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Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

eloquentjavascript.net

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Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#101

Post by dbough »

ClashTheBunny wrote: post #70
gprasanth wrote: post #15

I've been wanting to read this. Sweet: https://gist.github.com/g-P/cbdfd4a4b982ba8fa04b

The github page for the book has a makefile that creates a pdf of the book. The book was written for both computer and pdf, so you should really build the PDF from the code to get the parts of the text that have been altered for print. If you just PDF the html, you end up with some weird things from the interactive parts. You can find the build targets here: https://github.com/marijnh/Eloquent-JavaScript/blob/master/…

Attempted to make a PDF from the makefile. I don't have some of the fonts needed - am I out of luck?

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#102

Post by marijn »

dbough wrote: post #101
ClashTheBunny wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The github page for the book has a makefile that creates a pdf of the book. The book was written for both computer and pdf, so you should really build the PDF from the code to get the parts of the text that have been altered for print. If you just PDF the html, you end up with some weird things from the interactive parts. You can find the build targets here: https://github.com/marijnh/Eloquent-JavaScript/blob/master/…

Attempted to make a PDF from the makefile. I don't have some of the fonts needed - am I out of luck?

Yes, it's currently trying to build the pdf with the No Starch house style, which contains commercial fonts. Setting up a plain-LaTeX build for the pdf is near the top of my list of things to do (but I'm taking a holiday first).

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#103

Post by marijn »

kasabali wrote: post #100

As I understand audience of the book is both experienced programmers and who hasn't done programming before. Can anyone please comment if it will be boring for experienced programmers (who are new to javascript) or not?

The first few chapters will probably be a bit slow. But it ramps up pretty quickly around chapter 5.

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#104

Post by kimmel »

jamesbritt wrote: post #23
EvanYou wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note the author is not a native English speaker, and the book in its current form probably hasn't gone through the editors yet.

Apparently the book is done. https://twitter.com/marijnjh/status/494433950505644032

This book needs some serious editing. There is clunky English which native speakers can figure out the gist of it but English as a second or later language would have a problem with. There are parts where I wonder why certain terminology is not explained before using it and other areas where terminology is explained that I assume the reader needed to know before reading this material. Good technical books have a section in the beginning usually called something like "Intended audience" or "Who should read this book". I only did editing for a few years but those are the first things I noticed after reading the intro and chapters 1-3.

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#105

Post by sireat »

frik wrote: post #83
chatmasta wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Currently the biggest ebook reader is the Sony 13.3 incher but it is hard to obtain and quite expensive: http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/03/27/sonys-13-3-ereader-...

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#106

Post by coldtea »

elwell wrote: post #99
coldtea wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice try, but no. The word has a defined meaning/usage. Taking marketing claims for technical superiorit with regards to readability as gospel without any scientific evidence of their validity (and even evidence to them being nothing much) qualifies.

You would be right, but my visual cortex actually has an elisp hook that trims marketing text and imagery. So, in this case, my comment was borne out of purely personal, first-hand experience. Furthermore, my original comment's 'wish' was not an attempt to apply opinion-constraints upon others. My aim was to garner karma from individuals who might share the same sentiment as I.

>Furthermore, my original comment's 'wish' was not an attempt to apply opinion-constraints upon others.

You say it like it's a bad thing.

Isn't trying to get people to agree to some objective/scientific fact an attempt to "apply opinion-constraints"?

As long as there is no violence or legal restrictions involved (e.g you don't force anyone by anything else than your arguments) then I'm all for applying opinion constaints on that nature.

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#107

Post by alok-g »

SeanDav wrote: post #72
coldtea wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Off the top of my head there are 2 major differences between e-ink and non e-ink displays that could potentially explain differences in comfort level for prolonged use: - Non e-ink displays have a refresh rate, therefore continuous "activity" on the screen. People can have different sensitivities to this. - Non e-ink displays tend to have higher contrast and/or brightness. This would normally be considered an advanta…

I am not sure if either of the two effects you listed are behind this. I think the most notable issues include:

1. Less brightness as measured in nits. Emmissive displays are often tuned to much higher brightness than normal objects around us including reflective displays like E-ink.

2. Reflective displays and paper often have significantly lower front-surface reflection than LCDs/OLED displays. Add touch-screen and it gets ruined beyond repairs.

The first one is easy to tune by reducing brightness levels. However (A) that makes the second one worse as the brightness of the displayed content reduces but the brightness of reflection does not, and (B) displays are often too bright even at their lowest brightness levels allowed. Put a white paper in the front of white background on the screen, and you'll see what I mean.

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#108

Post by alok-g »

the_af wrote: post #61
coldtea wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I said, laptops don't have the e-ink resolution. And depending on what you read, it might not even have the same contrast. So, unless you adjust the brightness and contrast appropriately and have a hi-DPI laptop, e-ink will come on top for reading. There's also the convenience in holding the reader vs using the laptop to read. So cannot really compare it to a common laptop. To actually compare like to like, compar…

I don't think it's about resolution. I'm comparing a 15'' 1920x1080 laptop screen to my 2nd Gen Kindle. I think it's about brightness. Light-emitting screens make it harder on the eyes to read books. An iPad's screen feels similarly uncomfortable to me. The main benefit of e-ink is that it doesn't emit light and therefore feels almost like a paper book. Agreed about the ergonomics: it's more comfortable to hold a kin…

While I totally agree that brightness is a very important factor, there is another very significant one, front surface reflection. See more in my comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8124039

However, in my experience, resolution matters too. I increased the font-size on my monitor and saw a clear impact on readability.

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#109

Post by frik »

sireat wrote: post #105
frik wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Currently the biggest ebook reader is the Sony 13.3 incher but it is hard to obtain and quite expensive: http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/03/27/sonys-13-3-ereader-...

Thanks for the hint. Maybe I should buy that one, before Sony stops producing eBook readers.

On February 6, 2014, Sony announced that it is closing its North American Reader Store in late March, migrating all its customers to the Kobo Reader Store.

-- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Reader#Models_and_availabi...

Re: Eloquent JavaScript, Second Edition

#110

Post by marijn »

kimmel wrote: post #104
jamesbritt wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apparently the book is done. https://twitter.com/marijnjh/status/494433950505644032

This book needs some serious editing. There is clunky English which native speakers can figure out the gist of it but English as a second or later language would have a problem with. There are parts where I wonder why certain terminology is not explained before using it and other areas where terminology is explained that I assume the reader needed to know before reading this material. Good technical books have a sect…

Could you be more specific about the problems you found? The first few chapters of the book have been edited by three professional editors at this point.
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