View PDF files in Safari with Reader 7

Install the latest version (7.0) of Adobe Reader, known in a past life as Acrobat Reader, and it will also install a Safari plugin that enables you to view PDF files directly in a Safari web browser window (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html). This saves a bunch of time over downloading the PDF to disk and then launching Acrobat. This is one feature that was handy on a PC, and while there was a third-party plug-in floating around that does this, it's very nice that Adobe now provides that functionality out of the box (click the screenshot for a larger version).

This has, obviously, been around since Reader 7.0 came out, but with the stability of OS X, it was only today when I accidentally quit Safari and then had to relaunch it that it picked up the newly installed Internet Plugin that's installed in /Library -> Internet Plugins -> AdobePDFViewer.plugin.

[rob griffiths adds: I hadn't even downloaded Reader 7 yet; after installing it and testing the PDF plug-in, I must admit that Adobe's done a really nice job with it -- there's a page browser sidebar, searchability, comments and attachments show up, selection and rotation tools, and full zoom control. Schubert-IT's PDF Browser Plug-in still has a role to play, though, as the Adobe solution seems to only work in Safari...]
http://www.schubert-it.com/pluginpdf/

UPDATE:

Since this subject has attracted a fair bit of attention, and quite a bit of "Schubert vs. Adobe" discussion, I took the time to do a head-to-head comparison of the two plug-ins.

Feature Description
Schubert
Adobe
Save
Y
Y
Print
Y
Y
Email
N
Y
Search
N
Y
Search Options
N/A
Whole words only, case sensitive, include bookmarks, include comments, match exact word or phrase or match any words, proximity, stemming
Text Selection/copy
N
Y
Graphic Clipping
N
Y
Zoom Options
+ and ? buttons
14 specific sizes, + and ? buttons, fit page, actual size, fit width, fit visible
Fit Page Vertical
N
Y
Fit Page Horizontal
N
Y
Fit Whole Page
N
Y
Rotate Page
Y
Y
Spell check
N
Y (comments and form fields)
Form Support
N (data can be entered but not saved)
Y
Undo Field Changes
N/A
Y
Browsers
Most
Safari Only
Hide Toolbars
Y
Y
Viewing Options
Individual, Facing, Continuous
Single page, Continuous, Continuous Facing, Facing
View One Page at a Time
N
Y
Show Attachments
N
Y
Thumbnail Page Browser
N
Y
Jump to Specific Pages
N
Y
Jump a Page at a Time
Y
Y
View Comments
Y
Y
View Comments as Text
N
Y
Search Comments
N
Y
Quick 'Open With Viewer' Access
Y
N
Table of Contents Button [Note 1]
Y
N

[Note 1 – I couldn't find a PDF online with a table of contents with which to test this feature, so all I can state is that Schubert has a button for it, and Adobe does not. It may very well work fine in both plug-ins, but I don't have a viable test document to check them with.]
http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20050118025943971

MACinations February 05

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