To the issue of PDFs, I would bring up again what was pointed out at ACUC2010 (think is was Wendel first), OpenOffice is a great way to open almost anything and save it as a PDF.
For those of the FOSS persuasion, I would add that while there are some great PDF viewers out there (e.g. SumatraPDF) that out-perform Abobe bloat-ware, AC will choke on them as PDF viewers. Just to save you some frustration.
