reading stuff on your screens

[Harper]

So today I discovered/downloaded the Stanza app for my iPhone. It's an e-reader/media manager for digital books. I like the look and feel and features of it. It's owned by Amazon so has many of the features (if none of the interface) of the Kindle.  It was on the list of suggested software on gutenberg. I've downloaded a couple Edgar Rice Burroughs novels and am enjoying it.

One of the reasons I didn't finish reading Poker w/o Cards is that I don't like reading lengthy documents on my computer screen. (I really like the way the Kindle feels on the eyes and in the hands, but I don't wanna buy Yet Another Gadget.)

So, public poll:

Do yall read books on your computers? Do use any kind of desktop e-reader or special software, or do you just, say, scroll through a PDF in Acrobat Reader?

How do you read "books" on your hardware?

[Cain]

I just use Foxit PDF reader on my laptop.  I do have reading glasses though, which might mean my eyes don't get tired as quickly as those who read without optical assistance.

[Rumckle]

I read articles on my desktop screen sometimes, but I prefer to use my Eeepc.

Unfortunately, it is 1st Gen Eeepc, so it only has a 7" screen, which can be a bit too small at times.

But apart from that (and some scrolling issues, which depends on what I'm reading, and would probably happen less if the screen were a bit bigger) it doesn't really bother my eyes that much. I usually dim the screen and read with the lights on.

Occasionally and can be difficult to read out in the sun.

[Triple Zero]

Same what Cain said, although it's convenient I can flip my netbook 90 degrees and hold it like a book. Then, most applications allow you to config the left and right mouse button to page forward/backward in full screen modus. Then depending on the PDF layout and how a page fits on my screen sometimes I scroll the pages instead. In Foxit it's also possible to put the pages side-by-side in a long horizontal virtual strip instead of below eachother. Again, I just pick the layout that feels most convenient at the moment (kind of depends on whether the pages are tall, or the letters are small or big).

I don't do it much. Though, I read Transmetropolitan that way. But not in Foxit PDF but in CDisplay, a specialized comic book reading application.

[Harper]

I don't do it much. Though, I read Transmetropolitan that way. But not in Foxit PDF but in CDisplay, a specialized comic book reading application.

I've used CDisplay to read graphic novels on my computer, and was able to enjoy that.

Maybe with text it's a contrast thing. I'll play around with darker backgrounds/lighter text.

[Cain]

It almost certainly is.  I have my glasses treated with an anti-glare coating that makes staring at any screen for a length of time much easier.   Also, practice will help as well.  Read until your eyes get tired, rest them until they feel better and go again, but just for a little bit longer than before.  Over time, you'll adjust (though this could damage your eyes, I guess, so consult an optometrist or something first).

[Elder Iptuous]

i thought you were one of the ones here with an ebook, Cain?

who was that?

i'm still waiting for those to come down in price a bit, but i'd really like to get one for this purpose.
I've got an Eeepc, to, and although the size is nice (12"), reading a book turns your pupils square after a while...

[LMNO]

I've got a Kindle2, Mangrove has a Nook.

[Cain]

Pretty sure that's LMNO, with his Kindle.  I'm still struggling on deciding whether to get an ebook reader or upgrade my phone (phone is looking more tempting atm, the way my current one's battery is going).

[Elder Iptuous]

Pretty sure that's LMNO, with his Kindle.  I'm still struggling on deciding whether to get an ebook reader or upgrade my phone (phone is looking more tempting atm, the way my current one's battery is going).

ha!
i'm in the same boat.
my shitty old flip phone has a cradle that it charges in and you have to stand on one leg when plugging it in, and them jam a folded piece of paper into one side of the interface for it to work.

when will we get our fabled 'general electronic mobile device'?!

[Cramulus]

I work for a publisher and sit next to an incredibly expensive and high powered printer which I have unlimited access to. so I generally print out an entire book, toss it in a 3-ring binder, and read it that way.

[Triple Zero]

I don't do it much. Though, I read Transmetropolitan that way. But not in Foxit PDF but in CDisplay, a specialized comic book reading application.

I've used CDisplay to read graphic novels on my computer, and was able to enjoy that.

Maybe with text it's a contrast thing. I'll play around with darker backgrounds/lighter text.

I once left a book I was reading some place (Sword of Truth) and wanted to continue reading it very badly, so I used my google-fu and found it as a textfile on some russian FTP (ah the old dark days of the web), and then I found that, having the choice, a big (14-16pt) Georgia font in light yellow on a dark blue background was easiest on the eyes.

Though I had a CRT back in those days, so it might be different on LCD.

Also, practice will help as well.  Read until your eyes get tired, rest them until they feel better and go again, but just for a little bit longer than before.  Over time, you'll adjust (though this could damage your eyes, I guess, so consult an optometrist or something first).

I read an article somewhere about a book of widespread medical urban myths / beliefs, and the "reading in low light damages your eyes" was one of them. Possibly because it does strain your eyes so they may start to hurt and people think that can't be good. But it turns out there is no actual evidence supporting this. Which is good for bookaphiles. It sounds reasonable to assume the same thing might hold for reading off a screen?

[Soylent Green]

I read articles on a computer all the time, but for anything lengthy like a book I pull out my nook.

Graphics novels such as Transmetropolitan always stay on the computer, of course.

[Harper]

when will we get our fabled 'general electronic mobile device'?!

IPAAAD

I work for a publisher and sit next to an incredibly expensive and high powered printer which I have unlimited access to. so I generally print out an entire book, toss it in a 3-ring binder, and read it that way.

Eff! That's ... awesome.  Do you use pre-punched paper, or do you have to feed the whole thing through a hole puncher or something?

[Elder Iptuous]

when will we get our fabled 'general electronic mobile device'?!

IPAAAD

so, i'm woefully ignorant on the ipad hype....
this thing has phone?  is it locked to one carrier like the iphone was/is?

also,  it needs e ink for teh book reading!
and it needs to fit in my pocket and have  a 12" screen at a minimum....