Inside Chrome 6: PDF, Standard
Posted on 21. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey in Features
This article on PDFs is part of a series of posts that discuss the new features and technology that will come with the official newest release of Chrome browser – Version 6.
One element of the web that has always been extremly annoying is the prevalence of plug-ins – sure we’ve always just had to deal with them, not realizing that there may be a better solution. But think about the fact that instead of the neccessary plug-ins for a browser have to be downloaded and updated separately. Who has time for that?
Google continues their alliance with Adobe in Chrome 6 by integrating a PDF client right into the browser. What that means is that you no longer have to worry about not having the Adobe Reader pluging to open up PDF files, oftent the standard document format for sending official files. In fact, the integrated PDF reader is Google’s own, devised from Adobe’s own reference specifications.
Due to the security vulnerabilities exposed by the PDF format this year, it seems like a no-brainer to add this into the update stream with Chrome 6. Unlike other browsers, when there is a possible malicious problem with PDF files Chrome can be updated quickly with a fix that can prevent a problem from possibly spreading. Since PDF files are so ubiqutious, this bodes well for overall web security.
Also consider the impact on Google Docs with PDF itegration. Not only can you open up a PDF and fill it our right in the browser quickly, there is potential to use this feature with other Google services. Vector print support was added for better viewing in Gmail. Also, recently a new feature has launched whereby PDF files can be converted for editing in Docs, indeed a useful feature. Here’s hoping other useful features come from Google on this.
