[Finnucane]

Actually, parsing text data from a pdf is more like using the rock to unscrew a screw, in that it was not meant to be done that way at all. But yeah, the pdf was designed to provide a fixed-format document that could be displayed or printed with the same output regardless of the device used.

I'm not sure (I haven't thought about it a lot) that you could come up with a format that duplicates that function and is also easier to parse or edit.

[anoncake]

It's closer to using a screwdriver to screw in a rock. The task isn't supposed to be done in the first place but the tool is the least wrong one.

[mark-r]

I would think any word processing document format would duplicate that function and be better.