Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 - what's it trying to do?

[LazyLion]

has anyone tried to download the new Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0?

it wants to install an "Adobe DLM" control into your browser before you download. It does it via a Java XPI in Firefox or an ActiveX control in Internet Explorer. Does anyone know what that is for?

Can somebody please upload the installation file locally for us? I am not going to allow Adobe to install anything into my Browser.

I would use Foxit Reader, but if you have ever used SARS website, you would know that only the official Adobe Reader works with the Fill-in PDFs on that site.

 

[bdt]

One of the best 'usual suspects' places to go for this is The Software Patch who have the full (33meg) standalone installer available for download without the kind of funky nonsense that Adobe want to do to your browser(s).

From the description

Adobe's Acrobat Reader 9 is the latest release of this PDF viewing tool. It lets you view, print, search and share Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files using a variety of platforms and devices. According to Adobe, Acrobat Reader 9 also improves scrolling and zooming for the rendering of CAD and 3D graphics, plus it fixes a whole bunch of bugs and security flaws encountered in version 8.0. But then again, they said the same things about version 8. The one new enhancement is the ability to view FLV and SWF files in PDF documents.

it looks like Acrobat viewer is well on the way to becoming yet another full-fledged virtual machine-type environment sitting on top of your basic OS ..kinda makes you start to wonder why we need such a fat underlying OS when we have browsers and apps in which so much can already be done.

 

[LazyLion]

One of the best 'usual suspects' places to go for this is The Software Patch who have the full (33meg) standalone installer available for download without the kind of funky nonsense that Adobe want to do to your browser(s).

From the description
it looks like Acrobat viewer is well on the way to becoming yet another full-fledged virtual machine-type environment sitting on top of your basic OS ..kinda makes you start to wonder why we need such a fat underlying OS when we have browsers and apps in which so much can already be done.

Thanks, I am downloading it via Opera... no funny business there!

Will post a local download link here soon.

 

[medicnick83]

If I'm not wrong, that's the Adobe Download Manager it wants to install.

Basically, installs a small program prior to the download, so during the full download, if it crashes etc, it can resume.

 

[bdt]

Stuff that: I have a perfectly good, stable download manager whose behaviour I know well, apps wanting to come with extra nonsense can FRO!

 

[LazyLion]

If I'm not wrong, that's the Adobe Download Manager it wants to install.

Basically, installs a small program prior to the download, so during the full download, if it crashes etc, it can resume.

Ah, thanks... I suspected that. Nice of them, but it would be even nicer if they gave you a choice and told you what they are doing... as Sun does when it asks you if you want to install their download manager.

Anyways... here is the local download link...

ftp://ftp.uunet.co.za/pub/incoming/AcrobatReader/AdbeRdr90_en_US.exe

If the direct link does not work... try looking in the folder...

ftp://ftp.uunet.co.za/pub/incoming/AcrobatReader/

 

[Threepwood]

I like to use this instead:

http://blog.kowalczyk.info/software/sumatrapdf/

It's very lightweight, I think it's still early development but it views pretty much all .pdfs

 

[milomak]

But does it allow you fill in PDF forms?

 

[Threepwood]

Actually I don't think so.

But I'm sure it will come along, it does get new features from time to time. I don't need to fill in a lot of PDF forms so I didn't think of that.

Does Acrobat Reader allow you to do that? I thought it was just the full Adobe Acrobot that allowed you to edit .pdf.

 

[milomak]

Since v8 it's been a feature. You can fill in but not save the data you've filled in.

 

[LazyLion]

Actually I don't think so.

But I'm sure it will come along, it does get new features from time to time. I don't need to fill in a lot of PDF forms so I didn't think of that.

Does Acrobat Reader allow you to do that? I thought it was just the full Adobe Acrobot that allowed you to edit .pdf.

The Reader alone also allows you to fill in forms... specifically on the SARS website when you submit your returns. Other PDF programs give an error when you try to do the same.

 

[qinglung]

You could also try PDF-XChange Viewer (http://www.docu-track.com/). It's freeware, quick loading like Fox-It, you can add comments and it can also fill in forms and save them. Don't know how it will handle the SARS docs though.

 

[HavocXphere]

what's it trying to do?

Trying to beat Vista in the I-am-teh-Bloat contest. Since v5 its been nothing but slow, bloated and generally useless. I favour Foxit PDF reader...1/10 the size and reads pdf's too.

 

[milomak]

yeah it gets chunkier every new release. it's always sad when once lightweight and good products go that way.

 

[LazyLion]

Trying to beat Vista in the I-am-teh-Bloat contest. Since v5 its been nothing but slow, bloated and generally useless. I favour Foxit PDF reader...1/10 the size and reads pdf's too.

I know... I had Foxit on my dad's laptop, but since he works so much with the SARS e-filing website I eventually had to install Acrobat again. Today I installed version 9.0 and was staggered at the bloat! a 33 Mb file, just to read and fill out PDFs? and the installation took nearly 10 minutes and required a reboot as well!

 

[milomak]

i suppose i should look to see what the linux version looks like. at least i won't need to reboot for that.

 

[Zenbaas]

One thing to watch with Adobe is that it does automatic updates and doesn't ask. I haven't yet found a way to turn it off.

Search for adobe updater on your computer and turn it off from there. I had the same problem with it twice downloading over a 120mb updates