I've invented a replacement for the PDF format.
It's called Locked Markdown. `*.lmd`.
It provides 98% of the functionality most people use PDFs for, without all the extra bullshit.
The Spec:
- The most popular Markdown Spec (git flavour?)
- At the top of the page place a hash sum of the markdown below a marker on the page.
LMD Reader:
- Prevents editing the markdown.
- Warns user if the hash sum is not valid.
Example:
```lmd
sha256 77ec0f678315f8a207c3501137e1dfc9642b79a9c93e21807df7b5242846c05c
-------------------------------
# Header 1
Paragraph of text about how bloated the PDF format is.
```
Zip .lmd together with images/videos if required.
With Mastodon and Bluesky around, users have free options. Plus X and Threads, and you can see how the market is more than saturated.
IMHO they should look into close collaboration/minority stake with Bluesky or Reddit instead. You have a huge pool of users already, without the need to build it up from the ground up from scratch.
Heck, OpenAI probably has enough money to just buy Reddit if they want.