Are PDF docs any more secure than Word docs if they do not have a password?

[Arthur]

A proper PDF vs google docs is a tossup on accessibility for me. Neither one are as easy as HTML but not too many extra steps either.

One of the best things about Google Docs is that the original Doc and the HTML version are the exact same document.

 

[b]Google Doc[/b]
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OEfI4LPefQZrdOVarGheqpXKNC68wGYT8QZ7_wDu4Xg/[color="#FF0000"]edit[/color]

[b]HTML version of Google Doc[/b]
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OEfI4LPefQZrdOVarGheqpXKNC68wGYT8QZ7_wDu4Xg/[color="#FF0000"]preview[/color]

 

The biggest issue I have with PDFs are those that scan them in as an image. Those PDFs are not accessible at all.

I agree! These are the worst kind of PDFs.

 

Especially annoying are the PDFs where someone has printed a multi-page Word document, added a signature or some other writing and then scanned the document back in. The file has now gone from a few KB to multiple MBs! If you then try to reduce the size of the PDF too much it ends up looking like a fax.

[ADMaster]

One of the best things about Google Docs is that the original Doc and the HTML version are the exact same document.

 

[b]Google Doc[/b]
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OEfI4LPefQZrdOVarGheqpXKNC68wGYT8QZ7_wDu4Xg/[color=#FF0000]edit[/color]

[b]HTML version of Google Doc[/b]
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OEfI4LPefQZrdOVarGheqpXKNC68wGYT8QZ7_wDu4Xg/[color=#FF0000]preview[/color]

They may be the exact same, but neither are very friendly for accessibility in my opinion. Admittedly I don't use a true screen reader every day, but I can run some basic tests.

I do use text aloud on a daily basis though and it will not read google docs or the preview version from cursor. I must select the text I want it to read, or read the entire page. A PDF is about the same in this way, I must select the text I want read or read the entire document.

I can also download the pdf and open it directly in text aloud so that gives a bit better navigation if needed, I can do the same with a google doc.

Using NVDA the google doc provides no headings, links or anything to the screen reader. Downloading the document in zipped html format then opening does provide navigation links and headings. I only use NVDA to occasionally test accessibility so I'm by no means an expert, but that appears to be an accessibility fail to me.

 

If we do have a regular screen reader user on here, I'd like to hear their take on this.

 

EDIT: Also I've not tested but, I don't think the google html version will give the same control as HTML on your own site. I have icons on the site that allow a user to change contrast, switch to dyslexic font and change font size. I doubt these would work for google doc.

The more we discuss the pros and cons of these formats, the more I'm in favor of pure HTML.

Edited October 14, 2018 by ADMaster

[mavhc]

Step 1: teach teachers how to use Word properly with styles. Step 2: teachers teach the kids. Step 3: wait 30 years. Step 4: now the people writing the minutes can use Word, and export to html will be better.

 

OK, I'll just do it myself as usual

[Meldrew]

I thought the issue is that Word documents contain all sorts of metadata that you don't want to release to everyone in the world. Or is that back in the days of binary .doc files...?

 

Meldrew

[mavhc]

Word has a thing to get rid of that now. What's funny is all the PDFs with the title Microsoft Word -- Original File Name

[chazzy2501]

What's kind of funny is that since office 2007 Word docs use the Open XML format (open source) docx unlike PDF which I believe to be proprietary. Goverment should be pushing for an open format.

[Arthur]

What's kind of funny is that since office 2007 Word docs use the Open XML format (open source) docx unlike PDF which I believe to be proprietary.

Wasn't PDF standardized a decade ago?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDF

 

PDF was standardized as an open format, ISO 32000, in 2008, and no longer requires any royalties for its implementation.

[mavhc]

Yeah, they're both standard, in theory, there's a lot more pdf implementations though, and the spec is probably 100 times simpler

[TwistedHelixis]

I have another question.

 

It seems to me that everyone recommending PDFs are offering these files as a download, but within Google we can offer the user the file as a preview, they can still view the file and we can allow the user to print the file if we want but we can restrict downloading.

 

Are there any reasons we should be offering the file as a download based on our setup?

[sted]

I have another question.

 

It seems to me that everyone recommending PDFs are offering these files as a download, but within Google we can offer the user the file as a preview, they can still view the file and we can allow the user to print the file if we want but we can restrict downloading.

 

Are there any reasons we should be offering the file as a download based on our setup?

 

probably so people can view it when they dont have internet access or have limited access such that having the document copied locally makes it simpler for them

[elsiegee40]

I have another question.

 

It seems to me that everyone recommending PDFs are offering these files as a download, but within Google we can offer the user the file as a preview, they can still view the file and we can allow the user to print the file if we want but we can restrict downloading.

 

Are there any reasons we should be offering the file as a download based on our setup?

 

So people can annotate them.

 

All our governor papers are pdfs - we have gone paperless. I can download a copy to my tablet and highlight, make notes, draw rings, etc exactly as I do on paper and have that version on my tablet at meetings.

 

One of our MAT academies is in a mobile signal not-spot and relying on that for downloads would be a nightmare. There is guest wifi, but I prefer to be disconnected from alerts in meetings in any case.

[mavhc]

I have another question.

 

It seems to me that everyone recommending PDFs are offering these files as a download, but within Google we can offer the user the file as a preview, they can still view the file and we can allow the user to print the file if we want but we can restrict downloading.

 

Are there any reasons we should be offering the file as a download based on our setup?

 

Print to pdf, now I have a download. No point restricting it

[TwistedHelixis]

So people can annotate them.

 

Google Docs can do this without the need for any extra software, so that's not really a reason for us to start using PDF

 

One of our MAT academies is in a mobile signal not-spot and relying on that for downloads would be a nightmare.

The Governors at our school have access to the files on Google Drive and can easily choose to have them in offline mode or downloaded already. Are you saying your Governors only work on the files that are on the public facing website?

 

Thanks for all the answers but I am going to stop asking questions now, as it's becoming clear some do not use cloud based systems for their files and work in a very different way to the way we work in our school.

Edited October 16, 2018 by TwistedHelixis