Kubuntu 9.04 Xorg/KDE freeze starting adobe reader 9.1.0

[note]

I fully updated kubuntu with no additional repositories (sudo apt-get update, update-manager....). I installed
sudo apt-get install acroread version 9.1.0 and started from konsole: acroread and whole kde just freezes.
Then I restarted Xorg (Ctrl+Alt+F1 login ... gdm restart) and tried to start acroread as root: sudo acroread and it worked. Are there any problems with rights? I don't know why freezes.

I tried installing adobe reader 8.1.5 deb packet and this version works.

[torstenaf (afguy)]

I can confirm a similar behavior. When I open PDF links like this one:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1144439&highlight=pdf%27s+pc+freeze

My entire gnome session freezes. The mouse cursor still moves, but there is no response to keyboard input or mouse clicks. I have to use the laptop power button to hard restart my Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 9.04 Jaunty Jackalope
Firefox 3.0.11
acroread 9.1.0

I think that opening a file with an application should not freeze my desktop solid.

Related Bug #373954
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/acroread/+bug/373954

Related thread
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1144439&highlight=pdf%27s+pc+freeze

[Doug Holton (edtechdev)]

This has been happening to me for at least the past 6 months, maybe a year.

I went digging for a bug report and was surprised hardly anyone's posted about it.

Basically, the first time you open a pdf, either from your own computer or in firefox, the entire system locks up for a number of seconds - 10-30 on my dual core laptop.
Even VLC videos stop playing.

[Christian Huebner (ossarchitect)]

I have the same behavior with up-to-date kubuntu 9.04 and acroread 9.1.0 - opening links to pdf files with acroread from thunderbird causes hang of KDE/X. killing the offending acroread process frees up KDE. The behavior is reproducible.

[Brian Thomason (brian-thomason)]

Is this behavior still displayed in 9.3.3?

[dreamon (dreamon)]

Running Lucid Lynx. The problem is still there. After starting Adobe the system locks up completely for a couple of seconds. I tried Acroread 9 from the Repos and Acroread 8 from Adobe's homepage. Both versions cause this problem. Furthermore, once Acroread has recovered and you start scrolling around the programme ocassionally locks up again. I have absolutely no clue what is causing this, but I'd be happy to help sorting this out.

[dreamon (dreamon)]

Update: this hack solved the problem for me: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/acroread/+bug/615771/comments/3
Adobe Reader starts up much faster now and doesn't freeze anymore.

[Gianfranco Costamagna (costamagnagianfranco)]

Hi, a new acroread release (0.9.4) is available for update, could you give it a try and tell us if the problem persists?
If you still have this bug please set back the status to "new"
thanks

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for acroread (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]