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Personally I have found Mendeley frustrating to use anyway. Seemed more interested in shiny features than working well. Wasn't very good at maintaining its bibtex file (which could be a problem using it with other programs) and expected you to have digital references only.

JabRef is a great multiplatform reference manager which combines excellently with Docear for writing a paper/thesis/dissertation (Docear lets you organize your references and annotations as part of your outline). I have also found it worth it to run PDF-XChange Viewer under WINE. It is unfortunately not open source but it supports any feature you can think of for annotating PDFs and integrates nicely (with a bit of non-windows setup) with Docear.

Zotero is another great reference manager. I have also heard good things about BibDesk (OS X only).

I've always liked PDF Exchange viewer. Higher performance than Adobe, more free features (annotations) than Foxit.
http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer

It would be handy, if you actually wanted to produce pdf. Given that Adobe's pdf tools are what most people use, and that those are absolutely the largest vector for malware IN THE WORLD, I don't want any more pdf around.

Why is anyone using Adobe Reader anymore? There are several very nice alternatives, including Foxit, PDF-Xchange, Sumatra, Slim and others. I haven't used Adobe on any of my computers for years.

PDF-XChange Viewer opens those PDF's without any problems (the free version atleast).

I don't see any support for Dynamic XFA Forms on their feature list at

http://tracker-software.com/pdf-xchange-products-comparison-chart

Can you supply any evidence for your claim?

Don't use Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Everybody in my small office uses PDF XChange Viewer. http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer/

GP poster again.

If you need to really fill PDF forms in Linux, I'd suggest using this PDF X-Change through Wine:
http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-lite

It is not ideal and crashes at time, but it gets the job done.

(I have no affiliation to this company, I just use their software)

Decent priced PDF editor for filling in PDF files?

The one I purchased for people in my workplace had Mac, linux and windows versions available at the same price.

Actually I use PDF X-Change through Wine (no affiliation, I am just a happy user). When it works, it works great. Sometimes Wine fails on me and it crashes. I would be ok, if I was filling some silly forms, but when I am filling forms to send to a lawyer, I appreciate NOT being annoyed/distracted by Wine crashes.

As for the other points, as an occasional (but cheapskate) Mac user I can't help to notice that Apple makes it very easy to find things to buy that do the job, even when I'm not actually looking but just want to use Safari. I think that's a major part of the success and popularity. On MS Windows or linux it's a fair bit of googling to find software that might do a task.

I don't think it would be hard to find these for Windows, but I reckon that a working app store with some-even-though-imperfect-malware-filtering makes buying software a lot safer and easier. Pretty much like how I never worried about buying used books from 20 random sellers through Amazon, only one reputable firm gets hold of my credit card number and there is a system in place to prevent wide-spread fraud.

I use PDF X-Change Viewer. PDF annotation in a free program? The MSc student in me says "Yes, please!"

I'd recommend PDF-Xchange Viewer. http://www.tracker-software.com/product/pdf-xchange-viewer
Not only is it free, lightweight and fast, it allows you to draw, add text etc on an existing PDF also. I'd recommend you try it out. Also remember to turn off javascript support also in order to avoid potential security risks. I have been using it for two years without any problems.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with tracker software and I have even no idea what kind of other products they offer.