macOS HELP! Creating an open-source tabbed version of Preview, or simply a pdf view with an

[omni-impotent]

Currently I'm still running OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. The ability to text message all phones in Yosemite 10.10 would make my life 10-10,000x better! Basically--if you want to know--I'm terrible at keeping in touch with potential dates from OKC who don't use iMessage because it's such a hassle typing messages on my phone. So having being able to fire off messages from my laptop would be a KILLER!

The only thing really preventing me from updating to Yosemite is PDF Reader X, a tabbed, light-weight PDF viewer with annotation features (https://github.com/kenwei/pdf_reader_x/issues and https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pdf-reader-x/id684812309). From what I can tell, this program doesn't run on Yosemite and I don't see the developer putting any more effort into this.

I'm an academic in nuclear physics and having many PDFs open is a part of work. Having them in one window separated by tabs is a godsend. So my life is probably around 20x better with this decent tabbed-PDF viewer. I've tried the others, Mighty PDF, Dioretsa and Skim, but they don't really pass muster.

I'm thinking of embarking on creating an open-sourced version of what I need. How difficult would this be? Does anyone have pointers on where I should start? How is the Preview API implemented? Does anyone want to participate?

Kent

 

[joshlalonde]

Before you go out and do this, perhaps you should consider your current options once more.

So, tell me, what's wrong with Preview itself? What's so hard about using multiple windows rather than tabs? Furthermore, you have spotlight to efficiently open any pdf you want. you could open up multiple full-screen pdfs and swipe back and forth. or perhaps put a few windowed pdfs and select which one you want using multiple desktops and mission control.

 

[briloronmacrumo]

The only thing really preventing me from updating to Yosemite is PDF Reader X, a tabbed, light-weight PDF viewer with annotation features

Have you considered Skim? http://skim-app.sourceforge.net/ It has note taking, note searching and is free.

I'm thinking of embarking on creating an open-sourced version of what I need. How difficult would this be?

A challenging project even for a good OS X programmer and would require approx. 12 months of dedicated work to develop a pdf viewer with the features of Skim. Those with fewer skills should be prepared for a long project that will require a lot of your attention. My recommendation is to use one of the many alternatives ( FormulatePro, PDFPenPro, Skim etc. )