Windows 10 is the latest Microsoft operating system despite all of the updates to it. No more X.1 or SP2 or X.1 Update. Just Windows 10.
Adobe seemed to be following this pattern with Adobe Acrobat DC and Adobe Acrobat Reader DC. Version numbers don’t matter, DC is just the latest version of the software available thanks to the subscription method. That’s why it was a little confusing when the Adobe Installation and Licensing blog posted a blog article announcing that the products were indeed getting a new version number.
Acrobat and Reader have two tracks: the Continuous track and the Classic track. The Classic track’s versioning includes the release year, so it will not be changing version numbers. The Continuous track will move from 15.xx to 17.xx after the patch is applied in April. The new version numbers will appear on splash screen, file versions, the About window, and versions reported by SCCM/Casper client management software.
Since this is being applied with a cumulative patch, 15.xx can be updated to 17.xx rather than requiring a new release.
Everything else is staying the same, such as install paths. The Acrobat Cleaner Tool will continue to work. Installation and patching command lines are going unchanged, and the customized installers should continue to work.
Adobe is collecting feedback on this change with a survey linked from the announcement and there are some comments already added to the post.