The hyperref package automatically creates a list of PDF bookmarks, and it configures the PDF to have the initial view display the bookmarks panel, at least in Foxit Reader and Acrobat. To see the relevant setting in Acrobat, see File > Properties > Initial View > Navigation Tab > Bookmarks Panel and Page.

How can I (temporarily) turn off the intial Bookmarks Panel display upon compilation?
I want it to be the Page Only setting.
Note: I know I can change the setting using Acrobat (Professional) once the PDF is created, but I want to control the setting upon compilation. The underlying driver for me is that when I view my PDF (after making changes in LaTeX, and compiling it), the bookmark panel makes the actual page shrink, making it too small to be readable.
hyperrefwithout any options and viewing it in Adobe Reader 9.4.6 on Ubuntu; it always shows the page view on opening. Could you post a short example.texsource that yields the described behaviour for you? – Jake Apr 5 '12 at 8:24