WHY DOES ADOBE NEED SO MANY UPDATES?!!!!!

[M L]

Why the heck does adobe reader need to many frigging updates every frigging week!!!

I swear, as a student i have enough active programs already, i don't need more porgrams to frigging restart my computer everyday just because your stable platform of adobe sucks. The worst part about adobe's updates, are the following:

1) it is huge UPDATES (30mbs+), if I were to download the adobe reader from your site right now, it is less than the update package. Hows does that even make sense.

2) It feels the need to be important and restart your computer every time it updates.

3) Why does Adobe Reader even need so many updates, if there is constant client problems, than I think you should release a stable client all at once.

I will not use this PDF reader ever again. There is better PDF readers out there, that don't waste people's time on updates.

p.s. mounting a complain on this site also sucks. Has anyone tried to click on the product feedback page? it is like they don't want you to complain about their products.

[Guest]

Totally agree what a waste of space for an app that is just a third rate file compressor!

[Guest]

Yes i'm so glad that I only use the free PDF viewer

as if i had bought the full PDF software the updates on the free stuff

is enough to show that Adobe never finish anything!

VERY FEED UP WITH YOUR INVASION OF MY PC!!!

PLEASE READ WHAT YOUR READERS WRITE!!!!

[Guest]

Yes i'm so glad that I only use the free PDF viewer

as if i had bought the full PDF software the updates on the free stuff

is enough to show that Adobe never finish anything!

VERY FEED UP WITH YOUR INVASION OF MY PC!!!

PLEASE READ WHAT YOUR READERS WRITE!!!!

[pwillener]

Adobe Reader (and Acrobat) updates four times per year; is that really too much?

1. 2014/01/14: 11.0.06
2. 2014/05/13: 11.0.07
3. 2014/08/12: 11.0.08 (out-of-band security update)

[AndoniosNYC]

Pat, your reply about 4 updates a year is a lie or you just aren't doing correct research!

Check the beginning of this topic when you wrote that same answer in 2011 and someone replied, that is only point updates, there are so many numerous (seems weekly) in-between versions security updates happening. If there weren't do you think this thread would keep going on with Irate consumers?

Heck, I've been an adobe photoshop user since the very beginning, version 1.0!  I want adobe to do well, but I have to be honest, these dam updates for reader and flash, back to back weekly, seems daily almost, first time I boot up to check my e-mail for the day are extremely!!! annoying!

Especially since I am not planning on even using the flash player or reader that day!

And I have my adobe updater set to ask me before automatically installing updates, so maybe that is why I get asked so much?

Either way, it's an update!

I don't know what I will do, but tell whoever is working on this issue at adobe, it's gotten to the point where I feel like cancelling my photoshop cloud account, deleting reader and flash. And trust me, companies that I have done that to in the past, haven't survived very long afterwards in the past!

Not because I did it, no, but because if it is that annoying to get me to do it, it also gets millions of other consumers to do it.

So WAKE UP ADOBE>>>People Hate your updating scheme!!!

Thanks for letting me air my frustration,

Sincerely

Anthony

[ficknfecker]

This is absolutely ridiculous.. 

[Test Screen Name]

Interesting that some people say there are 40+ updates to Adobe Reader, when in reality there seem to be about 4.

Perhaps they are failing and trying over and over.

Perhaps Adobe have secret updates that they don't tell us about (but it doesn't explain why only a few people get them).

Perhaps people have scam or malware claiming updates (I have often seen this)

Perhaps people are mistaking Flash for Adobe Reader. Flash Player has more updates, but that's not what is claimed here.

[AndoniosNYC]

What is interesting is you and adobe AREN'T actually listening or trying to understand the needs of some frustrated adobe users!

Let me give you a recent example please of my issue with the updates, I go to log on each morning just to check my e-mail, first thing that pops up is a window asking my permission to update adobe flash (because I don't allow auto-updating).

So knowing I'd have to wait for the update to install and probably need a reboot, I decline, because I want to quickly check my e-mail and move on.

Then I go through this same process every few days for weeks until one day I have to decide to waste valuable time and let it finally update, sit there and lose my momentum or train of thought.

This might not be annoying to you but to me (and obviously others) it is. Basically I don't like being interrupted as soon as I log on! (4 times a year or ever)

Couldn't it wait until you are logging off to ask you? the way Microsoft performs updates.

That way, you say okay and walk away, it does it's update and shuts off. It doesn't need a reboot because it is already shutting down and you don't need to sit there waiting like an idiot.

I also have another idea for flash, perhaps for people like me, not having it installed and constantly updating (basically I lump all adobe updates together, flash, reader and so on) I am thinking it might be easier for me to uninstall flash, and only install the latest version when i need to actually use it, then quickly uninstall it again.

That way i don't need to be interrupted first time I boot up to update it when I am not even planning on using it!

Same idea for reader, it should update when you are about to use the dam thing not when you boot up to do other tasks.

Better yet, why even reside on our PC's at all, why not the cloud?

Couldn't adobe keep the latest updates installed on their servers of these 2 web associated programs and we just use them off the cloud when they are needed?

That would make the most sense to me, no updates needed then, not 4 times a year not ever.

Thanks for listening to my thoughts if you even care.

Thanks

Anthony

[Test Screen Name]

I have no opinion on Flash updates. This is the Adobe Reader forum. People do seem to get easily confused between the two.

[pwillener]

AndoniosNYC wrote:

Thanks for listening to my thoughts if you even care.

If you have suggestions for Adobe, post them here

• Adobe Reader: https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform
• Flash Player: https://bugbase.adobe.com/

This is mostly a user-to-user forum, and we users do not have any say in Adobe update policy.

That being said, I still don't understand why some users (like me or TSN) get four updates in a year, and other users get 365.  If you have Adobe Reader 11.0.09 installed, then what is it updating to?  And Flash Player: if you have version 15.0.0.152/15.0.0167 installed, it will perform a silent background update to 15.0.0.189 - you won't even notice that it has been updated.

I am seriously interested what is happening on computers that get daily updates; can anyone provide the information that leads to a solution of that puzzle?  Screenshots will definitely help!

[Test Screen Name]

Actually, AndoniosNYC' post is very revealing. He complains that Flash prompts for an update each time you login, IF YOU DON'T INSTALL IT. This seems right and proper; these are security fixes and it seems right that Adobe work at getting you to install them, and not offer a "forget it" option. I confess to being irritated by updates, not least because every company does it differently, and they all feel it's so important you must know immediately, and generally when you have work to do. What's really needed is a Microsoft/Apple update solution that treats all updates in the same single way. I think this might be a reality with app store apps in Windows and Mac.

So AndoniosNYC gets a lot of update messages BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN THERE ARE A LOT OF UPDATES. Since many of us know for a fact that there aren't a lot of Adobe Reader updates, this (coupled with the confounding of multiple Adobe products) may explain why a view, so patently incorrect, is so strongly held.

[pwillener]

You may be right with your explanation.

For those who suffer from "unwanted updates"; they can be disabled if so desired.

Adobe Reader: Edit | Preferences | Updater

Flash Player: open the Flash Player Settings Manager, tab Advanced

[AndoniosNYC]

Thanks everyone for all the replies.

Yes, i admit the reason i feel this way (and maybe others) is for the reasons many of you stated, I don't have install updates automatically enabled (and I don't want that) and I often say no to update now (because I have stuff to do) and so it keeps prompting me (annoying more like it). Perhaps a "Don't ask me again until I decide to run the software" option would help?

BUT the reason I DON"T want to enabled automatic updates happening every few days (or whenever) seamlessly in the background is simple, i don't TRUST any software to decide to change and download updates without my knowledge because of hacks.

Think about it, hackers are getting past Bank security, NATO and government firewalls, and you don't think they can find a way to trick our computers into thinking the update is coming from adobe and actually run a male-ware that takes over our systems?

I will never trust any update from anyone, without me ok'ing it first and maybe doing a system image first, as simple as that for me.

So i appreciate all the suggestions here, and yes, it is multiple adobe products, but for now perhaps my best option is to choose the "Never check for updates" option and then I can manually check for them myself when I have free time, say once a month? 12x a year?

12 system images, that should be plenty...I can't see why the software is so vulnerable it needs any more security patches than 12x a year. Thanks everyone!

Anthony

[Test Screen Name]

While I sympathise with the annoyance, I cannot advocate your approach of putting off security updates for even a day. Have you heard of "zero day attacks"? Zero-day attack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Your best protection includes full system backups every single day, kept indefinitely. I certainly wouldn't have anything less. I have no trust of system restore for eliminating infections.

[ficknfecker]

The suggestion that I have is ADOBE needs to get their act together and

stop this mess.

Sent from my Solar Galaxy S5

[pwillener]

All my installed softwares have automatic updates disabled.  Instead of automatic checking, the first thing every morning is a visit to http://www.majorgeeks.com/ to see what updates have been released.

A very useful tool is also Secunia PSI, which will warn you of available security updates.

[RonaldBurgandy]

I HATE UPDATES FROM ADOBE.  NO MORE THAN 2X PER YEAR, PER PRODUCT, OK ADOBE?  GOOD LORD WE HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THEN CLICK UPDATE AND SEE WHAT IS CHANGED AND WHAT NO LONGER WORKS.

[~graffiti]

RonaldBurgandy wrote:

I HATE UPDATES FROM ADOBE.  NO MORE THAN 2X PER YEAR, PER PRODUCT, OK ADOBE? 

You're sure going to miss those security updates. Tell hackers to stop trying to find their way around security more than two times a year and this may work.

[Bird_1]

LOL!!  This made me laugh A LOT!

"An update is available".   We say that a lot around the office!

Should be a tee shirt. 

Haha Anyway, it's a small price to pay for software I have used every day since Photoshop2.0!

I must bid this thread adieu.  Turn your notifications OFF.

[Guest]

It is quite rediculous the number of updates they make you do. But there is one important thing to note, EVERY TIME you update it automatically selects the " Add Mcafee Antivirus" to your install on the download page. This is how they make their money and they purposely add extra update times in the hopes they can make an extra dime by getting you to install this software. The majority of their fixes are so inconsequential security wise that they can easily wait another few issues and combine them into a bigger update down the road. Many fixes are something so simple, like a font not appearing correctly for example. Adobe has a good revenue stream in general -- they charge HUGE amounts for their software because they don't understand the concept of economy of scale. Meaning, they can price a piece of software at $2000 and sell 1 copy (as a reference number), or charge $500 and sell 10 copies. Understand my point? 9 more people can afford it if the price was 1/4th of what it is and they'd spread it well. For goodness sakes, you can't even edit a PDF without buying their software. It is INSANE that they have a piece of software that is a READER of a document type.. A FREAKING reader. If a company can't get that right, with a patch once every 3 months their programmers are horrible coders. Seriously, it is so BLOATED. To open a 5.4MB PDF file it takes 128MB of system memory. Opening the exact same file in FoxIt reader takes 26MB. 

Remember how I said Adobe doesn't let you edit a PDF document without paying? FoxIt reader is free and lets you do some editing. Matter fact, when someone sends me a PDF that I need to sign, instead of printing it, signing it, scanning it - I just open it in FoxIt Reading and use a cursive font and type over the
   Sign here _______________________________    area and virtually sign my name. Adobe has the most bloated insecure most inconvinient weekly updating software on the market and they should be ashamed.

[pwillener]

Aaron Smith wrote:

Adobe has the most bloated insecure most inconvinient weekly updating software ...

Adobe Reader updates four times a year; if you get more updates, then you should provide some details so it can be fixed.

[jkeeney9267]

Consider the possibility that Adobe has been co-opted by the NSA just like Microsoft. Running the updated Acrobat will cause all your keystrokes and mouse movements to be recorded by Adobe and forwarded to the NSA.

[arieldumaran]

i think it is advertising MCfee products to be installed

[niksmif]

Completely agree - the constant barrage of Flash updates is so annoying and it's a pain that so many sources still reply on this antique technology.

But there is one update that Dreamweaver CS6 users would love to see - a fix for the infuriating 'Waiting for Server' message! Many complaints about this have been posted for years but still no fix or sensible response.

[Test Screen Name]

Sorry, I have no idea how often Flash updates. But I'd rather security holes were fixed promptly than wait....