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Adobe Releases Acrobat Client for Linux
DanMan writes "Adobe has released a reader client (Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0) for the linux operating system. No news on open sourcing the client, but they're making a start. You can download the client from their site."
AFAIK Acrobat Reader 6 was never released for Linux. Because of this Linux users had to either use the deplorable acroread (Reader 5) or other open source pdf viewers like xpdf, gpdf, etc. All of which were far from perfect. Most of which were painful to use. And none of which supported all the features of newer pdf files like editing forms and such.
This Acrobat Reader 7 is significant because its the first quality and full featured Linux pdf viewer. It also shows that Adobe aknowledges the existence and importance of Linux and that the demands and complaints made against them about the situation did not go unanswered.
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Pdfs are Unfit for human consumption
To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
--E.C. Stanton
Many people are missing the big picture with Adobe Acrobat. (I freelance graphics) When I send a client a preview of the artwork, I use a combination of XMP, hand-built watermark by myself, and the security of Adobe PDF files. I can choose if someone is allowed to print or not, and I can restrict all modifications to it. So with all three security elements in place, I'm able to manage and control my work, without having to worry about them taking it and not paying.
If you've used the program, you'll note that it's extremely complete in terms of interface. Hardly an effort worth taking for just one free app on platforms where a simple display of the .pdf would suffice for most people. I wouldn't count the possibility of future Adobe products for Linux out just yet. They did a great deal of the underlying interface structure--arguably the hardest common ground between programs; they'd be insane not to reuse it.