Hello Everyone...

Thertzler · 11-12-2022, 05:20 PM

I've been lurking on the forums for a while and I think it's finally time to jump in and introduce myself.

I'm a programmer by trade, and reading is my biggest hobby besides even more programming in my free time.
I particularly like anything post-modern or hard science fiction, but I'n general I read pretty much everything except romance novels.

Back in the day I was skeptical about ebooks, but once I gave them a chance there was no going back, and I've been reading about 95% digitally for the last 8 years.
Thinking about going back to physical books has become almost a bewildering thought. Reading without being able to change the font or text size when I feel like it? There'd better be a real good reason to sacrifice those comforts.

I read predominantly on my tablet which has a 1080p LCD screen, I've heard good things about e-ink devices but I'm still on the fence about getting one. Even though 96% of what I'm using my tablet for is reading, I'm not sure sacrificing color and generally having a device completely dedicated to reading without the other usual tablet functionality is really worth it... especially since my eyes don't seem get strained from the LCD screen at all.

My ebook collection is my pride and joy, but I can't that there's just that teeny tiny difference in actually having a physical book, that tiny gap between something being there in terms of information and being there as a concrete thing.
Sometimes I fantasize about monitors becoming really super cheap suddenly, and I would just buy a big bookshelf, fill it with screens and have my digital book collection displayed on them as if they were physical books.
...That sure would bridge that gap.

Sirtel · 11-12-2022, 06:14 PM

Hello and welcome to MobileRead!

I hear ya about physical books. I've also read mostly ebooks since 2011 and buy a paper book only when there is no ebook edition at all (which unfortunately happens pretty often in my country - ebooks aren't popular here; this is one of the reasons I read fiction mostly in English).

I only read books on my eink readers, not a computer, tablet or phone. The screen is one reason, the light weight and ergonomics are also major advantages. But if you're satisfied with reading on a tablet, there's no need to get a separate device. I've never been able to read long novels on anything else than eink.

Thertzler · 11-13-2022, 06:19 AM

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I did have a phase early on where where I just read books on my computer screen but I think after just a couple I got a tablet. Something just kind of felt off, I guess because of the size. My gut feeling says that just reading on the computer screen would come third after reading on a tablet and e-reader.
It's generally amazing that reading a book is no longer just reading a book but that there's so many options.

Sirtel · 11-13-2022, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thertzler

It's generally amazing that reading a book is no longer just reading a book but that there's so many options.

Yes. Sometimes I think that we've become quite spoiled.

11-12-2022, 05:20 PM	#1
Thertzler Member Posts: 13 Karma: 1138306 Join Date: Mar 2018 Device: none	Hello Everyone... I've been lurking on the forums for a while and I think it's finally time to jump in and introduce myself. I'm a programmer by trade, and reading is my biggest hobby besides even more programming in my free time. I particularly like anything post-modern or hard science fiction, but I'n general I read pretty much everything except romance novels. Back in the day I was skeptical about ebooks, but once I gave them a chance there was no going back, and I've been reading about 95% digitally for the last 8 years. Thinking about going back to physical books has become almost a bewildering thought. Reading without being able to change the font or text size when I feel like it? There'd better be a real good reason to sacrifice those comforts. I read predominantly on my tablet which has a 1080p LCD screen, I've heard good things about e-ink devices but I'm still on the fence about getting one. Even though 96% of what I'm using my tablet for is reading, I'm not sure sacrificing color and generally having a device completely dedicated to reading without the other usual tablet functionality is really worth it... especially since my eyes don't seem get strained from the LCD screen at all. My ebook collection is my pride and joy, but I can't that there's just that teeny tiny difference in actually having a physical book, that tiny gap between something being there in terms of information and being there as a concrete thing. Sometimes I fantasize about monitors becoming really super cheap suddenly, and I would just buy a big bookshelf, fill it with screens and have my digital book collection displayed on them as if they were physical books. ...That sure would bridge that gap.

11-12-2022, 06:14 PM	#2
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,472 Karma: 239219543 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	Hello and welcome to MobileRead! I hear ya about physical books. I've also read mostly ebooks since 2011 and buy a paper book only when there is no ebook edition at all (which unfortunately happens pretty often in my country - ebooks aren't popular here; this is one of the reasons I read fiction mostly in English). I only read books on my eink readers, not a computer, tablet or phone. The screen is one reason, the light weight and ergonomics are also major advantages. But if you're satisfied with reading on a tablet, there's no need to get a separate device. I've never been able to read long novels on anything else than eink.

11-13-2022, 06:19 AM	#3
Thertzler Member Posts: 13 Karma: 1138306 Join Date: Mar 2018 Device: none	Thanks for the warm welcome! I did have a phase early on where where I just read books on my computer screen but I think after just a couple I got a tablet. Something just kind of felt off, I guess because of the size. My gut feeling says that just reading on the computer screen would come third after reading on a tablet and e-reader. It's generally amazing that reading a book is no longer just reading a book but that there's so many options.

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