Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1.1 For Linux

Adobe has released an update for their Acrobat Reader product on Linux and SPARC Solaris. Adobe Reader 8.1.1 for Solaris and Linux features a new user-interface, improved performance, single document interface mode, and an always-available search toolbar. Adobe Reader 8.1.1 for Linux also features better desktop integration through complying with XDG-UTILS as well as support for Debian (deb) package installation. Some of the other new features include supporting multimedia-enabled PDF documents, new tools, updated review tracker, Orca accessibility support, and new additions to the digital ID feature are among the noteworthy improvements.

Zbigniew Luszpinski, a Phoronix reader, had provided us with some of his initial thoughts and tips on Adobe Reader 8.1.1 for Linux when it comes to the end-user point of view. Below are his thoughts.

The most important fix since Adobe Reader 7.0.9 is that now Adobe Reader 8 works with new Linux distributions, which use recent GTK 2.0 libraries. It is a known fact that when the GTK 2.0 library was present, loading of Adobe Reader 7.0.9 failed with endless loop of messages: "expr: syntax error" on the console window and serious CPU usage hit silently slowing down computer reactions. Now this is fixed.

Now Adobe Reader 8 scans font paths inside X configuration (xorg.conf) files and adds located fonts to its own internal font cache so system wide fonts are used for PDF pages rendering in addition to default built-in Adobe Reader 8 package fonts. If the user will copy font files from the Windows/fonts directory to X font locations, the PDF files will render in Adobe Reader 8 look identical to the version on Windows.

When someone uses the Adobe .tar.bz2 or .tar.gz installer, it will ask for installation directory and will show default [/opt] directory. Do not press enter here! If you do this a junk directory will be created in current directory. To overcome this manually type /opt or another location.

Another bug is a blank grey window on the first run of Adobe Reader 8. Just close it with X and provide the path to the libgtkembedmoz folder. This library is a part of Mozilla web browser so it can be found in any Mozilla program directory such as /usr/lib/firefox, /usr/lib/seamonkey, /usr/lib/thunderbird, /usr/lib/mozilla, or other locations where Mozilla may be installed. To run Adobe Reader 8, go to Edit -> Preferences -> Categories -> Internet -> <Select Browser>, and fill in the libgtkembedmoz folder path with one of these locations or find the correct one for your system.

The last bug is Adobe Reader 8.1.1 only creates desktop icons for the root account. Adobe Reader 8.1.1 can be run without icon, just execute /usr/bin/acroread.

If you are interested in writing for Phoronix, contact us. Have you tried Adobe Reader 8.1.1 yet? What's your favorite PDF document viewer for Linux? Tell us in the Phoronix Forums.