Thread

1. tombert · 1789921845 · focus · HN ↗

   I read a lot, and I own a lot of physical books, but I almost never actually read physical books anymore. I'm one of the happy few that used my Kindle for more than a week after getting it as a gift.

   I find that reading on an ereader is many times easier for me, primarily because I can make the text gigantic and I don't lose track of my place on the page nearly as often. I'm not dyslexic (I've been tested), but I do think that there's some issue with my brain where if the text is small I really can't follow it. On all my computers the text is gigantic and even then I will click and highlight text as I'm reading so don't lose place. I would love to be paid to read but I don't think I'd love to be paid to read physical books.

   I remember my grandmother was wholly unconvinced that my Kindle was a different thing than an iPad or a Game Boy, and that it was not "real" reading, for whatever reason.

   1. damontal · 1789924210 · focus · HN ↗

      What’s annoying is when you want to look back at something earlier in the book. Then you have to use the clunky search and hope you don’t lose your current place.

      1. tombert · 1789924678 · focus · HN ↗

         KOReader has bookmark support; if I need to go back a few pages (or use the search), I'll just set a bookmark for my current place so I can easily jump back.

         1. damontal · 1789927133 · focus · HN ↗

            Right so now we need a workflow to do something as simple as looking back a few pages. I know it’s necessary but it’s definitely a regression.

            1. TeMPOraL · 1789927968 · focus · HN ↗

               The constraint here is the e-ink refresh rate. That constraint does not exist on regular screens, which is why I'm surprised neither mobile reader apps or even desktop software takes purposeful advantage of it: fast scrolling back with fine, per-page control, keeping page in-place and zero perceptible latency rendering full page. With a finger drag or click&drag movement, this can easily be even faster than with paper books.

               I know this works because I've seen it with some PDF readers on desktop in the past, when I lucked into a combination of lightweight document and right "fit page to display" scaling. And, of course, this works natively in browsers with PgUp/PgDown, but only on the few remaining websites that haven't been thoroughly shittified (no "en-" there on purpose) with JavaScript and excessive styling.

            2. wiether · 1789930685 · focus · HN ↗

               When you go back in a physical book, you also put a bookmark (either an actual bookmark or one of your finger) to be able to resume reading where you were, no?
            3. tombert · 1789938605 · focus · HN ↗

               To each their own, it has never really bothered me honestly.
      2. dewey · 1789979718 · focus · HN ↗

         That's the only issue I have with ebooks and the reason why I would never read a technical / reference book on it where you want to jump around and have your fingers in some pages to flip back and forth.

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