> Yes, the *generated* files can be used with other software, but to
> *generate* the files one needs Adobe Acrobat.
This is perhaps true of some of the features in the acrotex bundle, but it is not true of eforms (which is part of the acrotex bundle). The following .tex file compiles fine on systems without Acrobat installed (and even without needing to enable write18):
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{hyperref}
\usepackage{eforms}
\begin{document}
Field: \textField[\V{foo}]{bar}{15em}{\baselineskip}
\end{document}