What game is that? Some details might help.

But anyway, GOG should switch to Sumatra PDF. No nasty Adobe bloatware crap, and it renders a hell of a lot better too.

Its not exactly "sneaky" when there is an option to not install it. It is installed by default, but only when it does not detect some other PDF reader on the system. A PDF reader of some kind is needed for the game manuals. I thought they already switched to Foxit Reader instead of Adobe?

Some of them bundle Adobe Reader, others bundle Foxit Reader, I don't think I've seen Sumatra yet.

Unfortunately, Foxit sucks. It crashes my Firefox every time I try to open a PDF file in the browser. Or rather, since I know it does this, every time I click a link that turns out to lead to a PDF file.

Dunno. I've never had this 'YOU MUST HAVE READER NAOW' problem, so I wouldn't know. That's why I was interested in finding out which game committed the atrocity. Well they should. It does its job as a reader perfectly without any hidden processes crap. Have you ever tried the full Acrobat? Urgh is all I can say. I really don't understand how a company like Adobe has such dominance.

This is true, but I almost never go into the custom install options. I didn't even know there was a button for that for the longest time. I think there definitely needs to be a prompt asking if you want to install Adobe Reader rather than hiding the option in a menu that I have trouble finding.

While the PDF reader is needed for the manuals, I personally don't read the manuals. Therefore the PDF reader isn't need for the game. ;)

I have. I actually tried to do an RPG character generation application in it using its built-in support for Javascript to fill out a nice-looking printable character sheet. I gave up though due to it refusing to work when too much code was entered (even after sub sequently removing large pieces), the application is now AIR though very much incomplete.

The format itself is pretty good for its intended purpose: distributing documents that are almost-universally readable but hard to edit.

You trust installers implicitly and never check what they are doing? I don't care what I am installing, I never trust the "default install" options and always check for custom settings. Trusting installers is how you end up with things like the "spam toolbar of the month" installed on your system without your knowledge.

A PDF reader may not be required for the game, but in this day and age, a PDF reader is almost a pre-requisite for PC use. Given that, the fact that the installers were installing a PDF reader by default was probably not much of an issue for most people, since most of them already had Adobe or something else. As long as you have some application associated with PDF files already, the installer will never install anything extra.

That was Tropico. Just looked when the installation is finish and saw that it's trying to install Adobe Reader.

It should not install any reader or any other software. If I like to read the manual I can install a reader myself.

Anyway, it's just a small annoyance. Keep up the good work GOG.com.

One minor note: the installer actually does tell you in advance that it will install Adobe Reader... in the license agreement that I'm sure almost none of us read.

I hate Adobe Reader, but even with how much I hate it I don't know of a better program that works equally well.

Personally I prefer PDF-Xchange. Can't stand Adobe Reader. Does the installer force it upon you?

No, but you have to manually uncheck it if you don't already have a PDF reader installed (or a manual dummy association for PDF files, I guess).

Check Firefox's Tools, Options, Applications tab and make sure Foxit is selected as your PDF file reader, could be still set on Adobe.

Edit: Also make sure Foxit prefs has the use in browser checked (see image)