How did PDF files become so big?

Submitted by Patrick Grote on Wed, 12/20/2006 - 7:20pm.

Our 11th top technology is the PDF file format from Adobe. PDF stands for Portable Document Format and was created by Adobe in the early 1990s. It is a subset of the Postscript language, which is a printer language designed for layout. PDF was designed to bring the layout specifications to the screen.

What many people don't remember is that the PDF format really didn't take off when it was first introduced. It wasn't until CDROMs became popular, and later the internet, did the PDF take off.

PDF really took off when Adobe made the reader free. This meant that you had to pay for the ability to create PDF files, but anyone could read them.

What I initially liked about PDF files is what makes them so great today. Single file portability. One file can be read without the need for additional support files such as fonts or colors. That one file can be read on multiple machines and it create a sense of community.

PDFs keeps getting stronger with new feature every year.