[NTLK] PDF

From: Sean Luke (seanl_at_cs.umd.edu)
Date: Sat Sep 08 2001 - 17:11:11 EDT


David wrote:

> I agree with your points completely, as far as the graphics go. In my
> mind, though, the purpose of a PDF viewer on a Newt is not necessarily
> to view PDFs in all their graphical splendor, but rather to view (at
> least initially) just the text of the PDF in a readable format.

This is also not as easy as it sounds -- PDF files are graphics format
files, not text storage facilities. To draw the text "hello", a PDF file
could issue a command like:

        (hello) show

...or it could do something like:

        20 0 moveto (o) show
        10 0 moveto (ll) show
        0 0 moveto (h) show
        5 0 moveto (e) show

The second is very very common, especially when PDF files are translated
from PostScript. To grab the text outa this, you basically have to
arrange and draw the text, then try to figure out where the words are. No
small feat for a Newt! I dunno.

PS: Is your "UMD" the U of Minnesota in Duluth?

U Maryland. But in fact I'm no longer there -- I'm now at George Mason
University.

Sean

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