Re: Adobe Reader 10

[Jean Louis]

* Matt Ivie <m0dese7en@mykolab.com> [2021-03-18 02:58]:
> On Wed, 2021-03-17 at 14:42 -0500, J Leslie Turriff wrote:
> > On 2021-03-17 12:20:34 quiliro wrote:
> > > You can also search the FSF free software directory at:
> > > https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Works-with-format/pdf
> > > I am not sure if that is the best category.  But I guess you can
> > > explore
> > > and ask here, if you have any further trouble.
> >     Or maybe works with XFA (if such category exists)?
> > 
> I'm pasting some text from the Wikipedia article on the status of XFA.
> It looks like it may be something the is mostly Adobe centric. I'd urge
> your government to do something, or offer something that does not
> require XFA.
> 
> Here is the excerpt:
> 
> The XML Forms Architecture specification is not included in the PDF 1.7
> standard (ISO 32000-1:2008) and it is only referenced as an external
> proprietary specification created and published by Adobe. However, the
> ISO 32000-1 references XFA as normative and indispensable for the
> application of the ISO 32000-1 specification. XFA was not standardized
> as an ISO standard.

I would send to government a letter that software is proprietary and
not a standard, and that government is thus favoring proprietary
company "Adobe" that is not even Canadian company -- I would ask for
reasons why they are favoring foreign company whereby they cannot
guarantee safety of users' data, as software is not free. I would ask
if they have hidden agenda with Adobe and how much Adobe is paying to
government -- or is it just a capricious decision of governments'
official who simply did not know nothing better. There are forms that
work with free software, and if I remember well I was using Evince to
complete such without problems. I would tell them that using
proprietary software impacts my freedom, as it controls my data
without my consent and without possibility to inspect how it works, as
it is not free software. Then I would tell them to provide PDF by
standard that may be edited by software on various operating systems,
and by free software and not just by the one specific Adobe version.

Write a letter now, maybe you save thousands other people of the same
problem. 

Jean