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

[Teilo]

When you run the "Update" to Acrobat DC, Acrobat XI, and any plugins you are using, disappear. There is no warning. Pro XI is just simply gone.

It is not possible to install Pro XI along side of DC. If you try, the install seems to work, but the Applications folder only contains DC.

Also: Acrobat Pro XI does not appear in the Previous Versions list in the Creative Cloud app.

The only way I have found to get Pro XI back is to uninstall DC, then go to the Pro XI Download page: https://creative.adobe.com/products/acrobat

Click Download, and the CC applet will download and re-install Acrobat Pro XI. You will then need to re-install all your plugins.

Adobe: Thank you so much for creating a massive support headache for your customers! Your ability to screw us over knows no bounds.

[Gary__F]

lrosenth‌, thanks for your reply. More tools/buttons are available on screen at the same time with XI. It feels like XII is trying to behave like a mobile app even though I've got a large desktop monitor. I have no 3rd party plugins installed so I don't understand why it frequently crashes. Even clicking on the Quit/Close button can make it crash! All previous versions have been 100% stable, as are all other CC products.

I'm uninstalling it now and getting XI back.

[lrosenth]

Ah – you are trying to use the product in the old model. You need to adjust to the new model – and once you do, you’ll have MUCH MORE room for all your tools. As a CC member, think of our new model as similar to “CC Workspaces” - which each of our tools puts you in a new “workspace” (we call them Tools or Toolsets). AND, like Workspaces, you can create as many of them as you want with whatever tools you want in either the top bar or the right hand panel. So create yourself (at least) one custom toolset (using the Create Cusotm Toolset tool) and then simply use that. I think you’ll find using Acrobat DC MUCH more pleasurable once you get over that initial hump.

[joec88]

Where is "Create Custom Toolset"?

[lrosenth]

In the Tools pane – with all the other tools…

http://drops.pdfsages.com/KBaZ

[joec88]

Thank you. The custom tools are pretty nice. I can see the possibilities with it. Once you create one how do you make it the default? It seems mine always revert back to the Acrobat default when I open a new PDF.

[lrosenth]

Right now – you can’t set a “default” but that is certainly something we are looking at for a future update.

But it will (as you can see) show up on the right hand panel (and the tool switcher dropdown) so that’s its not too difficult to get back to them in the meantime.

[glaustin]

Like all things a large company has good and bad elements. The people on the Helpline can be very helpful but in other areas they can be plain obstinate. Some products are very good and others are not. This is one of those times. DC is causing more than a little inconvenience. The way DC was introduced clogged up my workflow at a critical moment and I LOST A TENDER because I missed a deadline due to this nonsense. I still haven't had an answer to my question after Irsenth said I can hit the 'ignore' button to stop DC keep showing in my update list.

Adobe appear to have lost the plot, like they did with introducing CC subscription and its lack of choice, where customer after customer's complaints were just ignored or dismissed. This must be the worst board I have seen for both criticisms of both product and Adobe's service response, which some claim borders on arrogance at times. As an example here's a response I saw last month.

If that’s not important to you – then don’t use it.  We’re OK with that.

Surely it is not a case of Adobe being 'OK' with anything; it must surely be whether the customer is 'OK with that' product feature or not!

In all honesty, this is like a case study into how to ruin a product's reputation and alienate customer relationships. They are acting like used car salesmen. Any ethical company would have issued a full apology and withdrawn DC by now until it could be re-launched with the many problems fixed in a way that satisfies the customers. Adobe have become so strong they have forgotten customers are the bottom line of their profits. If any company doesn't give customers products or services they want, their profits will fall. I note already some have stopped their subscriptions over the dismissive nature of the customer service. I think others are actively waiting for alternatives. Adobe may say it is just a trickle but carry on like this then it will become a flood.

Sorry this is negative but this has been going on so long because Adobe seem only keen to bulldoze through the serious concerns and criticisms.  I want DC to work and have the latest Adobe tools. However, for me, it is a business tool so I cannot risk it anywhere near my machines until it offers a reliable and good user experience.

[CharlesMorgan]

But now it wants money to do things I used to do, like signing forms. It wants me to go trial. I try to sign, and I get bumped to a webpage asking for a subscription, apparently on top of my CC account. Huh?

[lrosenth]

Charles – if you are a full CC subscriber, then you are entitled to a free Document Cloud subscription as well. Just download Acrobat DC as part of your CC (via the Thor desktop component) and you;ll be all set.

[glaustin]

Sorry to keep asking dumb questions. This is really the first I've seen of DC.

1. Does DC replace XI Pro's full functionality (e.g. scanning, etc)?

2. Can I load DC onto my phone & tablet as part of my CC subscription?

3. If so, how many devices can I load DC on?

Lastly, you mentioned ths "ignore" button; where is it?

[WSchultz]

Just to make things clear: Even those of us who do not use ANY plugins with Acrobat have a crash-happy application with DC on Windows 8.1, fully updated. I opened a PDF, and it prompted to OCR it. Sure, go ahead. *crash*. Ok, fine, don't OCR it, let me edit the PDF. *crash*. Ok then, Uninstall. Install Acrobat XI.

Thanks for the lost productivity.

[Rob_P-M]

I agree that this "upgrade" from Acrobat Pro XI is an utter disaster.  I've been using Acrobat for close to 20 years and am furious.

It forces those of us who prefer to buy our software (so we can use it as long as we like, even if newer versions are available, for one price) to move to a friggin' subscription model where we have to pay forever.  There is no way that there is any increased value commensurate with the increased costs, not to mention the fact that there is no alternative but to pay and pay and pay.

I have always rejected the Adobe alternatives because Acrobat had some more functionality.

I'm stuck with Acrobat DC on my iPhone, since my assistant updated my phone apps without noticing it was a new product, but there is no way in Hell I intend to downgrade from my permanently licensed Acrobat Pro XI to a subscription model program.

It's time to seriously evaluate the Acrobat alternatives, especially the Nuance products.

[lrosenth]

Rob – this is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE. Perpetual license is still available.

We make it quite clear in our press release (<http://www.adobe.com/news-room/pressreleases/201504/040715AdobeDocumentCloudAvailable.html>) and our FAQ (<https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/faq.html>). Even more importantly on the purchase page (<https://acrobat.adobe.com/us/en/pricing/pricing.html>) it’s right there in the same print as the subscription option.

Acrobat DC on mobile is FULLY FUNCTIONAL without a subscription – and in fact, even more so than Reader Mobile was. So no problems there either – enjoy the new features.

[Rob_P-M]

What you say may ultimately be true, but it's certainly not clearly explained, especially what the interaction is with the Perpetual license version on the desktop and the (non-subscription) version on mobile devices.

I suppose I will ultimately have to upgrade -- and apparently face a big learning curve since the interface is all changed -- and live with it.  But I am really unhappy and really will look into to alternatives to Adobe.

[glaustin]

Hi Guys

I'm on CC2014 and just been pulling my hair out having lost a load of time with a key job where none of my pdfs opened and eventually found out about this DC madness! Please can someone tell me:

1. What is DC exactly and what does it do different to XI Pro?

2. Is it replacing XI Pro or additional to XI Pro (if so, and why isn't integrated into XI Pro)?

3. Must I have it?

4. If I don't need it; why is there no choice on how it appears in the manager?

5. How can I stop it appearing and banjaxing Acrobat XI Pro?

For the Adobe reps looking in; I don't want to play about with file strings and codes for something that's unnecessary and I don't want! Does Adobe ever have it foot in the operational service provision world or must it always have its head full of ways to squeeze more money out of its subscription slaves, without caring about the consequences to their livelyhoods!!??

Got that off my chest; so what can I do to stop Acrobat XI Pro dropping off?

Regards,

Graham

[joec88]

Don't apply the update.

[grondin]

Where do I send the bill for my time fixing Adobe's screw up with this??

Thank you for the Acrobat XI re-installation link!!

[glaustin]

Thanks Joe. I didn't, but XI Pro just didn't respond since DC appears listed in the manager list. Can I remove DC from the list so it doesn't keep showing as an update?

[lrosenth]

You can click “Ignore”, just as you can for any other update from CC.

[glaustin]

Thanks. At the risk of sounding dense, how do I click "ignore"? The choices I have are just "update" or "uninstall" (never needed to ignore an app before). Also can you tell me exactly what it is and supposed to do? Is it supposed to replace XI Pro or sit alongside?

[lrosenth]

Acrobat DC, as mentioned all over the internet, is the latest version of Acrobat…but like CC it also includes a variety of mobile applications and cloud-based services.

[glaustin]

Thanks. Sorry, with all my job demands, I haven't been monitoring Acrobat developments all over the internet. As asked, does it replace XI Pro or does it run alongside? I ask because when I first saw it, it said it had to uninstall all other versions of Acrobat and I really wasn't sure (especially with all the problems) Also, where is the "ignore" button, you mentioned?

[lrosenth]

It replaces – because Adobe does not support multiple installations of Acrobat on the same machine.

[tbg.ag]

Several people have asked, and their requests have been ignored:

How does one "Ignore" a pending update (or in this case, upgrade) in the CC desktop app?  Adobe staff member lronseth states:

You can click “Ignore”, just as you can for any other update from CC.

I have never once, on either Mac or Windows, seen an option to ignore an update within the CC app.  Where is this "Ignore" that I'm meant to click?  I have 130 seats of CC that I have to support, with more being added almost weekly, and now I have to train and remind people to pay no mind to the little "1" next to the CC icon in the menu bar/system tray.  I want a simple way to have the Acrobat DC upgrade option *NOT* appear in my users' CC apps list, and I want to be able to disable the DC upgrade option en masse across our entire CC for Teams account from the central management console.  Not too much to ask.

UPDATE:  I finally found the Ignore button.  It's inside the secondary UI when you click the # Update(s) button at the top left of the CC app window.  Another epic fail, Adobe.  I—and I'm willing to bet every other CC user—install updates from the main Apps tab.  I *NEVER* click the # Update(s) button.  You either need to make the Ignore option also be available in the main Apps tab, or else lock down the UI so that updates can only be installed from one location that shows all options.

UPDATE 2:  I just clicked the Ignore button.  Erhm...  OK, I concede that it does remove the little "1" notification from the CC app icon in the menu bar, and it does remove the # Update(s) button from the top left of the CC app UI.  However, it does *NOT* remove the Acrobat DC line item in the main Apps tab with the giant blue Update button.  How is this...?  I can't...?  I don't even...?  WHAT??  Clicking Ignore removes all notifications of the update EXCEPT THE ONE STARING THE USER IN THE FACE WITHIN THE MAIN APPLICATION WHICH THEY'LL SEE EVERY TIME THERE ARE ANY OTHER UPDATES????

Come on Adobe.  This isn't a strategic business decision.  This is just sheer bloody-minded stupidity and hostile UI design.  Change this.  NOW!

Also, Acrobat DC breaks the application update/upgrade behavior which Adobe have trained users to expect:

1. Every single other application in the CC app can be installed alongside its corresponding previous version(s);

2. It is possible to install any previous version (back to and including CS6) of every single other application from within the CC app by choosing "Previous Versions" in the heading above the available apps that haven't yet been installed, but not Acrobat XI.

It may be true that Adobe doesn't support concurrently installed previous versions of Acrobat, and that the "proper" method of plug-in installation is now to install them into an external folder.  However, from where I'm sitting, Adobe sure hasn't been killing itself with the effort of letting anyone know about these policy changes; it sure seems like both of these "truths" were a complete surprise to everyone in this discussion.  And to the point about plug-in location: If this policy were strictly true and strictly enforced, shouldn't it be incumbent upon Adobe to require its third-party plug-in vendors to change their own installers' behaviors?  I know there are countless third-party plug-ins out there, but we use two major ones: Enfocus PitStop Pro and QuiteImposing.  The installers for both of these plug-ins automatically default to the embedded Plug-ins folder inside the Application bundle (at least on OS X).  They do offer a button to change the installation location, but this is effectively useless if the person performing the installation (IT staff or end user) doesn't know that the installer's default behavior is actually incorrect, according to the current internal Adobe dogma.  If you, Adobe, are going to insist that installation of plug-ins to the embedded Plug-ins folder is not correct, then remove the embedded folder and require third-parties to install to your mandated "correct" location.  It is disingenuous of you, Adobe, to continue to provide legacy support for the old way of installing plug-ins, only to then blame your customers that they should've known not to install plug-ins in the legacy location when you force an upgrade down our throats that destroys plug-ins installed in the legacy location with no warning.  Adobe, you can't move the goalposts without telling anyone, and then blame the players for not knowing the new rules.

As for the blatant admission in this thread that creative pros are not even a consideration when developing new versions of Acrobat, that the "Knowledge Worker" is the primary demographic, there is a blindingly simple solution:  It is far past time to fork the product.  You even have the naming convention sitting there staring you in the face:

Two products:  Acrobat DC for the knowledge worker market, and Acrobat CC for the creative market.  Done.  Problem solved.  If you're so allergic to preference settings that would allow users to alter the fundamental behavior of the product, then you must offer two products.  Because otherwise you're leaving money on the table by alienating the very portion of the market that got you to where you are today.

Simple.

[walterw20266593]

I just cancelled my CC subscription because of this fiasco...  Going back to CS6.

-W