Ok got reasons for posting this, I want to see what Joe Bloggs runs nowadays.

Reasons being I have made a CD, but it is navagationable within the PDF itself with bookmarks and links, but it is a whopping 600MB file so I want to know if people will be able to use it sufficiently. It is far faster than the old method I have of navigation through the web broswer.

I have 1 gig of ram but i mostly use my home PC for games. Sometimes i work from home though and need things like a DB server and web server running but not that often.

512mb for me which is enough for anything I do. Problem with your poll is there is probably a bit of a bias towards people who are more interested in computers on this part of the forum. Meaning they may have more memory?

Originally posted by march
512mb for me which is enough for anything I do. Problem with your poll is there is probably a bit of a bias towards people who are more interested in computers on this part of the forum. Meaning they may have more memory?

I know :( I did think about that, but I know as soon as I would post it in the main general forum the mods would move it :(

I wouldn't use PDF for any large files, Acrobat (even the latest version) is such a slow program.

Web pages sound like a much better option.

512 in my main pc, 4GB in my server.

Joel

Originally posted by alchresearch
I wouldn't use PDF for any large files, Acrobat (even the latest version) is such a slow program.

Web pages sound like a much better option.


I have been through all this, and opening a PDF via a web browser locally is neither a valid option (due to microsoft security patches) and is not particularly quick.

PC1 - 80M

PC2 - 128M

PC3 - 128M

PC4 - 256M

1Gb in my laptop, 1Gb in my dining room pc, 512Mb in my older study pc, 1Gb in my work pc.

Might go for 2Gb when I next upgrade the study pc, and maybe a Tb of storage.

Between 32 and 128Mb on different PCs around The Towers.

Not comfortable about a 600Mb PDF file - can you not split it down?

Good luck!

Joe

Originally posted by JoeP
Not comfortable about a 600Mb PDF file - can you not split it down?

No, as then it wouldn't be navigationable :( There is about 500 pages of scanned articles, which equates to about 50 different brochures/magazines.

The poll doesn't allow for non-standard amounts that may come about through upgrades. Instead of discrete (e.g. 256 or 512) it should be continuous (e.g. 256 - 511, 512 - 1023, etc).

Out of interest, what's in it and how did you write it? That's a heck of a file - my 250+ page thesis was only 5 MB and it contains a *lot* of images! Hope you haven't embedded 1200 dpi uncompressed pictures :)

I've only used Acrobat fairly briefly - is it possible to link pdf files together, so that chapter bookmarks load other files? As previously mentioned, I would have thought html would have been a neat way to do it - but I'd hate to have to write and manage that much without some sort of content management system!

Finally, why do you say opening the pdf files locally through a web browser is a security issue? Do you not trust yourself to write the html without putting in anything dodgy? :)

1024mb in machine 1
2048mb in machine 2

768mb in laptop

8GB in mine, (Opteron) running 64bit windows.

Anyone got the new 7200 nvidia card yet?

It's awesome, were selling them over here at Very PC.

Pete

My Computer tells me ive got 384 MB Ram :confused:

2GB in my desktop and 2GB in my laptop, but you haven't given me the option for "More than most"

Originally posted by rich951
Out of interest, what's in it and how did you write it? That's a heck of a file - my 250+ page thesis was only 5 MB and it contains a *lot* of images! Hope you haven't embedded 1200 dpi uncompressed pictures :)

It is a complilation of reviews, brochures, press photos, press articles all scanned in and no it is not embedded at 1200dpi, but yes it is high quality scanned images (300dpi)

Originally posted by rich951
I've only used Acrobat fairly briefly - is it possible to link pdf files together, so that chapter bookmarks load other files? As previously mentioned, I would have thought html would have been a neat way to do it - but I'd hate to have to write and manage that much without some sort of content management system!

HTML is a neat way, well it was until microsoft put a stop on that one. Linking PDF's together, not that I am aware of with the software avaliable to me.

Originally posted by rich951
Finally, why do you say opening the pdf files locally through a web browser is a security issue? Do you not trust yourself to write the html without putting in anything dodgy? :)

I guess you have never tried to open a PDF locally from within a web browser on IE6 with all the security patches installed ;) Go on see if how you get on. You will find that it won't work, as Microsoft do not allow active-x content (i know pdf's aren't exactly active-x content but microsoft think they are) to run locally from within Internet Explorer. It will work fine on other browsers however.

Originally posted by t020
The poll doesn't allow for non-standard amounts that may come about through upgrades. Instead of discrete (e.g. 256 or 512) it should be continuous (e.g. 256 - 511, 512 - 1023, etc).

Hmm that might have been a better way, too late now though.

512 in all three PC's, but my main one does creek when I have 19 apps and windows open at the same time like I have now.

Originally posted by Skatiechik

HTML is a neat way, well it was until microsoft put a stop on that one. Linking PDF's together, not that I am aware of with the software avaliable to me.


Why cant you use HTML? What have m$ done this time.

Joel

Originally posted by Joelc
Why cant you use HTML? What have m$ done this time.

Joel

Read the bottom bit of the post that you quoted on ;)

Or I will repeat myself ;), all local active-x content can now not be opened up within a web browser on Internet Explorer. :(


Anyway just had the CD tested on a 133Mhz laptop with 32Mb of ram and it opens up and runs okay, yeah its slow but then it is a 133Mhz I doubt anyone runs that nowadays. So got more confidence in it now. The slideshow is the worst running it on the spec :gag:

Originally posted by Skatiechik
No, as then it wouldn't be navigationable :( There is about 500 pages of scanned articles, which equates to about 50 different brochures/magazines.

In that case then I'd suggest Zinio.

Originally posted by march
512mb for me which is enough for anything I do. Problem with your poll is there is probably a bit of a bias towards people who are more interested in computers on this part of the forum. Meaning they may have more memory?

im quite adept with computers but still only have 256 :P

mind u this computer was only £20 :P

Originally posted by Skatiechik
I guess you have never tried to open a PDF locally from within a web browser on IE6 with all the security patches installed ;) Go on see if how you get on. You will find that it won't work, as Microsoft do not allow active-x content (i know pdf's aren't exactly active-x content but microsoft think they are) to run locally from within Internet Explorer. It will work fine on other browsers however.
I try never to do anything in IE6 ;) It does let me, but admittedly I have to tell it to allow the content. But I wasn't actually talking about linking pdf files from html, I was talking about writing it in html! I do accept that could be a huge undertaking if it's a long document though.

I still think 600 MB is huge, can't you use better image compression?

I could reduce it, but that kinda defeats the object of a high quality cd, it is 500 jpegs in a PDF.

Its not possible to write it in HTML it is JPEGS (Scanned Images) not word content.

Honestly if you have IE6 with the latest updates it will not let you run it locally within a web browser, regardless of how you set the allow content.

I try not to touch IE6 too, but I am selling the CD and that is what most people use. That is irrelevant now I have ditched it anyway.

There are plenty of easy html thumbnail gallery generators, I'd have just used one of those, or maybe a slideshow app (although this restricts to one OS). Not that it matters if you've given up on the project now..

I do have IE6 fully updated and patched (on XP SP2), I just had to click the yellow bar that appears at the top to allow blocked content.

Originally posted by rich951
There are plenty of easy html thumbnail gallery generators, I'd have just used one of those, or maybe a slideshow app (although this restricts to one OS). Not that it matters if you've given up on the project now..

A slideshow doesn't let you read articles does it though. Not given up I just said I ditched the webpage inteface as it does not work with IE. I am having to recompile the whole PDF interface now as I found a duff link, takes hours :(


Originally posted by rich951
I do have IE6 fully updated and patched (on XP SP2), I just had to click the yellow bar that appears at the top to allow blocked content.

Yes that is correct if it isn't local.

In my case (and I'm pretty sure I still have default security settings), it's also true for local files - I just dragged and dropped a pdf onto IE. Maybe you should just distribute it with a copy of firefox on the cd :)

I'd still be tempted to look at using html linking images (ie no pdf at all), but that might be a bit daunting if you're not used to writing html, and loses out on some user-friendliness. What sort of jpeg compression levels are you using?

Originally posted by Skatiechik
It is a complilation of reviews, brochures, press photos, press articles all scanned in and no it is not embedded at 1200dpi, but yes it is high quality scanned images (300dpi)



HTML is a neat way, well it was until microsoft put a stop on that one. Linking PDF's together, not that I am aware of with the software avaliable to me.



I guess you have never tried to open a PDF locally from within a web browser on IE6 with all the security patches installed ;) Go on see if how you get on. You will find that it won't work, as Microsoft do not allow active-x content (i know pdf's aren't exactly active-x content but microsoft think they are) to run locally from within Internet Explorer. It will work fine on other browsers however.

I just tried it with a pdf on my desktop, it worked fine.

Originally posted by Cyclone
I just tried it with a pdf on my desktop, it worked fine.

I feel like I am banging my head against the wall, it is even written on the microsoft site that it doesn't work anymore.

Ok if people are still sceptical, write yourself a small HTML file, with a thumbnail linked pdf image on it. Burn it to CD. Then open it in IE and see what happens. ;)

JPEG compression is set to igh quality, and the images were scanned in at 300dpi.


PS:- I did go down the firefox route, even creating a readme file for peeps, then thought twice as the aimed market probably can only just work out how to switch the computer on, let along install a completely different browser to use.

Have you considered using something like this: http://pdftohtml.sourceforge.net/ to convert your pdf document into a html document. The site has a good example of the results you should expect, you could be sure then that this method would work on any computer with a browser and not have to worry about users insalling adobe or not having a powerful enough system to cope with your pdf file.

Regards,

Grant

Originally posted by lonesome
Have you considered using something like this: http://pdftohtml.sourceforge.net/ to convert your pdf document into a html document. The site has a good example of the results you should expect, you could be sure then that this method would work on any computer with a browser and not have to worry about users insalling adobe or not having a powerful enough system to cope with your pdf file.

Regards,

Grant

I converted it from html to pdf ;) well the navigational part. But thankyou for the link, I will have a look at it.


Sorted the memory issue anyway, I have one pdf (65mb) which will boot automatically, and have included the high resolution pdf on the CD if people wish to view that too. Superquick now.

Thankyou everyone for your replies, currently sat here batch burning CD's for tomorrow.