Introduction

The following document provides the results of my analysis and evaluation of Adobe Acrobat 3.0 as one piece of the Department of Literature, Communication, and Culture's (LCC) software. It includes information regarding the software features and functions, system compatibilities, Adobe technical support, and application advantages/disadvantages.

Methodology

Most of my research of Adobe Acrobat has been obtained from the Adobe web site (www.adobe.com), Adobe Acrobat brochures, and various articles from The Amalgamated Web and Desktop Engineering. In addition, Mr. Martin H. Brooks, the Computer Services Specialist for LCC, and his assistant, Mr. Ben Phillips, provided me with expert evaluations of Acrobat software from which to draw my evaluation.

Features/Functionality

What is Adobe Acrobat 3.0?

For those who are unfamiliar with Acrobat or any other portable document format provider such as Corel WordPerfect's Envoy, Tumbleweed Software's Publishing Essentials, or Common Ground, it promises to epitomize the look of a document page so that it will display or print identically, whether the medium be a computer monitor, a color ink jet, a PostScript laser, etc. To achieve this, Acrobat uses a compressed version of the PostScript language to encode font, graphics, and layout information in a small PDF (portable document format) file. Essentially, this software provides on-line document publishing, distribution, archiving, and retrieval (on your Web site, intranet, CD-ROM, or e-mail) by allowing anyone to create and share documents across and independent of platforms, applications, and distribution media while maintaining the document's original look and feel. Acrobat 3.0 works with your existing Web browser and servers.

What are Portable Document Format (PDF) files?

Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF) is the industry standard for electronic documents. Adobe Acrobat 3.0 builds PDF files from any Microsoft Windows application and, via a scanner, from any printed page. PDF files are compact, cross platform and can be viewed by anyone with a free Acrobat Reader - which may be downloaded from Adobe's Web site (www.adobe.com). You can create PDF files from any application using Adobe Acrobat 3.0.

Acrobat 3.0 includes:

• Acrobat Reader for viewing PDF documents
• Acrobat PDF Writer for creating PDF files from any application
• Acrobat Distiller for creating PDF files from any PostScript and/or desktop publishing applications
• Acrobat Exchange for adding navigational links and annotations
• Acrobat Capture plug-in with Object Character Recognition (OCR) for creating text- searchable PDF documents from scanned paper originals
• Acrobat Catalog for creating full text indexes searchable with Acrobat Search

The New Version - Adobe Acrobat 3.01

Adobe Acrobat version 3.01 software has been released. An Acrobat 3.01 CD-ROM has been sent to all registered users of Acrobat 3.0. Acrobat 3.0 users who have not already registered can register on the Adobe Web site (www.adobe.com) or by calling 800-685-3652.

The difference between Acrobat 3.0 and Acrobat 3.01 for Macintosh and for Power Macintosh users is that Acrobat 3.01 includes Acrobat Capture, Import Image, and Scan plug-ins. In addition, Acrobat 3.01 includes an improved ExportPS plug-in and enhanced security on links to external applications for Acrobat Exchange 3.01 and Acrobat Reader 3.01. Acrobat version 3.01 runs on Macintosh System 7.0 and later whereas Acrobat 3.0 required System 7.1 or later.

Compatibility

Adobe Acrobat currently supports Macintosh, Windows (3.1, 95, NT), and UNIX (HP-UX, SunOS (TM), Solaris (r), IBM (R), AIX (R)) platforms.

Minimum System Requirements for Macintosh and Power Macintosh Users

• Macintosh with a 68020 or greater processor, or a Power Macintosh
• 3.5 MB of RAM (5 MB for Power Macintosh) available to Acrobat Reader
• Apple System Software version 7.1 or later

Recommended System Requirements for Macintosh and Power Macintosh Users

• 8 MB of RAM available to Acrobat Reader
• Apple System Software version 7.1.2 or later
• 12.5 MB of available hard-disk space

Web Viewing Issues

Netscape Navigator 3.0 or later is recommended for viewing PDF files inside a Web browser because Netscape Navigator version 2.0 presents limitations. You may use other Web browsers that fully support the Netscape APIs.

Tech Support

Adobe offers 4 ways of obtaining technical support: Complimentary support for a period after purchase of a product, 900 line support, support for fee per support issue, and annual support for yearly fee. Technical Support is available by telephone Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time. To sign up for one of the programs that follow, you need to call 800-685-3652.

• Complimentary Technical Support allows a registered Adobe product owner to speak with a specialist within a complimentary support period for only the cost of the call. A Macintosh user may call 206-675-6204. The period begins with your first call and its duration is 90 days (for Acrobat software).
• 900 Line Technical Support will charge $2.00 per minute to your phone bill and can be reached by Macintosh users at 900-675-6126
• Flat Fee Technical Support requires a single fee of $25 per call in addition to regular phone charges. Macintosh users call 206-675-6126
• Annual Technical Support Agreements may be purchased for $149 per year in exchange for unlimited toll-free calls to 800-685-3652 (Macintosh users)

For more information regarding technical support and customer service, visit the web site http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/ where you will find question and answer forums, support databases, and problem solving guides. You may also call Adobe CustomerFirst Services at 800-685-3652 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Cost

Buys:

Upgrades:

Conclusion

There are big advantages to the Acrobat approach to portable document format. One is that it supports several computer platforms: Windows, DOS, Mac, and Unix. Another is that the Reader software is free and available in several languages. Also, while most electronic document software does not allow you modify files after you print them from your applications, Acrobat's Touch-Up tool lets you alter content, typeface, and point size on a line-by-line basis. Finally, the Acrobat Capture plug-ins OCR technology is extremely accurate in its converting of graphics files into searchable text-bases PDF files.

One of the recent developments has been to make the Reader more Web friendly. When downloading PDF documents, they appear in your browser's window and each page can be viewed as it is being downloaded. For book distributors, an Acrobat book is cheaply and easily stocked (on disk) and shipped (downloaded over the Internet for example). These savings are passes on to book buyers. At least one company is offering Acrobat versions of many of its books at a much lower cost. In addition to these, Acrobat offers a powerful option for on-line help systems, multi-media applications, and document management plans.

In comparison with some of its rival electronic formats, however, Acrobat's PDF does have one disadvantage: they are extremely slow both to display and to search. In general, though, with its Web-optimized files and high-value add-ins, Adobe Acrobat makes PDF the standard format for electronic documents.

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