# So does Adobe suck sh\*t through a straw or is it just me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 8, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827 "2006-06-08T01:22:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/1 "2006-06-08T01:22:35Z")
Why is it that **ANYTIME** I try to open something PDF Adobe 6.0 starts to do it (opens up, picture of sissy prancy about, Adobe trademark, etc.) but then just freezes up. Stops. Does nothing. I have to reboot. If something says PDF on it, it means I can’t click on it to see it. If it doesn’t say PDF & is anyway, it means I want to muder the person who didn’t warn it’s PDF. And yes, I’ve tried opening it with the firewall off, other applications closed, etc.:rolleyes: Whats going on? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/2 "2006-06-08T01:28:14Z")
Sometimes, Adobe appears to freeze when there’s an update: A window displayes that you need to do it, but it can actully show up behind the regular Adobe window. There’s also no indication of it on the taskbar. The important thing is to pay attention when opening it up. Or you could just upgrade to Adobe Reader 7.0. That’s probably best in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/3 "2006-06-08T01:37:15Z")
[Here you go.](http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php) Uninstall Acrobat Reader and install that sucker. Less than 1 MB, starts in about a tenth of a second. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/4 "2006-06-08T05:13:36Z")
**pkbites** I’ll _definitely_ agree with your eloquent technical assessment of Adobe Acrobat pdf files. I started a “pit” thread on this subject about 2 years ago: > **[Adobe Acrobat .pdf Files - anyone else hate these?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=277807)** > > A thread in GQ made me think of posting this topic in “the Pit”. pdf files really suck rhino !!! So why are they all over the place? And why the Hell would anyone use these on a website? These things are difficult to manipulate and read. That... Also, (I believe it is in the “About This Message Board” category) someone started a thread stating that it would be very polite when posting a link to a pdf to warn others of its being a pdf. **bouv** Thanks for the link. (I’ve already installed it.) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/5 "2006-06-08T11:21:49Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > [Here you go.](http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php) > > Uninstall Acrobat Reader and install that sucker. Less than 1 MB, starts in about a tenth of a second. Wow. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/6 "2006-06-08T16:08:06Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > [Here you go.](http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php) > > Uninstall Acrobat Reader and install that sucker. Less than 1 MB, starts in about a tenth of a second. HEY! It works great! \*\*\*\* Ad:mad:be! \*\*\*\* it with a big \*\*\*\*! ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/7 "2006-06-08T16:17:43Z")
I agree with your sentiment. I avoid pdf as much as possible for many reasons. I’m going to try out the Foxit. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/8 "2006-06-08T16:19:05Z")
I’d just like to stick up for (most of) Adobe’s other products, which are excellent. Adobe Reader is spawn of satan bloatware, though. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/9 "2006-06-08T16:39:53Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > [Here you go.](http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php) > > Uninstall Acrobat Reader and install that sucker. Less than 1 MB, starts in about a tenth of a second. Thanks from me as well. Adobe has messed with me for the last time!😉 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/10 "2006-06-08T16:53:43Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > I’d just like to stick up for (most of) Adobe’s other products, which are excellent. Adobe Reader is spawn of satan bloatware, though. I will add that version 7 is worlds ahead of version 6 in usability, both the Reader and Adobe Acrobat which I use for producing PDFs. Version 6 of Acrobat was awesomely crappy. It did things like break the perfectly-functional user interface for creating bookmarks in a PDF. It was pain to use it everytime. However… Version 7 is still the biggest damn sack of bloat I have ever encountered for what is supposed to be a simple utility program. Part of this is accounted for by the fact that Reader 7 is designed to interact with all the commenting and review features that Acrobat 7 Pro provides for the author. But still, 6 wasn’t that much smaller. Reader has the only installer I have ever seen that appears to recompile itself for your system when installing. Seriously. Watch it when you install it. When you execute the install file, you get something called the FEAD 2.5 Optimiser running, which proceeds to ‘process’ Acrobat Reader 7, then the regular InstallShield-style installer starts. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-does-adobe-suck-sh-t-through-a-straw-or-is-it-just-me/359827/11 "2006-06-08T16:55:19Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Version 7 is still the biggest damn sack of bloat I have ever encountered for what is supposed to be a simple utility program. Just to be clear, that’s Version 7 _of the Reader_. It’s 23 megabytes. The full version of Acrobat is bigger.