utilities/system updates
12/06/2006, 8:40am, EST
Wednesday, December 6th
Adobe releases free Acrobat 8 Reader
Adobe today released Adobe Reader 8 software as a free download from its website. The software, the final component in the Acrobat 8 suite released in November, allows users to search, view, and collaborate with PDF files. Adobe Reader 8 features a new “Start Meeting” button that launches Adobe Acrobat Connect, an Adobe-hosted software service that provides real-time online collaboration through Adobe Flash Player. Version 8 features a new, streamlined interface with user customizable toolbars, allows Adobe Reader users to fill and submit forms, save data, and digitally sign documents. Adobe Reader 8 also features graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration, which boosts performance when viewing graphics-intense PDF files, such as 3D content. Standard, Trusted Documents and Forms. Adobe Reader 8 is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, HP/UX, AIX, Solaris and SPARC platforms.
In addition, Adobe has published the Sixth Edition of the PDF Reference, a free guide for developers implementing the open PDF v1.7 specification in third-party products and plug-ins. It requires G3/G4/G5 or Intel-based Mac and Mac OS X v.10.4.3 or later.
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What a pain - especially for IT managers! Thanks, Adobe (*gives them the finger*).
It should be clear to everyone (including Adobe) that the naming of the Acrobat family of products has been unfortunate since the very beginnings. Even though it was initially called Acrobat Reader, everybody just called it Acrobat. Adobe's attempt to change that by renaming the free portion to just Adobe Reader didn't succeed (as evidenced by the incorrect title of this article, four years after the name was changed). They should devinitely figure something out to attempt to eliminate this confusion (perhaps Adobe Viewer?).
Read the comment above yours. Attempts at keeping code size down.
As for the naming, Acrobat Reader made much more sense then Adobe Reader. Does Adobe Reader read files produced by all Adobe Products? Not that I can tell (Of course, you could also argue that the "Reader" portion of that name is also really stupid)). Perhaps PDF Viewer or PDF Reader or Adobe PDF Displayer would be better names. Or perhaps something more honest, like Adobe Slow Launching Bloated PDF Viewer.
This is on the heels of the previous built in Digital Editions, which failed miserably if you so much as moved the installed folder or renamed your drive, resulting in a testy discussion with their support folk including vaguely threatening comments on their end prolly designed to weed out pirates.
As for the meeting part, you have to have an Adobe ID, and you can get a free trial, so you'll have to pay to hold Adobe meetings. If you get the trial set up, try this: share your screen then view that meeting. You get an infinite mirror effect.
Yikes.
As for user interface, it's a matter of personal taste and preference (as well as habits). To me, it looks slimmer. On the other hand, Apple's Preview still beats UI of all other similar tools.
1.Install Adobe Reader 6.0 and notice where it is installed. 2.Navigate to that folder in Explorer, locate the plug_ins subfolder and rename this folder to plug_ins_disabled. 3.Create a new plug_ins folder. 4.Move the files EWH32.api, printme.api and search.api from plug_ins_disabled to plug_ins.
As for the name, I know there was a huge cry from users when it becomes Adobe Reader. They reacted and changed it back to Acrobat Reader (a name I find 100% correct). Of course, now that users got their way, it's time to start piling on complaints about them changing the name back! Sheesh!
Seems clear to me they are doing 2 separate versions in anticipation about getting slammed about being bloated (carrying code for the "other" machine). Getting slammed for changing the name back seems to bear this out. Still, I do agree it should be universal.