[bcab] Re: ISO standard for PDF coming soon

Clive - you're right in that there is no direct mention of accessibility
however there are some potential benefits although they are by no means
certainties.  For example as an open standard which anyone could adopt,
which is where we have been to date, no one developing applications
which could create pdf documents was forced to use all of the spec eg
they could if they chose completely ignore the parts about accessibility
and not include accessibility tools.  If pdf becomes and ISO, and in
order to use the ISO label a developer has to conform to all of the
Standard then this implies that they would also have to support the
accessibility tools eg support a textual off screen version of all
content.  But that assumes that carrying the ISO badge does mean using
all of the component parts which isn't a certainty at this stage.
Potentially then more pdf documents could become accessible rather than
this only being an option for those created by Adobe products. Similarly
assistive technology users could use applications other than those from
Adobe to access pdf documents.  No bad thing as the Adobe apps don't
necessarily conform to the pdf format as well as you would hope, or not
where access is concerned anyway.


Adrian Higginbotham
Project manager, Standards

British Educational Communications and Technology Agency - BECTA
Tel: Direct dial 024 7679 7333 - Becta switchboard 02476-416994.

Email: Adrian.Higginbotham@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Web: http://www.becta.org.uk/
BECTA, Millburn Hill Road, Science Park, Coventry, CV4 7JJ 


-----Original Message-----
From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Clive.Lever@xxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 30 January 2007 14:22
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] Re: ISO standard for PDF coming soon

Hi Steve and all,
 
Unless I've missed something obvious, I see no reference to
accessibility as being a driver behind those standards.  I assume it
will be taken into account.

Regards,
Clive
 

-----Original Message-----
From: bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:bcab-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Plumpton, Steve [BTCS]
Sent: 30 January 2007 11:48
To: bcab@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bcab] ISO standard for PDF coming soon

Press release below is available at:
http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200701/012907Ope
nPDFAIIM.html

AIIM to Facilitate ISO Standards Process for Leading Electronic Document
Format

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Jan. 29, 2007 - Adobe Systems Incorporated
(Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced that it intends to release the full
Portable Document Format
(PDF) 1.7 specification to AIIM, the Enterprise Content Management
Association, for the purpose of publication by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO).

PDF has become a de facto global standard for more secure and dependable
information exchange since Adobe published the complete PDF
specification in 1993.
Both government and private industry have come to rely on PDF for the
volumes of electronic records that need to be more securely and reliably
shared, managed, and in some cases preserved for generations. Since 1995
Adobe has participated in various working groups that develop technical
specifications for publication by ISO and worked within the ISO process
to deliver specialized subsets of PDF as standards for specific
industries and functions. Today, PDF for Archive (PDF/A) and PDF for
Exchange (PDF/X) are ISO standards, and PDF for Engineering (PDF/E) and
PDF for Universal Access (PDF/UA) are proposed standards. Additionally,
PDF for Healthcare (PDF/H) is an AIIM proposed Best Practice Guide. AIIM
serves as the administrator for PDF/A, PDF/E, PDF/UA and PDF/H.

"Today's announcement is the next logical step in the evolution of PDF
from de facto standard to a formal, de jure standard," said Kevin Lynch,
senior vice president and chief software architect at Adobe. "By
releasing the full PDF specification for ISO standardization, we are
reinforcing our commitment to openness. As governments and organizations
increasingly request open formats, maintenance of the PDF specification
by an external and participatory organization will help continue to
drive innovation and expand the rich PDF ecosystem that has evolved over
the past 15 years."

Adobe will release the full PDF 1.7 specification as defined in the PDF
Reference Manual available at
www.adobe.com/devnet/pdf/pdf_reference.html
to AIIM for the purpose of submission to ISO. The joint committee formed
under AIIM will identify issues to be addressed, as well as proposed
solutions, and will develop a draft document that will then be presented
to a Joint Working Group of ISO for development and approval as an
International Standard.
AIIM holds the secretariat for the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 171 and 171 SC2 for
Document Management Applications, and is the administrator for the U.S.
Technical Advisory Group to ISO TC 171 that represents the U.S. at
international meetings.

"As the administrator for several specialized ISO standard subsets of
PDF, AIIM is pleased to receive this proposal from Adobe," said John
Mancini, President, AIIM. "Over the last several years we have seen and
in many cases helped facilitate a range of ongoing market and customer
focused efforts around PDF.
These efforts have grown so broadly that it now makes sense for Adobe to
let the full specification serve as a unifying umbrella and submit it
for approval under the formal ISO standards process."


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