Kindls DX (9.7" screen) for reading programming books

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1883419

by vb6 • 16 years ago

8 10 16 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Opinions from people using a kindle for this. How does it compare to the real thing. Would you buy it again or an ipad instead?

Incubus• 16 years ago

I have a Kindle 3, and while its not as large as the DX, I'd say it was still a good alternative to the real thing, but it depends a lot on how you want to read the book.

If you read the book from cover to cover then it'll be great. If you want to look up specifics in the book, then it'll be great for that too thanks to the search.

On the other hand, if you want to flick through the book reading the parts that interest you then paper is still much easier to use.

As for an iPad, I can't see how it would possible be any better than a dedicated ebook reader for reading programming books. I'd stick with my Kindle.

frou_dh• 16 years ago

I disagree about the Kindle 3. Its screen is physically too small to be good for information dense pages. PDFs are especially bad because their layout isn't reflowed, meaning you must X-Y pan around with the plasticky buttons.

I like my Kindle 3, but for reading I think it is only suitable for novels and plain prose. I actually use the web browser a lot. It's terrible, but it's free! (3G data, no fees or contract)

jon_hendry2• 16 years ago

"On the other hand, if you want to flick through the book reading the parts that interest you then paper is still much easier to use."

True, but you can make this work a bit better by setting up bookmarks. If a book has a table of contents that links to the chapters, that would make it easy to set up bookmarks for each chapter, that can be accessed from the menu.

b14ck• 16 years ago

I have the kindle DX (in graphite), latest generation. I love it.

I read a ton of programming books for fun (mixed with business and fiction), and spend a ton of money on amazon buying paper books, so I was naturally interested in the Kindle DX as it would save me a lot of money and space in my apartment.

Anyways, I've had mine for about 2 months now, and haven't regretted it at all. Every programming book I've purchased reads just fine, and I have had no issues what-so-ever. The only thing that kinda bugs me is that some books (I'm looking at you, pragmatic bookshelf) don't have a kindle version, however, most do.

Also, if you turn your 3G off, the kindle will run for well over a month without a recharge. I've had mine on for the past 1.25 months or so without charging, and that thing still has 25% battery left. Crazy.

lylejohnson• 16 years ago

> The only thing that kinda bugs me is that some books (I'm looking at you, pragmatic bookshelf) don't have a kindle version

Are you unable to read the (DRM-free!) MOBI versions of the PragProg books on your Kindle? (Because I can...)

Or are you just referring to being unable to purchase Kindle versions directly from the Amazon.com store?

vb62• 16 years ago

Great, that's what I was hoping to hear. I find a lot of programming books seriously hard on my wrists to the extent that I have to read them sitting at a desk. I believe the kindle may transform my current negative opinion of pdfs which I find to be a pain to read on a PC/laptop.

jon_hendry2• 16 years ago

The DX is good for that. There's enough space that you can see sample code without horrible wrapping, without using a tiny type size.

Also, unlike the iPad, if you get the kindle you can read your kindle books on a desktop computer using the appropriate kindle app.

Tip: If you're reading PDFs on a kindle, it can be useful to open them and crop out the margins. Preview.app on OS X will do it.

vb62• 16 years ago

Reading pdfs, including product documentation, is one of the main uses I hope to use a kindle for. I never considered trimming the margins though, I suppose there are similar tools that will do this on windows.

bnycum• 16 years ago

I have a Kindle 2 and I love it, got mine when the DX just came out and was just a little too much at the time. I read a lot of programming books on it, and have read a lot more in general because of having it. I would love to have the new graphite DX now. I love being able to take a bunch of books around with me wherever I go. The only issue I have is wanting to jump back a few pages to see if I fully understand something.

I dislike the iPad for reading. At the end of the day I don't want to be looking at yet another computer screen and the Kindle's e-ink screen is so much easier on the eyes.

I played with other e-readers while I was in the process of buying mine. The Sony just didn't have what both the Kindle and Nook had behind it with their stores. The Nook had too slow of a refresh and wasn't as easy to navigate, plus the color screen was too much of a gimmick.

The only thing real books beat the Kindle on is filling a bookshelf and easily flipping through it.

turbojerry• 16 years ago

I have had a DX Graphite for a couple of months and I am very glad I bought it. Firstly the screen is a decent size and I can read technical PDFs without a problem, second it's an e-ink screen and I can easily read it in direct sunlight unlike with LCD based tablets and it cuts out the eyestrain too. The only big drawback is the lack of colour, if you're reading about data visualization or any other subject that needs colour illustrations I wouldn't recommend it, personally I have an old Samsung Q1 Ultra for that, which is more than adequate, I'm waiting for devices with Marisol displays to come out before I upgrade. If you want to know more about different options for an ereader I'd recommend you check out www.mobileread.com

Kindls DX (9.7" screen) for reading programming books

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