Comments on: Why Do PDFs Suck?

By: Craig

Craig — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:13:30 +0000

I rarely see Acrobat crash Firefox (i.e., make the process disappear). On the other hand, I frequently see Acrobat lock Firefox (window is there, but not responsive to input, may not paint properly, etc.). The distinction is important since the latter issue is easily fixable.

On Windows, the workaround is simple. Go to Task Manager, processes tab, find the AcroRead.exe process, and end it. Firefox should be responsive now. You can even re-open the PDF without restarting Firefox.

By: Matthew Stinson

Matthew Stinson — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 14:38:17 +0000

I'll second (third?) on the Foxit Reader recommendation. It's a good way to overcome the resource-hogging bloatware built into Acrobat Reader.

And Michael, awesome tip.

By: Bithead

Bithead — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:46:01 +0000

In my experience the problems have as much to do with the construction of the document, as with the plug in.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:14:24 +0000

Usually, when Firefox crashes, all instances go down. It typically autorecovers open windows and, sometimes, even blog posts. Not always, though.

Here's a Firefox tip then: From the commandline, run:

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" --no-remote -createProfile wordpress

Then, create a desktop shortcut with the command:

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" --no-remote -p wordpress

Clicking that icon will run a separate Firefox process, with a separate user profile. If your day to day firefox process crashes, that one will keep running. *Note that this assumed the default install location of Firefox, if you're isn't in C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\, you will have to change it.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 18:02:48 +0000

you can always run a separate browser, or separate instance of the same browser, specifically for writing your posts.

Usually, when Firefox crashes, all instances go down. It typically autorecovers open windows and, sometimes, even blog posts. Not always, though.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:55:46 +0000

If it's a big concern, you can always run a separate browser, or separate instance of the same browser, specifically for writing your posts.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:14:18 +0000

try Foxit

I will, thanks!

I would also highly recommend (for longer posts) creating your post in a simple text editor and saving every 5 minutes. Then when finished, copy and paste the entire post into your browser.

I've tried doing that, using Notepad or any number of external editors, including the Firefox plugin. I always go back to the WordPress panel, though, because the other ones require so much clean-up afterwards.

To not save frequently is asking for trouble

My server is acting up and posting/saving is quite slow the last couple days. Generally, I save repeatedly. In addition, WordPress generally autosaves for me. For some reason, though, this post got eaten.

By: another matt

another matt — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:36:49 +0000

I would also highly recommend (for longer posts) creating your post in a simple text editor and saving every 5 minutes. Then when finished, copy and paste the entire post into your browser.

To not save frequently is asking for trouble on any OS, since a power outage will bring even the most stable system to a halt.

By: Micah

Micah — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:34:02 +0000

I agree with Triumph...

Foxit Reader for Windows is the best lightweight reader.

By: Triumph

Triumph — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:23:41 +0000

James, As Miguel says, its not .pdfs that suck--it's Adobe Acrobat. If you are using windows, try Foxit--it is simply the best .pdf reader available.

Acrobat Reader is a serious memory hog. If you make Foxit your default for handling .pdfs, you will never have a problem with them again.

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 16:19:59 +0000

I'm using Firefox. I was using the plugin, which meant the browser crashed about every 3 times I tried to open a PDF.

By: 186

186 — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:59:10 +0000

If your using Firefox, switch to one of the PDF reader plugins'. If your using IE switch to Firefox.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:31:04 +0000

PDF's don't suck, Adobe's Acrobat Reader plugin sucks, and the standalone program isn't much better. I have always used ghostscript and ghostview on windows, it's not as feature-full as Acrobat, but it's much faster and more stable, and it used to be free. Now that I use Linux, Evince does the job very well, and I find PDF to be as web-friendly as anything else.