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ahi · 08-09-2009, 10:09 AM

I have just successfully loaded a PDF with the following attributes:

- 53,432 pages
- 133.2 MB
- at least 15,000 items in external table of contents (2540 first level items, and each of those has 4 - 15+ subitems)
- all pages basically full of text (content is the complete Summa Theologica repeated 5 times over)

When loading it from my old-ish SD card, I've observed the following:

- There is a one-time 7-8 minute loading time.
- Page turning is slower than usual... about 3 seconds, but regardless whether one is going to the next page, or 30,000 pages further in the text.

When loading it from main memory:

- There is a one-time 4 minute loading time.
- Page turning seems consistently about 3 seconds still.

---------------

So then, it seems like for performance reasons (specific to the Sony PRS-505 at least) putting the full wikipedia into a PDF is out of the question.

However, since my aforementioned 10,000 page PDF has less than 1 minute loading time and pretty snappy page-turning, a reasonably large (in absolute, not relative terms) subsection of wikipedia articles could still be rolled into a PDF eBook.

Not good, if you really wanted to use Wikipedia as an encyclopedia (probably a questionable endeavour with any device that does not have text entry), but might be fine if you instead want to simply have thousands of interesting wikipedia articles available to read on your device.

Something like 2008/9 Wikipedia Selection for Schools might be a good starting point for conversion. Though I'd personally want more articles and fewer pictures... anybody knows of other good wikipedia article vetting websites/agencies?

- Ahi

08-09-2009, 10:09 AM	#14
ahi Wizard Posts: 1,790 Karma: 507333 Join Date: May 2009 Device: none	I have just successfully loaded a PDF with the following attributes: - 53,432 pages - 133.2 MB - at least 15,000 items in external table of contents (2540 first level items, and each of those has 4 - 15+ subitems) - all pages basically full of text (content is the complete Summa Theologica repeated 5 times over) When loading it from my old-ish SD card, I've observed the following: - There is a one-time 7-8 minute loading time. - Page turning is slower than usual... about 3 seconds, but regardless whether one is going to the next page, or 30,000 pages further in the text. When loading it from main memory: - There is a one-time 4 minute loading time. - Page turning seems consistently about 3 seconds still. --------------- So then, it seems like for performance reasons (specific to the Sony PRS-505 at least) putting the full wikipedia into a PDF is out of the question. However, since my aforementioned 10,000 page PDF has less than 1 minute loading time and pretty snappy page-turning, a reasonably large (in absolute, not relative terms) subsection of wikipedia articles could still be rolled into a PDF eBook. Not good, if you really wanted to use Wikipedia as an encyclopedia (probably a questionable endeavour with any device that does not have text entry), but might be fine if you instead want to simply have thousands of interesting wikipedia articles available to read on your device. Something like 2008/9 Wikipedia Selection for Schools might be a good starting point for conversion. Though I'd personally want more articles and fewer pictures... anybody knows of other good wikipedia article vetting websites/agencies? - Ahi Last edited by ahi; 08-09-2009 at 10:12 AM.