Re: Replace Adobe Reader?

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

Eric wrote:


"Paul Johnson" <baloo@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:39hi74xgks.ln2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Eric wrote:

I didn't bother to click your link because it doesn't matter what your
definition of "free software" is. Apparently it is different than the
general population of today's computer users.

The general population of today's computer users says you're wrong.
Wikipedia is edited by the general population of today's computer users.

I don't know where Wikipedia would have gotten a definition of freeware
that includes "must distribute with source code", but for most people, if
they can download a program and run it without paying anyone it is
freeware. Most computer users do not contribute to Wikipedia. If you
check a software site, such as tucows.com, it will label such programs as
freeware.

Nobody takes tucows seriously, though. Freeware would be the right word for
no-charge proprietary software. Free software is about freedom.

The fact is, it doesn't matter if it's considered "proprietary" and
doesn't come with source code. If you can download it and run it and
never
have to pay anyone, it is free.

No, thats no-charge, not free. The software and it's developers do not
respect your freedoms as a user, therefor not free.

Foxit reader is also much smaller than your 7MB bloatware. Unzipped,
their latest version is one 3700KB exe file.

That's just how it's distributed with other programs in kdegraphics,
which contains all the optional graphics-related KDE packages (they're
bundled together because many people install them together whether or not
they're bundled; with free software, things get bundled because people
actually use
the software that way and not because of some marketing agreement).
Actual
program size is 41 kilobytes.

baloo@ursa-major:~$ ls /usr/bin/kpdf
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 41K 2006-11-14 16:10 /usr/bin/kpdf

Foxit is *ninety times* that size.


What is 41KB? A compiled executable to view pdf files? Where do we
download it?

Debian mirrors are where I get it. This has a few thousand answers: Google
is your friend.

Is it a standalone program or do you need other software to
run it?

kpdf can be downloaded standalone in the kpdf package or bundled in
kdegraphics depending on where you find it.

Does it even run on Windows? Your directory listing looks like 'nix.
This is a Windows newsgroup.

True, but not everything can be done most efficiently in Windows. Using
PDFs is one of them.


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