The case against stealth PDF links
A link on a web page most often brings up a page written in HTML, but it may bring up one of several other kinds of file instead. Very often, particularly on legal sites, the link is to a PDF file, perhaps a judicial opinion or another official government document, and the browser's Acrobat plug-in will then have to go through the time-consuming process of starting either Acrobat or the Acrobat Reader before the document will display. On my relatively quick system, connected via cable modem, it takes about 20-25 seconds for Acrobat to load and display the chosen file. For those with slower processor speed or those who have no better than a dialup connection, the time it takes the system to load the document is often extremely long, particularly if the PDF file is very large. What's worse, after the PDF-within-the-browser is closed, the user has to go through the same process again if another unmarked PDF link is followed.
When I am wandering from link to link, I simply do not want to bother with that process in the majority of cases. Very often, if I wish to peruse it, I will choose to download the PDF file to disk so that I can look at it later.
In order to have that flexibility of choice, we believe that links to PDF files should be clearly marked as such (as we have done on this site) so that the user can choose whether and how to view it.
We call an unmarked link to a PDF file a "stealth PDF link". We encourage all web authors to clearly mark PDF links, and to forever foreswear the use of stealth PDF links. If you agree, send a polite reminder of this preference to webmasters of sites displaying the offending links.
1:38:15 PM 
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