Adobe describes PDF as:

…the open de facto standard for electronic document distribution worldwide. PDF is a universal file format that preserves all of the fonts, formatting, colors, and graphics of any source document, regardless of the application and platform used to create it. PDF files are compact and can be shared, viewed, navigated, and printed exactly as intended by anyone with a free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

That's a pretty lofty statement, but for the most part, it's true. That kind of control is what's made PDF files so popular with documentation departments. That, and the fact that they're incredibly easy to create once you know the system. Additionally, in most cases, PDF documents don't require additional editing or cleanup. They just work, and that saves time, money, and headaches. I know -- I've created my share of PDF files.

So it's no surprise that someone would attempt to port the format to Windows CE, or, more aptly, the handheld arena. The surprise comes when you realize it's not Adobe who's done it, but a relative newcomer by the name of Ansyr Technology Corporation, who you can check out at http://www.ansyr.com.

Ansyr Technology is currently developing a program called Primer that functions like Adobe Acrobat, allowing you to read PDF files on your Windows CE or Palm device. And right now, for a $9.95 administrative fee, you can download a preview copy of this program. That may seem somewhat expensive to test-drive a work-in-progress, but Ansyr seems to be focusing their attention and energies on the enterprise customer, so the charge is really negligible.

To be fair, your administrative fee does entitle you to email and telephone support. I didn't use their support, assuming they'd simply tell me "it's an evaluation copy" and be done with it, but if you do run into installation problems, it's nice to know there's someone to contact.

Paper chase
You probably want to know if Primer works and whether or not you can throw away those paper copies of your documentation. The answer, like the question, is two-fold. Primer works, and it's got the cool factor going on, but don't expect to use the program yet. It's early-ware still, and despite the fact that it impressed the hell out of me, it's practically unusable in its current state. As you read my comments, keep in mind that this is an evaluation version of the program. The complete, ready-for-release version will be available sometime during the first quarter of 2000.