Do you own a Debenu Quick PDF Library version 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 or iSEDQuickPDF license? Upgrade to Debenu Quick PDF Library 14 today!
|
other royalty free pdf libraries |
Post Reply 
|
| Author | |
bradjensen 
Beginner 
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
 Post Options
 Thanks(0)
 Quote Reply
 Topic: other royalty free pdf librariesPosted: 18 Jan 07 at 6:40PM |
|
Most of my vb6 code development uses ISED pdf library, but I am wondering if there are other PDF api/toolkits I can use from VB6 that are royalty free?
Originally we used PDF preptool (or something like that) for some functons, but I believe recent versions are not royalty-free.
I need to be able to split pdfs, and extract text from pdfs. I also read and update form variables.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I've spent horus in Google searches without much results.
|
|
 |
|
|
Ingo
Moderator Group 
Joined: 29 Oct 05 Status: Offline Points: 3524 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jan 07 at 2:23AM |
|
Hi Brad!
Welcome! PDFLib PDF-Tools (not PDFtools) PDF-in-the-box activePDF GnosticePDF Dyna and so on ... I think there're a lot ;-) Best regards, Ingo |
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jan 07 at 2:52AM |
|
I'll take a look at some of these, thanks. So far the only one I am sure I am familiar with is the Gnostice toolkit (the ghostscript guys?) and their license says it is royalty free but you can't use it for .... and then lists everything anyone would ever use a pdf library for.
I asked for clarifications and they said yes that is really what they mean.
But if I aske real nice they have an OEM license but it is not a ficed price. I am not holding my breath.
I'll look at others you listed, and thanks for the list.
|
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jan 07 at 3:25AM |
|
I think I might have bought activepdf at some point . It isn't royalty free, although they say they offer an 'oem toolkit' but don't give a price and don't say it is royalty free.
I really don't like ' how much money do you have' pricing.
PDFLib doesnt look like it will let me extract text or split PDFs, and the PDFLib+PDI (which might or might not do that) costs $EU-20,000 - and I am not even sure that is a royalty free license. It says that is for one 'platform' by which I hope they mean all versions of Windows.
"PDF-Tools" is the PDF Prep Tool api I have used in the past, when it was royalty free. Now they want a runtime license of $720 per user and $3600 per server. That's more than the computers cost!
PDF-in-the-box is royalty free, but it isnt a PDF toolkit in the sense of being able to open existing PDFs, split them, extract text, etc.
|
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jan 07 at 3:31AM |
|
DynaPDF at $795 per developer ooks like it is royalty free and does the things I need - has anyone here used it?
Thanks for the reference!
|
|
|
|
|
Ingo
Moderator Group
Joined: 29 Oct 05 Status: Offline Points: 3524 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jan 07 at 3:34AM |
|
...
and what about "DynaPDF Library"? Michel distribute it at www.exp-systems.com. Perhaps you can get a good price if you order there... Best regards, Ingo Dyna |
|
|
|
|
chicks
Debenu Quick PDF Library Expert
Joined: 29 Oct 05 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 251 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jan 07 at 11:01AM |
|
Well, this isn't exactly a VB6 library, but...
Using pdftk as a model, I am able to compile the excellent iText java PDF library to a Windows DLL, exposing any functionality required for a particular project. It's not terribly difficult, but does require the complete MSYS/MINGW toolchain, and a good bit of java programming and gcc experience. Here's an example DLL for filling/flattening PDFs from an fdf: http://www.esnips.com/web/PDFTools?docsPage=3#files Edited by chicks - 19 Jan 07 at 11:02AM |
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jan 07 at 3:32PM |
|
My personal feeling is I would rather develop in cuneform on clay tablets than do anything with Java. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But thank you for the reference, all the same.
|
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 19 Jan 07 at 4:03PM |
|
Hey Michel is right next door to us - Wichita is about three hours from Tulsa, which is spitting distance here in the American midwest.
I went to look at his site. It looks like he did a VB interface to call Ghostscript, which I have been thinking of doing myself (right now I am using and reconfiguring PDFCreator).
PDFCreator uses REDMON to redirect the printer output, but he has gotten around the need for that somehow, it looks like.
|
|
|
|
|
chicks
Debenu Quick PDF Library Expert
Joined: 29 Oct 05 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 251 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jan 07 at 11:38AM |
Well, perhaps you could use the .NET version then? According to this article, "the iText team is just completing a port to the .NET platform. (See itextsharp.sourceforge.net.) It is written in C# and runs on .NET 1.1 or later. The lead on the iText project, Bruno Lowagie, at the University of Ghent, in Belgium, hints that other ports are likely in the future". Do you smell a C++ port? Meaning a native DLL version, usable from VB6, Delphi, etc. Fully supported and very widely used. Edited by chicks - 20 Jan 07 at 11:39AM |
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 20 Jan 07 at 12:00PM |
|
I seem to remember my dot net programmer saying something about being able to access dot net stuff with an activex wrapper or something.
iText is open source and therefore pretty worthless to a commercial developer. It is unrealibale code - not because the code is unreliable but because the licensing is unreliable. I thought at one point that open soruce libraries could be used without publishing the source of the code that used them, but have since heard that this is not true.
The uncertainty of this makes the code unreliable. I am not going to open myself up to lawsauits - or even worse, bad press - by using code that opens me to litigation or slander. If I am using a library that is open source, I should be able to give it credit, provide a link so that a user can go find the library and the source, and be done with it.
To me, the open source licensing is about having a chip on your shoulder and asserting control over others. If not, they would allow people to use the code for derivitive works without publishing the changes - since the open source version will continue on in any case, and should be 'superior' according to the theory of the open source movement. Either they don't really eblieve their owqn theory, or the real issue is vanity and the desire to control others.
I have much more respect, for example, for the thousands of VB6 programmers who have published source code for the free use of millions of other programmers. They are my real heroes. I don't mean to say that I don't respect open source people, but to me uinconditional giving is superior to conditional giving.
I notice most useful applicaitons of open source libraries fudge the open source licensing requirements - Miche publishes source code only the subroutine that calls Ghostscrript, not his entire application, and then provides another enhanced version he charges for, apparently also using Ghostscript, that he charges for. In similar fashion, the PDFCreator team publishes all of their source code, but they include an optional but selected IE search toolbar that generates revenue for them when the user uses it.
I don't have a problem with either of these behaviors, but I don't think they follow the open source licening strictly. I am not sure. That is the whole Achilles heel of open source for me - I can't be sure and confiodent in my use of what it provides.
|
|
|
|
|
chicks
Debenu Quick PDF Library Expert
Joined: 29 Oct 05 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 251 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 21 Jan 07 at 11:56AM |
|
Nice rant, but I suggest you read their reasons for not using the GPL, which your rant appears to be about.
BTW, Java is now open source, and it the #1 development environment of large corporations. Apache products have always been open source, and are also widely used by large corporations. |
|
|
|
|
Ingo
Moderator Group
Joined: 29 Oct 05 Status: Offline Points: 3524 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 21 Jan 07 at 1:10PM |
|
Hi!
Brad wanna sell his solution and that's not possible with open source-software 'cause he don't want to sell HIS sources, too. My company is working with open source software, too. Typo 3, Java, ... But we don't sell this software ... we sell our knowledge in implementing and using this software to our customers. Best regards, Ingo |
|
|
|
|
Michel_K17
Newbie 
www.exp-systems.com Joined: 25 Jan 03 Status: Offline Points: 297 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 21 Jan 07 at 1:23PM |
|
Hi Brad,
How much snow did you get?  |
|
|
Michel
|
|
|
|
|
chicks
Debenu Quick PDF Library Expert
Joined: 29 Oct 05 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 251 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 21 Jan 07 at 2:56PM |
|
Ingo,
It's very possible to sell software that uses open-source libraries without opening your source. It all depends on the particular license used. The GPL, as the iText link above points out, is very restrictive, so the iText developers added the much less restrictive LGPL and MPL. Many companies sell software that uses open-source libraries without having to open their source. For example, in Adobe Reader, click on Help/About Adobe Reader 7, then Patent and Legal Notices. You'll see a list of licenses for dozens of open-source libraries used by Adobe Reader and Acrobat, but you can bet that Adobe won't be opening the source to Reader or Acrobat anytime soon. |
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 Jan 07 at 2:16AM |
|
I read the MPL, it is unintelligible to me. It's the same problem I had the last time I read it.
I read the interpretation of the license on the iText site, and I really don't understand it either, but it doesn't matter what they say, since a court will interpret the license, not someone's interpretation of the license.
The MPL license is so verbose and obscure, it creates unneccsary uncertainty. A commercial enterprise using code that is subject to the MPL, is, in my opinion, opening themselves up to the psossibility of extremely expensive litigation -0 and in today's jury award climate , the possibility of large losses.
That's why the commercial PDF libraries are getting away with charging thousands of dollars per server. A large company with a competent legal department is going to turn thumbs down on MPL-licensed software.
Here's an example of the obguscation in this agreement:
" 3.7. Larger Works.
You may create a Larger Work by combining Covered Code with other code not governed by the terms of this License and distribute the Larger Work as a single product. In such a case, You must make sure the requirements of this License are fulfilled for the Covered Code." That could mean just about anything, particularly as the 'requirements of this license' are horribly convoluted and unclear.
What I would need to use the library as a library (object verison) would be a no-gotchas, clear statement that I can use the library without restrictions and without opening myself to litigation from the developers. I would then use the library, give the user the link to the itext development site, with the warning that if they use any version of itext not provided by me, or make any source code changes to the liText ibrary, we will not be able to support our product for them.
It can't just be the opinions of the developer as stated on their web pages, it really has to be in the license agreement itself.
As to JAVA in big companies, I remember PowerBuilder, Cold Fusion, Lotus Notes, and many other development environments. Most of them still exist.
I've worked with JAVA-based terminal emulation software, and it is a horrible hack, apparently impossible to integrate with, disobeying Windows apis, etc.
I suspect what oyu are referring to is J2EE used as a web development system.
|
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 Jan 07 at 2:18AM |
|
Not much snow, just rain. Last week it was freezing rain, particularly bad up at the lake house on Grand Lake, tore one of my treest in half, brought down limbs that were 8 inches thick. Missed the house, fortunately.
|
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 22 Jan 07 at 2:26AM |
|
I can't tell from the Aobe about box which of the copyright notices they include refer to open source, so I don't have much of an opinion on this. Most of the notices seem to be required notices by indivdual developers , teams and commercial packages that are not GPL.
If I were an 800 pound gorilla like Adobe, perhaps I would be less concerned about the open liability created by open soruce licenses.
But I am not/
|
|
|
|
|
Michel_K17
Newbie
www.exp-systems.com Joined: 25 Jan 03 Status: Offline Points: 297 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 23 Jan 07 at 1:40AM |
|
I hate freezing rain! We had a lot of damage from that last year, and, I am a survivor of the "Ice Storm of the Century" of 1999 in Montreal: that was really bad. Some folks lost power for 4 weeks when the power line towers crumbled.
Anyway, we got 4 inches of snow: it's melting nicely now. The Adobe copyright notice is indeed rather long, but, as mentioned, does include various GPL software, at least v7 had a long list. I see that they have simplified their text for v8 of the Reader. I am wondering if it is because the new v8 introduces new technology for them. Cheers! |
|
|
Michel
|
|
|
|
|
bradjensen
Beginner
Joined: 18 Jan 07 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 16 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 23 Jan 07 at 1:01PM |
|
That's funny, I missed the links in Adobe Reader that lead to the source code for the GPLed code.
|
|
|
|
|
chicks
Debenu Quick PDF Library Expert
Joined: 29 Oct 05 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 251 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Quote Reply
Posted: 23 Jan 07 at 1:29PM |
There is a very long list of GPL, MPL, Apache, JPEG-2000, OpenLDAP, U.C. Regents, etc. open source licenses in Reader 7.0, but they've been removed in Reader 8.0. Don't know how Adobe gets away without including the notices now, perhaps they post them on their website. |
|
|
|
|
Post Reply
|
|
Tweet
|
| Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |
Copyright © 2017 Debenu. Debenu Quick PDF Library is a PDF SDK. All rights reserved. About — Contact — Blog — Support — Online Store
Topic Options
bradjensen wrote: