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Nuance PDF Reader - Acresso-FLEXnet agent is Annoyware/Adware WARNING.
superboyac:
Nuance pdf in the past has gotten rave reviews, so I've tried it several times. I also have to agree with IanB, it always felt like one of those software that was getting its fingers all over your computer. So after trying it a few times, I didn't like it. It didn't do anything particularly special for me and it was a nuisance.
I still stand by Bluebeam as the best pdf toolbox out there, by a longshot too.
mwb1100:
I've settled on the following PDF reading solution after I got tired of Adobe Reader's increasing instability and getting caught out by some malware in a PDF that my "AV" software didn't catch:
- STDU Reader (free for personal use) as a stand-alone, tabbed reader
- Sumatra PDF for the browser plug-in
It seems neither of these bits of software engage in deceptive marketing practices, and neither of them support Javascript execution in the PDF (AFAIK), so I figure they should be pretty resistant to PDF-bourne malware.
I'm not sure if they're lacking in features that people might want, but they let me open and read PDF files, and that's pretty much all I need from a PDF reader.
superboyac:
I've settled on the following PDF reading solution after I got tired of Adobe Reader's increasing instability and getting caught out by some malware in a PDF that my "AV" software didn't catch:
- STDU Reader (free for personal use) as a stand-alone, tabbed reader
- Sumatra PDF for the browser plug-in
It seems neither of these bits of software engage in deceptive marketing practices, and neither of them support Javascript execution in the PDF (AFAIK), so I figure they should be pretty resistant to PDF-bourne malware.
I'm not sure if they're lacking in features that people might want, but they let me open and read PDF files, and that's pretty much all I need from a PDF reader.
-mwb1100 (September 29, 2012, 06:14 PM)
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Well, yeah, they are lacking in a lot of features. I'd say that someone trying to use a program like Nuance pdf reader is trying to do more than "view" pdf's, which is basically all that the free ones provide. Unfortunately, it seems like most of the more powerful pdf suites consistently install a bunch of heavy duty anti-piracy measures. Adobe is chock full of it with their acrobat, I sometimes thing 500MB of the 1GB installer is dedicated to anti piracy measures. Same with Nuance. Bluebeam also has a fairly sophisticated license checking mechanism, but the program's speed and responsiveness is very snappy (especially the 64 bit version, really good). But back to the point, I wouldn't suggest that a lightweight free pdf reader like Sumatra is a replacement for Nuance or Acrobat Pro. That's like saying Notepad is a replacement for microsoft word. Or an ipad is a replacement for a Windows desktop. Or a golf cart is a replacement for 18 wheeler. Or...
Carol Haynes:
Haven't used it in years (I have Adobe Acrobat installed) but Foxit PDF software always used to get good reviews.
http://www.foxitsoftware.com/downloads/
FWIW Nuance have always been awful (IMHO) - as far as I can tell all there stuff is just rebranded products from other companies (which they presumably bought out) and it is all over priced for what it actually does.
f0dder:
It offers arguably less and certainly little or nothing more than Adobe Reader (also $FREE and with no Annoyware/Adware).-IainB (September 29, 2012, 05:03 AM)
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Probably less security flaws as well.
Unless you need some of the advanced features Adobe PDF offers, nobody should be running that P.O.S software. And even if you use an alternate PDF reading application, you shouldn't be using browser plugins for it - its really not that big a hassle to view with an external reader, and it's so much safer.
As for replacement programs, I've found both Foxit and Sumatra to be decent choices. Foxit can render slightly slow with really complex PDFs, but usually it's just fine. Sumatra is lean and mean - some years back it was somewhat unstable, but it seems nice these days, and I'm contemplating using it as my main PDF reader instead of Foxit.
Ah yes, almost forgot - here's one more reason to stay the hell away from Adobe products.
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