An open letter to Adobe Reader programmers

To whom it may concern:

Since Microsoft Windows 95 came along, there has been a problem.  For some reason, Microsoft wanted everything in the "Start Menu" -- uninstallers, FAQ, webpage links.  In my mind, this is not the way it should be.  There should only be executeables in the start menu.  In fact, the "uninstall" icon should not be anywhere.  After all, they have a control panel for that!

Since Windows 95, I have manually removed and rearranged icons in my start menu.  My start menus are a thing of beauty.  Programs easily found.  No accidental uninstall processes.

Further, I have very little on my desktop.  I do not want my desktop cluttered up like an unedited start menu.

This brings me to the point of this letter.  Adobe Acrobat!  What do you do?  On a clean system, you have no option as to what to do with the icons.  A useless icon I might add.  Who clicks on the "Adobe Acrobat Reader" icon?  I click on the PDF file itself and let it launch the Reader program.  That is why people use "GUI" operating systems.  They do not have to know that "Adobe Acrobat Reader" opens PDF files.  The expect the OS to know.

So, not only do I not get to choose where you place your useless icon, it is even worse.  You see, you think that your program needs to be internet aware.  It has to interact with everyone in the world on the internet.  (Why?  I do not know.)  That means that you programmers have to be very careful.  If you make one slight error, some ne'er-do-well comes along and gains full access to my computer.  Thus, you must release security patches 4 times a day.

Now these patches would not bother me too much if it weren't for fact number 1.  EVERY PATCH replaces the icon on the desktop and in my start menu.  You know, the ones I deleted!  Hence, with every patch, I have to delete your worthless icons again!  Why?  Because you do not give us any options!

Here is an idea: just patch your software!  Do not worry about where the icons reside.  There is a reason there is no icon on my desktop.  I do not want it there.  There is a reason that there is no icon in the root of my start menu.  It is because I put it in "utilities".  You know, the list of things that I rarely click on.  Join us in the 21st century.  Stop being annoying.  Otherwise, I will stop using you!

Your friend

Douglas