[XhmikosR]

cybpsych, on Mar 15 2009, 03:25 AM, said:

I've done a quick comparison between Shark007's v9.0 (Sep'08) vs XhmikosR's v9.1 (Mar'09) ...

files differences aside, i focused on the AcroRead.msi itself.

Shark007: 1.68 MB (1,763,840 bytes)
XhmikosR: 3.75 MB (3,936,256 bytes)

this is interesting because Shark007 may have done much more on the MSI itself.

maybe v9.1 Lite can still be reduced further?

I'm not quite sure that this difference is only because of Shark007 having removed much more stuff. He maybe did, but for now I have already done everything I knew. You should also compare the sizes of the unmodified MSI of v9.0 and v9.1. If Shark007 has done more modifications to the MSI, then he might drop by and tell us his secrets. Or you can just experiment, like I did, and see what might come out of that. (That's the reason of the tutorial, I suppose )

EDIT:
Original MSI sizes:
v9.0: 1.72 MB (1,812,480 bytes)
v9.1: 3.78 MB (3,971,072 bytes)
Difference: 2,158,592 bytes

Lite MSI sizes:
v9.0: 1.68 MB (1,763,840 bytes)
v9.1: 3.75 MB (3,936,256 bytes)
Difference: 2,172,146 bytes

v9.0 original-Lite MSI: 48,640 bytes
v9.1 original-Lite MSI: 34,816 bytes

This post has been edited by XhmikosR: 14 March 2009 - 08:31 PM

[Shark007]

comparing the size of the MSI from one version to the next is pointless.
My original tutorial was complete. It had all the steps taken to create a Lite version.

I am quite satisfied that XhmikosR has successfully created a 9.1 Lite version worthy of re-distribution.
I will private message contact information to XhmikosR so that MajorGeeks can begin public re-distribution.


shark

[darks0ul]

3D is not working with this release. You can check it out with any of these files

[Shark007]

darks0ul, on Mar 15 2009, 07:57 AM, said:

3D is not working with this release. You can check it out with any of these files

3D is one of the removed components.
You will need to create your own Lite version using the tutorial or install the full version.


shark

[XhmikosR]

darks0ul, on Mar 15 2009, 01:57 PM, said:

3D is not working with this release. You can check it out with any of these files

Did the same 3D pdf work with Shark007's 9.0 Lite? Does it work with this rt3d.dll?

EDIT: And of course Shark007, is right.

This post has been edited by XhmikosR: 15 March 2009 - 06:10 AM

[darks0ul]

Shark: I did create mine, too. And didn't remove the Atmosphere_3D feature that installs rt3d.dll. I have the mst file I use (Spanish version, though, but it should work with the english one).

XhmikosR: did not. The same data parse error.

Uhm I'll have a look at something, got an idea.

By the way, I'm not really interested in 3d, but I tried it because some people requested 3d support in the past.

Edit: As I suspected, preserving rt3d.dll is not enough, the .x3d files are needed too. That solved the issue.
Edit2: By the way, with this release, the Create PDF using Acrobat.com shows up in the toolbar. Any idea on how to disable that?

This post has been edited by darks0ul: 15 March 2009 - 08:20 AM

[XhmikosR]

darks0ul, on Mar 15 2009, 02:23 PM, said:

Edit: As I suspected, preserving rt3d.dll is not enough, the .x3d files are needed too. That solved the issue.
Edit2: By the way, with this release, the Create PDF using Acrobat.com shows up in the toolbar. Any idea on how to disable that?

So 3D didn't work with v9.0 Lite with the fix that was posted in that topic?
You can disable it here: View-->Toolbars-->More Tools.

I've made some more changes. I'll post a new version for testing when I'll go home.

This post has been edited by XhmikosR: 15 March 2009 - 08:42 AM

[darks0ul]

XhmikosR, on Mar 15 2009, 03:38 PM, said:

So 3D didn't work with v9.0 Lite with the fix that was posted in that topic?
You can disable it here: View-->Toolbars-->More Tools.

I've made some more changes. I'll post a new version for testing when I'll go home.

The fix didn't work. In order to have 3D, the Atmosphere_3D component must not be removed from the MSI.
For the toolbar button, I mean silently (reg tweak?). Shark's version does not show it, and the version I created displays the button too (even though I disabled all online fetures using the customization wizard).

[Shark007]

darks0ul, on Mar 15 2009, 11:00 AM, said:

For the toolbar button, I mean silently (reg tweak?). Shark's version does not show it, and the version I created displays the button too (even though I disabled all online fetures using the customization wizard).

It is a new feature aspect of 9.1 that is why my version doesn't have it.


shark

[darks0ul]

Shark007, on Mar 15 2009, 05:58 PM, said:

It is a new feature aspect of 9.1 that is why my version doesn't have it.


shark

Hehe, I wonder what kind of people would need a button just to launch www.acrobat.com ...
Anyway, I disabled it manually, but could not find a registry key for that. I guess it will be just binary information stored in a preference file.

[XhmikosR]

I've already found the registry key for that, but I'll do some tests and if everything goes well I'll post tomorrow the new version.

[XhmikosR]

I couldn't help it, and before I go to sleep I wanted to release the new version for everyone to test it.

v9.1.0.10: Download at first post

Changes since v9.1.0.6
* Changed BrandName to Adobe Reader 9.1 Lite
* Removed AdobeCollabSyncExe
* Removed some EULA stuff
* Removed "Create PDF using Acrobat.com" from the toolbar

Uninstall older versions of Adobe Reader Lite 9.1 and then install the new version in order to test it.

Please let me know if you encounter any problems. Otherwise if everything is fine, I'll update the tutorial and that version will be added in MajorGeeks.com.

EDIT:
Could somebody inform me why exactly rt3d.dll is needed? I included it because some people asked for it, but i don't know why it may be useful.

This post has been edited by XhmikosR: 15 March 2009 - 06:43 PM

[cybpsych]

gave v9.1.0.9 a run ...

confirm: "Create PDF using Acrobat.com" icon is removed from the toolbar.

not working: 3D PDF from link provided by darks0ul. Same error.

from what darks0ul mentioned earlier, 3D PDF support only provided by Atmosphere_3D component (which is removed in Lite). therefore, my question is same as XhmikosR, why rt3d.dll is needed anyway?

might as well remove this rt3dll.dll and gain a 2MB+ space

This post has been edited by cybpsych: 15 March 2009 - 06:28 PM

[Annita]

Thanks for the update.
Will you post all languages?

Thnx.

[XhmikosR]

cybpsych, on Mar 16 2009, 02:17 AM, said:

gave v9.1.0.9 a run ...

confirm: "Create PDF using Acrobat.com" icon is removed from the toolbar.

not working: 3D PDF from link provided by darks0ul. Same error.

from what darks0ul mentioned earlier, 3D PDF support only provided by Atmosphere_3D component (which is removed in Lite). therefore, my question is same as XhmikosR, why rt3d.dll is needed anyway?

might as well remove this rt3dll.dll and gain a 2MB+ space

Since Atmosphere_3D is removed 3D is not working with Lite version. That is something known, you don't have to report it. But I really want to know why some people wanted rt3d.dll to be included. And BTW, it's not 2mb, it's less than 900KB, but nevertheless if it's not needed I would like to remove it, but I need to know what it does exactly.

Annita, on Mar 16 2009, 02:32 AM, said:

Thanks for the update.
Will you post all languages?

Thnx.

Not in the near future, I'm sorry. But I'll probably do it sometime in the future when I complete most of my changes.

This post has been edited by XhmikosR: 15 March 2009 - 06:55 PM

[cybpsych]

i'd prefer Shark007's stance, use Adobe Reader Full if more features required Else, Lite would provide basic PDF viewing ...

besides, Full vs Lite is just ~5MB difference

[XhmikosR]

So why don't you create your Lite version and use that? I only included rt3d.dll because many people asked for it. If you have a good reason why rt3d.dll shouldn't be included I'd be glad to know about it. Just that I could save less than 900kb isn't enough. I've already reduced the size of AR Lite since my first release, and I'm willing to reduce it more, but you know, I'd like to know why.

This post has been edited by XhmikosR: 15 March 2009 - 07:11 PM

[cybpsych]

LOL i have created my own Lite, although not as extensive as yours that's why your work is very much appreciated; especially taking up the challenge of continue Shark007's excellent work

i'm totally a fresh noob in editing MSI .. only started using InstallShield just to follow Shark007's guide That's why my own Lite (EN) follow Shark007's and your instructions only

anyway, i won't share out my Lite because it'd be redundant anyway.

do keep up the work!

[provolino]

XhmikosR, on Mar 16 2009, 12:47 AM, said:

EDIT:
Could somebody inform me why exactly rt3d.dll is needed? I included it because some people asked for it, but i don't know why it may be useful.

rt3d.dll is needed together with Atmosphere_3D to have 3d PDF full support.
If you add it as standalone it's useless, so you can remote it

BTW, I really appreciate your work (and Shark007 for 9.0) creating this Lite version but I'm starting to wonder if it is still useful nowadays.
I mean, I recently installed full version of 9.1 on several desktops / notebooks with standard components for testing and it takes just 4/5 seconds to load with all its plugins.
Moreover you are sure it supports all PDF files you can find on the web (including 3D ones, etc.) with no worries to fight against missing dlls or similar stuff.

I can also understand there are people just want basic pdf support (because they have old pcs with few ram, for example) but for them I suggest to install "Foxit Reader" because it does all Adobe Lite does and it's even faster

Just my 2 cents

This post has been edited by provolino: 16 March 2009 - 03:35 AM

[RogerDB]

Hi.

I would just like to add to the sentiments stated by Provolino, namely appreciation and gratitude to both XhmikosR and Shark007 for their work (both current and previous) on creating a Lite version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Thanks again to both of you!

I understand completely that Provolino might be wondering if the Lite version is still useful. I, however, completely believe that your repackaging work is still COMPLETELY valid.

The main benefit of the Lite version would be the removal of the AcroRd32Info process. This alone is of immense benefit, since the process is a resource consumer and in most cases, completely unwanted - leading to quite a number of complaints regard it as a security risk or even be called malware itself. Note that even in the 9.0 Lite version, the PDFShell.dll explorer hook is still registered, but without the AcroRd32Info process, system impact is non-existent to minimal.

I believe Shark007 made very wise decisions for removing plugins that are not used by a large majority of Adobe Acrobat Reader users. I congratulate XhmikosR for keeping with these decisions, including the removal of all Adobe updater components. A lot of these components are simply not needed. The updater alone causes irresponsible resource use. If I need to update, I'm more than happy to uninstall the older version and install a newer one.

All in all, the Lite series for Adobe Acrobat Reader is an excellent product. It works just the way most people would want it to work. Adobe should be ashamed for not providing the option to install lighter versions of it software. However, its completely natural that once a company gets a certain measure of success, it assumes its smarter than its users. This leads to a great degree of arrogance in installing bloated software that just ignores the needs of users.

As for the suggestion to use Foxit Reader... well, is it really a good replacement?

The answer is completely dependent on the individual using it. I have installed and used Foxit. Its a very good piece of software. However, there are drawbacks. My main issue with Foxit is that it doesn't render certain documents correctly. By this I mean that the document is still readable, but there are formatting errors (elements moved out of place), and even fonts being displayed differently (slightly lower quality).

So in summary, the reason I'm posting this is simply to state that I truly strongly believe that there is a place in this world for the Adobe Acrobat Reader Lite repackagings. In a perfect world, software would be light on resources, fast and work perfectly. However, this is not a perfect world... but having people who are willing to spend their time and effort to do something about it, makes things all that little bit better.

So thanks once again to both XhmikosR and Shark007. Your contributions are immensely appreciated!


PS: IMHO, rt3d.dll can be removed. If users REALLY needed 3D in their PDF, they can use the full version of Adobe Acrobat Reader. Alternatively, perhaps an archive file can be provided with the necessary files that can be copied in to add 3D support and provided as an optional download to add on to the Lite version.