[LUG] PDF = Pretty Dodgy Format?

[Simon Waters <Simon at wretched.demon.co.uk>]

One supplier (BAAN) are dead keen on encrypted PDF files.

xPDF (version I have doesn't do encrypted).
Acrobat3 acroread makes a mess of them and often crashes.
Acrobat4 acroread makes a mess of then and always crashes.

One of only four uses I've found for Windows is reading 'portable(?)
document format' 8-)

Despite my suggestions, BAAN doesn't look like it will abandon it
preferred file formats - self extracting Word EXE files (Ironically
these read fine with zip and StarOffice, but without the virus risks
associated) and encrypted PDF - in favour of HTML (Which would be a lot
easier for Windows users as well as they are all on the web site, and of
course would be smaller than Word (and probably PDF). Perhaps if I
showed them how good StarOffice was at exporting them to HTML.... 

But no realistically I will have to read the critters till the client
realises what a steaming pile... or Invensys go bust (Have you seen the
share price recently - this might not be too far off)?

So should I persist with trying to get Acrobat4 working, or what viewer
should I try?

	Simon

PS: Tried 'Update Virus Checker' on my new Laptop (Win98 bundled) - OH
DEAR - yet another virus checker vendor whose update utilities don't
work smoothly - despite Acer's comments in the manual about
non-Microsoft operating systems I can see this one coming to the Install
Fest --- If I can wait that long - unlikely.

PPS: I have not found one vendor whose anti-virus updates for Windows
work smoothly to the point where you could let an MD update his own
laptop. Computer Associates did last three updates.... so their free
virus checker wins my 'if you must run Windows award'...

PPS: Sorry about the burble but it's been a frustrating week.
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