Busnesses like to send files, manuals, etc. in Adobe format because it's a universal standard. It renders everything the same for everyone regardless of operating system or "office" suite preference. If you were sending a word document to hundreds of people some would be able to read it and some not. You can even imbed the fonts so spacing and formatting will be the same to all recipients and you won't lose the real look of the document. The reader is available as a free download to everyone.