Been a while since I’ve posted (sorry about that), but I had to rant about this annoying little process.
So I have this freshly installed Windows XP virtual machine and I needed to install a PDF reader. I used to use Foxit Reader, but I always have problems with the toolbars staying arranged in the right places, so that’s out. So I headed to Adobe’s site to get their reader. Immediately, I noticed that the installer package contains Acrobat.com running on top of Adobe AIR (which I don’t have installed, so it’s nice enough to do that for me, too). Seriously? I just want the damn PDF reader. So I suck it up and click “OK”.
What happens next is what really blew my mind. I get prompted by Firefox to install the “Adobe Download Manager”. Download Manager? Seriously? I’ve already got a download manager…it’s called Firefox. So I dig a little deeper to see why they’re using this. In their FAQ, they say they’re using to “allow you to pause and resume large downloads”. Large downloads, huh? Like a 40mb PDF reader? Bottom line here, is whatever happened to just clicking a link that says “download”?
I guess it was inevitable, given how their install processes for the Creative Suite programs have gotten out-of-hand. But seriously, all those hoops to just get a PDF reader? On my Mac at work, I can use Quick Look by hitting Space on a PDF icon and instantly see the PDF. Instantly, no splash screen for the reader, just the PDF, open right in front of me in a fraction of a second. Just sayin’…
Oh well, Adobe’s slowly going the Microsoft route, and I guess there’s nothing that can be done about it.
I just launched a site that I’ve been working on for a couple months for KnowledgeWorks Foundation, a new initiative called Ohio Education Matters. The site sets out to inform the public about the state of education in Ohio, and to a lesser degree, the rest of the country.