3 ms·
Use PDFs of the books (pay for them, of course). Searching and bookmarking make navigation much faster and easier, including for cross-referencing, glossaries,
by wolverine876 3y ago
Use PDFs of the books (pay for them, of course).
Searching and bookmarking make navigation much faster and easier, including for cross-referencing, glossaries, etc.
Annotations are far more powerful; they are editable, copyable, come in many forms (highlight, underline, text boxes, draw, hyperlinks, etc etc.). You can type much faster and fit much more than you can write with a pen.
PDFs are of course far more portable, and they are durable over decades (esp. PDF/A).
I'll never study a book on paper again; it's just too inefficient, so much that it's not worth matching PDF functionality. I'll just wait however long it takes to obtain the PDF.
- bawolff 3y agoAll this depends on the person. Personally i find studying from a pdf basically impossible. Everyone is different though, what is important is finding what is right for you.
- rramadass 3y ago> Personally i find studying from a pdf basically impossible. Agreed. Until and unless i can get a e-ink/e-paper display (minimum A4 size, 13" or more is better) which will not cause eye strain/fatigue it is impossible to read any kind of technical book electronically for long periods of time. And this i say as a person who owns a 27" iMac, a iPad, a Nexus10 and a couple of 10" and 16" inch laptops. I have a huge collection of technical books as pdfs which i only consult on my devices. For serious studying of any books i always get a paper copy; nothing else works.
- RecycledEle 3y agoLearning to study a PDF on-screen is a skill. It is a skill that can be learned.
- bawolff 3y agoEverything is a skill that can be learned. That doesn't mean you should force yourself to learn in an unnatural way if you don't have to.
- wolverine876 3y ago> hat doesn't mea you should force yourself to learn in an unnatural way if you don't have to. Who said otherwise? Is someone forcing you to use PDFs?
- rramadass 3y agoNo, it has nothing to do with any "skill". I mentioned/implied three things; a) The nature of the display causing eye-strain/fatigue b) The size of the display being inadequate and c) The needs of a technical book/paper rendering. This trifecta has not been solved (i believe intentionally) by the Industry at reasonable cost. All i am asking for is A4 (or larger) size display using some technology which does not cause eye-strain/fatigue and some software which can render pdf/epub/whatever correctly. My current setup is iBooks on iPad, MoonReader Pro on Android and Adobe on desktop/laptop none of which is optimal for reading/studying for long periods of time.
- wolverine876 3y agoWhy? That's what will inform your fellow commenters. We can find people of every opinion; your existence and mine are not news. The 'why' or 'how' is what makes a difference.
- bawolff 3y agoI'm not a neuroscientist, i have no idea. If i had to guess, its because i have never found highlighting particularly useful (whether in physical or digital form), and i generally find it easier to read things in order first and then go back to fill in gaps of understanding instead of constant cross referencing which breaks the flow of thought. So in essence i personally find most of the benefits of digital form is lost on me leaving just the downsides (not lugging around 100lb book would be nice though) But to each their own. The point im trying to make is that there is no one true way. Reasons why probably aren't fully portable between people and blindly copying what other people do wont get you very far. What one should do is try all the different possibilities and figure out what works for yourself. There is no magic formula.
- wolverine876 3y ago> I'm not a neuroscientist, i have no idea. ok!