What does this mean???

[theducks]

Originally Posted by mrmikel

Epubs are the hot thing these days and the least appropriate way to make a textbook. Textbooks rely on indexes (indices?) so everyone can look at the same page, on graphics being on a certain page, etc, etc. Happens only on an epub by loading it up with links that slow it down.

Many tablets and readers can do pdfs so what is the freaking deal with having them be epubs?????

As you said, you can not put a 8/5 x 11 page into a 3" screen size without losing something. I guess you meet a lot of people so open minded you can hear the wind whistle through their ears! I can watch movies on my mp3 player but I don't expect the same experience as even my portable DVD player or 32" TV.

As you say 'Index'.

What needs to be changed is the users concept that 'page' is the only valid form of index.
Any anchor works as a landing point.
Any Link as a launching point.

It is too bad someone did not think of 'Anchor with word (white-spaced) offset' as a possible jumping device. (Instead ofg a double click, a Right-click: select offset: <enter number> )

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by mrmikel

Epubs are the hot thing these days and the least appropriate way to make a textbook. Textbooks rely on indexes (indices?) so everyone can look at the same page, on graphics being on a certain page, etc, etc. Happens only on an epub by loading it up with links that slow it down.

Many tablets and readers can do pdfs so what is the freaking deal with having them be epubs?????

As you said, you can not put a 8/5 x 11 page into a 3" screen size without losing something. I guess you meet a lot of people so open minded you can hear the wind whistle through their ears! I can watch movies on my mp3 player but I don't expect the same experience as even my portable DVD player or 32" TV.

mrmikel:

Yes, but, using a PDF for this doesn't solve the 3" problem; in fact, it makes it worse, as it's less flexible. The 20lb. problem is the 20lb. problem is the 20lb. problem. The format on this front is irrelevant.

With regard to textbooks, indices, etc. Yes, the old concept of "pages" no longer makes sense, in this context. And there really isn't any reason that a customized index can't be built for academic material. Of course it's expensive; making all those links, and worse, all the "back" jumps (for index items with multiple entries and/or footnoted-endnoted items with the same issue, multiple lands), is a pain.

If and when larger tablets (the 8.9's or thereabouts) become widely available and affordable for students, I'd imagine that putting out academic "ePDF's" will become somewhat standard, for the reasons you mentioned. But the size issue has naught to do with the format, and very young people, unlike yours truly, like much smaller devices than those of us of {mumble} years. ;-)

Hitch