Why does the DC installer remove Acrobat Pro XI, and all of its plugins, without warning?

I don't use any plugins and within 5 minutes of using DC for the first time experienced 15 crashes. Most of which weren't even "crashes" at all - just a pop up that appeared anytime adobe DC was accessed. The program is buggy, especially to be considered an upgrade from XI. Definitely regretting the update.

I just completed the update and annoyingly enough it wiped out Pitstop and all of the customization that I had set up in both Pitstop and Acrobat. Now I have to go back and install Pitstop again and re-do all of the tools and views customization that I had previously. BEWARE!

Many others before me have elucidated the main failings of this product, so I mostly won't add to them. Instead, in addition to those aforementioned woes, my primary problem with Acrobat DC is that it's just plain ugly. It's an aesthetic regression, on Windows 8.1 at least. Observe a previous version of Acrobat alongside DC:

Some thoughts to go with the imagery:

1. Why are those text links so large? If screen real estate is such an issue, as earlier claimed by our condescending and highly defensive Adobe representative, lrosenth, then why is it so lackadaisically adhered to for so many visual elements of the UI? Is there any plausible justification for the use of such large text in a world where most of Acrobat Pro's clientèle is working on high resolution screens? Would overall reduction in the size of the text not constitute a more efficient use of space?

2. Look at how large those icons are! Their size is exceeded only by the Titanic Teletubby Tiles under the Tools menu. The dishonest claim that DC's toolbars are actually more space-efficient is rubbished by the visual evidence. Resorting to '...' in order to display those icons that don't on the toolbar is not an improvement: it constitutes more mouse clicks. This is not a good thing; it's a bad thing.

3. There's insufficient contrast. I had to change my background to an off-white to compensate for the hallucinogenic acid-trip UI. Is this counter-productive and beside the point or what?

3. With regards the same links, why is Acrobat DC applying fake bold to what is clearly regular, text when, instead, an actual bold font for that particular typeface (which exists on Windows PCs) would suffice? It's ironic that Adobe, a concern that specialises in, among other things, high quality type and type production, would have this amateurish travesty pass muster as production-ready software. Truly, aliasing and fake bold in 2015!

4. Why is Adobe employing this dumbed-down-space-wasting-'80s-throwback-flat-design-language so prevalent in UIs of late? By universalising an interface across disparate media platforms (read: pandering to  mobile/portable touch devices designed primarily for content consumption, not content creation) you inevitably compromise usability and/or productivity for at least one of those platforms. This, at base, is a compromise of the very things the desktop computer does best.

5. This situation is the very same one we Windows users encountered with Microsoft and Windows 8.x. Apparently the opinions of a corporation's professional customer base cease to matter much once a product reaches the shelves. In other words, the ability to give all that much of a toss stops at beta testing.

6. Adobe are even dictating to you, as though misguided children, how to 'properly' use the software you paid for and depend upon for your livelihoods! They're rubbishing your work-flows!

7. Now of course Adobe, like Microsoft, won't back down, no matter how much we continue to vent and whine; neither will they admit to taking a step backwards. This much has been true for years. Remember, loyal customer base, that they're 'okay' with you not using their software if you don't like it, if you feel that it's seriously flawed. The contradictory natures of their product's interface, as well as the bloviations of their customer service representatives, confirm this.

8. As I see it, we can either all (a) suck it up and get used to it, (b) migrate to the offerings of other companies, or (c) revert to older versions. For that last option, better get in quick before Adobe gets rid of that ability completely and chains you to the Cloud of dependency where you give up all your previous rights and substitute them for corporate control. It's a shame that it's come to this, but hey, this is the state of computing circa the 2010s. It's a brave new world. The only real way to galvanise change in fossilised, dinosaur corporations like Adobe (and Microsoft, for that matter) is to vote with our wallets because our voices clearly aren't loud enough.

Sorry but no dice, Adobe.

P.S.: Hey, on the plus side I think the new PDF file icon looks better in my file browser.

I'm so freaking happy I came across this!!!! I have been getting more and more frustrated each time I used that stupid DC program, I was willing to pay to give it back!  I've never spent so much time in Adobe's user manuals in my freakin life! Wow! This is my first time ever complaining on a site...but really, it's out of relief because I'm so happy to learn I can get the real Adobe Pro program back! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whew!

my acrobat just updated to the DC version, i had pdf Snake, it does not seem to work with DC, is that correct, anoyone else run into this issue?

Hi Adobe staff,

I would like to say that im very happy with xi pro and wondered if you can tell me how long you intend supporting xi pro for ?

When will xi pro reach 'end of life' ?

We would love to upgrade to dc pro, and pay you for it, but not until it looks, feels and works like xi pro and with even better features, especially improved features

for commercial print.

Thanks in advance.

When people purchase and use your products to do their WORK... the last thing anyone needs is to stop in the middle of a project to go to school in order to figure out how we can get back to our work.

Let me start by saying that we are sorry that you are experiencing the problem that you are.  However, you should understand why you have these pains and hopefully prevent them from happening in the future.

That is about the most GOD AWFUL thing ever spoken to customers.... Put simply your clients are trying to use your products for our businesses (which in my case is attending college while I'm still in high school) and I have a lot of work to do and ZERO TIME to figure out WTF your software geniuses are expecting me to do when you magically replace a perfectly good APP with something that is completely different.

You are not "Sorry" and you are also blaming the people who give you money to make their lives easier for being upset that you sold them unwanted complications! ...I'll be 16 next week and I can figure this out. Maybe if you step outside of your self righteousness you'd be able to serve your customers needs and help them get their work done. 

This would be a fine response from Adobe EXCEPT that there are on line programs that only run on Reader and not Acrobat and things one can do in Acrobat that one cannot to in Reader.  I do not have the luxury of choosing.  I need both--Reader to fill in contracts on the Form Simplicity contract website and Acrobat to do everything else that Reader does not do.  So no solution?  Two computers does not sound reasonable.

No plugins here.  I am a simple Adobe Acrobat user.  I use the program to the fullest extent (interactive PDF forms, signatures, etc).  I am greatly disappointed that Adobe released a program (Acrobat DC) that not only crashes as I read every PDF file (after load, but during scrolling), but also limits my ability to use CAC (military common access card) signatures to the fullest.  The Army program just switched to PDF forms because of their ease of integration, and you guys have somehow partnered with the Army to transform one of their better tech decisions into crap. 

I would like to stress your need to test product before you put it out as a MANDATORY update.

I will be reverting to Adobe Acrobat XI, even though you don't recommend it.  Why?  Because I can't even open a simple one page document.  I even freshly re-installed Windows 8.1.   Maybe that's my problem right there, but don't you guys have R&D so programs work on all operating systems?

Please fix Acrobat DC before I have recommend to my Commander we switch back to LotusForms.  You guys have always made great stuff till now.

Feel free to contact me.

Sincerely,

a guy with a dot-mil email

Adobe Creative Cloud‌

Adobe Staff,

Adobe Acrobat DC is a sham. It has to be the worst excuse for an upgrade I have ever seen, and I'm holding back a lot of disgust right now. I well remember the days of LiveCycle Designer, which used to be part of Adobe Acrobat Pro. Now it's a separate purchase. Shame!