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Buzzman · 10-12-2018, 16:53

Another pet hate of mine is so-called 'flip book' software, that converts magazines (or books) into yet-another 'proprietary' format.

Problem is, while it does display the magazine or book 'open' at a double-page (or single page if you selct that option, if available) it's a PITA to scroll through and see what's what if you enlarge the page enough to make it easy to read.

It's like looking at a hard copy magazine threw a telescope, so only the small section in the viewfinder is visible. OK, maybe magnifying glass is a better anaology. Then you have to click and drag the page around, as though moving the magnifying glass across the page of a hard copy version.

I much prefer to download mags as PDF files so images etc are 'true to design' and then read them via Adobe Acrobat in 'Single page continuous' View, so I only have to scroll down.

Needless to say, this only works on a PC or laptop with a decent size screen....and effs up whent he designer has posted text or an image that crosses the gutter...but hey, I've figured I can cope with the few places that does happen.

But it means I can read Latitude 38, 48 North and AFLOAT on screen via FREE download. (Note these are all FREE magazines in the first place, so no copyright violation).

But my car mags I buy in hard copy, as the subscription price to get a PDF version is as much as the print version, or close enough to it so's makes little difference, and I can then take the HARD copy magazine to a cafe and read it over a coffee.

Can't do that with the sailing mags unless I take the laptop....which is heavier.

So, yeah, it ain't a 'one size fits all' equation.

'Course, once I do actually move aboard, the car mags will have to go PDF as well....

One think that pees me off about Kindle is the inability to 'order' files in an order you want. You can group them under an author, but not order them, soa series will 'sort' into published order - and even this doesn't work for authors who have written later-published-pre-quels, as publication order then is not teleological order.

I tried converting them in Calibre, but while Calibre allows renaming of the files (to add a numerical reference to 'force' 'sort in order' - the kindle doesn't recognise the new file name, only the original, and in some author's series I've downloaded from Amazon these are not consistent or are not 'ordered numerically' in any way - so the default is 'alphabetical', which stuffs both published date and teleological ordering.

So if I go back to re-read them, I need an 'off-Kindle' reference list so I know which one to look for next in the series. PITA. Can therefor only use Kindle when I have access to PC. [Note, do not have smart phone, so any smart options are out...my choice].

Anyone figured out how to fix that for a Kindle Paperwhite? I've looked online and the problem I have is either not covered or not explained 'as to a five year old'...

Beau.Vrolyk · 10-12-2018, 17:36

I'll apologize in advance for thinking like an engineer, I was one for may years.

I believe we sailors need to think about function first and tradition or romance-of-the-sea second. Then, I have one addition comment to make.

In the area of function: the iPad wins big. It can hold thousands of manuals, books, downloaded web pages, how-to videos, etc.... This is in addition to charts, weather maps, etc.... The result is that for fixing equipment, navigation, weather forecasts, ordering spare parts, and a zillion other tasks that a cruising sailor has to engage with, the iPad is a big winner.

In the area of romance-of-the-sea, paper books win big. There is nothing (IMHO) like curling up in one's berth, while a storm blows through the rigging and the boat tugs at her anchor road, with a Joseph Conrad hard back battered book. The feel, the smell, the look, they all are wonderful and a big part of the experience. But, once read, they should be sent on their way to another boat filled with other sailors who might not have read them. They shouldn't become tombstones to readership.

In addition to the above, which I think have been the core of the discussion here, I'd like to add one more thing. Paper charts and books work when all hell is breaking loose. For this reason, once the jack-lines and harnesses go on all navigation is moved to paper charts. The log book which is kept in a tablet when things are fine is moved to a paper book and waterproof ink is used to make entries. Simply put, we carry paper books and charts because we might need them after all the electronics have stopped working. But any paper book that is aboard just for reference or as a good read, it's carried electronically because we'd rather spend the weight budget on something more important. After all reference books and good reads can just retreat to a waterproof box/bag when the weather turns foul.

Jmacaspen · 10-12-2018, 18:00

I recently got a Kindle. I already have 20 books in my library. For traveling it is the best

Macblaze · 10-12-2018, 19:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buzzman

Designers choose Quark.

It's sooooo much easier / better to use.

Them's fightn' words...

Buzzman · 10-12-2018, 19:26

LOL....

Yeah. True. But let's not go there. Or the PC vs Mac one either!

Let's just say I've used both and IMPO IDD is clunky and more difficult to use, whereas Quark is more intuitive and has loads more 'ease of use' features built in.

As an example, the toggle switch for Hide/Unhide guides. F7 in Quark. Three step drop down menu option in IDD.

But, having said that, I don't 'get' Android systems either....so maybe it's a 'user' thing....

Buzzman · 10-12-2018, 19:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beau.Vrolyk

..but, once read, they should be sent on their way to another boat filled with other sailors who might not have read them. They shouldn't become tombstones to readership.

Noooooooo!!!!

They should be mailed to your mailing address for later addition to your 'permanent onshore library'.

They are beautiful children who should be cosseted and loved and stored in a dry climate in suitably beautiful shelving.

Books are for "collecting" not just reading. They can be and often are beautiful objects in their own right (especially if you buy hardcovers with dustjackets), never mind ancient old leather-bound tomes.

My 2500-volume Library is going to stay with me, and grow, till I kick off - but it ain't goin' on the boat. They're too good to subject to such a harsh and potentially lethal (to books) environment.

I sometimes buy a Kindle version to see if I will like a book, and then if I deem it worth 'keeping' later buy a hard copy.

Sometimes you can't get Kindle versions in some non-US markets. For example, I recently 'collected' the 'alphabet' series by Sue Grafton (RIP) but could not get three of them on Kindle, so had to buy paperback. Go figure.

This and the Lee Child Reacher series are two I've had problems cataloguing on Kindle. Just can't find a way to make them auto-sort numerically by publication date or add a number to the fil's name so they can sort numerically. Kindle only recognizes the imbedded file name put there when created by Amazon/publisher.

Beau.Vrolyk · 10-12-2018, 19:44

While I can certainly understand collecting books which have been read, I’ve personally no use for it. I have found that I don’t re-read books much at all; and paper based books are impossibly difficult to use as reference sources.

I did say I was an Engineer and almost entirely uninterested in the romance of old books. For me it is entirely the author’s content, not some leather wrapped stack of paper pages. While I do save paper books which have been annotated in an interesting way, my Mother’s thoughts for example, all the rest are off to a new life.

To each her own.

Buzzman · 10-12-2018, 19:58

Pick up a good quality hardcover. Feel the tactility of the sensory interaction between fingertips and pages.

It's like caressing your wife used to be, when you first met....

I accept, modern paperbacks are printed on crap paper and don't last, but high-end hardcovers printed on acid-free paper are simply a joy to behold, to touch, and to read.

But, I accept, I am weird.....

YMMV

Jdege · 10-12-2018, 20:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buzzman

Designers choose Quark.

I've never been able to figure out how anyone could write anything of consequence with software that intermingles structure and appearance.

WYSIWYG is the last thing that you want, when you're writing.

Jdege · 10-12-2018, 20:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macblaze

Them's fightn' words...

I much prefer LaTeX.

Buzzman · 10-12-2018, 20:20

Hmmmm...that depends on what you're writing.....but yes, for some forms of writing, 'text-based' software is better than 'design -based' software.

But once you have to 'lay it up' for presentation and eventual publication (Hard copy not web) then Quark is the duck's bananas.

When I'm researching or composing articles I tend to use Word as it's easier (accessible).

But if laying up the article in magazine format (what I use it for mostly) then it's done in Quark.

Here's one I researched and wrote for a literary society's magazine:
Original Word file:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wk1jqkr9fw...edit.docx?dl=0

Quark layout file (converted to PDF for printing):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7s8cyjczeo...20Boy.pdf?dl=0

Note that the PDF file is truncated, including only the cover and the single articel, not the entire issue....

Which one 'looks' better...???

Buzzman · 10-12-2018, 20:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jdege

I much prefer LaTeX.

I've not used LaTex myself, but from a quick squizz looks like it would be better than Quark for laying up scientific publications or those featuring lots of formulas and diagrams.

Quark primarily uses raster images (like photos) so is best suited to magazine and book porduction where photos are used.

I know in the past I've tried to put technical stuff into a Quark doc and it's tricky - especially things like Excel spreadsheets and tables which don't 'migrate' natively.

It's do-able but not intuitive, and IDD has the same issues.

BUt most magazine and print houses use PDF as the printing file, and either Quark or IDD is better for this than converting Word files.

As someone mentioned upthread, that can end in chop suey real quick.

Jdege · 10-12-2018, 21:03

The primary reason for using a structural markup language, rather than a desktop publishing tool, is lifecycle.

If it's going to be published once, in one format, you can use pretty much anything.

But if it's going to have a life measured in decades, with multiple revisions by multiple people, and will be published in multiple formats, some of which won't have existed when you start, you need a tool that expresses the logical structure of the document, not it's appearance. Appearance is a publishing concern, it's not something you should be having to deal with when you are writing.

You can see a good example on the AsciiDoc Home Page.