PDF files are ideally suited for displaying richly
formatted documents containing images and multimedia,
preserving the layout you desired, without requiring
the user to have your authoring tools installed on their
computer. The Acrobat Reader is freely available
and universally distributed. At UIC it has been included
in the Network Services Kit for years. You can thus safely
assume that everybody will be able to view your documents
as you intended them, without any compatibility issues.
Besides, the Acrobat creation tools are installed in all
campus public computer labs and available for your office
computer via Server Services. This makes Acrobat the
tool of choice for submitting homework or distributing
course documents.
Outputting to Acrobat PDF allows everyone to use their
application and platform of choice to create the original
document, without having to worry about the other side being
able to read their files.
