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LookieNoNookie -> For those of you who haven't updated your Acrobat lately... (3/28/2013 5:17:41 PM)
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The new Adobe Acrobat "XI" version is fairly substantial. It's worth the download....X's a kabillion if you're on anything shy of Acrobat Reader 8.
http://get.adobe.com/reader/
"It ain't just for reading anymore".
I just went through the thing and frankly, I've had the Pro version for about 4 years because I need to annotate certain images or files, draw a few things on a site plan for a client, that kind of thing.
This (free) version does all that, but not a thing more....all good...it is free, after all.
The only thing I've found (that's pertinent to me anyways) that it doesn't do is OCR.
(Adobe Execs, or Adobe employees, if you're listening, you know as well as I do, OCR is pertinent and key to taking a PDF image into a researchable doc, among other things. This is not that big of a giveaway to invalidate your standard or professional version and I would argue strongly that it alone, that feature, would give cause to millions to pay for the standard or premium version. If they're using OCR to create searchable docs....you know damn well they have 27 other needs. Teasing without OCR isn't a tease...it's a reason to look for free versions of similar products that want to be the next Acrobat, and you know better than I that they abound. Put OCR in on the free version....trust me on this....you'll sell far more paid versions just by doing so).
I was researching this because we're moving to larger offices in 60 days and I wanted to get everyone new computers and software, getting more of the staff on "the same page" so to speak, capable of common tasks that currently we all need to ask someone else in the office who has the right program to do a particular thing....and it would appear, but for the OCR thing, Acrobat Reader XI is a (fairly) fully functional (fairly), full featured program, unless you're a graphics person and then you'll need some of their more sophisticated software (Dreamweaver, etc.).
Now, another program (or set of) that I checked out recently was Microsoft Office 2013.
Fabulous beyond all possible recognition. Worth the money in my opinion for CEO's down to middle management (largely for the ability to work on docs with multiple players on a given doc).
Outlook is better by multiple measures.
Powerpoint now does design standard on a 16x9 screen (assumed as opposed to requiring you to deem it) as opposed to a 4x3 screen (the old square monitors). You can switch back to a 4x3 any time you choose...one click.
Microsoft Access is so VASTLY more functional (and still just as confusing) than it was in the 2007 version (not much has actually changed from the 2010 version other than the ribbons up above), but to say the least it's richer, has capacity galore, links with sky drives, Box and others automatically (or as automatically as it can be by simply deeming it so). File size is also larger, not sure yet how much....didn't buy it, just did research.
Microsoft Publisher is still the poor man's graphic design studio but hey....it works and frankly, it works exceptionally well, particularly in merge docs (much like Word in years past, and in some cases, in a quite superior way...the downside is, with Word, you can take an existing letterhead and create a merge doc, with multiple useful {and necessary} features not available in Word, but available in Publisher, ergo...if you want to do a successful merge doc in Word, your only option is to rebuild your entire letterhead manually...image by image...into Publisher).
The graphics available in Publisher are still cheesy, kindergartenish (if that's a word), but they have some new features that allow you to import existing graphics, and, somewhat like Dreamweaver (Adobe), opt out (by defining "pick points") of offending imagery and place them largely invisibly onto a new sheet without others being of the opinion that you just ghosted something onto a new background. (Think "green screen").
Obviously the meta data will belie anyone but....who checks that shit anyway?
The bigger issue I have with MS Office 2013 is, it requires you to have a Microsoft account. Either through Live.com, Outlook.com or one other that I wasn't able to discern. Not only is it very cumbersome to do...Microsoft Office will not allow even one installation without this prior set up....and having tested an online (30 day free) version, on an existing device with no issues using 2007, it took 5 hours for Microsoft to come back and ask me 397 other obstreperous questions, each of which needed to be answered before they'd allow me to test their product.
After 90 minutes of that, I opted out.
So will millions of other users I'm certain, sadly for them.
(Microsoft, if you're listening, or employees of are, get rid of that demand...I won't buy 2013 solely because of it)
And there's one other issue (which I'm told they will be changing soon, but for now....you're fucked). It's a HUUUUGE one:
In MS Office 2010 and earlier, you could put your singular purchase of Microsoft Office on 3 distinct machines.
Laptop, home device and office.
Now it's one device per license. I get it...everyone wants to make (more) money. Microsoft absolutely deserves their cut. It makes no difference to me that they make more money than God...but Microsoft...you're really fucking with honest people here.
This is stoooopit.
That won't last 6 months, particularly when you add in a) that most people have an office, home and laptop device but moreover, now....b) a cell phone/smart phone. Sales will indicate a worldwide preference for 4 devices. So will the press. As they always do, Microsoft will wake up to this error after they've lost 6% market share and 12 billion dollars. Then like always, they'll play catch up.
It was a reasonable try at garnering more income per program set but it will fail miserably and, open the door to competitors. Today, more than ever, Microsoft is aware, and needs to be aware of the losses it could attain as to market share by this rather empty vessel of a move.
Microsoft fully intends to win the cell phone market and are spending accordingly, globally.
To lock out (or make so expensive as to cause to be fact) users with 4 devices....all for their own use....no one else's, it's only a corporate death wish not to allow users to be able to install on these same 4 devices for one price/investment.
So, in short, upgrade to Acrobat Reader ver. XI as soon as you can, find copies of Microsoft Office 2010 if you have a need to upgrade your office computers to something more robust and substantial. (Move quickly....they aren't in stores any longer, so online may be your only option).
Da's all I got at this time.
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