Adobe to Release PDF for Industry Standardization
On January 29, Adobe announced that it intends to release the full PDF 1.7 specification to the Association for Information and Image Management International (AIIM) for the purpose of publication by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
According to Kevin Lynch - Chief Software Architect at Adobe: “Today’s announcement is the next logical step in the evolution of PDF from de facto standard to a formal, de jure standard. By releasing the full PDF specification for ISO standardization, we are reinforcing our commitment to openness. As governments and organizations increasingly request open formats, maintenance of the PDF specification by an external and participatory organization will help continue to drive innovation and expand the rich PDF ecosystem that has evolved over the past 15 years.”
Seems to me that this move means we can put to rest the "is it/isn't it" arguement around PDF's openness?
The press release and FAQ can be found here and here, and if you would like to know more please email me and I will direct the requests to the most suitable people in Adobe!
Also, here are a selection of articles and news following the announcement:
Cote (RedMonk) -http://www.redmonk.com/cote/2007/01/29/one-last-thing-pdf-as-an-open-standard/
Silicon.com - http://management.silicon.com/itpro/0,39024675,39165491,00.htm
ZDNet -http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,1000000121,39285663,00.htm
eWeek - http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2088277,00.asp
Mercury News - http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/16572272.htm
VNUNet - http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2173723/adobe-submits-pdf-open-standard
PCPro - http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/103349/adobe-moves-towards-iso-standardisation-for-pdf.html