Ok. Not strickly Java-related, but since a lot of Java tools ship with PDF manuals, you need Adobe Reader. What’s been bugging me is how long Adobe Reader takes to start up (on Windows). It loads a stack of plugins that you probably won’t need for the majority of your work - and on my Thinkpad takes forever just to start up.
Well enter Adobe Speed Up - a neat little freeware utility that you can run once to disable all your excess plugins. It’s configurable, but the default options are great. I’ve tried it with Reader v6 & v7 and it works outstandingly. My Adobe reader now starts up in under a second.
Great tool. Just works. Recommended.