- I actually clicked on the answer button for this more to see what fireworks had gone off in previous answers, but it has been surprisingly civilized so far. So I might as well add my two cents worth.
- For quite some time – about ten years – Apple hasn't pre-loaded Adobe Flash Player on Mac. Users had to install it from Adobe, and then, once it was installed, give permission for each website to run the Flash Plugin. See also: How to Back Up your Mac with Time Machine.
This may seem like a silly question, but PDFs are indispensable to the practice of law so this is an important consideration.
As I wrote in my review of Adobe Acrobat 9 for Law.com, PDF has become the lingua franca of legal documents – it is the standard for electronic filing, scanned documents, digital signatures, form distribution and much more. This means lawyers and legal professionals have to open and read a LOT of PDF files every day.
Speaking from a UI perspective they both offer a very different experience, so it really is user preference based on your usage habits. Personally, I prefer using a PC for serious work productivity, such as when I'm using the Adobe Creative Suite.
Opening & reading a PDF
About 90% of the time, all we need to do is open and read a PDF – we don't need to highlight or annotate anything, create bookmarks, or do anything else except just read the content.
So 90% of the time, I'm opening PDFs in Preview, the excellent image viewer that's built into Mac OS X.
Preview is truly a hidden gem that's built into Mac OS X. It's fast, functional and free, and it was designed by Apple to work within the Mac OS. It's the default viewer for image files such as JPG or TIFF, as well as PDFs. That means out of the box, your Mac will open Preview when you double-click a PDF file.
I choose to leave Preview as my default PDF viewer, even though I have both PDFpen and Adobe Acrobat on my system. I leave Preview as my default PDF viewer because it's fast and performs admirably when I simply need to open and read a PDF.
When you need to do more with a PDF…
Preview is 'free' since it's built into the Mac OS – you get it with any Mac you buy. In additional to simply opening and reading a PDF file, Preview is also excellent for sorting pages in an PDF, extracting certain pages out of a PDF, and dragging & dropping pages from one PDF file to another.
Preview does have some basic annotation tools which are nice, but they don't quite rise to the 'professional' level. That's when I turn to PDFpen from Smile Software, or Acrobat Professional from Adobe.
PDFpen from Smile Software
PDFpen offers a nice, intuitive interface that allows you to easily add a graphical signature, highlight text, annotate with a circle, place a stamp, and a myriad of other features.
The standard version of PDFpen is only $59.95, and the Pro version is only $99.95. That's a terrific bargain compared to Adobe Acrobat Standard at $299 and Acrobat Professional at $449.
But while I'm a big fan of PDFpen, I usually turn to Acrobat Professional when I need more features to interact with my PDF files.
Adobe Acrobat Professional
Acrobat is the original author of the portable document format (PDF), and even though they have freely and graciously licensed it over the years, they developed the original so they know PDF the best. That's not to say that others can't compete, but I tend to trust Acrobat when I need to do some heavy lifting on my PDFs.
For example:
- Security settings: you can set security on PDF files in Preview and PDFpen, but Acrobat gives you more options (e.g. refuse printing, restrict modification, prohibit combining files or extracting pages, etc.).
- Bates numbering: you can do this is PDFpen, but Acrobat offers several more options to tweak the look and settings of the Bates numbers.
- Redactions: Adobe has really improved their redaction feature since introducing it with Acrobat 8. This is 'true' redaction and NOT just simply covering over the text with a black box (see some scary stories in 'Redaction Gone Wrong!')
- Split PDF files: with Acrobat 9, you can split PDF files by number of pages, file size, and bookmarks.
- Forms: other applications (such as the Pro version of PDFpen) can handle form creation, but Acrobat just does it better.
- OCR: Acrobat has been doing this longer than many of the other applications, and I tend to see better results from Acrobat when compared to other PDF applications (although separate, devoted OCR applications still probably do a better job).
- Signatures: PDFpen does an excellent job of giving you the basic tools necessary for inserting a scanned image of your handwritten signature. In fact, PDFpen offers a simple workflow to create a transparent background on your signature. You have to jump through a few more steps to do the same in Adobe Acrobat. The big difference, however, is that Acrobat allows you to make that signature a little more sophisticated and trustworthy. You can customize the 'appearance' of the signature in Acrobat which could include text such as the date to accompany the scanned image of your signature. Acrobat also 'validates' the signature meaning that if the PDF is altered in any way after you apply that electronic signature, a warning box tells you that the 'signature is invalid.' I don't suggest that this is the ultimate is authenticity, but it is enough to raise the question if you need to investigate if someone altered the PDF after it was 'signed.' It's still a long way from a true, encryption-based digital signature, but it's an excellent step forward.
- Document compare: this is an excellent feature baked into Acrobat that I don't see a lot of people using, which is unfortunate. Both documents used in the comparison obviously need to be in PDF, but Acrobat provides an excellent comparison report on the differences found in the two files which is all most folks need when comparing two documents.
What should I buy?
I always recommend that lawyers and legal professionals purchase a full version of Adobe Acrobat Professional. Yes, there are less expensive options, but PDFs are integral to our profession and we therefore need professional-grade software.
I do NOT, however, suggest that you use Adobe Acrobat to the exclusion of any other PDF software. In fact, I recommend that you leave the default PDF viewer as Preview since it is faster in opening PDF files. And it doesn't hurt to have PDFpen on your system as well since there are occasions when a certain feature may be easier to implement when compared to a more convoluted process in Acrobat.
When to use which PDF application…
Leave Preview as your default PDF application. When you double-click a PDF file, it will open in Preivew.
When you need to open a PDF file in another application such as PDFpen or Acrobat, simply right-click (Ctrl+click) the file, go to 'Open With' and then select PDFpen or Acrobat from the list.
I know that involves a few extra steps, but for the majority of time when you just need to view a PDF, you'll be happier with the speed and performance of Preview.
(Adobe offers the free Adobe Reader for Mac, but I still recommend Preview over Reader because Preview is built into the Mac OS. The only time I would recommend Reader is when you might need to complete a form that someone created in Adobe Acrobat. But in that case you should have Acrobat Professional on your machine and will use that instead.)
The price is definitely right
The biggest barrier to Acrobat Professional is the price. Many folks understandably balk at the $449 price for a piece of software, so here is the best piece of advice if you've lasted this far in the post:
Don't buy Adobe Acrobat Professional by itself. Get a full copy of Adobe Acrobat Professional bundled with a Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M scanner for a little over $400. I know it sounds too good to be true, but you get one of the best desktop scanners on the market with a full copy of Adobe Acrobat Professional thrown in!
The only caveat is that the copy of Acrobat Professional is version 8, which is now two versions back (Acrobat X is just getting released now). I suspect that Fujitsu will update the version to 9 soon which will be more than adequate for most law practices. Actually, version 8 only lacks a small handful of features found in 9 and above. Most people using version 8 will never miss those features so I have no qualms about recommending the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M with Acrobat Professional 8 right now.
Got a message that says you have to update Flash Player on Mac? Don't promptly click the update button. If you are not careful, you can accidentally install adware or malware instead of Flash Player. And that's not what you need, right?
In this article we'll show you the best way to check for Flash updates and also give you a comprehensive guide to update Adobe Flash Player for Mac safely. Plus, we'll tell you how to uninstall it from your computer completely.
For example:
- Security settings: you can set security on PDF files in Preview and PDFpen, but Acrobat gives you more options (e.g. refuse printing, restrict modification, prohibit combining files or extracting pages, etc.).
- Bates numbering: you can do this is PDFpen, but Acrobat offers several more options to tweak the look and settings of the Bates numbers.
- Redactions: Adobe has really improved their redaction feature since introducing it with Acrobat 8. This is 'true' redaction and NOT just simply covering over the text with a black box (see some scary stories in 'Redaction Gone Wrong!')
- Split PDF files: with Acrobat 9, you can split PDF files by number of pages, file size, and bookmarks.
- Forms: other applications (such as the Pro version of PDFpen) can handle form creation, but Acrobat just does it better.
- OCR: Acrobat has been doing this longer than many of the other applications, and I tend to see better results from Acrobat when compared to other PDF applications (although separate, devoted OCR applications still probably do a better job).
- Signatures: PDFpen does an excellent job of giving you the basic tools necessary for inserting a scanned image of your handwritten signature. In fact, PDFpen offers a simple workflow to create a transparent background on your signature. You have to jump through a few more steps to do the same in Adobe Acrobat. The big difference, however, is that Acrobat allows you to make that signature a little more sophisticated and trustworthy. You can customize the 'appearance' of the signature in Acrobat which could include text such as the date to accompany the scanned image of your signature. Acrobat also 'validates' the signature meaning that if the PDF is altered in any way after you apply that electronic signature, a warning box tells you that the 'signature is invalid.' I don't suggest that this is the ultimate is authenticity, but it is enough to raise the question if you need to investigate if someone altered the PDF after it was 'signed.' It's still a long way from a true, encryption-based digital signature, but it's an excellent step forward.
- Document compare: this is an excellent feature baked into Acrobat that I don't see a lot of people using, which is unfortunate. Both documents used in the comparison obviously need to be in PDF, but Acrobat provides an excellent comparison report on the differences found in the two files which is all most folks need when comparing two documents.
What should I buy?
I always recommend that lawyers and legal professionals purchase a full version of Adobe Acrobat Professional. Yes, there are less expensive options, but PDFs are integral to our profession and we therefore need professional-grade software.
I do NOT, however, suggest that you use Adobe Acrobat to the exclusion of any other PDF software. In fact, I recommend that you leave the default PDF viewer as Preview since it is faster in opening PDF files. And it doesn't hurt to have PDFpen on your system as well since there are occasions when a certain feature may be easier to implement when compared to a more convoluted process in Acrobat.
When to use which PDF application…
Leave Preview as your default PDF application. When you double-click a PDF file, it will open in Preivew.
When you need to open a PDF file in another application such as PDFpen or Acrobat, simply right-click (Ctrl+click) the file, go to 'Open With' and then select PDFpen or Acrobat from the list.
I know that involves a few extra steps, but for the majority of time when you just need to view a PDF, you'll be happier with the speed and performance of Preview.
(Adobe offers the free Adobe Reader for Mac, but I still recommend Preview over Reader because Preview is built into the Mac OS. The only time I would recommend Reader is when you might need to complete a form that someone created in Adobe Acrobat. But in that case you should have Acrobat Professional on your machine and will use that instead.)
The price is definitely right
The biggest barrier to Acrobat Professional is the price. Many folks understandably balk at the $449 price for a piece of software, so here is the best piece of advice if you've lasted this far in the post:
Don't buy Adobe Acrobat Professional by itself. Get a full copy of Adobe Acrobat Professional bundled with a Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M scanner for a little over $400. I know it sounds too good to be true, but you get one of the best desktop scanners on the market with a full copy of Adobe Acrobat Professional thrown in!
The only caveat is that the copy of Acrobat Professional is version 8, which is now two versions back (Acrobat X is just getting released now). I suspect that Fujitsu will update the version to 9 soon which will be more than adequate for most law practices. Actually, version 8 only lacks a small handful of features found in 9 and above. Most people using version 8 will never miss those features so I have no qualms about recommending the Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M with Acrobat Professional 8 right now.
Got a message that says you have to update Flash Player on Mac? Don't promptly click the update button. If you are not careful, you can accidentally install adware or malware instead of Flash Player. And that's not what you need, right?
In this article we'll show you the best way to check for Flash updates and also give you a comprehensive guide to update Adobe Flash Player for Mac safely. Plus, we'll tell you how to uninstall it from your computer completely.
What is Flash Player?
For years, Adobe Flash Player has been one of the most popular plug-ins used by web browsers to reproduce videos, web ads, and interactive animations. But now its position is rocked by some security concerns and safer alternative solutions.
Google Chrome and Firefox contain the built-in version of Flash running in the sandboxed mode. This method is safer than running Flash as a plugin. What about Safari, it disables Flash Player by default starting from macOS Sierra. The point is that Apple wants you running on HTML5 — the newer and safer way of browsing the web. It supports the same multimedia elements as Flash but without any security issues.
However, the reality is that you still may need the Adobe Flash Player on your Mac. Many websites will not work if you uninstall it completely. Live streams like BT Sport can only be delivered in Flash, so if you are the BT Sport customer, you'll want to keep the Flash Player. In addition, a great number of gaming and education sites use Flash and until they implement the HTML5 standards, you'll need the Flash Player.
Why watch out for Flash updates on Mac?
Adobe is always trying to push its technology further and release the Flash updates to enhance the user experience and security. However, attackers still find the ways to trick you into downloading adware and malware through the popups. That's why you should know how to protect your Mac against the malicious attacks when you're trying to update your Adobe Flash for Mac.
Fortunately, it's easy to make sure that you are installing the real Flash for Mac and are not exposed to the vulnerable software. All you have to do is to be careful and don't trust the automatic updates.
How to update Flash Player on Mac (if it's already installed)
Instead of downloading anything from a popup, follow simple steps to check whether you really need to update Adobe Flash on Mac.
Go to the Apple menu and click System Preferences.
In the bottom left corner, choose Flash Player.
Choose the Updates tab.
Click the Check Now button.
If an update is available, click Yes to update. If no updates are available, you have the latest version of a Flash Player for Mac installed.
Easy enough, right? Make sure to invest some time and check if you do need to update Flash. Otherwise, downloading a false software package may harm your computer.
How to install Flash on your Mac safely
If Flash is not installed, which is by default on all new Macs, here's a step-by-step guide to install it safely.
Visit the Adobe Flash Player page.
Click the Download now button.
The installer will download to your computer. If you're using Safari, the file will go to your Downloads folder. If you're using another browser, it may ask where to save the file.
Open your Downloads folder and find the .dmg installer file.
Blender windows mac linux. Double-click the Install Adobe Flash Player file.
You will be asked if you really want to install Adobe Flash Player. Read the message carefully to make sure that it's the file you just downloaded. Click Open to proceed.
Agree to terms and conditions by clicking a checkbox.
Click the Install button.
In the window that appears, type your username and password.
Click the Install Helper button.
Click Allow Adobe to install updates (recommended).
Click Done.
That's it. It's also recommended to relaunch your web browser after installing Flash.
How to uninstall Flash completely
If you're concerned about the security flaws associated with your Adobe Flash Player, we'll show you how to uninstall it from your Mac.
Usually, uninstalling Flash can cause a bit of headache. But with CleanMyMac X, you can remove Adobe Flash Player in a few clicks. Just follow these simple steps:
Adobe Apps For Mac
Download CleanMyMac X and launch it.
Go to the Extensions in the sidebar.
Click Preferences Panes and then checkmark Flash Player.
Click the Remove button.
As you see, uninstalling Flash with CleanMyMac X is as easy as pie. Moreover, the whole process won't take more than five minutes. Try it out to uninstall Flash Player on Mac completely.
Adobe And Mac
That's it! Follow the tips above and don't let the tricky popups and websites take advantage of you. This way you'll stay up-to-date safely.
