

Kindls DX (9.7" screen) for reading programming books - vb6

Opinions from people using a kindle for this. How does it compare to the real thing. Would you buy it again or an ipad instead?
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b14ck
I have the kindle DX (in graphite), latest generation. I love it.

I read a ton of programming books for fun (mixed with business and fiction),
and spend a ton of money on amazon buying paper books, so I was naturally
interested in the Kindle DX as it would save me a lot of money and space in my
apartment.

Anyways, I've had mine for about 2 months now, and haven't regretted it at
all. Every programming book I've purchased reads just fine, and I have had no
issues what-so-ever. The only thing that kinda bugs me is that some books (I'm
looking at you, pragmatic bookshelf) don't have a kindle version, however,
most do.

Also, if you turn your 3G off, the kindle will run for well over a month
without a recharge. I've had mine on for the past 1.25 months or so without
charging, and that thing still has 25% battery left. Crazy.

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lylejohnson
> The only thing that kinda bugs me is that some books (I'm looking at you,
> pragmatic bookshelf) don't have a kindle version

Are you unable to read the (DRM-free!) MOBI versions of the PragProg books on
your Kindle? (Because I can...)

Or are you just referring to being unable to purchase Kindle versions directly
from the Amazon.com store?

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jon_hendry
The DX is good for that. There's enough space that you can see sample code
without horrible wrapping, without using a tiny type size.

Also, unlike the iPad, if you get the kindle you can read your kindle books on
a desktop computer using the appropriate kindle app.

Tip: If you're reading PDFs on a kindle, it can be useful to open them and
crop out the margins. Preview.app on OS X will do it.

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vb6
Reading pdfs, including product documentation, is one of the main uses I hope
to use a kindle for. I never considered trimming the margins though, I suppose
there are similar tools that will do this on windows.

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bnycum
I have a Kindle 2 and I love it, got mine when the DX just came out and was
just a little too much at the time. I read a lot of programming books on it,
and have read a lot more in general because of having it. I would love to have
the new graphite DX now. I love being able to take a bunch of books around
with me wherever I go. The only issue I have is wanting to jump back a few
pages to see if I fully understand something.

I dislike the iPad for reading. At the end of the day I don't want to be
looking at yet another computer screen and the Kindle's e-ink screen is so
much easier on the eyes.

I played with other e-readers while I was in the process of buying mine. The
Sony just didn't have what both the Kindle and Nook had behind it with their
stores. The Nook had too slow of a refresh and wasn't as easy to navigate,
plus the color screen was too much of a gimmick.

The only thing real books beat the Kindle on is filling a bookshelf and easily
flipping through it.

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turbojerry
I have had a DX Graphite for a couple of months and I am very glad I bought
it. Firstly the screen is a decent size and I can read technical PDFs without
a problem, second it's an e-ink screen and I can easily read it in direct
sunlight unlike with LCD based tablets and it cuts out the eyestrain too. The
only big drawback is the lack of colour, if you're reading about data
visualization or any other subject that needs colour illustrations I wouldn't
recommend it, personally I have an old Samsung Q1 Ultra for that, which is
more than adequate, I'm waiting for devices with Marisol displays to come out
before I upgrade. If you want to know more about different options for an
ereader I'd recommend you check out www.mobileread.com

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Incubus
I have a Kindle 3, and while its not as large as the DX, I'd say it was still
a good alternative to the real thing, but it depends a lot on how you want to
read the book.

If you read the book from cover to cover then it'll be great. If you want to
look up specifics in the book, then it'll be great for that too thanks to the
search.

On the other hand, if you want to flick through the book reading the parts
that interest you then paper is still much easier to use.

As for an iPad, I can't see how it would possible be any better than a
dedicated ebook reader for reading programming books. I'd stick with my
Kindle.

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frou_dh
I disagree about the Kindle 3. Its screen is physically too small to be good
for information dense pages. PDFs are especially bad because their layout
isn't reflowed, meaning you must X-Y pan around with the plasticky buttons.

I like my Kindle 3, but for reading I think it is only suitable for novels and
plain prose. I actually use the web browser a lot. It's terrible, but it's
free! (3G data, no fees or contract)

