evince (AKA Document Viewer) can't read PostScript files.


Silent-Hunter

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This is a problem for me, because all of my ebooks are in PostScript format. Is there a way to make evince read ps files?
 
This is a problem for me, because all of my ebooks are in PostScript format. Is there a way to make evince read ps files?

I know that this is not a real fix but why not just use ps2pdf?


If it was available on the pandora it would be really easy.
 
Well, what ever ;)


I think there are some advantages to both formats.
 
Evince should be able to read PS files just fine, according to http://live.gnome.org/Evince/SupportedDocumentFormats


What exactly is happening if you try to open them?


Are you sure they really are valid PS files? (what's the output of "file yourfile.ps"?)
They are valid, the evince on Fedora reads them.


It says this:



Code:
File type PS document (application/postscript) is not supported



Output of 'file':



Code:
The_Silent_Treatment.ps: PostScript document text conforming DSC level 3.0, Level 2
 
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what's the output if you try to run "evince your.ps" in the terminal?


If it's something like "Cannot load backend 'psdocument'", then one could possibly just get the lib file and load evince with it.


If everything else fails, you could get ghostview (maybe there's even a PND for it) and use that for PS files. Not as comfortable, but better than nothing.
 
what's the output if you try to run "evince your.ps" in the terminal?


If it's something like "Cannot load backend 'psdocument'", then one could possibly just get the lib file and load evince with it.


If everything else fails, you could get ghostview (maybe there's even a PND for it) and use that for PS files. Not as comfortable, but better than nothing.
What I don't understand is the Pandora people not compiling in support for a popular format.
 
PS is not that popular.


Why to use PS instead of more portable PDF. I have dealt with PS files in the past, that when converted to PDF with PS2PDF (and printer setins -dPDFSETTINS=/printer)where reduced about 10 times in file size with only a minimal loss in picture quality. Also PDF files in my Ubuntu box are usually rendered faster than PS files.
 
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PS is not that popular.
I beg to differ. PS was the definitive printer file format, back in the day. It's an open standard that has been supported by pretty much every printer driver, at least as late as 2000. I haven't had much cause to use it lately.


Actually, I remember even in the early 2000s, people insisting that things be submitted as PDF, so I'd print-to-file, open the resulting file in GhostScript, and export as a PDF. The only reason is because Adobe is a company with a marketing budget.


PS has been stable for decades. There is free code out there that handles it. There is absolutely no reason why a non-Adobe application which claims to open several doc types should not have support for PS.


On the other hand, PDF is a closed format for which you technically need to pay a fee in order to have a license to write.
 
You may like it or not, but there's no doubt that PDF is the de-facto standard for postscript files in the Internet. PS was before PDF, but PDF has some advantages over it (like file size, forms support, 3D views, file attachments, encryption...). And as I stated before, PS is not that popular. Everybody that has used a computer for some time knows PDF format, but I'm sure most people (that are non advanced Windows users) have never heard of PS.


I think PS support in Evince would be a nice feature, like for example .AY support in audacious is also nice. But that doesn't make PS "the best and everybody known postscript format".
 
And as I stated before, PS is not that popular.
We have different definitions of popular here. The fact that nobody used it is an unfortunate case of marketing, because everyone, no matter what system, has had the ability to generate PS files rendered exactly as they see them in their documents for decades. Everyone had it, that to me makes it popular. Nobody even knew it existed though.


That PDF has become an open standard in the last few years makes everything better now though, I guess.
 
The fact that nobody used it is an unfortunate case of marketing, because everyone, no matter what system, has had the ability to generate PS files rendered exactly as they see them in their documents for decades.

I may be wrong, but AFAIK, Windows systems can not generate PS files directly unless the printer you have installed is a PS capable printer (and I think most cheap printers aren't). In Windows you can directly print to a file, but AFAIK, that file is in the "language" supported by the printer, so depending on printer drivers it can be PS, PCL, etc... Also, you may be able to generate PS files out of the box in Windows systems, but you need a viewer to view them.


I have never used MacOS, so I don't know the if this OS is PS friendly or not.


Also PS is an Adobe created format: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PostScript
 
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