Adobe Reader V8.1.0 adds Vista compatibility

Alexander Turcic · 06-06-2007, 04:25 AM

Adobe finally got around to issuing an update for Adobe Reader to make it compatible with your shiny new Vista installation.

Features added in Adobe Reader V8.1.0:

Vista Preview Handler: Preview Handler is a new user interface for viewing PDF files in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 on Windows Vista and Windows XP, as well as in Windows Explorer on Windows Vista. Preview Handler must be turned on in both applications.
Microsoft Office 2007 support.
PDF printer driver in Vista supports high quality PDF creation.
PDFMaker Office 2007 PDF Creation.
Option to create Quick and Simple PDFs from Word 2007.
New PDFMaker Ribbon UI in Office 2007.
Mac OS X version now includes Flash MPP for improved support for Flash files with multimedia on Mac OS.
InDesign Plug-In update supports communication with InDesign for Creative Suites 3.
Option to print documents to a FedEx Kinko’s office in the USA. English only.
Direct render of Dynamic forms.
FIPS 140 Support.
Multiple bugfixes.

Link: Download Adobe Reader

Adam B. · 06-06-2007, 03:30 PM

I stopped using Acrobat Reader when it started taking 30+ seconds to start (After version 5 maybe?).

FoxitReader + PDF Creator are really the only way to go when you want to read and write PDF's on a windows computer.

JSWolf · 06-06-2007, 07:01 PM

What we get is more bloat and less useful functionality.

Alexander Turcic · 06-07-2007, 03:05 AM

I admit I was kinda scared when I installed this upgrade. During the installation it added so much stuff to the registry that I thought it was going to take over Windows. C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 8.0 fills 200MB!

Btw, another nice free alternative (beside FoxitReader) is SumatraPDF.

orcinus · 06-07-2007, 01:24 PM

How about we all actually *try* out the new version before we start bashing on it? Yeah, i know, it's a novel idea

For starters, the loading times seem to have improved quite a bit. Takes all of 2 seconds to start on my machine, vs. 6-10 7.x took.

Adam B. · 06-07-2007, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by orcinus

How about we all actually *try* out the new version before we start bashing on it? Yeah, i know, it's a novel idea

For starters, the loading times seem to have improved quite a bit. Takes all of 2 seconds to start on my machine, vs. 6-10 7.x took.

Does it still install a "speed-launcher" into startup like the previous versions? Do you run vista? I don't really think that preloading all the possible applications you *may* use into memory is a good solution to bloatware.

But then again, I'm not too big on second chances.

orcinus · 06-07-2007, 07:40 PM

No, there are no speed launchers this time, and it takes the forementioned 2 seconds to launch only on first launch. It seems to stay prefetched or cached after that, though, and loads instantaneously on subsequent loads for a while until it gets flushed again.

But AFAICT, that's Vista's doing.

Sorry to disappoint you

Edit: Oh, and it doesn't seem to freeze/crash Firefox anymore and loads big PDF's a lot faster.

Edit2: And yes, i actually hate Acrobat as much as the next guy, but this time the code monkeys at Adobe seem to have done their homework

Alexander Turcic · 06-08-2007, 04:18 AM

orcinus, you sure about Adobe not adding the speed launcher anymore? After the upgrade, I ran Sysinternal's Autoruns where I had to disable it again (see screenshot).

alex_d · 06-08-2007, 08:27 AM

Adobe Reader has had a surprising amount of effort and innovation put into it with every release. It keeps getting faster, and I really like the new 8.x UI.

It does take up a lot of ram and hard drive space, so if you're on an old computer foxit might be the obvious choice. But I wouldn't be surprised if adobe reader is much faster at rastering on a modern pc and it does a great job of precaching pages too (hence the ram usage). And like I said, i think the new UI is really good. It's not only pretty, but well organized and customizable.

For such a mature product that faces so little competition, I'm stunned by the constant progress.

orcinus · 06-08-2007, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alexander Turcic

orcinus, you sure about Adobe not adding the speed launcher anymore? After the upgrade, I ran Sysinternal's Autoruns where I had to disable it again (see screenshot).

Odd...
Frankly, i haven't even checked the registry - i just combed through all the active processes (including svchosts') and, since i didn't find anything related to Acrobat, concluded there was no speed loader this time around.

I'll kill it and see if it has any effect on loading speeds.

orcinus · 06-08-2007, 05:13 PM

Nope. Just as fast. No visible changes in memory usage either...

06-06-2007, 04:25 AM	#1
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,175 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Adobe Reader V8.1.0 adds Vista compatibility Adobe finally got around to issuing an update for Adobe Reader to make it compatible with your shiny new Vista installation. Features added in Adobe Reader V8.1.0: Vista Preview Handler: Preview Handler is a new user interface for viewing PDF files in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 on Windows Vista and Windows XP, as well as in Windows Explorer on Windows Vista. Preview Handler must be turned on in both applications. Microsoft Office 2007 support. PDF printer driver in Vista supports high quality PDF creation. PDFMaker Office 2007 PDF Creation. Option to create Quick and Simple PDFs from Word 2007. New PDFMaker Ribbon UI in Office 2007. Mac OS X version now includes Flash MPP for improved support for Flash files with multimedia on Mac OS. InDesign Plug-In update supports communication with InDesign for Creative Suites 3. Option to print documents to a FedEx Kinko’s office in the USA. English only. Direct render of Dynamic forms. FIPS 140 Support. Multiple bugfixes. Link: Download Adobe Reader

06-07-2007, 07:40 PM	#7
orcinus Gadgeteer Posts: 222 Karma: 540 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Croatia Device: iRex iLiad, Sony PRS-500, Nokia 770, BB 7200, Samsung i600, iPhone	No, there are no speed launchers this time, and it takes the forementioned 2 seconds to launch only on first launch. It seems to stay prefetched or cached after that, though, and loads instantaneously on subsequent loads for a while until it gets flushed again. But AFAICT, that's Vista's doing. Sorry to disappoint you Edit: Oh, and it doesn't seem to freeze/crash Firefox anymore and loads big PDF's a lot faster. Edit2: And yes, i actually hate Acrobat as much as the next guy, but this time the code monkeys at Adobe seem to have done their homework Last edited by orcinus; 06-07-2007 at 07:44 PM.

06-08-2007, 04:18 AM	#8
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,175 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	orcinus, you sure about Adobe not adding the speed launcher anymore? After the upgrade, I ran Sysinternal's Autoruns where I had to disable it again (see screenshot). Attached Thumbnails

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06-06-2007, 03:30 PM	#2
Adam B. Addicted to Porting Posts: 1,697 Karma: 7194 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Indianapolis, IN Device: iRex iLiad, Nokia 770, Samsung i760	I stopped using Acrobat Reader when it started taking 30+ seconds to start (After version 5 maybe?). FoxitReader + PDF Creator are really the only way to go when you want to read and write PDF's on a windows computer.

06-06-2007, 07:01 PM	#3
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,612 Karma: 145863177 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	What we get is more bloat and less useful functionality.

06-07-2007, 03:05 AM	#4
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,175 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	I admit I was kinda scared when I installed this upgrade. During the installation it added so much stuff to the registry that I thought it was going to take over Windows. C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 8.0 fills 200MB! Btw, another nice free alternative (beside FoxitReader) is SumatraPDF.

06-07-2007, 01:24 PM	#5
orcinus Gadgeteer Posts: 222 Karma: 540 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Croatia Device: iRex iLiad, Sony PRS-500, Nokia 770, BB 7200, Samsung i600, iPhone	How about we all actually try out the new version before we start bashing on it? Yeah, i know, it's a novel idea For starters, the loading times seem to have improved quite a bit. Takes all of 2 seconds to start on my machine, vs. 6-10 7.x took.

06-08-2007, 08:27 AM	#9
alex_d Addict Posts: 303 Karma: 187 Join Date: Dec 2006 Device: Sony Reader	Adobe Reader has had a surprising amount of effort and innovation put into it with every release. It keeps getting faster, and I really like the new 8.x UI. It does take up a lot of ram and hard drive space, so if you're on an old computer foxit might be the obvious choice. But I wouldn't be surprised if adobe reader is much faster at rastering on a modern pc and it does a great job of precaching pages too (hence the ram usage). And like I said, i think the new UI is really good. It's not only pretty, but well organized and customizable. For such a mature product that faces so little competition, I'm stunned by the constant progress.

06-08-2007, 05:13 PM	#11
orcinus Gadgeteer Posts: 222 Karma: 540 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Croatia Device: iRex iLiad, Sony PRS-500, Nokia 770, BB 7200, Samsung i600, iPhone	Nope. Just as fast. No visible changes in memory usage either...

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