Test reports
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Test reports
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| »PDF - Yes, please. | A supplemental. |
Since the Apdf test report of the last edition Emmanuel Lesueur already plcace two newer revisions in the Aminet [1].
With revision 1.2 Apdf is able to print PDF documents. Apdf prints the desired files as PS file or as pure text. If the PS file have to be printed, the printer has to support PostScript, of course or the printer driver has to be able to interpret PostScript. Of course, you can redirect the desired page output into a file and then use Ghostscript for the output, then it can be done on any printer.
In addition to the print function the program author also made an AppWindow function for Apdf.
Also the speed for showing the PDF pages was increased rapidly.
Since revision 1.3 Apdf can be iconified on request.
The result of Apdf in the last Amiga aktuell edition was - cite: "Apdf is a quite lean, efficient and a freeware PDF viewer with extensive possibilities of manipulation. The program can be recommended for any Amiga user."
Since the new program revisions a exclamation mark has to be added. ;-)
Citing again: "Unfortunately the Aminet version of Apdf doesn't support encrypted PDF documents. But you still have GhostScript as an alternative, which isn't quite comfortable. Or you try to compile to source files."
A small hint for the las mentioned theme: To compilethe Apdf source code even as a Non-programmer without greater problems it is recommended to install a Geek Gadget environment.
Basically you can use the Geek Gadget CD from May 98 [2]. But some of the required programs/files are available in too old revisions, on this CD. So you have to get the latest files, e.g. from Ninemoons [3]:
In addition you need the MUI- [4] and CyberGFX developer kits [5] from the Aminet.
To compile an Apdf revision, that is able to show scrambled PDF documents, you have to copy a patch into the Apdf source directory.
In addition you need the AmigaOS includes. They can be found on the Geek Gadget CD revision 2 or on the Developer CD 1.2 of the ICP GmbH & Co. KG (remark of the translator: This is the producer of the German "Amiga plus" magazine. It can be found on www.amigaplus.de
Of course, the Apdf source code is required [7]. In this LhA package you will find the file COMPILING.amiga, which clearly describes how you have to do it.
If there are problems, don't bother to ask for help.
I found Emmanuel Lesueur [8] as a very helpful and patient eMail partner.
If the compilation has been successful: Apdf joins a much larger PDF world. So the Maxon Cinema4D-XL-manual of the (German) AmigaPlus-CD of edition 08/98 is no longer a closed books and now I am able to read the manual of my CanonBJC 6000, which is only as a PDF file on the CD-ROM.
Because this PDF document uses internal links, Apdf could prove, that it surfing within PDF documents, which is very much alike HTML pages, is possible.
Conclusion:Apdf is the number ONE on the amiga for showing PDF documents and belongs into any software compilation.
[1] in the Aminet under gfx/show/Apdfxx.lha
[2] Geek Gadget May 98 snapshot, Amiga Developers Environment
[3] ftp://ftp.ninemoons.com/pub/geekgadgets/amiga/m68k/snapshots/current/bin
[4] in the Aminet under dev/mui/mui38dev.lha
[5] in the Aminet under dev/misc/CGraphX_DevKit.lha
[6] ftp://ftp.sci.usq.edu.au/pub/linux/xpdf/xpdf-0.80-decrypt.patch
[7] in the Aminet under gfx/show/Apdfsrc.lha
[8] lesueur@club-internet.fr
Uwe Pannecke <Uwe.Pannecke@t-online.de>«
