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Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

eloquentjavascript.net

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Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#81
post #60
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It may be gimmicky to you, but I cannot read an entire book in a sitting or two (as I often do) on any kind of non e-ink monitor and that includes tablets. I can easily do this on a Kindle or other e-ink device. So, for me, e-ink is no gimmick, it is an essential requirement for prolonged reading.

Well, FWIW, I for one can read a whole books, actually lots of them from both iBooks and iOS's Kindle app (read on a tablet. Heck, even on an iPhone). And don't care particularly for e-ink (I also have a kindle I don't use much). If you can find some specific scientific argument why e-ink is "an essential requirement" (besides personal choice) then it's just cargo cult. I listed fairly accurately were e-ink is better…

The battery life on devices with e-ink lasts significantly longer.

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#82
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just wish we had hi-res, color, e-ink monitors with quick refresh rate. I can't bring myself to read an entire book online; even if it's free.

For me, it depends on the type of book. I find I can bare reading a technical book online. However, I have trouble reading it for very long, I find myself skipping prose to get to the meat of the content, and I find a quick glance at my email or F5 on my favorite news site is just a small click away. Still, I personally find reading technical books easier on the computer while reading a novel or biography far better…

The other thing I find with reading technical books on a computer is that it's a different experience - I'm constantly flipping over to an editor/REPL to try things out, so it's not like I'm staring at a wall of text for hours on end.

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#83
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just wish we had hi-res, color, e-ink monitors with quick refresh rate. I can't bring myself to read an entire book online; even if it's free.

I agree completely. I would love to be able to sit outside and code on my laptop, but the glossy Macbook air screen makes this almost impossible. I would pay good money for a barebones, development only laptop with an e-ink monitor. For what it's worth, some people have hacked around with the Kindle to try to make this a reality, but as you say, the refresh rate is the bottleneck. [1] [1] http://www.ponnuki.net/2012/…

Me too. I would like to replace my older business notebook (mate display, good colors) with a MacBook but Apple only ships glossy displays nowadays :(

I hate the eye-strain that the iPad causes when I use it outside in nature. Sometimes I go back to my Kindle, but it is too slow and too small for my complex PDFs.

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#84
post #51
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just wish we had hi-res, color, e-ink monitors with quick refresh rate. I can't bring myself to read an entire book online; even if it's free.

If a book isn't technical, I can usually read it in audio format as I do something otherwise mindless like washing dishes, so most of what I need to read (with my eyes) contains equations, code listings (like this JavaScript book), diagrams, maps, etc., that don't work well at all on today's e-ink displays: Thousand-page "Introduction to..." technical books, code listings, foreign-language tutorial textbooks, journal…

> I need a REALLY GOOD reader. I wish I had a lightweight, clipboard-sized, hi-rez, B&W, PDF reader with the flick scrolling, pinch resizing, etc. of an iPad with the battery life to last a whole delayed flight from San Francisco->Tokyo->Singapore, door to door.

Have you seen the Sony Digital Paper System[0]? It seems to fit the bill perfectly but the price point high.

[0]: http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/product-DPTS1/?PID=I:digitalpap...

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#85
post #45
post #5

Great book but... is it finished yet? Doesn't seem so [1]. [1] https://github.com/marijnh/Eloquent-JavaScript

It more or less is, apart from some further proofreading. I forgot to update the README file.

Reading through the first few chapters I found a couple of words with double brackets round them (( )) that look like they should just have been italics (or maybe links to another section?).

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#86
post #80
post #78

This is a bit off topic but does someone know how this book is generated, which tools are used?

An unholy chain of asciidoc and node scripts. The sources are at https://github.com/marijnh/Eloquent-JavaScript

Thanks! I had no idea something like asciidoc existed. It seems to be a fair balance between markdown and tex

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#88
post #60
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It may be gimmicky to you, but I cannot read an entire book in a sitting or two (as I often do) on any kind of non e-ink monitor and that includes tablets. I can easily do this on a Kindle or other e-ink device. So, for me, e-ink is no gimmick, it is an essential requirement for prolonged reading.

Well, FWIW, I for one can read a whole books, actually lots of them from both iBooks and iOS's Kindle app (read on a tablet. Heck, even on an iPhone). And don't care particularly for e-ink (I also have a kindle I don't use much). If you can find some specific scientific argument why e-ink is "an essential requirement" (besides personal choice) then it's just cargo cult. I listed fairly accurately were e-ink is better…

Reflexes on displays are tiring, some people even get headaches from that. I don't know any tablet with non-reflective display but e-ink readers.

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#89
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It more or less is, apart from some further proofreading. I forgot to update the README file.

Reading through the first few chapters I found a couple of words with double brackets round them (( )) that look like they should just have been italics (or maybe links to another section?).

Those were index terms that weren't properly parsed by asciidoc. Should be better now.
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