Adobe Tests New PDF Reader for Linux

Although it opted not to offer version 6 of its Adobe Reader PDF viewer for Linux, Adobe has once again joined the open source movement with version 7. The company is offering a pre-release program for Adobe Reader 7.0 for Linux, allowing users to sign up and join the beta test. The new Adobe Reader, however, does not support legacy Windows versions including 9x and Me.

Adobe also announced on Thursday the availability of its Acrobat 7.0 line of products, which was introduced in November. New capabilities permit workgroups to use Acrobat 7 and Adobe's PDF format to manage business activities including form building, assembling documents from multiple sources and secure collaboration on projects outside of firewalls.