You are viewing a plain text version of this content. The canonical link for it is here.
Posted to fop-dev@xmlgraphics.apache.org by Fotis Jannidis <Fo...@lrz.uni-muenchen.de> on 2000/02/28 16:39:02 UTC
pdflib
I just discovered pdflib, a C library to write PDF files with a lot of language bindings
including java. (Sorry, if this subject has already come up, there is no way to search the
800 messages of fop-dev.)
pdflib supports pdf spec 1.3 and would make it much easier to get FOP to some working
end.
There is one drawback: It has an open source license which is more restrictive than the
GNU licence and only allows distribution of pdflib with open source projects. (Would this
be a problem with the rules of xml.apache.org?)
So we could take a two step approach: Implement as much of the xsl-fo spec as
possible in Fop using pdflib to output the pdf file and later, if it proves to be necessary,
replace the pdflib calls with calls to a Fop owned library.
Here is the URL to pdflib:
http://www.pdflib.com/
What do you think?
Fotis
Re: pdflib
Posted by Eric SCHAEFFER <es...@posterconseil.com>.
+1 to keep FOP 100% Java.
Eric.
_______________________________________
Eric SCHAEFFER
eschaeffer@posterconseil.com
POSTER CONSEIL
118 rue de Tocqueville
75017 PARIS
FRANCE
Tel. : 33-140541058
Fax : 33-140541059
_______________________________________
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------
Come to the first official Apache Software Foundation Conference!
-----------------------------------
http://ApacheCon.Com ------------------------------------
Re: pdflib
Posted by Jennifer Huebert <je...@jgsullivan.com>.
Did I mention it has wrappers for a half-dozen languages including java?
And already had image support that retep does not have? Including gif,
jpeg, tiff, png, etc. Images are a big hurdle, and we have found only one
pure Java solution: http://www.klgroup.com/jclass/pagelayout/index.html
though it has some irritating bugs.
We chose pdflib for the variety of wrappers and the maturity of the
product. It's in production for us today!
Jen
At 10:25 AM 2/28/00, you wrote:
>My vote on this one is NO, NO, NO.
>
>-Let's stick with a 100% java solution. Do we really want
>to go back to the days of memory leaks, dangling pointers,
>and having to fire up the C compiler and locate stupid memory
>bugs.
>
>I thought we are more mature now, that era is behind us.
>So lets' stick with a 100% java solution and please do
>consider
>
>http://www.retep.org.uk/pdf/
>
>on Monday Feb. 28th 2000, at 10:23 AM USA Central time,
>the site
>
>http://www.pdflib.com was not responding ??
>
>To all of you who want to stick with 100% java
>solution, now is your chance to speak..
>
>Speak up..
>
>Hani
>
>
>Fotis Jannidis wrote:
>
> > I just discovered pdflib, a C library to write PDF files with a lot of
> language bindings
> > including java. (Sorry, if this subject has already come up, there is
> no way to search the
> > 800 messages of fop-dev.)
> >
> > pdflib supports pdf spec 1.3 and would make it much easier to get FOP
> to some working
> > end.
> >
> > There is one drawback: It has an open source license which is more
> restrictive than the
> > GNU licence and only allows distribution of pdflib with open source
> projects. (Would this
> > be a problem with the rules of xml.apache.org?)
> >
> > So we could take a two step approach: Implement as much of the xsl-fo
> spec as
> > possible in Fop using pdflib to output the pdf file and later, if it
> proves to be necessary,
> > replace the pdflib calls with calls to a Fop owned library.
> >
> > Here is the URL to pdflib:
> > http://www.pdflib.com/
> >
> > What do you think?
> >
> > Fotis
Re: pdflib
Posted by Stefano Mazzocchi <st...@apache.org>.
Fotis Jannidis wrote:
> There is one drawback: It has an open source license which is more restrictive than the
> GNU licence and only allows distribution of pdflib with open source projects. (Would this
> be a problem with the rules of xml.apache.org?)
yes. There are many companies that are making millions of dollars of
investiments on Apache because of its commercial-friendly license.
Placing something like this would not only "infect" FOP but also Cocoon
which is using it.
I don't want to close the door to commercial companies because they do
earn money out of this, but they are giving back development resources
directly!
I know this is not (yet) the case with FOP... but think about Adobe
joining this party, are we ready to eliminate the option from the game?
--
Stefano Mazzocchi One must still have chaos in oneself to be
able to give birth to a dancing star.
<st...@apache.org> Friedrich Nietzsche
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Come to the first official Apache Software Foundation Conference!
------------------------- http://ApacheCon.Com ---------------------
RE: pdflib
Posted by Bill Raudabaugh <bi...@infomentum.com>.
Yes, we need to keep this 100% java. Someone intimate with the page and area
layout stuff should definitely take a look at the retepPDF package to see if
using it would be feasible. It appears to support compression which is way
cool.
Bill
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Hani Elabed [mailto:hani@elabed.net]
>Sent: Monday, February 28, 2000 11:25 AM
>To: fop-dev@xml.apache.org; hani; hani.elabed
>Subject: Re: pdflib
>
>
>My vote on this one is NO, NO, NO.
>
>-Let's stick with a 100% java solution. Do we really want
>to go back to the days of memory leaks, dangling pointers,
>and having to fire up the C compiler and locate stupid memory
>bugs.
>
>I thought we are more mature now, that era is behind us.
>So lets' stick with a 100% java solution and please do
>consider
>
>http://www.retep.org.uk/pdf/
>
>on Monday Feb. 28th 2000, at 10:23 AM USA Central time,
>the site
>
>http://www.pdflib.com was not responding ??
>
>To all of you who want to stick with 100% java
>solution, now is your chance to speak..
>
>Speak up..
>
>Hani
>
>
>Fotis Jannidis wrote:
>
>> I just discovered pdflib, a C library to write PDF files with a
>lot of language bindings
>> including java. (Sorry, if this subject has already come up,
>there is no way to search the
>> 800 messages of fop-dev.)
>>
>> pdflib supports pdf spec 1.3 and would make it much easier to
>get FOP to some working
>> end.
>>
>> There is one drawback: It has an open source license which is
>more restrictive than the
>> GNU licence and only allows distribution of pdflib with open
>source projects. (Would this
>> be a problem with the rules of xml.apache.org?)
>>
>> So we could take a two step approach: Implement as much of the
>xsl-fo spec as
>> possible in Fop using pdflib to output the pdf file and later,
>if it proves to be necessary,
>> replace the pdflib calls with calls to a Fop owned library.
>>
>> Here is the URL to pdflib:
>> http://www.pdflib.com/
>>
>> What do you think?
>>
>> Fotis
>
>
>
Re: pdflib
Posted by Hani Elabed <ha...@elabed.net>.
My vote on this one is NO, NO, NO.
-Let's stick with a 100% java solution. Do we really want
to go back to the days of memory leaks, dangling pointers,
and having to fire up the C compiler and locate stupid memory
bugs.
I thought we are more mature now, that era is behind us.
So lets' stick with a 100% java solution and please do
consider
http://www.retep.org.uk/pdf/
on Monday Feb. 28th 2000, at 10:23 AM USA Central time,
the site
http://www.pdflib.com was not responding ??
To all of you who want to stick with 100% java
solution, now is your chance to speak..
Speak up..
Hani
Fotis Jannidis wrote:
> I just discovered pdflib, a C library to write PDF files with a lot of language bindings
> including java. (Sorry, if this subject has already come up, there is no way to search the
> 800 messages of fop-dev.)
>
> pdflib supports pdf spec 1.3 and would make it much easier to get FOP to some working
> end.
>
> There is one drawback: It has an open source license which is more restrictive than the
> GNU licence and only allows distribution of pdflib with open source projects. (Would this
> be a problem with the rules of xml.apache.org?)
>
> So we could take a two step approach: Implement as much of the xsl-fo spec as
> possible in Fop using pdflib to output the pdf file and later, if it proves to be necessary,
> replace the pdflib calls with calls to a Fop owned library.
>
> Here is the URL to pdflib:
> http://www.pdflib.com/
>
> What do you think?
>
> Fotis
Re: pdflib
Posted by Jon Smirl <jo...@mediaone.net>.
Did you see this one?
http://www.retep.org.uk/pdf/ This is a Java based postscript driver that has
a lot in common with FOP.
Jon Smirl
jonsmirl@mediaone.net
Re: pdflib
Posted by Jennifer Huebert <je...@jgsullivan.com>.
We have just approved pdflib for our development use, and like it very
much! I would be greatly in favor of supporting this notion, and we could
probably spare some developers' time to work on fop if the group would
utilize pdflib.
The author, Thomas Merz, is responsive and thorough.
Jen Huebert
At 09:39 AM 2/28/00, you wrote:
>I just discovered pdflib, a C library to write PDF files with a lot of
>language bindings
>including java. (Sorry, if this subject has already come up, there is no
>way to search the
>800 messages of fop-dev.)
>
>pdflib supports pdf spec 1.3 and would make it much easier to get FOP to
>some working
>end.
>
>There is one drawback: It has an open source license which is more
>restrictive than the
>GNU licence and only allows distribution of pdflib with open source
>projects. (Would this
>be a problem with the rules of xml.apache.org?)
>
>So we could take a two step approach: Implement as much of the xsl-fo spec as
>possible in Fop using pdflib to output the pdf file and later, if it
>proves to be necessary,
>replace the pdflib calls with calls to a Fop owned library.
>
>Here is the URL to pdflib:
>http://www.pdflib.com/
>
>What do you think?
>
>Fotis
-- --
Jennifer Huebert
JGSullivan Interactive, Inc.
400 W. Erie St., Suite 400
Chicago, IL 60610
direct 312-475-2490
main 312-943-1600