The PDF has additional structure which can support such functionality as copying text, hyperlinks, etc, but the primary function of a PDF is to represent a specific image (particularly, the same image whether displayed on screen or on paper).
Certainly a PDF is more “document”-ish than a JPEG, but there are also “document” qualities a PDF is notably lacking, such as being able to edit it and have the text reflow appropriately (which comes from having a structure of higher-level objects like “this text is in two columns with margins like so” and “this is a figure with caption” and an algorithm to do the layout). To say that there is a sharp line and that PDF belongs on the “document” side is, in my opinion, a poor use of words.
I’m not sure I want to get into an ontological debate on whether a PDF is a document or not, but I believe the fact that it’s got the word “document” in its name and is primarily used for representing de facto documents makes my original statement accurate to several orders of approximation.
Sir, you are wrong on the internet. A JPEG is a bitmap (formally, pixmap) image. A PDF is a vector image.
The PDF has additional structure which can support such functionality as copying text, hyperlinks, etc, but the primary function of a PDF is to represent a specific image (particularly, the same image whether displayed on screen or on paper).
Certainly a PDF is more “document”-ish than a JPEG, but there are also “document” qualities a PDF is notably lacking, such as being able to edit it and have the text reflow appropriately (which comes from having a structure of higher-level objects like “this text is in two columns with margins like so” and “this is a figure with caption” and an algorithm to do the layout). To say that there is a sharp line and that PDF belongs on the “document” side is, in my opinion, a poor use of words.
(Yes, this isn’t the question you asked.)
I’m not sure I want to get into an ontological debate on whether a PDF is a document or not, but I believe the fact that it’s got the word “document” in its name and is primarily used for representing de facto documents makes my original statement accurate to several orders of approximation.