My brother still uses Adobe Reader on his computer. I suspect there is a better software out there that can replace it. He isn’t too tech savvy so keep recommendations to software that is easy user friendly.
Any good recommendations I can pass on to him would be appreciated.
I use Sumatra PDF Reader. It’s lightweight and extremely fast. the only issue is that it doesn’t handle ‘editable’ PDFs (used for filling out forms generally) very well; it will display them just fine, but will often not accept any input.
I assume you’re talking about Windows. I like Foxit Reader, I use the Android version on my tablet. Sumatra is popular. I used Nitro PDF Reader (and Pro, the PDF editor) at a previous job, and it did fine.
But are they “better”? It’s debatable. Adobe Reader is the standard for a reason. Honestly, I dislike many things about Adobe as s software company and I hate their latest iterations of some of my favorite software (particularly Dreamweaver and Photoshop). But even still I can’t wean myself off of Adobe Reader on my home machine. Other products seem to have quirks here and there (particularly with printing) and I just stay with Adobe.
Mac OS X has had a native PDF reader since its first version if I remember right (I was a beta tester for it when it came out) so you don’t need Adobe Reader on a Mac. Windows 8 and 10 come with a Microsoft-made PDF reader app so you don’t technically need anything after Windows 7. (But I hate that app and you might too.)
Try various products and stick with what you like. They’re all free and the best one is subjective.
I would stay away from Foxit Reader. It’s been known to install malware and it occasionally collects data and sends it to servers in China.
Acrobat Reader is free and doesn’t contain any hidden nasties (at least not as far as I am aware). As much as I am not a fan of Adobe Systems, I still use AR.
Adobe reader is pretty damn good, free and easy to use. Maybe your brother should be giving you recommendations on software.
hehe. You may be right. I had heard Adobe Flash Player was vulnerable but remembered it wrong. Bad question. Sorry.
Now that I look up Adobe Flash I get mixed reports on whether it is good or dangerous. I’ll need to do more research. And glad I asked since I did get the right answer.
Just uninstall all the PDF readers and use your browser. Chrome and Firefox can already read PDFs with their built-in viewers.
Adobe Reader has an annoying habit of requiring a reboot whenever it installs an update; it is just a utility, after all. For this reason, it has been completely deleted from my computer. Foxit meets all of my requirements (I have never had it install any malware, but make sure you select ‘custom install’ to be able to say NO to anything additional). I seldom use editable PDF files, but Foxit supports, at least, some level of that.
Bob
I didn’t much like Acrobat Reader DC and went back to Acrobat Reader 11.
When I work, I am constantly modifying my pdf file. If it is loaded into the Adobe reader, you cannot do that without exiting the file and then re-entering it because the Adobe reader locks the file. Sumatra pdf does not lock the file and constantly checks for updates.
I guess the question to ask is why he wants to replace the Adobe reader which is fine for most purposes, just not mine.
I don’t blame you. DC is just weird.
Sadly, the lifecycle of Adobe products is about 5 years from deployment, then they stop offering updates, in which case your software is a gaping security hole. Hopefully DC 2.0 or whatever they do next isn’t so awful.
I find it okay for offlin stuff, but if you use the plugin, it has to download the entire file before it will start displaying the PDF, which is annoying.
Sumatra isn’t just a PDF reader, BTW. I also handles ePub and mobi (ebook formats) and some comic book formats. Oh, and even Windows help files (.CHM).