PDF Readers That Do More...

Hi guys...I use a PDF reader called OKULAR for of course reading documents, but also for looking at scanned stamps on my computer...Now I dont use Windows or Mac, I use Linux..There are tons of FREE programs..See picture below for looking at scanned stamps...With OKULAR I can zoom from 12% to 1600% .





There is a link below for FREE PDF readers like the one I use for looking at scanned stamps...Most of them are written by Linux people, but are free as I say....Hope this helps.
http://pdfreaders.org/

Nice post, Wert.

Thanks,
Kirk

I certainly don't want to wade into the Windows vs. Linux jihad but after supporting both for two decades I have a few thoughts.

First, all PDF readers are not the same especially when it comes to supporting more advanced features of the PDF current specification. In fact, the majority of my support time is directly related to 'third party' PDF readers which don't support things the users expect to see. Making matters worse is the fact that many of the PDF readers also install browser plug-ins that allow users to open PDF inside their browsers. These browser versions often do not work the same way, nor handle the more advanced features, then the stand alone versions on the same computer. So if a PDF is not displaying correctly or some features are not working properly, you may have to use the standalone version or download one of the free readers from a major vender like Adobe.

Second, open source software can be a can of worms. Yes, there are plenty of good things out there but there are short-comings in using open source OS and applications. Note that 'free' often means that someone has busted their butts writing the code and would greatly appreciate a donation if you end up using the software often. Ideally and for open source model to work, contributions are supposed to be made back to the community. Other times you are getting code which has bugs but no one is 'owning' it to resolve the issues. I this 'diffusion of responsibility' situation support can be an issue and slow in coming. And lastly being open source means that anyone/everyone has access to the source code and its vulnerabilities. But for a person on a budget and/or looking for an alternative, and someone who is willing to handle their own support, open source may be worth looking in to.
Don

I've been using Linux as my primary operating system for close to 15 years now. Started with Red Hat 4.0, which was painful. A lot of reboots into Widows. I then moved to Fedora, then Ubuntu and now Arch Linux. I couldn't be happier.




Have you ever tried to get Microsoft to fix a bug in a piece of software. Unless you're a big enterprise customer, or you have a problem affecting tens of thousands of consumer computers, good luck with that.




This is actually a good thing.

But back to topic. Since I run Gnome, I have not used Okular much. Use Evince, since that's what Gnome comes with. Any idea if Okular adds any value above and beyond Evince?

apastuszak,
A lot of folks love to hate Microsoft, the term became 'ABM' for a while (Anything But Microsoft). Yes, I have gotten MS to address issues and did it from a 'small' position. And I certainly recall the times before MS when everyone was paying thousands of dollars for a UNIX operating system and its real "intuitive" commands. (LOL @ grep).

But again, I don't want to start a war. I spent literally years of my career fighting this battle and had more than enough on both sides of the fence. I lived and died with decisions that went in both directions. I came to the conclusion that the techo-ecology is always changing. New systems and architectures come and go; some end up exploiting niches, some become mainstream, and some simply fade away. I found that each system that stuck around served a purpose and certainly gathered supporters who will voraciously defend its attributes. Mac people love their Macs, Linux people love Linux, and MS people stick with their MS products. Each one of these serves it supporters well but it is through this competition that each will be improved.
Don

Off and on with Linux since it first appeared. I teach Computer Science and all of the school computers run Linux (my pushing) but I use Macs at home and at work. I deal with technical issues all the time at work and don't feel like messing around when I get home. Turn on the Mac, good to go.

I have spent the last 18 years in IT and am not a fan of Microsoft. It was pointed out to me by a couple of consultants that work for Andersen Consulting, Microsoft makes the largest range of IT Software Products in the world. Not a single one of their products can be considered best of breed.

Such is life. I have a Linux laptop. My wife has a Macbook Air. Prevents me from having to support my family along with the people at work.

Really, from a consumer desktop perspective, at this point, Mac, Linux and Windows 7 will all give you a great desktop experience. Pick what you're most comfortable using and enjoy.

Didnt want this to turn into a Linux vs Mac vs Windows, but it did..haha
Look, all I was trying to do was give people out there alternatives to software that could help with the stamp collecting experience and yes Don I have donated to open software projects.

I run Linux cause back in 2008 I purchased a Windows laptop that was advanced at the time, and after 2 weeks my screen went blank and I had been toying with Linux and said well now is a good as time as ever..Went to linux and that is where I had my eyes opened up to "open source" software.

And as far as Mac goes, it is Unix based (almost Linux), great machines.

If Microsoft was smart they would take a Linux kernel and build their system around it.

Having said that, hope this post about OKULAR helps someone, even one person.

<shrugs>
Like I said, I just had a few thoughts based upon 20+ years of rolling out thousands of computers, servers, and embedded devices with operating systems. I cannot tell you how many meetings I sat through where we debated the pros and cons of the various operating systems and their attributes. I made very large dollar decisions based on this input and was burnt badly on many of them. I guarantee you that I can spin 10 horror stories for every story that someone can come up with for ANY of these systems. Anyone who claims one is better than another is either too emotionally invested or simply doesn't have that much experience with each of the systems.
Bottom line, go with whatever works best for you.

There are soooo many free PDF readers on the market it is hard to get a consensus. Many folks tend to stick with whatever free reader came installed on the computer, for better of worse. Installing multiple readers can sometimes cause problems so I would recommend that if folks want to try a new one they consider uninstalling the old one first.
Don

Very true Don...Whatever turns your crank..Just trying to let people that MAYBE dont realize there are choices...But you are correct my friend.

Robert

Another alternative for PDF files in the Linux environment is Xournal which allows annotation of PDF files. I like to save scans of stamps as PDF and then make whatever notes I want using Xournal.

Terry

Ford make a large range of cars and not one can be considered the best of breed.
So what? From a business perspective it is better to make and sell more of something that is suitable for 99% of people than for the remaining 1%

BTW - I think MS Office is best of breed

Wert - Are you viewing your images in PDF form or is the program also suitable for viewing images?