Kindle Page Number Proposal

[ApK]

Originally Posted by Synamon

Page numbers seems to be the book equivalent to the hands on a clock.

More like hands on a broken clock. They are only right twice a day, and page numbers are only right if you're referencing one particular edition of a book.

The only reason page numbers are "useful" in academic and book club situations, is apparently because those scenarios are full of people who are unwilling to learn new things.

That being said, it wouldn't be a horrible scenario to have a wider variety of position options on any device, from character count through percentages, to screen turns, to paper pages. Let everyone choose their favorite.

[arcadata]

Originally Posted by RDaneel54

Remember scroll positions?

Pardon my ignorance, but what's a scroll position?

[dionoea]

A positive aspect of page numbers is that they allow easy estimation of the time it will take to read a given book. I haven't found anything similar yet on the kindle other than the dots under the book name in the book list (and those aren't something I can translate to time yet).

[jbcohen]

To get the page numbers I use this formula - page number = cyrrent percentage * total number of page in the book.

[Shimarenda]

Originally Posted by Larla

However, my main use of page #'s is to tell me where I am in the book I am reading.

I understand what you mean and felt the same when I began using my Kindle. After a while, however, I got used to the percentage bar at the bottom to gauge my progress.

[Larla]

I am sure I can get used to the percentage; I just feel that screen page #'s gives me even more information than just a percentage. It would be really nice to know how many screen turns are left to finish the book.

[tubemonkey]

I can do without any location indicator. I never pay attention to it and don't really care where I am in a book.

[RDaneel54]

Originally Posted by arcadata

Pardon my ignorance, but what's a scroll position?

Back when scrolls were used for reading, 1000 or so years ago and previous, the reader would estimate where he needed to go in the scroll - the scroll position.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by RDaneel54

Back when scrolls were used for reading, 1000 or so years ago and previous, the reader would estimate where he needed to go in the scroll - the scroll position.

I just keep track of my place by memorizing the placement of uniquely-shaped pimples on the vellum.

[Koko]

I have an idea of how to number pages in e-books. Why not define that one page is say 500 words, then number the pages after this?

[soulfuldog]

I quite like the progress bar with the percentage figure, a very simple way to know how far you are in a book. Plus it's not affected in any way by changes you might have made to the formatting, text size etc. The only downside to e-readers is not being able to flick forward to see how much you have left until the end of a chapter, but that's it.

[DiapDealer]

The only downside to e-readers is not being able to flick forward to see how much you have left until the end of a chapter, but that's it.

If the ebook creator was thorough and competent, you'll see dots on the progress bar that represent the various chapter points. I can usually tell at a glance how close I am to finishing a chapter.

[RolandD]

What, exactly, does the Loc # mean on the Kindle?

[soulfuldog]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

If the ebook creator was thorough and competent, you'll see dots on the progress bar that represent the various chapter points. I can usually tell at a glance how close I am to finishing a chapter.

Thanks DiapDealer, I'm a complete idiot and had never even noticed that!

[Koko]

It would be an advantage to be given number of words rather than print pages when purchasing an e-book.