Foxit PDF Reader - open up PDF's faster
Website - Download - FreeWare
by ClifNotes on 4/17/05 Updated 10/3/05
Notes
The last few versions of Adobe Reader are well know for being slow to load. The Foxit reader is much faster and it's a simple download and unzip to install. I made the switch to it one day last week and I was able to forget I had done it. I don't miss the Adobe product. Thanks to my wife and Mike at Temerc for suggesting I try this one out.
Update 10/3/05
The new version 1.3 allows you to type notes onto a pdf now. This is a feature that I've never seen in Adobe Acrobat.
Quote from Foxit
Foxit PDF Reader is small (the download size less than 1MB), so you can download it quickly. It doesn't need any lengthy installation, so you can start to run it as soon as you can download it. And it starts up immediately, so you don't need to wait the annoying "Welcome" screen to disappear. ... runs on Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP/2003. It is provided by Foxit Software Company for free non-commercial use.
Feedback
From Tom - Oct 2005
A great little reader that I do recommend to friends. Lately, I have run into a number of government documents the Foxit PDF Reader had difficulty properly displaying. I don't know if this a result of new features available in Adobe writer or what. When viewed in Adobe Reader the document did display properly.
From Jim H. - Mar 2006
Hi Clif ... Some follow-up comments on the FoxIt PDF Reader. First, it is quick and it works. Downside is that you can't open hyperlinks that might appear in a PDF document. I'd like to use a small program, such as this one, that opens PDF documents and can open hyperlinks as well. Suggestions from you or other readers on other programs would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Jim,
Thanks for writing me. You have two more options as I see it.
- Try AdobeReaderSpeedup
- Try an older version of Adobe Reader (Adobe Acrobat Reader). I've heard versions 4 and 5 will often work fine and load much faster.
