Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Adobe Systems will restore Linux support for its PDF-viewing software with a version 7 release this week, CNET News.com has learned.

In March, Adobe made a prerelease version of Reader for Linux available for download so that citizens in the Netherlands could meet their tax-filing deadlines. Now the final version of the 7.0 update is ready, Adobe confirmed on Monday.

The graphics software powerhouse said it plans to announce version 7 for Linux and make it available on its Web site on Tuesday. (Version 7.0 for Microsoft Windows shipped in November 2004.) Adobe Reader lets people read and print documents stored in PDF, or Portable Document Format, and the new version also enables people to fill out forms electronically.

"The rate of adoption of the Linux operating system among enterprises worldwide--especially among government and financial services organizations--is increasing," Eugene Lee, vice president of marketing for Adobe's Intelligent Documents group, said in a statement. "Our customers were asking for Adobe Reader 7.0 on Linux as they begin to support core enterprise applications at the desktop."