Re: Adobe Reader 10

[Arthur Torrey]

I agree with you in general on the badness of SaaSS type services, and assuming 
(and we know what that does) that they are telling the truth about what they 
do, it seems less bad than say Google Docs...  PDF Zorro wants you to upload a 
file to their server, do things to it and then download the result, and delete 
the file from their server...  Assuming they really delete the file as they 
claim, user data doesn't stay in their control longer than the user takes to do 
what they want...  IMHO this is not as good as keeping everything under your 
own control, but is not as bad as a service like Google Docs where your data 
lives on their equipment...

I have tried several of the things that are claimed as PDF editors, and have 
not found one that I have been able to make work (which may be a failing on my 
end) to do what I was able to do w/ PDF Zorro - I only use it as a last resort, 
but at least it is there...

ART
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Arthur Torrey - <arthur_torrey@comcast.net>
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> On 03/18/2021 3:40 AM Jean Louis <bugs@gnu.support> wrote:
> 
>  
> * Arthur Torrey <arthur_torrey@comcast.net> [2021-03-17 23:35]:
> > I don't like suggesting a Service as a Software Substitute, but I
> > have found a "Free-as-in-beer" service called "PDF-Zorro" that has
> > worked for me on editing PDF forms that I couldn't accomplish
> > otherwise...
> 
> From a view point of having control over users' data that is no go. I
> would not use that.
> 
> > They claim that they don't collect personal info, retain the files
> > you put on their server for editing, or do other evil things.  They
> > appear to be doing the free service as a way to promote their paid
> > offerings.
> 
> Yeah, right, those statements are for devoted religious people to
> believe in.
> 
> Service as a Software Substitute takes away users' freedom:
> https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/who-does-that-server-really-serve.html
> 
> "Service as a Software Substitute (SaaSS) means using a service as a
> substitute for running your copy of a program. Concretely, it means
> that someone sets up a network server that does certain computing
> activities—for instance, modifying a photo, translating text into
> another language, etc.—then invites users to let that server do their
> own computing for them. As a user of the server, you would send your
> data to the server, which does that computing activity on the data
> thus provided, then sends the results back to you or else acts
> directly on your behalf.
> 
> What does it mean to say that a given computing activity is your own?
> It means that no one else is inherently involved in it. To clarify the
> meaning of “inherently involved”, we present a thought
> experiment. Suppose that any free software you might need for the job
> is available to you, and whatever data you might need, as well as
> computers of whatever speed, functionality and capacity might be
> required. Could you do this particular computing activity entirely
> within those computers, not communicating with anyone else's
> computers?
> 
> If you could, then the activity is entirely your own. For your
> freedom's sake, you deserve to control it. If you do it by running
> free software, you do control it. However, doing it via someone else's
> service would give that someone else control over your computing
> activity. We call that scenario SaaSS, and we say it is unjust."
> 
> Jean