Smashing Node.JS book is out. | Hacker News Reader

Smashing Node.JS book is out.

smashingnode.com

103 pointsRauchg50 comments

I would buy this if there were a PDF version available. Am I able to purchase the Kindle copy and download some kind of Kindle app to read it? I really want this book.

Sure, you have other options to read Kindle books without a Kindle device:

* On the web or on your iPhone/iPad https://read.amazon.com/

* On Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.amazon.kin...

Also on Mac and Windows desktops. The great thing about Kindle is that it's almost as ubiquitous as PDF. Almost.

Minus the fact that there are some DRM in the Kindle books which is rather anoying.

PDF is an open standard, the Kindle format is not.

Kindle DRM doesn't annoy me at all. I'm not annoyed by just the existence of some technology, I'm annoyed if this technology hurts my ability to do what I want to do. I do want to read books on iPad, iPhone, Mac, PC and Kindle. I'm able to. If I wanted to steal books I could have been annoyed, but I don't want to.

1984 demonstrated that your ability depends on the continued goodwill and competence of Amazon, who reserved for themselves the power to steal any of your Kindle store purchases.

That case was so ironic I thought you were referring to George Orwell there for a minute.

For those such as myself that didn't catch the reference, nor hear about this the first time around: "Amazon Erases Orwell Books From Kindle" [1].

[1]: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/technology/companies/18ama...

Luckily there are easy to use tools to remove Kindle DRM and treat the book as if it were something you bought.

Wow, thanks. I did not actually know that Kindle books could be read without actually owning a Kindle capable device. I'm buying this right now.

I like the Chrome reader; it lets you read offline. Also, for programming titles, I actually prefer using a second monitor: more screen than a device, plus ability to copy and paste code is nice.

I would also buy if there were a PDF version. Since my entire library is pdf, I won't install a software and register an account just to read this book.

Shameless plug: you can always buy the print version and have it digitized.

I was ready to buy a PDF. I'm not maintaining a Kindle account and app for 1 book.

I've always been a bit weary of purchasing technical books for the Kindle: the few I've done that way are largely unreadable. What's the case here?

As for the content itself, I'm pretty good with JavaScript, both for the web and for node. Does this add anything new?

I think Kindle DX users will benefit from the kindle edition. Technical books is a pleasure to read on a Kindle DX.

DX's a bit expensive, my compromise is to read in landscape format on my standard size kindle.

Yeah, I couldn't afford a DX. I end up reading the "content" on my Kindle and when there are long code snippets, I read it on my Mac.

And I've been wary about publishing them :)

Shameless plug: I put out jsmag in PDF, and regularly get people asking for Kindle version, but have not yet been able to make something look decent. Revisiting this again next month. Suggestions/guidance on this topic welcome.

I had good luck with formatting things for my Kindle with LaTeX. I just set the page size to be proportionate to the Kindle screen and compiled a PDF. The result was far better looking than using the normal Kindle format and I didn't have the normal issues with PDFs because mine actually fit on the screen.

This wasn't the most space efficient system, but it was probably the best one aesthetically. Also, since I just created a custom .sty file to automate this, I can have my single source document output both normal-sized and Kindle-sized PDFs.

interesting - thanks.

I read almost all of my technical books (I've stopped buying technical paperbacks a couple of years ago) on iPad. For whatever reason (natural born cyborg?) my eyes appreciate glowing screen. If only I can make iPad lighter...

I guess I'll be that guy: is there a downloadable sample available somewhere?

The Wiley page has some:

http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1119962595...

And if you want to get it via Amazon for your Kindle, Amazon offers a sample of every book.

Just got back into node.js this past week and I think its a great change up from RoR(day job). I'm using the socket.io module and seeing as this guy's responsible for that... I figured I'd support him and order a copy, plus I like reading other perspectives on programming topics. Thanks!

Is this in any way affiliated with Smashing Magazine (http://www.smashingmagazine.com/)? The name and color scheme would lead one to believe so…

It doesn't seem so. Otherwise you'd have to imagine they'd be more transparent about it.

It appears so. At this link which someone posted below:

http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-111996259...

There's the Smashing Magazine logo on the upper left hand side of the book.

Hm, but it doesn't appear in Smashing's ebook store: http://www.smashingmagazine.com/ebooks/

Any DRM free epub versions available for purchase?

I would immediately purchase a DRM free PDF edition of this book, if such were available. I find that's the best format for easily moving between study sessions on my iPad and experimentation on my laptop (e.g. copying code snippets into a REPL or editor).

I've been using node.js since early 2010, but I find it helpful to read books written by a platform's expert developers, as they tend to provide insights and demonstrate helpful patterns of which I was previously unaware.

I'm not interested in buying (and won't buy) a printed copy or a DRM'd digital edition.

Just buy a copy from Amazon and then strip the DRM in < 30 seconds with a Calibre plug - http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/01/how-to-strip-drm-from...

Having to creep around copy protections like a thief takes the joy and pride of ownership right out.

This looks good. It seems like just the right time for this, and I like the collection of topics.

Congrats Guillermo!

Not to be a hater but this book got MAD programming errors. I guess since its not for beginners, there's no read to technically edit?

I mean, you can infer what he meant but man it would suck if you didn't know JS that well.

I still applaud this man for his contributions though.

You made an account just to bash this book?

Unfortunately, this seems to be about the norm for first editions of the Smashing library.

What about that book he is selling? Is that any good? Have some of you even read it yet?

I have only read the first two chapters (setup and Javascript an overview).

The content do not look bad (but I have not read node.js specific parts yet so I can't really tell). The bad part is that it would need some serious proof-reading... Some sentences are missing words or are hardly understandable and there are some mistakes in the code.

Reiterating the sentiment. Seems great so far, but there are some errors that could create confusion. The good news is the author left his email address, so I dare say he's well aware by now :)

It will be available on safaribooksonline by the end of the month ... so if you already have a safari account you can just wait a little

Thank you for a great book on NodeJS (my fav). And special thanks on making it available on Kindle/Amazon.com (my other fav) !!! :)

anything with DRM = no sale

can anyone tell me if they have found the code error in the tcp-chat in the book. I have run it and I get an error when one telnet session closes. So I assume the error in the conn.on('close') emmitter

Purchased! Can't wait to start it. Keep up the great work Guillermo!

surprisingly enough, I actually saw this book on shelf in person at Barnes and Nobles, just an hour after I saw this post. (the union square location in NYC has it)

boom!

great book. already sorted out a lot of questions for me.

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