What is the Adobe Acrobat Viewer?
The Adobe Acrobat Viewer is a Java application that lets you view Portable Document Format (PDF) files on any system where a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is installed. If you already have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you won't need Acrobat Viewer. But if there is no version of Acrobat Reader available for your system, and you have a JVM installed, then Acrobat Viewer is for you. Software developers can use Acrobat Viewer as an application, applet, or JavaBean. You will be able to license it as an OEM product, for a fee, to bundle with your Java-related products or to integrate into your custom Java solutions using the JavaBean interface.

Will Adobe Acrobat Viewer be distributed for free like Adobe Acrobat Reader for Mac OS, Windows, and UNIX?
Acrobat Viewer will not be distributed for free. You can license this OEM product for a fee. Additional details will be made available when the final product is ready for distribution. For more licensing details as they become available, e-mail Adobe at javaviewerlicensing@adobe.com.

How can I license Adobe Acrobat Viewer to distribute with my own products or to use in my custom Java development? How much will it cost to license?
Licensing details will be made available when the final product is ready for distribution. For more licensing details as they become available, e-mail Adobe at javaviewerlicensing@adobe.com.

When will Adobe Acrobat Viewer become available?
The beta (prerelease demo of the application version) is available now for you to download and evaluate. The final version of the Acrobat Viewer will be available for licensing and distribution later this summer. For details on availability, e-mail Adobe at javaviewerlicensing@adobe.com.

What are the requirements to run Adobe Acrobat Viewer?
The recommended Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.1.8. Download JDK 1.1.8.

For Mac OS you need Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ) version 2.1.2. Download MRJ 2.1.2.

Can I use Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.1.7x?
The recommended JDK is version 1.1.8. However, on Windows, version 1.1.7 should work fine. On Solaris using 1.1.7, dialog boxes come up larger than full screen, along with several other annoying user-interface quirks.

Can I use Java Development Kit (JDK) version 1.2.x?
The recommended Java Virtual Machine for Acrobat Viewer is JDK version 1.1.8. There is a problem with reading GIF files from a JAR with 1.2.1, so if you try to run the application directly from the acrobat.jar, the toolbar icons fail to show up. If you wish to use 1.2.x, follow the steps below:

1. Create a new folder called AcrobatViewer, and copy the "acrobat.jar," "help.pdf," and "License.pdf" files to this folder. If you've already installed Viewer, you can find the jar file and the two PDF files in the installed directory.
   
2. Unjar (decompress) the "acrobat.jar" file. If you're on Windows, use WinZip to open this file and extract all of the files into the AcrobatViewer folder you have just created. You can also use the JDK jar command as follows:
   jar -xf acrobat.jar
   You should end up with the following subfolders inside of AcrobatViewer:
   AcrobatViewer
   com
   Meta-inf
   
3. Start Acrobat Viewer by using the JDK java command as follows (make sure that you're in the AcrobatViewer folder - go to a command prompt window and switch directories to the AcrobatViewer folder where the un-jarred files are):
   java com.adobe.acrobat.Viewer

Can I run Adobe Acrobat Viewer as a browser plug-in?
No. This release doesn't support running the viewer as a browser plug-in. Adobe will consider providing support for this in a future release.

Can I run Adobe Acrobat Viewer as an applet?
No. The beta (prerelease demo version) of Adobe Acrobat Viewer can be run only as an application, due to limitations of the virtual machines that are bundled with Netscape Navigator. Additional details on running the viewer as an applet will be made available when the product is ready for final distribution.