The complete Ebook Software guide

The complete Ebook Software guide

I had a lot of problems getting the right ebook reader, along with their download locations. Here is a list I have compiled which might help you guys –

Readers
· Microsoft Reader
Available from Microsoft, this remains the best option for books to be read. To convert txt files to this format, use the MS Word RMR plugin. You also get secure lit files for copywritten work. However, this can support only .lit files.

Type - Freeware
Environments – PC and PocketPC
Website - http://www.microsoft.com/reader/default.asp
http://www.microsoft.com/reader/downloads/ppc.asp
Rating – 8/10

· Ice Book Reader Professional
Great Software! With support for almost every kind of book type you can think of, and a database to match. Other than the Microsoft reader, this is the easiest to read.

Type – Trialware – A few limitations, but should be sufficient for all.
Environments – PC
Website - http://www.ice-graphics.com/ICEReader/DownloadE.html
Rating – 8.5/10

· Adobe Acrobat Reader
Reads pdfs and nothing else. Very large, and slow. Even the pocketPC version is 13MB in size.
Type – Freeware
Environments - PC and PocketPC
Website - http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readerforppc.html
Rating – 5/10

· Foxit Reader
Reads pdfs and nothing else. Not too large, and quite fast. However, there are observed inconsistencies in the display.

Type – Freeware
Environments - PC
Website - http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php
Rating – 5.5/10

· yBook – The paperback Emulator.
When you load a book, you will find that yBook will format each one, and only then display it before you. Almost every change you make will result in a more polished ebook. It may take some time to get used to this. It could do with a library as well, though.

Type – Freeware
Environments - PC
Website - http://www.spacejock.com/yBook.html
Rating – 8/10

· uBook
Run of the mill stuff.

Type – Nagware/Trial – nags user, as well as stops autoscrolling
Environments – PC and PocketPC
Website - http://www.gowerpoint.com/
Rating – 6/10

· Mobipocket Reader
Generally pretty decent reader, although for some reason, I have not liked it as much as others

Environments – PC and PocketPC
Website - http://www.mobipocket.com/
Rating – 7/10

One which is missing is the pdb reader (or a reader for palm books). I have not read any books in this format, so don’t really know much about it. Ice reader can reader pdb files.

Book Sorters and Renamers

· vBookSorter – By Vadi

This is simply the best, nothing compares to it at all. Once you have set it up correctly, you will find it almost instinctively doing things which you always wished some software would. Renaming, removing underscores, automatic sorting, Series and a lot more. Vadi, good work!

Type – Freeware
Environments – PC
Website - http://www.geocities.com/vangelis_df/vBookSorter/vBookSorter.html
Rating – 9.5/10

Galciv2

My first review on TechEnclave. Galactic Civilizations II


It had to be a game. Am on leave :):)

To the moon and back

I have been a science fiction fan for long, and the thought of a man on the moon, with a permanent base out there has fired my imagination for long. Recently, I came upon this article in the Indian express about India’s moon mission. Seems like NASA wants us to take stuff to the moon for them (

After years of not cooperating with us, we are now in their good books again.

More thinking: What if we didn’t waste any money on each country coming up with their own moon vehicle, and instead devoted all those funds to a worldwide space org? Let’s see. Neil Armstrong went to the moon in July 1969. Since then Russia, China, Japan, Europe and my uncle have tried for this. Instead if we had one common body, would we not have had a base on the moon by now?

If Europe can have one space agency, then why cant the world?

Yeah yeah, I know, defense and all that bulls***.

Official site
http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan-1/
http://www.isro.org/chandrayaan-1/announcement_1.htm

Unofficially
http://www.chandrayaan-1.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandrayaan

Warp me up, Scotty

All science fiction fans would have heard of the warp drive. Simply put, it’ a mechanism to travel faster than light by manipulating the space time fabric. Being a hardcore SF fan, I have many-a-time fantasized about being a spaceman.

Surprisingly, there is a lot of material on the net regarding this. PopSci.com's article recently brought up my interest, and then it went on.
PopSci

The big ol bad Daddy of all space agencies also has something to say on this.
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/research/warp/warp.html
This is not only pretty comprehensive, but makes for very exhausting reading. I still have to get through most of it.

Wikipedia on the other hand, relates warp drives to Star trek(. It even has the speeds for each level of warp drive!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_drive

Ah well, I think we will have to wait some time for this …