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Google is taking steps to make viewing PDF files that appear in search results a whole lot easier. With “Quick View” PDF files can be viewed directly from the search results page, rather than having to visit the originating site, load the page as HTML, or use a third-party plug-in.
PDF has the advantage of displaying material as originally formatted. This is invaluable for forms or other complexly formatted documents which HTML is a poor substitute. This feature, which Google has been testing since July, is now available.
For search results that are PDF files Google will include a “Quick View” link. Clicking this opens up the original PDF file in Google Docs, where it can be reviewed or downloaded. (A plain HTML display option is also available, for those who can’t live without.) The only downside, so far, is that Google has connected Quick View to about half of the PDF files in their index. Unindexed PDFs will still have to be handled old-school.
Image Credit: Google
Links:
[1] http://www.maximumpc.com/user/bartsalisbury
[2] http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/quickly-view-formatted-pdfs-in-your.html
[3] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/9_google_labs_projects_you_must_try_out
[4] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/howtos/10_ways_manipulate_pdf_files_free_software
[5] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/browser_battle_nine_browsers_today_and_tomorrow_compared
[6] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/browsers
[7] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/google
[8] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/pdf
[9] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/software
[10] http://www.maximumpc.com/tags/software_news
[11] http://www.maximumpc.com/articles/news
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