Adobe just got evil (again)

/rant

I just downloaded and installed Adobe Reader 9.0 and was rather surprised, when I tried to delete a shortcut to acrobat.com it left on my desktop, to be told that it was a programme that needed uninstalling. Futher investigation revealed that it had installed adobe air and this acrobat.com application without my knowledge or permission. Won't companies learn that we don't want this? I've really had enough. If I install Java I want Java, not open office, if I install Adobe Reader I want reader, not air, if I install Quicktime I want Quicktime, not Safari, if I install application x I want application x, not toolbar y.

/rant

Feeling better now

Foxit is your friend.

Of course, why not just stick with Acrobat 7.x? I've never encountered a PDF that required anything that wasn't in Acrobat 5, actually.

Unfortunately I can feel you pain too. No, most companies seem not to learn from their own mistakes

I've seen that "trying to delete shortcut - warning about program uninstall" on Vista a few times. I think it's some new Vista feature that if program installs in some particular way and puts a shortcut on desktop then it gets hooked up somehow.

Deleting the shortcut/web link shouldn't cause any problems or uninstall anything.

W3bbo said:

Foxit is your friend.

Of course, why not just stick with Acrobat 7.x? I've never encountered a PDF that required anything that wasn't in Acrobat 5, actually.

Hmmm, if Adobe is evil, does that mean Adobe bought evil from Microsoft?

But yeah, I avoid Adobe Reader. Here is an alternative.

androidi said:

I've seen that "trying to delete shortcut - warning about program uninstall" on Vista a few times. I think it's some new Vista feature that if program installs in some particular way and puts a shortcut on desktop then it gets hooked up somehow.

Deleting the shortcut/web link shouldn't cause any problems or uninstall anything.

GoddersUK said:

androidi said:

*snip*

I thought it was just a shortcut to acrobat.com but then it told me that it was a programme and I was quite surprised. But I did want it uninstalled, so I uninstalled it.

You need to check out this website: http://dearadobe.com Adobe seems to be listening.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but isn't this a feature that has been in Windows for a while? I've had that happen in XP, and maybe even in 2000. I think it happens when an installer uses a certain API to put a shortcut on the desktop.

kettch said:

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but isn't this a feature that has been in Windows for a while? I've had that happen in XP, and maybe even in 2000. I think it happens when an installer uses a certain API to put a shortcut on the desktop.