PDF File Information
The document link that shows this symbol indicates that the article is in Portable Document Format (PDF).
PDF files are generally large and take longer to display on your computer. Repeated clicking on a PDF link will NOT cause the document to open faster. Slow opening of a PDF file strongly indicates that you have a slow Internet connection.
Portable Document Format was invented by Adobe Systems in 1993 to allow for the easy exchange of information in a common format. PDF formatted documents allow a person to capture and view robust information - from almost any application, on any computer system - and share it with virtually anyone, anywhere. Individuals, businesses, and government agencies around the world trust and rely on PDF to communicate data, thoughts and ideas.
PDF files are viewable and printable on virtually any platform - Mac OS, Microsoft® Windows®, UNIX®, eReaders like the Kindle® and many mobile platforms.
There are more than 250 million PDF documents on the web today, along with countless PDF files in governments and businesses around the world.
To read a PDF formatted document, you must us the free Adobe Acrobat reader. Most internet browsers like Internet Explorer® and Firefox® come with it preinstalled. If you don't have the reader, or want the latest version, you can download it free directly from Adobe. The link is: www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.