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Use Adobe Reader 7 with JavaScript disabled
Of course, it is the user's good right to disable JavaScript in Acrobat.
Use Adobe Reader 7 with JavaScript disabled
I have to agree with the original poster -- that JavaScript should be disabled by default; or at least, on a per-document basis the user can be asked 'Do you want to enable JavaScript for this document?' The fact that one *can* do things with JavaScript in a PDF document doesn't mean that one *should* do things with JavaScript. After all, PDF is not Flash -- it's meant to be a static resource for documentation, in a device-independent and operating-system independent way. Arguing that turning off JavaScript breaks functionality is only true for those documents that need JavaScript -- for all other docs, it doesn't make any difference. Plus, there are a bunch of nasty things that *any* macro language can do; for example, access remote URLs to 'track' a document; prevent certain aspects of a document from working (e.g. preventing printing, that kind of thing). An interactive document is much better delivered as a set of web pages, not a PDF. Having said that, you can do a sick amount of things with JavaScript in PDFs, as this PDF calulator shows: http://www.tug.org/applications/pdftex/calculat.pdf. Note that it won't work correctly in Preview, since that doesn't support JavaScript (fortunately).
Use Adobe Reader 7 with JavaScript disabled
Everyone is allowed to have his opinion, and there is nothing against the opinion to have JavaScript deactivated. Simply do it, and get happy... until you run into some trouble...
There are valid security concerns
As far as I know, there is actually a security issue with Acrobat Reader 7 which can only be fixed by removing JavScript:
Acrobat Reader 7 will report every time a document is opened to a specific URL, provided the document has been prepared for this. It is correct that this does not compromise your system, but it opens the field to many nasty use cases of this feature. In partucalrly since copyright law has been changed in such a way recently that not only distributing, but even viewing or listening copyrighted material can be a violation of copyright.
There are valid security concerns
Actually, in order to call a webserver when the document gets opened, you don't even need JavaScript. And this feature has been around for an even longer time.
The problem is being right too soon...
Adobe has posted an advisory about an Adobe Reader and Acrobat vulnerability:
Use Adobe Reader 7 with JavaScript disabled
Great tip!!! I can't believe Adobe decided to integrate Javascript into PDF files... now no documents are safe... |
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