Experiences from implementing PDF in open source: Challenges and opportunities for standardisation processes

This paper presents novel results concerning specifications of standards and their implementations in open source software. Specifically, our analysis draws from rich insights and experiences related to two open source projects implementing the specification of the PDF format. The study reports on a number of issues, including: lack of clarity in the specification; implementations deviate from specification; licensing and patent issues; and influences between the specification of a standard and its implementations in software systems. Our findings present rich insights from current practice concerning challenges and opportunities for implementing specifications of standards in open source projects, and constitute an important contribution to enhanced standardisation processes.