{"id":118,"date":"2009-08-17T22:20:38","date_gmt":"2009-08-18T06:20:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/weblog\/?p=118"},"modified":"2009-12-19T12:11:34","modified_gmt":"2009-12-19T17:11:34","slug":"ebook-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/2009\/08\/17\/ebook-love\/","title":{"rendered":"ebook love"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I used to read a lot of tech books, like a an hour or two a day. Several years, several promotions, two kids, and one deteriorating eye later, I realized I wasn&#8217;t reading much anymore. The combination of work commutes \/ <a href=\"http:\/\/audible.com\/\">Audible.com<\/a> \/ iPod helped me keep up with novels and non-techy non-fiction, but I still had trouble keeping up with tech books.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, tech publishers are starting to publish more and more <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ebook\">ebooks<\/a>. Here&#8217;s some of the good and bad points of reading tech ebooks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tech Ebooks: The Good<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>My <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apple.com\/macbookpro\/\">Macbook Pro<\/a>&#8216;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_VeAOK8Rxoo\">multi-touch trackpad<\/a> makes it very easy to zoom and scroll so I end up with huge font that I can read without glasses from several feet away.<\/li>\n<li>I can carry all of my ebooks on both my computer and iPhone.<\/li>\n<li>Publishers like <a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/ebooks\/\">O&#8217;Reilly<\/a> and\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/frequently-asked-questions\/ebooks\">Pragprog<\/a> have relatively mature ebook stories; DRM-free, mobile integration,\u00c2\u00a0and available in both computer-friendly (<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Portable_Document_Format\">PDF<\/a>) and mobile-friendly (<a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/EPUB\">EPUB<\/a>) versions and notification for free updates of new printings.<\/li>\n<li>I can quickly search across all ebook content using <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spotlight_(software)\">Spotlight<\/a> and quickly open ebooks using <a href=\"http:\/\/quicksilver.en.softonic.com\/mac\">Quicksilver<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Preview_(software)\">Preview<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>They&#8217;re significantly less expensive than their dead tree counterparts and you can acquire them instantly vs. a trip to the bookstore or, more likely, a two day wait for an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/prime\/signup\/textbooks.html\">Amazon Prime<\/a> delivery.<\/li>\n<li>Using <a href=\"http:\/\/www.getdropbox.com\/\">Dropbox<\/a> you can easily replicate your ebooks across all of your computers while easily staying under Dropbox&#8217;s 2GB free account max.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tech Ebooks: The Bad<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Can&#8217;t (ethically) lend to friends; can&#8217;t give away when done with a book.<\/li>\n<li>I have a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Kindle-Amazons-Original-Wireless-generation\/dp\/B000FI73MA\">1st gen Kindle<\/a> I never use. While I love the selection, price, and integration with Amazon.com, I hate the hardware design, the user experience, the $@#! <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Digital_rights_management\">DRM<\/a>, and the fact that I can&#8217;t (easily\/legally) view the books on my computer. Don&#8217;t buy a Kindle.<\/li>\n<li>The selection of ebooks is relatively small vs. all books I&#8217;d want to buy. For instance, no <a href=\"http:\/\/us.penguingroup.com\/nf\/Book\/BookDisplay\/0,,9780140139969,00.html\">How Buildings Learn<\/a> ebook (though I&#8217;ve sent the publisher an email on this).<\/li>\n<li>Many ebook-selling publishers still insist on using DRM. This is stupid. As the argument goes, honest people like me will gladly pay for quality IP and a good user experience. DRM-selling publishers: please learn\u00c2\u00a0from O&#8217;Reilly and Pragprog.<\/li>\n<li>You need a different account for each publisher. Luckily password management apps like <a href=\"http:\/\/www.keepassx.org\/\">KeePassX<\/a> simplify this, but it&#8217;s still a pain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tech Ebooks I&#8217;ve Recently Bought<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now, for your reading pleasure, are the ebooks I&#8217;ve bought in the past few months (<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">updated 25 Oct. 2009<\/span>).<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/titles\/rails3\/agile-web-development-with-rails-third-edition\">Agile Web Development with Rails, 3E<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596007652\/\">Ambient Findability<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596526788\/\">bash Cookbook<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/titles\/rdbcd\/behind-closed-doors\">Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596005955\/\">Classic Shell Scripting<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.informit.com\/store\/product.aspx?isbn=0136083226\">Clean Code<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596156367\/\">Cloud Application Architectures<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.informit.com\/store\/product.aspx?isbn=0132357267\">Core Java Vol 1 8E<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.informit.com\/store\/product.aspx?isbn=0321700740\">Design Patterns<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596516253\/\">Designing Web Interfaces<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596528102\/\">Designing Web Navigation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.informit.com\/store\/product.aspx?isbn=0132345285\">Effective Java 2E<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596529307\/\">High Performance Web Sites<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.informit.com\/store\/product.aspx?isbn=0321657527\">How to Break Web Software<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9781565925090\">HTTP The Definitive Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596157593\/\">iWork 09 The Missing Manual<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596517748\/\">JavaScript: The Good Parts<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596101992\/\">JavaScript the Definitive Guide 5E<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596007683\/\">Just a Geek<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596520625\/\">Mac OS X for Unix Geeks 4E<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.informit.com\/store\/product.aspx?isbn=0321467957\">Mac OS X Internals<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596153298\/\">Mac OS X Snow Leopard the Missing Manual<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596517717\/\">Making Things Happen<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/titles\/jrpm\/manage-it\">Manage It!<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/titles\/rgdojo\/mastering-dojo\">Mastering Dojo<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596522971\/\">Photoshop CS4 The Missing Manual<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/titles\/ahptl\/pragmatic-thinking-and-learning\">Pragmatic Thinking and Learning<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.informit.com\/store\/product.aspx?isbn=0321605535\">Programming in Objective-C 2.0<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596009250\/\">Programming Python 3E<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/titles\/ruby3\/programming-ruby-1-9\">Programming Ruby 1.9<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/titles\/mnee\/release-it\">Release It!<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596529260\/\">RESTful Web Services<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.informit.com\/store\/product.aspx?isbn=0321617134\">Scaling Lean &amp; Agile Development<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.manning.com\/resig\/\">Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596522353\/\">slide:ology<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596008956\/\">SSH The Definitive Guide 2E<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pragprog.com\/titles\/textmate\/textmate\">TextMate<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596157234\/\">The Art of Community<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.informit.com\/store\/product.aspx?isbn=0131860828\">The Design of Things to Come<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596527051\/\">The Myths of Innovation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/titles\/cfcar2\/the-passionate-programmer\">The Passionate Programmer<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596529260\/\">The Productive Programmer<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596516178\/\">The Ruby Programming Language<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596802813\/\">The Twitter Book<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/pragprog.com\/titles\/ktuk\/ubuntu-kung-fu\">Ubuntu Kung Fu<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596006891\/\">Unit Test Frameworks<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596003302\">Unix Power Tools 3E<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596801601\/\">Using Google App Engine<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596529963\/\">Web 2.0 &#8211; A Strategy Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596514433\/\">Web 2.0 Architectures<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/oreilly.com\/catalog\/9780596521264\/\">XMPP The Definitive Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I used to read a lot of tech books, like a an hour or two a day. Several years, several promotions, two kids, and one deteriorating eye later, I realized I wasn&#8217;t reading much anymore. The combination of work commutes \/ Audible.com \/ iPod helped me keep up with novels and non-techy non-fiction, but I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126,"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118\/revisions\/126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/billhiggins.us\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}