Windows 7 has a specific pdf reader program available from Adobe. The marks the beginning of third party support for the new operating system.
So far, the web-available software I have downloaded has not listed a specific Windows 7 version. Often, it is Windows 2000/XP/Vista, or sometimes a separate download for Windows Vista.
Windows 7 is intended to be completely application-compatible with Vista programs, so a 2000/XP/Vista download is fine, as is a Vista-specific download.
Also, because Windows 7 is new, I’m not surprised that the operating system does not have specific software available for it yet.
On the other hand, this has to change soon. The official release date for Windows 7 is not that far off, it it won’t be of much help if there isn’t software and drivers to take advantage of it.
So if applications designed for Vista are fully compatible with the Window 7 operating system, why download a special version for Windows 7?
The main reason is to add jump menus to the program.
Jump menus are a handy way to access program-specific functions directly from the taskbar or start menu.
The Windows 7 version of Adobe Reader provides a jump menu giving access to recently opened files, which seem to be the most common and obvious use for a jump menu for most applications.
It should be interesting to see if Adobe provides an updated version of its reader with additional jump menu functions, or if they will stick to recently opened files.
Other software venders are sure to follow suit with Windows 7 specific applications. When you start using Windows 7, be sure to upgrade your software, if available for free, to take advantage of new Windows 7 features.
If you have to pay for the upgrade, well, quite honestly jump menus are nice but they are not essential, and hardly worth paying for. We’ve got by without them this long.
Still, jump menus are handy, so I’m looking forward to Windows 7 versions as they come out for my favorite software. Adobe reader is just the beginning.
Leave me a comment below to share your thoughts with me.
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