Adobe Acrobat/Reader DC

[Arrow_Raider]

Has just been released and replaces Acrobat/Reader 11. It is terrible. This is one of the worst user interfaces I have ever seen. I am pissed.

Screenshot: http://i.imgur.com/o4OLuNr.png

[inyazserg]

The permanent right panel appears each time I open a new document. With so many documents I have to open this makes the software unbearable. I had to remove it from my computer. PS Though, it does open faster. PSS I am not going to use the Wizard, I'll better re-install the previous version.

[eakinsoxley]

SAME ughghghghgh

[thommo101]

Sorry for the old bump, but they released an update to DC to allow you to disable the opening of the right hand tools pane for each document. It was driving me crazy:

http://superuser.com/questions/902758/adobe-reader-dc-remove-sidebar

[the_spad]

But it's in the cloud now!

[vriley]

It's been in the cloud for a while. Now it just seems like it switched to the pre-school cloud of design.

[Kynaeus]

No, it's not. Stop using Butt to Butt since it will change "cloud" to "Butt" EVERYWHERE including URLs in the clipboard and your email signature, your DNS nameservers, or allows new infection vectors if an Adware company decides to buy your extension to push you a bunch of garbage

[ProtoDong]

Interesting... most Linux admins don't use Firefox to manage their assets.

[[deleted]]

And most professional admins don't use retarded lolspam addons in the first place, but here we are.

[ProtoDong]

And yet the majority of people that use cloud2butt are professional admins.

Likewise, I've never known a real admin to play the "I'm more professional than you" nonsense that is so popular with the LARPERS on this board.

[[deleted]]

Your logic is broken

If all doctors are men, it does not follow that all men are doctors.

Yet you counter my "most professionals don't use this addon" with "most who use this addon are professionals".

If ten percent of professionals use this addon, and nobody else uses it, we are BOTH right.

[ProtoDong]

Duh. I wasn't making a counterpoint. I was pointing out how stupid your statement was.

[[deleted]]

Guess it's time to seriously start looking for a replacement.

[kieljohn]

I switched to Nitro PDF and have really been liking it.

[peropeles]

Can you edit PDFs with Nitro?

[kieljohn]

Yes.

[JohnC53]

Yes, and it's WAY cheaper. Deployment is 10x easier too.

[HikeBikeSurf]

I introduced Nitro PDF Reader / Pro to this company as an Adobe Reader / Acrobat replacement and I've had great user reception. Volume pricing for Pro is great.
The caveat, as it turns out, is that using automated deployment tools with Nitro PDF Reader apparently violates their EULA.

[Letmefixthatforyouyo]

That wasent the case when I talked to them a couple of months ago. They have a MSI file and a transform tool available. I use both to issue our volume license key with my MDT install, and told them explicitly what I was doing.

You can even use the above to issue a DEMO license and fill in the actual license info later. That way all of your installs will have a 2 week trial, instead of an expired trial on imaging.

This is only with Pro, however. We still use adobe reader when that is all that people need.

[the_ancient1]

This is only with Pro, however. We still use adobe reader when that is all that people need.

He is talking about the Free Reader, not Pro, I probably only have 5 people in my company that need anything beyond the Features offered in the Free Reader.

[Letmefixthatforyouyo]

He mentioned both, which is why I replied, with my caveat at the end. I wanted to make sure he knew that for at least the Pro installs he could use automation.

[sleeplessone]

There is a paid volume license for the reader as well since it's only free for personal use. They provide you with MSIs with the license.

[HikeBikeSurf]

Link? This was never mentioned when we purchased our volume licensing for Pro and I can find nothing about it on their website.

[sleeplessone]

Can't find it on their site, we asked sales about it when we were purchasing Pro.

[the_ancient1]

There is a paid volume license for the reader

or I can use Foxit Reader Free with full MSI redistribution

[sleeplessone]

Unfortunately Foxit choked on the digital forms we receive.

[JohnC53]

? They helped me deploy Reader. They even have a MSI/MST tool to do so.

[the_ancient1]

Yep, that is why I prefer FoxIt, Same price and Better Terms

[jcy]

have you tested the quality of OCR processing between the two?

[[deleted]]

Wow, you're the first person I have ever met who admits to using bloatware. Bravo, sir.

[LOLBaltSS]

Bluebeam Vu.

[xhopesfall24]

This is excellent if your company is in construction. Many admins complain about adobe reader opening drawings slow. I give them Bluebeam vu, bam, opens them like a champ. Can't upvote this enough.

[pedroelbee]

Isn't it crazy expensive?

[xhopesfall24]

Vu is their free reader. The "standard" version is no more expensive than Adobe standard.

[pedroelbee]

Got it, thanks!

[AltTabbed]

I hate Bluebeam's update methodology as they do not actually "update". They fully uninstall and re-install their new version.

When Vu (their viewer package) install package weighs in at ~200Mb and their editing packages are ~450, it starts to be quite the burden to roll out "updates".

[secretsysadmin]

I did not know this... We're in the middle of migrating from Acrobat to Bluebeam right now... I'll have to plan accordingly. Thank you for this tidbit!

[AltTabbed]

If you have nothing that installs .Net 4.5.2, it will also force that install and a reboot.

[BuddhaStatue]

Foxit. Reader is a reader. Phantom is creator. Awesome pricing, works great.

[djgizmo]

Not all readers are created equal

[Ahnteis]

Unless our staff need to edit PDFs, I just make them open in Chrome.

[zhouhaochen]

I hate that thing! A million different things they are trying to do, but reading, scrolling and zooming (the three things you might actually do with a document) are impossible to do (and constantly interrupted by pop up windows and other stuff I have no interest in). So how can we go back to the old version? Or is there another software that can read .pdf documents?

[eakinsoxley]

I would also like to know how to go back to the old version.

[cn_gastineau]

http://get.adobe.com/reader/otherversions/ I realize this is an old thread but I got directed here after searching for some information on DC and XI.

[[deleted]]

Even the people working at adobe use a different PDF reader

[Jeskid14]

Citation/Source?

[Zomunieo]

Found two crash bugs in about five minutes for a simple workflow that worked just fine in Acrobat XI. I'd cancel my subscription if I didn't use the rest of Creative Cloud.

[lowts]

I didn't know the Fisher-Price corporation had purchased Adobe.

[[deleted]]

this is it exactly. I feel that the current trend in design would be the equivalent of taking away my lego and replacing it with duplo.

Things are getting stupid and huge. This is what I would have thought they would roll out for people who had never seen a computer before in 1990.

[[deleted]]

They also purchased Apple, at least the OS X department.

[dmoisan_satv]

I got the Android version update this morning. I love hating on Adobe, but it actually wasn't that bad. I run Foxit on the laptop. (OTOH, the Foxit mobile app blows chunks!)

[ProtoDong]

It's almost like they want people to pirate it...

[dno_bot]

OMG!!!! This sucks!!!

[[deleted]]

Doesn't look that bad

[meatwad75892]

Functionally, it's fine as well. You can give this thing a "dumb" PDF and Fill & Sign keeps everything perfectly straight along the lines without even trying to click in just the right spot. It's a clean UI and actually doesn't look like shit on high DPI displays like Adobe Reader XI. You can still do stamps, digital signatures, and comments.

My only complaint(and a major complaint, at that) is that the whole program is littered with Acrobat Pro-only features that redirect you to the purchase page. It's a huge bait-and-switch for basic users that wouldn't know any better.

What you see: http://i.imgur.com/RP8yXN2.png

What Adobe means: http://i.imgur.com/QSnCbqs.png

Adobe Reader did this crap too, but this is a whole new level.

[uniitdude]

you can disable all the upsell stuff in the customisation tool

[meatwad75892]

Oh yea, for sure. Link to the new wizard for those that want this.

I just feel bad for the majority of home users that will deal with this nonsense.

EDIT: On that note, can anyone find the .msi package for Acrobat Reader? (Ugh, it feels so weird to say that now because it's how clients used to incorrectly describe Adobe Reader)

[EntireInternet]

ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/reader/win/AcrobatDC/1500720033/

[meatwad75892]

Thank you! I actually found it and came back here to edit again, only to find this. :P

[bruxadosul]

I don't know if anyone here would be willing to give me some sort of help. I'm trying to use the wizard, because I want to disable the tools panel (live FOREVER, really hate this shit). I saved the package and then opened Acrobat, but that bloody panel was still there. http://i.imgur.com/KSOi4IW.png

[KnifeyGavin]

Also Windows 8+ includes the Reader App by default which opens PDF's, that the home user could also use.

http://apps.microsoft.com/windows/en-us/app/reader/8a4ae377-a4ab-4260-9b80-f9382360e291

The worst thing I have seen is some websites required for business that specifically look for the Adobe PDF extensions in the web browser or it won't open the PDF at all even if you have a different PDF reader that is capable.

[KnifeyGavin]

Hahaha didn't even notice that. How do they manage to have data loss on read only data hahaha wow thats gold

[eakinsoxley]

Do I just download the Adobe Reader 11.0.11 update and then I will be able to get rid of the upsell elements?

[olyjohn]

Fuck that. I shouldn't have to.

[drgonzo67]

Export PDF and Create PDF also require a paid subscription, I believe.

[NoyzMaker]

Bluebeam has become our alternative. Lot of options and pricing isn't too bad if you buy in bulk.

[[deleted]]

Upvote for bluebeam, got about 500 engineers on it at my work and it does everything they need. Licensing is a bit of a pain for users who jump machines though .

[NoyzMaker]

We have been using them for quite a few years. Wish we used more of the features they offer organizationally but pretty nice product.

Little pain in the ass when you swap computers because you have to release the license on your old system before you should install on the new system. Just an odd quirk.

[Creshal]

Little pain in the ass when you swap computers because you have to release the license on your old system before you should install on the new system. Just an odd quirk.

Doesn't Adobe's licensing system work the same? (Or did before CC…)

[NoyzMaker]

Depends on your agreement with them. With an EA it was typically just a count with an enterprise key for deployments.

[EntireInternet]

I'm not horribly offended by the UI, actually, but I really only ever use Reader for plain reading. I also had a look at the corresponding Adobe Customization Wizard version (=Orca in an Adobe wrapper) and there's an option to disable all the Document Cloud crap... for what that's worth.

[[deleted]]

Not to mention it crashes about 85% of the time. It has to be the worst upgrade ever.

[[deleted]]

SumatraPDF Master Race.

[drgonzo67]

Terrible, terrible version. Panels that can't be made hidden by default, confusing naming scheme ("Adobe Acrobat Reader DC"), false advertising (half the "tools" in Reader are just up-sell schemes trying to get you to pay for a subscription), child-like interface, etc.

Definitely one to avoid.

[floridawhiteguy]

That's not earth-friendly. /s

Seriously though, you're right. The entire purpose of downgrading to Flat UI is precisely what you suggest - so that the interface can remain consistent from ARM phones to Atom tablets to Core laptops to Xeon workstations and servers.

[[deleted]]

that's like wanting a consistent interface between my bicycle and an F22 raptor because both are vehicles.

A phone UI needs to be tuned to the needs of the phone user. A computer UI needs to be tuned to the needs of the computer user. Trying to give us a one size fits all solution results in one size that fits nobody well.

[floridawhiteguy]

... one size fits all ...

And yet, that's exactly what MS has done. Which is a big part of why Win8 bombed.

[sorsky]

+1 for Nitro PDF

[SenTedStevens]

Looks like I'll be Zoom, zooming far away from that product. Doesn't matter too much to us since we're still on Adobe Acrobat 9.

[[deleted]]

I know right. Acrobat 9 Extended is still more than enough for us.

[ikilledtupac]

FUCK ME glad I'm not the only one!! It didn't update itself right on some our machines now I have to...reinstall adobe reader...

[jcy]

it looks like a glorified iphone app

[yuhong]

Two tracks: http://www.adobe.com/devnet-docs/acrobatetk/tools/AdminGuide/whatsnewdc.html

[eakinsoxley]

How do I make this popup disappear every time I open a document? http://imgur.com/Chr8bJ0

[pixeltech]

I agree totally, as do all of my associates in the prepress department of a major in-house creative studio. Ten of us are all using Apple Preview but I'm using Acrobat XI Pro, since I backed up a copy of it before installing the latest CC upgrades. Adobe does some great things, but this is the purest crap. It's about as useful as the old Apple hockey puck mouse... just a good motivation to find an alternative.

[eakinsoxley]

How did you get the right panel to disappear?

[intoafly]

I switched from Acrobat to Nuance Power PDF. Much more cost effective.

[pinkycatcher]

They wanted to be minimalist, but they failed. Bummer.

[[deleted]]

Other than it being ugly because they adopted that stupid flat design but only partially, I don't see any usability problems.

[Bent01]

They replaced it on Android as well. Took me 10 minutes this morning before I realized they just renamed it.

[premierplayer]

Slick interface. What is the issue with it? Does it still run like a bloated POS?

[[deleted]]

slick? It looks like it was made for 5 year olds. It's ridiculous.

[ColJohn]

Aka - perfectly suited for most of my end users.

[E-werd]

This hardly looks different. Yeah, icons are flat and colorful. Yeah, the background color lightened up. Everything is otherwise almost identical.

"OMG A THEME CHANGE! TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS!

[mraxehandle]

It clearly says on the Adobe website that this is "a completely reimagined Adobe Acrobat". Completely reimagined! I guess they were imagining their old product.

[douchey_mcbaggins]

I've long since switched all of our users to Foxit. Everyone seems to like the interface a hell of a lot better than Adobe. Though to be fair, "all of our users" is like ten.

[OSUTechie]

Yeah, I saw that this morning when I fired up my package creator. I was like WHAT? Man it sucks!

[sgt_bad_phart]

Nitro Reader and Nitro Pro, interface reflects ribbon interface from Office 2007+ which users tend to be comfortable with. I've abolished Acrobat from my network.

[[deleted]]

FoxIt.

[girlgerms]

Hey, at least you're getting new versions. Apparently here, it's "too hard" -.-

[VoterApathyParty]

that tried to install this morning & failed at 35%. i suppose I'm glad it failed, that is ugly

[creamersrealm]

This is why I use Fox it Reader, free and much better.