Representing text isn't PDF's job. PDF is meant to be "virtual paper".

Yup, the use case of PDFs is "export to PDF and check it immediately before sending to the printer".

All other use cases of PDF are better served by other formats.

Please tell that to the entire world, where the only other “standard” document format is Office '97 or OOXML.

Given that PDFs support fillable forms, scripts, video, 3D objects; it is a massive error that at no point did anyone think to have some plain text equivalent field or something like that. It would be pretty darn simple for most generating applications to produce one of those.

Yes, I know it was largely meant as a preprint/graphics format, but clearly it hasn't been just that for a long time.

don't forget to preflight your pdf, so you actually get out what you put in, versus common issues like not embedding fonts.

> a large number of people find PDF to be the best format for what they're trying to do.

Or they just don't know any better. I could certainly see this being the case for many office workers.

I mean, I'm certainly an advocate for using PDF/A. I agree with you about what PDF should be used for, but it's hard to imagine the spec got that inflated even though nobody thought it needed all those features.

As we all know, it is an Adobe technology first and foremost. That could explain why somebody thought it needed those features, despite the fact that it really shouldn't.

More clarification of what I mean, in the form of a dangerous conversation:

OfficeCorp Exec: Hey adobe, you know what would be great! Fillable form fields! And dynamic stuff!.

Adobe Sales: Great! Wonderful feedback, we can do it!

Edit: Fix tone. Or try to. Maybe I'm just overthinking what I say?

Adobe was driven by upgrade revenue from new features. They could never resist putting in new features hence the mess it is now.

Compare it to XPS to see what it should have been.