# (another) stupid computer question?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

just discovered i have this program on my computer: Acrobat Reader DC. Not sure what it is? I'm trying to figure out if i can use this prog. to compose & print documents? (letters, notes etc. whatever). Right now I'm using another program for this - Apache Open Office. Can the Acrobat thingy do the same work for me that Apache does? AND ALSO- is it possible there might also a windows or microsoft program built in on my machine that can do this work for me...? if so - what should i look for? thanks computer-people!


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

jargey3000 said:


> just discovered i have this program on my computer: Acrobat Reader DC. Not sure what it is? I'm trying to figure out if i can use this prog. to compose & print documents? (letters, notes etc. whatever). Right now I'm using another program for this - Apache Open Office. Can the Acrobat thingy do the same work for me that Apache does? AND *ALSO- is it possible there might also a windows or microsoft program built in on my machine that can do this work for me...*? if so - what should i look for? thanks computer-people!



Maybe. You have to go into: Start; Control Panel; and click on Programs and Features ...... to list all the applied programs on your computer.

Here is the FAQ for the Adobe Acrobat DC reader.
https://helpx.adobe.com/reader/faq.html

It is used mostly for PDF files for reading and editing.



> QUICK ANSWER
> Portable Document Format is a file format created by Adobe that preserves formatting integrity across all platforms and may contain text, audio, video, links and form fields. The PDF file format is recognized and maintained by the International Organization for Standardization as an open standard.


If you are interested in word documents, then MS Word (download for free online ) is a possible tool you may want.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Acrobat reader is the free PDF reader that adobe released. You can't do much more than read PDFs with it. PDF is generally a read only wysiwyg file format, though you can create fillable forms and such. It's more a format for completed documents rather than document creation as it looks and works the same across all the computer platforms. While you can create documents in adobe acrobat pro, there are better programs to do document creation that will save in PDF format.


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## steve41 (Apr 18, 2009)

PDF writers are generally not free, however one I have discovered is called CUTEPDF and works fine. Plus, the price is right.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

thanks alll.... not sure if i fully understand all (any?) of this.... still not sure what a PDF is - I know what the letters stand for ...but not sure WHAT they are in plain English...
anyhoo...from the above, can u clarify if the Apache Open Office and the MS Word programs do basically the same thing?????


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

jargey3000 said:


> thanks alll.... not sure if i fully understand all (any?) of this.... still not sure what a PDF is - I know what the letters stand for ...but not sure WHAT they are in plain English...
> anyhoo...from the above, can u clarify if the Apache Open Office and the MS Word programs do basically the same thing?????


I don't know..I don't use Apache open office. But both platforms are distinctly different. I prefer MS Word. 

Here is a youtube tutorial on Apache Open Office:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9H91Ka-ei0


here is a youtube tutorial on MS Word 2010. You can go to tutorial 2 and 3 to get a better understanding of how this SW works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_ddFubJ3tc

Unfortunately, like most MicroSoft application software, it is not free.. MS WORD 2016 is about $119. Cdn. 
Not free.. but the difference is that there are more users and more online information (tutorials) available for it.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Open office is an open source, cross platform, free version of software that is similar in functionality to Microsoft office. It contains a word processor, similar to ms word, a spreadsheet similar to excel, etc. It doesn't contain all the programs that ms office does (not sure it comes with an email program or a database for example), but then again ms office doesn't even have all the same programs in it across the computer platforms. You can probably do everything you want in open office that you'd want to do using ms office. The main difference is how they look on screen as opposed to how they function. Open office doesn't "look" as pretty, since they don't have paid staff to spend hours tweaking the graphics. 

PDF (portable document format) is a file format for saving an distributing information. The idea is, you save the document in this format, and you can open that document and view it on any platform and it'll look the same. It's not meant to be a format what can be easily edited for the most part, rather it's for distribution.

There are many file formats out there, ms word uses .doc or .docx for example. This format is easily editable, but does not always look he same across all platforms, and you need a program that can read it (while very common, there aren't a lot of free programs that open word documents, probably for licensing reasons). Microsoft technically owns and controls the format and never designed it for distribution outside of their own products, unlike adobe with PDF which was designed from the start to be a distribution format.

Different file formats do different things...graphic formats (.jpg, .gif, .tif, etc.) tell the computer how to render pictures, speadsheet formats (.xls) contain the information and formulas for format and calculations of a spreadsheet, etc.

Each format is designed to store the information to perform a certain task. PDF, as I said, is just a distribution format. It was designed to keep the output looking the same across all platforms, and not easily edited, so perfect for things like brochures, books, letters, etc.

Adobe also added the ability to do some limited interaction on theses documents, like allowing you to enter and submit information on forms, control if people could print the information out, etc. You can think of the PDF format as the electronic equivalent of paper. Once the information is printed out on paper, it's hard to edit, you can write information onto the paper, it's hard to copy (without a photocopier), you can't easily create more paper copies of a book, you can distribute the paper to others and it will look the same, etc. PDF, as a format, was designed to do the same things as paper, without the actual paper. Other file formats were designed to do other things (usually store the information in a format for editing with the program that created it). 

If you were to send me a contract in word format, I have the ability to easily change the wording before I print it out or agree to it. That is much harder to do, especially if you enable the security features in acrobat to disable editing. Acrobat is basically an electronic paper distribution format, nothing else.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Jargey - for simple word processing just to write notes etc, click on start and scan all programs (or whatrever your version of Windows says). Under Accessories, you will see Notepad and Wordpad. Notepad is OK for very simple notes while Wordpad is a basic word processor that might be all you need. I use Open Office but it might be overkill in your case. It comes a a suite of programs including spreadsheets, word processor, database etc. You just install the parts you need.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

thanks all!!


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## carverman (Nov 8, 2010)

agent99 said:


> Jargey - for simple word processing just to write notes etc, click on start and scan all programs (or whatrever your version of Windows says). Under Accessories, you will see Notepad and Wordpad. Notepad is OK for very simple notes while Wordpad is a basic word processor that might be all you need. I use Open Office but it might be overkill in your case. It comes a a suite of programs including spreadsheets, word processor, database etc. You just install the parts you need.


ya, I tend to agree with you. I use an old version of MSWorks. It was one of those sofware bargain bin CDs that Staples were clearing out a few years ago. It came with many templates, letter heads and letter formats plus different files.
Very easy to use. 
I use it all the time for my files. I just modify a blank one each time for whatever file I need to make.
the type of document is Micro Soft Works Word Processor file attributes are .*wps*.

This suite is obsolete, but Microsoft still offer it as a FREE download, so (JARGEY) you wish to try it out...nothing to lose.

http://microsoft_works.en.downloadastro.com/


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

PDF was originally for fixed images of printed documents. Aside from adding signatures and dates, the format was fixed. There are many programs that now modify PDFs so that function is not as useful as it once was.


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## bgc_fan (Apr 5, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> thanks alll.... not sure if i fully understand all (any?) of this.... still not sure what a PDF is - I know what the letters stand for ...but not sure WHAT they are in plain English...
> anyhoo...from the above, can u clarify if the Apache Open Office and the MS Word programs do basically the same thing?????


For the record, there is also LibreOffice which is a different flavour of Open Office (background is a bit complicated). At the end of the day, LibreOffice is updated more regularly.

For a free (no money) Office Suite there is also Kingsoft Office which also as some pretty good reviews.


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## steve41 (Apr 18, 2009)

OK.... say you were an important agency and had created document (text and graphics) for universal distribution. The difficulty is that every potential destination for that information had a different computor (different Windows versions, different programs... Word, Wordpad, Works... various Mac pgms likewise) The PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file that can be opened on any computer of any vintage and display identically on each.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Also the CRA through MyAccount will accept electronic docs, and only PDFs and JPGs are ones that have not likely been modified. This is especially useful for substantiating claims for medical/dental deductions when asked.


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## wisdomlight (Nov 19, 2016)

Lol. I have this Acrobat Reader DC also in my PC but until now I'm not using it and not even know how it can help me as well.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

You can use it to download and read documents including whole books. PDF files are basically reproductions of printed documents that can include pictures. I have downloaded repair manuals, parts manuals, investment books etc. Once you have the PDF file you can keep it on your computer, and bring it up and read it anytime.

Suppose you go looking for information by doing a Google search. Some of the hits may have the letters PDF in the title. Those are documents that can be downloaded saved and read.


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## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

Of course, by downloading a PDF, you may be violating all sorts of antiquated copyright laws and be branded a digital pirate who's stealing the life's work of some poor victim, but that's a different silly debate.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

If you are worried about copyright download Kindle (it's free) and buy digital copies of whatever book you like. My Kindle came with one free download, I don't know if they still do that. Kindle gives you all kinds of new books you can't get otherwise, and you can have them instantly.


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