Customer Reviews

Adobe Acrobat 5.0 is Windows XP ready

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Version 5 has features I dreamed about in 3.0 and 4.0, but despaired of ever seeing. Adobe made my dreams come true. Here are the highlights that make this an essential tool if you work with PDF files or transform other documents into PDF format: You can now save files in rich text format (RTF), which can be directly opened and edited in Microsoft Word (and other applications). I was able to do this in version 4 with an expensive third-party plug-in that did not always produce the results I was looking for. Version 5 does not need the plug-in and does a much better job.

Two other features that I love are the ability to extract images from a PDF file and save them as Tiff, JPEG or PNG graphics. This is really powerful. A nice touch is the user interface, which now makes Acrobat's tool bars look like those in Microsoft Office applications. I thought this was a quantum improvement over the confusing interface in previous versions.

Adobe touts added security features in this version, but the only thing I found different is the 128-bit encryption. Version 4 gave me total control over protecting documents from alteration, selecting and copying text and printing. As a consultant I sometimes need to provide clients with intellectual property that I need to protect, and the features that I enjoyed in version 4 have been fully carried over in this version. Another nice feature that has been carried over from the previous version is the ability to open a web page from within Acrobat and save it as a PDF file. I have grabbed many pages from many sites for off-line reading using this feature and it still works without a problem in version 5.

Other features that are interesting, but I have not tried, include the ability to create and publish dynamic forms online, and support for XML form data. When I get time I plan to play around with creating and publishing the dynamic forms because I can think of a dozen uses on my web site.

Overall this is a solid product that did not cause me the same pain I endured when I moved from version 3 to 4. Everything works as advertised and some of the new features are plain wonderful.

Acrobat 5.0 can convert any file type from its application?s print command into a PDF, which, when viewed by someone with the free Acrobat Reader, will look the same as you created it, irrespective of their monitor?s resolution setting, or computer platform. This means that a document containing text and images will look correct on screen and when printed. At present, the Adobe PDF format is the only means of achieving this.

You can create a navigation path within your PDF using the Bookmarks feature. Highlight and add annotations to sections of the document. And include hyperlinks as in an HTML page, etc.

Using Acrobat to create a bookmarked photo-gallery, for example, will result in a file much smaller than an equivalent HTML item when you use Acrobat?s screen-optimised Distiller settings, and with all the images retained within the PDF itself, instead of split between a contents folder and its associated HTML page. The PDF can be secured so that your images and text are secure from simple pilfering.

The security settings in Acrobat 5.0 are a little more comprehensive than was available in 4.0. Examples being password encryption at 128 bits, and print resolution options of high and low. Even so, PDF security is a matter of hot debate at present, as is security in any computer format. So don?t get overly confident. Only regard a secured PDF as being safe from access or tampering by Joe Public. In the case of my photo-gallery example I can secure the PDF from interference in the Reader and the application by using a password. But the images can still be extracted in a PC by simply hitting the print-screen key and then pasting the clipboard contents into an image application such as Photoshop. This also applies to text which can then saved as a TIFF file and processed in an OCR application such as Fine Reader 5.0 Pro, or by straight transcription.

Some features are now more easily accessed: Distiller and Security settings being two.

Whether or not Acrobat 5.0 is a major improvement over 4.0 is superfluous, since 4.0 will soon be unavailable. 5.0 does everything that 4.0 did, and more, but some of the features are not backwards compatible with earlier versions of the reader. Users of your files will have to be forewarned if you are using such features, to upgrade their reader. Adobe claim over 200 million Acrobat Reader installations, but that includes readers of 3.0, 4.0, and 4.05 vintage. An example of incompatibility would be an access password set at 128 bits. The recipient must have the 5.0 reader installed to gain entry. Sorry to rabbit on about this, but it is a current point of contention as to why PDFs are not used as often as they might be. Joe Public seems to have an aversion to updating even their internet browser, which is why web-masters have such a fun time keeping their web-sites as compatible as possible. PDFs can be used instead of HTML pages on your web-site but for maximum compatibility you will have to ensure that all important features can be read by a 3.0 reader. Bit of a pain, but there you are. Keep your PDFs simple and there shouldn?t be a problem.

When you buy Acrobat 5.0, and you haven?t any prior experience, I would recommend that you buy and work your way through Adobe?s Acrobat 5.0 - Classroom in a Book. This, in conjunction with the Acrobat help guide ( Help > Help guide ), will tell you all that you need to know. Methodically work your way through the classroom book first though. It?ll be a lot easier if you do.

A well designed PDF is the best way for you to communicate your intentions whether that be an e-book, technical supplement, or a photo-gallery

Have you ever tried to send someone a file, only to find out that they don't have the same program you do? What about, them getting a copy where all of the formatting has changed? Maybe you've asked them to revise, and you have to sort through and find all the corrections? All of these things have happened to me, and I'll tell you it's time to get Adobe Acrobat 5!

Adobe Acrobat 5, has the amazing capability of being viewed across platforms, so that you'll never need to worry that your Mac friend can't view the file created on your PC (or vice-versa). You also don't need to worry about different programs messing up your formatting, unauthorized users messing with your documents, or different programs refusing to open your documents! All the other party needs, is the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Acrobat is simple to learn and use. All you need to do is create your file in your favorite program, print the document (using the Acrobat Distiller printer included) and you have a new PDF file. Using this program you can convert virtually any file to PDF! Once in PDF format, set your security options, and send away. You can even use advanced features such as electronic signatures and highlighting, to work in an editorial environment (others will need the full Acrobat to view these kinds of additions).

Documentation for Acrobat is terrible! If you are unsure that you can learn Acrobat, I would recommend buying a companion guide for this product (Excellent product is: Adobe Acrobat 5 Classroom in a Book).

Once you begin using PDF, you will find that it is so practical and useful you won't know how you got by without it...

Before truly getting to explore Adobe Acrobat 5.0 I had thought Acrobat had only limited features and therefore limited usability -- to turn MS Word & Excel documents from virus-magnets into platform-independent files.

For most of the documents I create I use a personal layout with my company logo that I do not want tempered with or copied by people I send the documents to. I also use specific fonts that are not common to all computer users. With MS Word it was impossible to control the layout or font of the document when viewed by the customers. With Acrobat, however, I can embed the fonts with the pdf document instead of having to point a customer to a web site to download (or worse, to buy) a font used in the document, or live with the company logo showing up like totally and embarrassingly messed up on the client's machine. PDF documents created by Acrobat solved this problem both on the screen and for the printer.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find daily uses for Acrobat, even for my personal projects. For archiving personal records that I do not want accidentally altered by myself or someone else, I keep them as PDF's with my signature, which has the date-stamp info. I no longer have to worry about new versions of Word being able to open my old Word documents, which, mind you, is a proprietary format whereas PDF is not.

I have also used the Web open/capture feature to capture groups of web pages or entire web sites to my hard drive as a single multi-page document. Instead of having to follow the link for each page from the table of contents page, I just put the web URL in the Web Open address box, and specify how many levels of links I want Acrobat to follow and capture. If you think this is a rare need, try downloading the lyrics for each song of a 2-CD set, or the top 10 recipes using the pumpkin, or even a multi-part study guide for Tommy's calculus class. After capturing all I needed from a web site, I can delete the pages I don't want (legal mumble-jumble, advertisements, or the answer sheet for the calculus review questions included in the study guide), perhaps saving those deleted pages as a separate document (in the case of the answers to the calculus questions), then print out the final document I wanted, or maybe email it, as a single PDF document, to Tommy who's (on a Mac and) stressing out about his calculus test in a college in another state. How convenient is that!

So, if you think Acrobat is too limited in features to justify its price, I can tell you that it is much more than a Word-document capturer, and it is truly indispensible. It is based on a great concept and well-designed, with a easy and short learning curve for a new user and still offers advanced features for those with a more technical background. Scripting to make forms from Acrobat, I've heard, is pretty nifty, but that's beyond me. Try Acrobat 5.0 -- it's a cliche, but it's true -- you'll be glad you did. :-)

I resisted buying Acrobat 5 and tried a number of shareware/freebie and inexpensive commercial alternatives. The alternatives just aren't good enough unless you are producing uncomplicated documents in Ariel or Times Roman.

While essential for the graphic artist, Acrobat embeds itself so seamlessly into your wordprocessor that you hardly notice it. From within Acrobat (the main program), it's easy to e-mail a PDF as an attachment. Editing abilities within the main program are limited.

I have discovered the Web capture tool is very useful to capturing websites for offline reading and research. Since it preserves page format and the original location, you can always cite the correct URL.

One piece of advice: if people reading your PDF might have old versions of Acrobat Reader, you may need to open Adobe Distiller, which sets the options for Acrobat, and make an older version of PDF the default. I've found a lot of older Acrobat Reader software can't read the newer PDF format.

Finally, a plug for Amazon: fast shipping and the genuine product (not greyware or pirateware from eBay) at a great price!

Along with Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat 5.0 is the only other piece of software I own that I consider essential. This component - which includes the all-important writing facilty - is a 'must have' for anyone creating document-centric content that is either going to be either (a) posted on the web, or (b) circulated for review and comment.

Acrobat's portable data file ('PDF') output is as close to a lingua franca as you're going to get in computerdom. Pretty much the entire population has the Acrobat Reader. For those that don't, you can easily direct them to a download.

Although the software has many different options, the standard settings work straight out of the box. It integrates directly into your Office XP software via embedded macros. To create a PDF document out of, say, a Word ".doc" file, you just click on the little 'Convert to Adobe PDF' icon that will now appear on a new toolbar at the top of your Office applications. From there, it's a snap.

All software should be this easy. Another value-added advantage - the resulting PDF will almost always be smaller than your original Office-based document, making distribution less of a burden on your bandwidth-challenged friends and co-workers. For example, this morning I took a graphics-intensive 1.9 Mb Word file through the conversion process and ended up with a PDF of 700 Kb. Your mileage may vary, of course, and the biggest factor will be the nature of your content. Still though, I've never seen Acrobat become part of the problem by increasing the size of an already too-big document.

This software will pay for itself almost immediately.

By the time I was done reading the reviews for Adobe Acrobat 6.0 I was depressed. Not only do I not have Windows XP, or Windows 2000, or NT installed in my machine (The only operating systems that will work with 6) I also couldn't muster up the confidence in the product after so many people were giving it the thumbs down. I want to create an eBook, and Adobe Reader is the most popular reader out there, with some 400 million, to a half a billion users with it installed. What a dilemma. I kept coming back to read some more. Finally I found the answer. I bought a new Adobe Acrobat 5.0 here at Amazon from one of their vendors, and it works great with my Windows 98SE. I planned on buying the 6.0 upgrade after they got the bugs out, and or I got a new computer with XP. Then I found out that 5.0 was the only version before, and that was the professional version. 6.0 Standard is a geared down version of 5. Ok, so it has some additional features, but it is missing all the rest of the professional features that 5 has.
So what's the skinny on the deal? For what I paid for a new 5 that is the full program, unregistered, and upgradeable, plus what I would have to pay here at Amazon for the 6 Professional Upgrade, I saved 80 bucks, and wound up with both versions 5 and 6 pro. Which as I mentioned are both professional versions. If I bought 5 and upgraded to 6 standard, I would only spend a little more for both versions. (About 4 percent more for standard, and about 20 percent less for professional) That way if 6 standard turned out to be as bad as many were saying it is, I would have 5 also.
In the final analysis, I am using 5 and am super excited about the new capabilities that Adobe Acrobat gives you. I'm hoping that by the time I get a new machine with XP on it, Adobe will come out with 6.something, or a second edition of 6 etc. with the fixes built in.
I'm not the only one to come to this conclusion. I noticed in the sales rank at the time I bought it and wrote this review, that 5 was outselling 6. Also I noticed that in the "Those who bought 5 also bought this" section, it had a special note that said, 47% of the people who bought 5 also bought the 6 upgrade. If your running XP, 2000, or NT, get them both. That way all the bases are covered.
Check out the reviews on 5 you'll be surprised how everybody raves about it. To be perfectly honest with you, if I had an XP machine, I would have ordered the 6 upgrade at the same time. Hope this helps.

I've been a fan (and user) of Acrobat for many years, and am continually amazed by the number of organizations that *don't* circulate their documents in PDF format. I don't even *read* Word attachments anymore, for fear of viruses and because I *know* they won't look like the author intended.

With each new version of Acrobat, Adobe adds great new features, and v.5 is no exception. The breadth and power of the forms and security features are astounding. And, of course, the preservation of content and layout continues to excel beyond comparison.

Bravo!!

I was frustrated by the installation process. The program appeared to install with no errors, but when I tried to make a PDF file, I found out the PDF distiller printer had not installed correctly. (For those of you new to Acrobat, you generally make PDF files by "printing" the source document to the Acrobat distiller program) After a lot of system tweaking and searching of help files, I finally found an article on Adobe's web site that said WindowsXP users had to turn off system restore before installing the program. Considering the number of WindowsXP users, it shouldn't have taken a treasure hunt to find that out.

After I finally got the program installed, it worked well. It does a very good job archiving web pages. I am doing some research that uses internet databases, so I need to save a lot of web pages to my hard drive. Acrobat will save multple web pages to a single file, and alter the links so that they point to the correct place in the PDF file. It even scales the pages so I don't lose any text on the right margin. This system is much better than the Microsoft Internet Explorer save function, which has to make a separate folder and file for each web page saved.

I can also convert PowerPoint demonstrations to PDF format and set them up to open automatically in full screen mode, just like a PowerPoint slideshow. This is useful for sending demonstrations to people who don't have PowerPoint.

One drawback I've found is that a lot of advanced features are not available in the free Acrobat Reader. Obviously Adobe needs to make some money, but people who only have Acrobat Reader really should be able to save a PDF form with its data.

I'm confident I'll find more uses for this program, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is not a techie.

Those of us who work with computers find files in all sorts of varying formats, so a tool like Acrobat is absolutely invaluable. One of the principal features is the PDF printer, which allows the user to break into any file and read or print it(e.g. an html page from a website) in a PDF format, including accompanying graphics. The Acrobat software creates a "virtual printer" allowing the user to execute print commands creating 0 PDF rather than having to print to one's DeskJet.

Acrobat 5.0 is also capable of converting most file types by employing the print command into a PDF. You can also choose to either be read online or viewed with the reader and printed out. The PDF format renders the advantage of simplifying tasks such as editing, formatting, or other tasking on any computer appears to have a similar format, regardless of monitor type or monitor resolution. This is a terrific tool for the frequent reader, especially if one prowls the web or has friends with machines with different formats who often send you materials you are otherwise left puzzled and frustrated in trying to decode and view. it is a great product, and well worth the investment! Enjoy!