Finding the Fastest PDF Viewer

[Hint: It's not any version of Adobe Reader]  It’s almost getting to be as much a race to find the fastest PDF viewer as to find the fastest browser. While the time taken, from one browser to the next, to bring up a web page is smaller and smaller, some of the PDF viewers, and the way they work inside a browser, move at an almost leisurely pace when loading.

ghacks has a story stating that a new upstart in the field, called MuPDF, is the very fastest available reader. Moreover, the reader has a few keyboard shortcuts, which make using the reader faster still.

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MuPDF is perfect for users who want a portable resource friendly pdf reader. It comes with a few keyboard shortcuts to navigate documents more easily but lacks the functionality of Foxit Reader or Adobe Reader.

L, R Rotate page in 90° increments

+, – Zoom in and out

W Shrink wrap window

N, space Next page

B, backspace Previous page

Shift-N Skip 10 pages forward

Shift-B Skip 10 pages backward

M Mark page for snap back

T Pop back to last mark

123G Go to page

Not everyone needs advanced functionality but some users might miss options to copy text, search for text or print a selection of the pdf file. MuPDF on the other hand is probably the best solution for users who want to view – and only view – pdf files on their computer system without having to download and install a software program. A Firefox add-on is provided by the developer as well to view pdf documents on the Internet.

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I know that I was surprised almost beyond belief when, a few days ago, I waited over 6 minutes for a PDF to be opened with Adobe Reader 9.1, but while using Chrome. Later, after making sure the cache was expunged, I went back with Opera, and Adobe Reader brought the same pages up in less than 15 seconds. This is just a small reminder that not all programs work well together. (It is surprising how many small problems there are with Chrome – I suppose that those who consider themselves among the ‘converted’ are willing to overlook things like this.)

I’m giving MuPDF a try, and not removing Adobe Reader, for I know that, as soon as I do, I’ll find a time I need it. For me, being able to use something small and fast most of the time, that gets the job done is what I like. MuPDF might be it.

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