Comments on: BookGlutton’s public beta http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:33:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: In Praise of Shyness, Solitude, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (And All Other Personality Disorders Associated with Reading): Or, What’s Wrong With Being Disconnected? « Read, Write, Now http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693876 In Praise of Shyness, Solitude, and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (And All Other Personality Disorders Associated with Reading): Or, What’s Wrong With Being Disconnected? « Read, Write, Now Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:56:27 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693876 [...] the spirit of America the connected, I’m planning on joining up), which I discovered on a blog at teleread.org this morning. At Bookglutton, you read books collectively online with others, viewing their [...] [...] the spirit of America the connected, I’m planning on joining up), which I discovered on a blog at teleread.org this morning. At Bookglutton, you read books collectively online with others, viewing their [...]

]]> By: Travis Alber http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693840 Travis Alber Sun, 20 Jan 2008 03:49:41 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693840 Thanks for your input, Richard. We added a note to the signup page immediately. We chose Firefox as our initial development platform because it supports open standards (which are important to BookGlutton's philosophy, hence our use of epub, XHTML, CSS, and ECMAScript). We've discussed releasing for IE sometime down the line, but it's important not to limit the core functionality of our Reader. Right now the code behind IE 6 and 7 is still based on Mozilla 4.0 -- one version behind the core of Safari and Firefox. At a certain point the industry needs to push forward. Emerging technologies important to online books (like CSS3, the Canvas object, XSL-FO, and MathML) are being implemented in Firefox, but their future in IE is uncertain. This could significantly affect delivery and interface options we have in the future. However, we want as many people as possible to have access to BookGlutton, and your comments do not fall on deaf ears. So far only 15% of our site traffic has been IE, but that will definitely change as more people sign up. Supporting the most users while trying to push the envelope means compromise, and we'll do our best to find a balance between keeping our users satisified and working to be innovative. Travis Alber, BookGlutton Co-founder Thanks for your input, Richard. We added a note to the signup page immediately.

We chose Firefox as our initial development platform because it supports open standards (which are important to BookGlutton’s philosophy, hence our use of epub, XHTML, CSS, and ECMAScript). We’ve discussed releasing for IE sometime down the line, but it’s important not to limit the core functionality of our Reader. Right now the code behind IE 6 and 7 is still based on Mozilla 4.0 — one version behind the core of Safari and Firefox. At a certain point the industry needs to push forward. Emerging technologies important to online books (like CSS3, the Canvas object, XSL-FO, and MathML) are being implemented in Firefox, but their future in IE is uncertain. This could significantly affect delivery and interface options we have in the future.

However, we want as many people as possible to have access to BookGlutton, and your comments do not fall on deaf ears. So far only 15% of our site traffic has been IE, but that will definitely change as more people sign up. Supporting the most users while trying to push the envelope means compromise, and we’ll do our best to find a balance between keeping our users satisified and working to be innovative.

Travis Alber, BookGlutton Co-founder

]]> By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693633 David Rothman Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:33:20 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693633 Richard, you raise excellent questions. I checked out the site with Firefox--I normally avoid IE becuase of the security problem. I'll ask BG for a response. Thanks. David Richard, you raise excellent questions. I checked out the site with Firefox–I normally avoid IE becuase of the security problem. I’ll ask BG for a response. Thanks. David

]]> By: Richard Adin http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693602 Richard Adin Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:51:26 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693602 Book Glutton has a major immediate problem -- most of the world uses Internet Explorer but the site is currently only accessible to FireFox users. No way to evaluate the value of Book Glutton absent the ability to access it. Also, the site does not tell you that it requires FireFox to use the reader until <em>after</em> you create an account and try to read a book. I, for one, am not happy about that. I think a person whould be told <em>beforehand</em> about the special requirements. I think it is a little underhanded, and does not set a positive tone for the site. Book Glutton has a major immediate problem — most of the world uses Internet Explorer but the site is currently only accessible to FireFox users. No way to evaluate the value of Book Glutton absent the ability to access it.

Also, the site does not tell you that it requires FireFox to use the reader until after you create an account and try to read a book. I, for one, am not happy about that. I think a person whould be told beforehand about the special requirements. I think it is a little underhanded, and does not set a positive tone for the site.

]]> By: Book Glutton | Library Stuff http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693571 Book Glutton | Library Stuff Sat, 19 Jan 2008 21:11:22 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/01/19/bookgluttons-public-beta/#comment-693571 [...] intent: build an experience that is simultaneously a book group, a computer, and a book.” (via) Posted in books | Trackback | del.icio.us | Top Of [...] [...] intent: build an experience that is simultaneously a book group, a computer, and a book.” (via) Posted in books | Trackback | del.icio.us | Top Of [...]

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