Why does Adobe require an email client?

[ultrageek]

I use Adobe acrobat reader because I have no choice. That is the format I receive documents.
I will NEVER use M$ Outlook, I hate Outlook. I use a simple web-based email that Adobe is too simple to recognize or integrate with.

Yet, Adobe insists that I have an email client specified because the masses are too lazy to do the hard job of sending a pdf file OUTSIDE of Adobe software, and it seems that Outlook is the only one that they can possible accept. Adobe will not stop complaining about having no default email client specified.

[Test Screen Name]

When does "Adobe" complain (what triggers it)? What version do you have exactly? 

[ultrageek]

Adobe Reader X1 11.0.5

Every time I open a pdf, there is a modal window in Adobe reader that opens in the background, sometimes behind other windows like "pop-unders"... I have to close this window before the document will completely open. The text of this window is...

  Title bar: Microsoft Outlook (which I do not have installed)

   There is either no default mail client installed or the current mail client cannot fulfill the messaging request.
Please set Microsoft Outlook as the default mail client.

I only receive this message when opening documents in Adobe Reader. I only use PDF files for work. Honestly, because I have no "personal" interest in exploring further, I am unfamiliar with any other software outside of Adobe (reader or acrobat) that uses PDF files.

[Test Screen Name · Accepted solution]

I thought I didn't recognise the problem. Reader XI 11.0.5 was released 7 years ago. Adobe have completely redesigned the latest version to use webmail if needed.  Reader 11 is long past end of life and no more fixes will ever be made for it (though you are missing 18 of them!)

[Test Screen Name]

And why do you believe you have no choice? Are you unaware that PDF is an ISO standard with multiple implementations?

[try67]

Reader does not "force" you to use an email client, including Outlook. Maybe the file is trying to generate an email when opened, and when it fails it shows this message, or something like that.

[ultrageek]

Thank you everyone for the feedback

Hard lesson learned.  Keep your software up to date.