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Re: Making Accessible PDF's Without Using Adobe Pro

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From: chagnon
Date: Mar 30, 2019 12:45PM

Karen's description of FoxIt taking control of her PC should be reported to
the FTC: it's against fair trade practices for software to prevent its
competitors from operating on the operating system, or not respecting the
user's right to choose the app. To me, it's similar to malware the
redirects your web searches to their website. It's a form hijacking.

In Karen's case, she has the right to choose which PDF software application
to use.

https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt&panel1-1 choose the subsection
Internet Services, Online Shopping, or Computers from the left navigation.

If we don't complain, then the government cannot protect us from this type
of predatory software control.

FYI, a similar situation happened in the early 1990s when Microsoft Windows
and TrueType fonts were new. At that time, Windows users couldn't install
and use PostScript fonts (which were proprietary Adobe fonts back then).
Microsoft claimed we could, but PostScript fonts just wouldn't work in the
real world.

Well, until a colleague discovered that there was a user setting...buried 18
layers deep inside a maze of nested menus that when checked, prevented
non-TrueType fonts from being accepted by the operating system. And by
default, it was checked to do this. (I wonder if the Microsoft engineer who
dreamed this up got a bonus in his paycheck.)

Microsoft was forced to correct this, and many more infractions in the
following years.

If FoxIt is indeed doing this, then complain to the FTC about it. Other than
voting with our wallets, that's the only method we consumers have to rein in
these renegade software companies and stop their unscrupulous practices.

Just my 2 cents worth!

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