pdf and zip
The way many of the .PDF manuals are made, is to take the original word processor text and graphic art, and run them through an Adobe tool to make .PDF files.
I thought that tool cost around $200, but I don't use it and I'm not up to date.
It can read and write .PDF documents.
When I wanted to make up some .PDF docs, I found a free word processor that could accomplish the same thing.
It's called OpenOffice.
It cannot, however, read the .PDF files - it's for output only.
Not being a WORD user, I am not positive, but I think it can output .PDF files, too.
One way many companies put .PDF manuals of their equipment and chips on line, was to simply scan them, then use the Adobe tool make the PDF documents.
What that meant was that each page was actually a scan or picture of the page, not the actual text.
This is a cheap cheat, but at least everyone has a .PDF viewer, so it gets the job done.
Whether you could import these scans into OpenOffice or WORD and accomplish the same, I don't know.
Zipping or RARing a file is just a way to compress it.
WinZip, WinRar, 7zip, FilZip - these are common applications available to compress and decompress the files.
I think the first two cost money, and the 2nd two are free.
You can find them all with Google or any search engine.
For the most part, not zipping .PDF files should be okay.
If you zip them they might take a little less space, but it's another step to uncompress them once they are downloaded.
Opinion differs as do circumstances, but if you provide a .PDF of any sort, I think you'll have done a great service, and worrying about zipping should be your last concern.
Thanks for your efforts.
