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In connection with the laptop I'm planning to set up soon I've looked 
further into pdf-viewing issues under BL3. I do need to have pdf viewing 
capability on the laptop, so I want to be aware in advance of any problems 
I might encounter on that front. My concerns are mainly with viewing--as 
opposed to printing--pdf's since I seem to be able to print them just fine 
using Sindi's gs package.

In preparation for starting this thread, I reviewed some key postings from 
the archive. I searched the archive using the term xpdf, since that's the 
viewing application I have been thinking of using under BL. I'll start off 
by stating what appears to me from posts found in the archive to be the 
official BL policy concerning pdf viewing.

The official position on pdf viewing for BL3 seems to be that the xpdf 
package from Slack4 should be used (it has a dependency--elflibs--that 
must be installed in order for it to work). Have I got the official 
position correct, Steven? It should be mentioned in this connection as 
well that some users (e.g., Sindi) have been unable to use the Slack4 
version of xpdf (version 0.7, I believe) since it does not support newer 
versions of the pdf spec (it supports only up to version 1.4, it seems). 
Have I summarized the state of affairs regarding the Slack4 version of 
xpdf correctly?

I should mention that I've installed the Slack4 xpdf on my testbed laptop 
and viewed some random pdf's with it and had no problems. That may 
indicate that a large percentage of pdf's on the 'net have been created 
using the older pdf spec that Slack4's xpdf release can handle. At the 
same time, it can presumed that the number of pdf's avaialble on the web 
using the newer pdf spec (version 1.5 or >) will only increase with time. 
I, for one, would like to have the capability to view pdf's created 
according to the newer pdf spec.

It looks as though installing xpdf packages from later versions of 
Slackware in order to get the capability of viewing pdf's created 
according to the newer pdf spec is not a viable option for BL3 users. If 
I've understood correctly what I found in the list archive, it is not 
viable because those later versions of xpdf require newer X libraries than 
BL3 has: if the attempt were made to install such libraries to BL3, a 
likely result would be irreparable damage to BL3's gui system. The only 
remedy for that damage would be to install a fuller, later, Xwindows 
system, thus negating one of the key advantages of a BL3 installation (a 
small X and gui system that operates more efficiently on and is friendlier 
to older hardware). Have I understood correctly the reasons why later 
Slackware versions of xpdf cannot be installed to BL3?

Thus, if xpdf is to be used on BL3 to view pdf's created using the newer 
spec, it seems someone will need to compile a newer version of xpdf either 
against libc5 or statically against uclibc. To date, no one has been 
willing to step up to the plate to fulfill that need.

But there do seem to be other options. Sindi has posted quite a bit on 
this topic. She apparently has, for example, suceeded in converting into 
some sort of image files some newer pdf's that could not be viewed with 
Slack4's xpdf, and was then able to view those converted files with some 
other program (BL3's graphics program xli?). I was a little confused after 
reading her postings about exactly what solutions are available in this 
regard, what packages need to be installed, and how to configure the 
system to view the converted pdf's. The matter was confusing because she 
seemed either to be implementing at least 2 different solutions (one 
involving svp and another bmv) and converting to various formats, 
or--owing to her well-known aversion to gui's--because she was using an 
alternate graphics system she's installed (vgalib/svgalib) instead of 
BL3's native Xvesa display system for viewing the converted pdf's.

So, for purposes of providing the current summary on pdf viewing under Bl3 
that I allude to in this thread's subject line, I'd like to ask Sindi to 
summarize her solutions to pdf viewing for us. I personally would like to 
know about all options, including those that use vgalib/svgalib. But focus 
really should be on any alternate pdf-viewing options that utilize BL3's 
out-of-the-box graphical system (Xvesa and, e.g., xli). Sindi, could you 
please explain in this thread what your alternate pdf-viewing solutions 
for BL3 are, what packages they require, and any pertinent instructions 
for implementing them? Please focus on solutions that use Xvesa, but also 
feel free describe any svgalib options you've developed as well. This will 
be to the benefit of future BL3 users who may need to view pdf's created 
according to the more modern spec.

Further input on this matter will be appreciated.

Thanks,
James

PS The proposal to compile a new xpdf that will be compatible with BL3 and 
its graphical system still stands. Anyone brave and/or stubborn enough to 
step up and answer it can obviate the need for any further extrapolation 
of this thread.