What's up with Adobe Reader needing update frequently?

Adobe Reader prompts me, on my Win XP Pro system, to update quite frequently. It seems to be happening about once a week and has been happening for many weeks now. Are you experiencing the same thing?

I think I'm about ready to say goodbye to Adobe Reader and switch to Foxit Reader on my Win XP desktop and my Win Vista laptop. I have been using Foxit Reader with Win 7 on another computer. Other than this frequent updating, I have nothing against Adobe Reader. I just wonder why they need to update so often. Going back some months, this wasn't happening. So, I wonder why the need now to update so often.

 

Personally, I don't allow any of the updaters or programs like Adobe to run at start-up. If an update is needed when I run the program, it'll let me know then.

And I probably only use Adobe once a month.

 

Foxit Reader for me too.

Beware, though.

NOTE: The latest version installs the Ask.Com toolbar.

You don't want the Ask toolbar as it leads to other complications, IMO.

Bazza

 

I can't get adobe reader to install on my xp If I install foxit do I need to uninstall Flash or active x adobe? dumb on this stuff to let you know do I need to get the cleaner because I tried three time to d/l adobe reader and each time it stopped half way or said file wasn't any good

 

The biggest reason to delete Adobe and Install Foxit Reader is the size of the two programs. Adobe Reader is about 7x the size of Foxit Reader and oh yes.....those insidious updates!

If Foxit loads that Ask Toolbar, you can always UN-Install it. Likewise any other toolbars. I just UN-Install all of them. They remind me of an unlocked side door on a bank. Possible security holes.

Good Luck,
The Shadow :cool

 

I got so fed up with Adobe's antics---install/uninstall problems, various running processes I didn't need or want, etc.---that 18-24 months or so ago I dumped A. Reader and installed Foxit Reader and haven't looked back...no updating or Speed-Launcher programs installed, no time spent turning off or removing all that stuff, etc. And I had to do all that every time an update was issued....got real tired of it...not to mention that Adobe seems determined to continually set new standards for bloatware....but I digress...

If all you need is a simple PDF viewer, Foxit does the trick. Be forewarned though, that the latest version is about twice as big as the version I use, proving once again that success breeds bloat. If you can find earlier versions, I advise using those instead. I use 3.0. I've read that up to 3.3 is still OK, but that 4.0 and higher are getting to be more like Adobe Reader, and not in a good way. Oh, yeah, those earlier versions don't install unwanted toolbars, either. Any version, though, is much easier on resources than Adobe Reader, not to mention faster, which of course is as it should be. Foxit is just a tiny bit quirky in some areas---I sometimes have problems with it taking a long time to close, 3-4 seconds (traced to its rewriting a large INI file for no good reason)---and I don't care for the large toolbar buttons, but it would have to have a lot worse quirks to force me back to Adobe Reader.

One thing I don't know about Foxit is how, shall we say, "holey," it is compared to Adobe Reader. The more popular Foxit becomes, the more attention will be drawn to it by the virus mongers.

Now if I could just find a way around using Flash....

 

It ain't easy to un-install the Ask.com toolbar. At least, using the traditional method. I think it leaves stuff behind, even using Revo Uninstaller. :cry

Bazza

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