanced, but we consider this to be efficient way of disseminating our monographs in the preferred form. ---------------------------------------------- Phillip Simons
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