# Why the PDF warnings? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 9, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323 "2010-01-09T20:39:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pduol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@Pduol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pduol)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/1 "2010-01-09T20:39:35Z")
I’ve noticed that whenever anyone links to a pdf file, there is usually a pdf warning. Why is this? Just wondering. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/2 "2010-01-09T20:42:59Z")
Me too. Many pdf files are smaller than most webpages. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/3 "2010-01-09T20:44:19Z")
On older computers with less pulling power PDFs often take a big chunk of resources and a long time to resolve. For some everything else stops totally until the page renders. This is very annoying, hence the warning. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/4 "2010-01-09T20:45:48Z")
Not always the case, and there’s the fact that Adobe takes for-freaking-ever to load so clicking on a pdf can really suck, especially if you’re on diallup with a slow computer and somebody linked out to a Supreme Court decision or a Senate bill and the thing is a bajillion pages long. Short answer is, it’s a holdover from elder days. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/5 "2010-01-10T04:14:15Z")
Can’t resist: [What’s with “Warning-PDF”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=392267). ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/6 "2010-01-10T16:22:12Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > On older computers with less pulling power PDFs often take a big chunk of resources and a long time to resolve. Not just older computers. I’ve had this happen on my quad-core because Firefox needed its Adobe plugin updated. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/7 "2010-01-11T15:16:17Z")
I try to link to the html translation of it that is normally in the Google search if I can’t avoid material that is in pdf. Nobody needs a special program, because they already have the browser that can read html. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/8 "2010-01-14T04:20:57Z")
I’ve always thought it was for those computer users who were too stupid to hover over a link to see what it is they’re clicking. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/9 "2010-01-14T09:12:39Z")
It’s just common courtesy to describe the content you’re linking to, especially if that content is in any way unusual, for example: [ul] [li]A page that contains sound that plays automatically[/li][li]A page that may not be safe for work, or is otherwise potentially offensive[/li][li]A video - maybe this is just me, but I think it’s impolite in most cases to post unadorned youtube links (although I’m sure I’ve done it myself)[/li][li]A page that is demanding on resources, or otherwise potentially inconvenient - like that godawful web page that took hours and hours to load, or like DOCs and PDFs, that may launch in a separate application, or invoke a clunky browser plugin[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/10 "2010-01-14T09:52:23Z")
I don’t have Acrobat in any of my computers. I use Foxit Reader instead. Lightweight and fast. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/11 "2010-01-14T12:11:25Z")
We used to always warn when it was a video link too. The person that is stuck with a dial up connection is screwed with those things. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/12 "2010-01-14T12:37:53Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > We used to always warn when it was a video link too. The person that is stuck with a dial up connection is screwed with those things. Or just a slow/clunky/overloaded computer in general. My work computer, many years old, tends to slow way down when I have to launch a new application. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/13 "2010-01-14T14:28:35Z")
Yeah, I always mouseover links to see if they’re to YouTube – I’ve got an old computer, a DSL connection, and a preference for leaving my speakers off. At least you can tell on mouseover if someone is sending you to YouTube – it’s not always clear that a link is to a PDF, so I appreciate the warning. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/14 "2010-01-14T15:47:02Z")
Because you might find some 14k of g in one of those things. Hence the caution. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/15 "2010-01-14T21:47:47Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Because you might find some 14k of g in one of those things. Hence the caution. You’re going straight to Hell! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/16 "2010-01-15T03:21:39Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > I don’t have Acrobat in any of my computers. I use Foxit Reader instead. Lightweight and fast. But a crappy print dialog. Well, it can’t handle centering very well. Sometimes it even puts almost the entire page off the paper. I’m really looking forward to the GIMP getting PDF support, so I can fix up some of those weird-sized PDFs you find online. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/17 "2010-01-15T04:01:24Z")
I don’t want garbage downloaded to my hard drive. I know they are small, and I have plenty of room, but if I keep downloading this garbage, then I won’t be able to find what I want when I need it, because it will be hidden in a pile of garbage pdf’s. I know I could deliberately go into my downloads folder and throw it out as soon as I get it, but that is too much effort for the trash I’m most likely going to get particularly if I didn’t expect a pdf in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/18 "2010-01-15T04:57:18Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > I don’t want garbage downloaded to my hard drive. I know they are small, and I have plenty of room, but if I keep downloading this garbage, then I won’t be able to find what I want when I need it, because it will be hidden in a pile of garbage pdf’s. I know I could deliberately go into my downloads folder and throw it out as soon as I get it, but that is too much effort for the trash I’m most likely going to get particularly if I didn’t expect a pdf in the first place. You are aware that every single webpage ever downloads garbage to your hard drive, right? And, if you’re using a PDF plugin, all your PDFs should go to the same folder. I don’t know why they’re going to your download folder. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/19 "2010-01-15T05:00:12Z")
Even using a fast Windows-based PC, Firefox has a tendency to freeze for a minute or more when a PDF is downloaded, and the Adobe Reader plugin is opened. Other browsers for Windows don’t stall in the same manner With a Mac using Firefox, PDFs open in Preview, so it’s not so much an issue. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323/20 "2010-01-15T17:08:26Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Even using a fast Windows-based PC, Firefox has a tendency to freeze for a minute or more when a PDF is downloaded, and the Adobe Reader plugin is opened. And can freeze indefinitely if the plugin is outdated. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-pdf-warnings/524323.md?page=2)