At the top of the forum's screen is a comment that says:
"Please use bugs.kde.org for bug reports or feature requests."

What, then, is the point of this Okular forum on kde.org?

I'm starting to use Okular on Linux and finding missing functionality relative to Foxit for Linux and Foxit for Windows.

User support for example? Maybe reading a few posts before making such a statement would have helped finding the answer all on your own.

There's no maybe about it. It will absolutely astonish you, but I read the recent forum postings prior to firing off at the hip with a query. So, to spell it out in pure public, here's a sample from the past quarter:

Bug reports (within scope of "Please use bugs.kde.org for bug reports or feature requests.")
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=160117 (unanswered)
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=160023 (unanswered)

Feature requests (some presents as "how to" requests, within scope of "Please use bugs.kde.org for bug reports or feature requests."):
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=117962 (answered & user-acknowledged)
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=151052 (unanswered, one "me too", and close to one the queries I have of okular)
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=160107 (unanswered)
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=157044 (unanswered, apparently after filing a bug report/feature request as directed).

Workaround requests/suggestions, aka design flaws
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=159905 (answered)
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=156778 (unanswered; the nature of the query begs the question, "Who the hell designed it to work like this?!")
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=156756 (unanswered; the nature of the query begs the question, "Who the hell designed it to work like this?!")

Genuine "how to" requests outside the scope of "Please use bugs.kde.org for bug reports or feature requests."
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=159827 (unanswered)
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=159758 (unanswered)
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=156792 (unanswered, and close to one the queries I have of okular)
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=156785 (unanswered)
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=156464 (one "me too", but no answer; same basic issues as 156756)

User survey:
viewtopic.php?f=251&t=157186 (only two votes, so the point was what?)

So, I ask again, what is the point of this forum, given "Please use bugs.kde.org for bug reports or feature requests."?

I need to decide whether to spend any time filling out feature requests to bring Okular up to a standard where it is useable in an office environment. I'm sensing that this might be a waste of time, so my choice is

• either to find a different Linux app which is open to becoming fit-for-purpose, or
• to abandon the (multi-decade?) project of making Linux a suitable platform for an office environment, reverting back to Windows and its ecosystem.

martinth wrote:So, I ask again, what is the point of this forum, given "Please use bugs.kde.org for bug reports or feature requests."?

I need to decide whether to spend any time filling out feature requests to bring Okular up to a standard where it is useable in an office environment. I'm sensing that this might be a waste of time, so my choice is

• either to find a different Linux app which is open to becoming fit-for-purpose, or
• to abandon the (multi-decade?) project of making Linux a suitable platform for an office environment, reverting back to Windows and its ecosystem.

Before reverting an entire project, why not follow the advice and use bugs.kde.org? The developers are not many but they are more likely to follow bugs.kde.org, whose content is also copied on the development list okular-devel.
Would it be different if the forum didn't exist?

These forums are frequented by volunteers who use their free time to come and answer questions. Each volunteer may chose to respond to topics in specific sub-forums at their pleasure. As a result different sub-forums have different activity levels depending on how many volunteers follow each sub-forum, so there's no guarantee that any forum will have anyone come by and answer questions within any time frame.

Part of the problem with some of these specific application sub forums is that while they may be used regularly there aren't many people who know the application well enough to confidently respond to some of these topics. I think I've probably looked at a few of those and skipped them for precisely that reason.

However it doesn't really take much to get started. You could start by taking several of those topics and filing the appropriate bug requests to bugs.kde.org. As developers start looking into those requests they'll probably start asking questions or pointing out workarounds and things which will help you to learn more about the application and then you can start responding to some of the other questions and things which have been posted here. Having one person willing to spend a little of their time doing this will go a long way to improving both the application as well as the experience of others who come here looking for assistance.