How to install and use Foxit Reader in Linux - Tutorial
Updated: November 19, 2022
All right, it is time for another tutorial in my Windows to Linux saga. Today, I will focus on FoxitReader, a versatile PDF viewer (and to some extent, editing software), with lots of interesting anduseful capabilities. If you're pondering a move from Windows to Linux, then you may be thinking, hey,will this run, too?
For a change, unlike most of my previous tutorials of this nature, the answer here is a bit moreconvoluted. However, we shall explore and answer everything. Once again, I will call upon WINE toinstall Foxit Reader, but then, let's get to it. After me.
Why Foxit Reader?
This is actually a good question - and quite valid. As it happens, Foxit Reader does have a nativeLinux build, but if I'm not mistaken, it's last been updated around 2013. This means that if you wantto use this program, you will want the newer Windows-only builds going forward.
The more philosophical question is, unlike say SketchUp or Kerkythea or Notepad++, does one really need a non-native PDF tool in Linux? Andthe answer here isn't as straightforward as earlier. With the other programs I've migrated so far, thefunctionality difference was rather clear-cut. The native Linux programs did not offer suitable parity,which is why I selected the Windows applications for the job.
With PDF software, Linux has a great deal of versatility. Top-notch command-line tools, for one.There's also a range of paid applications, with pretty decent quality, which I will be reviewing in thecoming months. Even with the available free range, you're sort of in good hands. Okular does areasonable job, although its editing capabilities can be better. But it's not like you'll be in a totallurch.
That said, Foxit Reader has a lot of nifty options - perhaps too many, one could say. Tabbedinterface, ability to turn off Javascript (I wonder why this should ever have been included indocuments, go figure), Protected Mode for viewing potentially unsafe files, okay annotationfeatures, and you can also use signatures. Not bad. All right then, let's install it.
WINE configuration
The first step is to have WINE installed on your system. I am going to use the exact same methodoutlined in the SketchUp Make 2017 tutorial (see link above). I have the WINE repositories added, and Iinstalled the 6.X branch on my system (at the time of writing). You can also use 7.X, if you like.Perhaps you should, as it seems to offer even better compatibility, as I've recently discovered in my going full native with Linux on an older laptop withhybrid graphics. That's another story in this fine migration saga.
Foxit Reader installation
Download the program, head to the command line, and install it:
wine "Foxit Reader installer executable"
The setup is quite simple and quick. WINE did not prompt or ask for any additional components orlibraries to be downloaded and configured. So technically, you're all set, and you can start using theprogram.
Does it work well?
The answer is, for the most part yes. I'd say 95%. The actual functionality is all there, and theprogram behaves in a reliable and consistent fashion. However, there is some small visual glitches withFoxit Reader running in maximized window mode. I noticed tiny artifacts in the UI, probably aconsequence of the fact this tool isn't designed to run in a Linux desktop environment, and there maybe some subtle clashes between its native styling and whatever the host system wants. The other issueis, once, just once, the program didn't start when I tried to launch it. It was as if the machineignored my click on the launch icon. Not sure what happened there.
Conclusion
And there we go, another task successfully completed. Perhaps this is not the most ideal ofscenarios, and the visual glitches mar the perfect record so far, but then again, this does give youthe extra flexibility you may need working with PDF files. If for whatever reason a native programcan't handle something, you can have Foxit Reader installed through WINE as your backup, or use it asyour primary utility, if you so wish.
The installation was pretty straightforward, and I'm quite happy that the full range of excellentcapabilities are all there, and work correctly. Well then, that brings us to the end of this tutorial.There shall be many coming soon, so stay tuned. Also, if you do have potential problems or snags thatmay affect your own migration journey, ping me, I may perhaps be able to find a solution. Takecare.
Cheers.
