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Adobe developed the Portable Document Format to standardize electronic document handling. PDF, the file format that carries the business world on its back, is everywhere, from product manuals to legal documents. To open, view, and edit PDFs, you need a PDF reader -- for example, Adobe's free Reader. Despite competition from simpler tools, Reader remains the standard the others are judged against. We looked at the latest version of Reader, Adobe Reader X. With it you can view and annotate all PDF files, sign documents electronically, and access optional Adobe Online subscription services directly from inside its interface.
Reader X's familiar interface opens with a quick-start file manager from which we could open a recent file or log in to an existing Adobe Online account. We clicked Open and browsed to a folder full of PDFs we use for testing. Reader rendered each document with high detail and faithful color reproduction. Clicking the Sign icon on Reader's toolbar let us digitally sign documents by adding text or attaching a signature via a wizard. We could also Print our document or e-mail it as an attachment or via Adobe SendNow. We could highlight text, add Sticky Notes, take a Snapshot, and attach Comments.
Reader has some extras that stripped-down competitors can't match, such as its Read Out Loud tool, which can read documents to you if you have sound capability. A Tracker tool monitors updates to Reviews and Forms. Under the Edit menu, entries labeled Protection, Analysis, and Accessibility let us manage security settings, check document accessibility, and analyze data using the Object Data Tool and Geospatial Location Tool. Reader doesn't lack support, either, starting with the sort of extensive Help file you'd expect from an Adobe product. The optional online services include converting PDFs to Word or Excel documents and creating PDFs using Adobe CreatePDF online. Clicking Tools toggles open the online extras.
As we noted, Adobe Reader X is the standard for freeware PDF readers, none of which can match Reader's capabilities and extras. Lighter, simpler tools are available, but Adobe's free reader remains the one to beat.
Publisher's Description
From Adobe Systems:
Adobe Reader lets you read and print from any system any document created as an Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) file, with its original appearance preserved. PDF files are compact and can be shared, viewed, navigated, and printed exactly as the author intended by anyone with Adobe Reader.
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All versions:
2.9 starsout of 1,372 votes
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Current version:
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"Wrecks printing to inkjet on XP machine"
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0.02
Pros
I can't see any.
Cons
Started with update to XI. Pdf files printed earlier in the week to HP Officejet Pro 8600 print very slowly, text is gibberish. Must change something in windows print software, because now just opening the print dialog box maxes out the memory (2GB - XP maximum). Even printing a 1-page word doc is taking almost 2 minutes. If I click on "Print" in a 1-pg pdf file and wait 5 minutes before executing the print command, I can get it to print -in about 5 minutes. Longer pdf files still print text as nonsense even if I wait after opening the print dialog box. Files from other programs are taking taking forever to print, but on the company's laser printer everything is printing normally.
Summary
Can't print pdf files to inkjet on XP, all printing slowed waaaay down.
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"HANGS, stupid splash screen, hurts XP machines"
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0.02
Pros
searchable
Cons
Wrecks mouse on XP Pro.
Hangs and disables attaching pdf files in Outlook Express.
SLOW AND ANNOYING
Horrible toolbar now that is not easily configurable
FIREFOX WILL NOT ALLOW EARLIER VERSIONS, and if you try to use them on the same machine, it will disable your activity.Summary
I had the wonderful Adobe 9 Acrobat, updated through 9.5, and it was everything you could wish for, except of course the insane and arcane options in Swahili that you'd have to guess at post-installation, in Edit Preferences.
About two months ago, Firefox wouldn't allow me to use it anymore, so I had to uninstall and substitute Reader 10. Then it wouldn't allow Reader 10, and in the very middle of uploading a video it truncated the upload, no explanation. But then it said it wouldn't allow Reader 10, that I had to upgrade to the monstrosity which is Reader XI.
My machine hasn't worked rightly, since. Mouse hangs, shut down hangs, every time I point at a file which is a pdf it hangs, so I spent HOURS looking for anything on my computer which had 'Adobe' in the file name after uninstalling this horrible 'update', to see if I could get rid of the problem.
Tried Fox-it Reader, but even its paid business version kept on hanging when trying to render a pdf file into Word, no explanation why; Fox-it's free program is only a GRAPHIC pdf reader, so is not searchable. So I was stuck going back to horrible Adobe XI.
It's still not working, as listed in the cons. Wish I could find something else!
Funny thing is, I have Acrobat 6 and 9 running on my other machines, and they work fine. But this one I use for internet and email. So now I have to redeploy to another machine, just because Reader has unaccountably wrecked this one (XP Pro, 32-bit, all service packs and updates applied). -
"v11.0.02 does exist."
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0.02
Pros
I haven't used it yet because I just downloaded it but based on my past experience with Adobe software I don't anticipat anythng less than my previous experiences with this product. I wanted to confirm to others that it does exist I visited adobe.com and downloaded this version. Afer intalling I checked my programs and it shows v11.0.02
Cons
nothing yet
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"No Such Version as 11.0.02"
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0.02
Pros
Nothing as this version is non existent
Cons
Got the right word ... Con
Summary
Go to the help menu, choose check for updates. This version is non existent. My current version is 10.1.6 and the Adobe website tells me that I am running the most up to date version
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"slows down computer"
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0.01
Pros
do see any
Cons
changes some files that I used to obtain in word to DOC and can only be read vis adobe. It also slows down the computer
Summary
not a big fan are there any fixes for the slow dow??
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"Sucks big time"
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0.01
Pros
None - sucks big time
Cons
Ever since downloading the update my computer is slower and the adobe reader freezes all the time. I can no long open anything in my adobe acrobat professional either.
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"Adobe Reader XI 11.0"
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0
Pros
No issues, works great
Cons
The google software that is included. I do not like software that
is not what I am needing.Summary
Leave the unnecessary software out.
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"Sucks. Does not even open up"
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0
Pros
none. Does not even start up
Cons
All the way downhill from Acrobat 8. Does not even open up on my system. Stupid government forms are all PDF with scripts on them and cannot access them.
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"The Best PDF Reader"
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0
Pros
-displays all PDFs properly without artifacts
-fast
-browser PDF plugins works
-great interface
-can insert commentsCons
-none in my opinion
Summary
Seeing only negative reviews for Adobe Reader I feel the need to present the other side of the story. I read a lot of PDF files at work and I've tried both Foxit and Adobe extensively. While Foxit is slightly faster to load, I've found that it did not display all PDF files properly, some PDF files had artifacts that did not appear in Adobe. The biggest complaint about Adobe was the lack of performance, but I think Adobe has done a lot to improve performance in the latest releases - X and XI, and cut down on the bloat, while Foxit seems to be going in the other direction. I think Adobe is only slightly slower, and it's a small price to pay for the best functionality. I have an SSD and it opens up instantaneously, but even without one it is pretty quick.
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"Screwed everything up"
Version: Adobe Reader XI 11.0
Pros
There are no advantages to upgrading for me.
Cons
Acrobat no longer works, tried uninstalling and reinstalling.
Proceed with caution!Summary
Google Chrome forced me to do an update for the PDF plugin and it was hill downhill from there.
Running Windows XP SP3
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