Power to the PDF: Changing governments
Federal Computer Week includes PDF as among the “6 technologies that reshaped government” during the past two decades.
Noting that it began publishing in 1987, FCW.com says “improvements in microchips and five other technologies in 20 years have transformed the way government agencies and employees work and conduct business.”
As for PDF’s role, the article says:
“It’s not hard to recognize the benefits of being able to view information from any application on any computer and then share it with others worldwide. That’s the transformative power of the PDF.”
The Internal Revenue Service’s decision to make federal tax forms available in PDF beginning in 1993 is credited as accelerating the use and adoption of PDF in government agencies, with the subsequent introduction of fillable forms–allowing users to complete forms electronically–cited as another milestone.
