So you have questions about

PDF files

Read on:

• What is PDF anyway? PDF is a universal file format developed by Adobe Corp. for exchanging documents across the diverse hardware/software combinations encountered on the internet. It allows anyone, anywhere to view and print a document exactly as it was laid out, even if they have a different kind of computer and wordprocesser.
• Why use PDF at all? The ultimate answer is that we do not all have the same hardware and software. So someone with say, Wordperfect 6.0 on Windows '95, cannot view and print a document created using Applewriter on a Mac. If everyone had the same hardware and software, there would be no need for PDF...but that will never happen.
• Why not post everything in html so we can just view it with our browser? You might not realize it, but web pages look different on different computers. Monitors differ in size, resolution, and color capability; browsers differ in how they display text and graphics on the page; and computers differ in which fonts have been installed, etc. In a sense, html is the "lowest common demonimator" for exchanging information across the internet--the information is the same, but it may look different on different computers. (This comes as a shock to many webmasters who spend hours laying out complex web pages, only to find they are a mess when viewed on other computers). Now, meet information, as one example, is usually pretty complex. You can imagine the problems that arise when tables of qualifying times and complex entry forms get scrambled up when viewed on different computers!
• Doesn't this limit who can view and print our WSY documents? Not at all. It just requires that a user install the program--called the Acrobat Reader--for viewing and printing PDF files. This is done once. Then all PDF files are available to view and print exactly as they were created.
• Isn't the Acrobat Reader expensive? No. It is free. To create, index, and catalog PDF files, you need the full Adobe Acrobat software package, which lists for $249 ("street price" is much less). But to view and print PDF files, all you need is the free Acrobat Reader.
• Why not use some other format or software to post documents? There isn't any viable alternative. PDF is the world's standard format for exchanging documents across the internet--period.
• Who else uses PDF? It seems like everybody in swimming is moving to PDF to exchange documents--including USA Swimming, US Olympic Committee, the NCAA, college athletic conferences, American Swim Coaches Association, and many other competitive swimming programs.
• Is the Acrobat Reader useful for anything else? The Acrobat Reader will open a new world of information on the internet. There are literally millions of public-access PDF documents out there; everything from books, magazines, newsletters, pamphlets, catalogs, brochures, applications, directories, reference works, tax forms--well, everything.
• How do it get the Acrobat Reader on my computer?  follow the step-by-step instructions below:

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a standard file format developed by Adobe Corp. for distributing documents across all kinds of computers. PDF allows everyone to view and print documents exactly as they were created, regardless of whether they were made on a Windows, Mac, or Unix machine (or anything else), or were made using WordPerfect, MS Word, PageMaker, AppleWriter (or anything else). It is the only way documents can be distributed across the diverse hardware/software combinations our users have and it is the standard document format for the internet worldwide.

There are three steps to complete to be able to view and print PDF files:

• STEP 1: Download the free Acrobat Reader from the Adobe website. To do so, click this icon, and follow the instructions.
  BE SURE you note the name of the program file you download and where it is downloaded to on your computer.

• STEP 2: Install the Acrobat Reader program on your computer. This is where you need to know the file name and location. To install the Acrobat Reader, just "run" the executable file you just downloaded and follow the install program instructions.
• STEP 3: Tell your internet browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc) to use the Acrobat Reader to open any files you click having the extension "PDF" . This is done different ways with different browsers. You might have to go to an "Options" or "Plug-ins" menu. Or just click a PDF file and see if the browser asks you what plug-in to use (you only have to do this once--smart browser!).

The Acrobat Reader, will open up tons of info on the internet, downloadable books, brochures, posters, ads...even tax forms. All of which look EXACTLY as they were laid out and print perfectly. See? it was worth it, wasn't it? Whew.

Further questions, e-mail Mike