I'm thinking I'm ready to use Safari. (Not the browser; the O'Reilly service.) But before I do, I want to talk about Safari. Who has used it? How have you liked it? How long have you used it, and have you continued to do so? How have you used it ... do you keep all your bookslots full, what percent do you reserve for books you might need "just in case"?
Off and On
samtregar on 2004-11-11T20:35:58
I've used it off and on over the past couple years. Occaisonally I need to get up to speed very fast on a new technology, XML Schema, DHTML, whatever. That's when Safari can save you a ton of time and money. However, I don't find it useful for more general learning since I can't take it with me on the train or on the subway. As such I don't keep my account open for more than a month or two at a time.
-sam
safari.ora.com
rjbs on 2004-11-12T13:51:40
I got Safari when it first came out, but didn't keep it past two or three months. At OSCON this year, I got a one year subscription via the TPF auction, and I haven't really found it to be worth the price (which was about the normal cost). On vacation, I read Learning Python via Safari. Now and then I go look up something in a Hacks book or UPT. In the end, though, I could probably buy the DTE of those books for the same or less money, and then read them on the sofa.
The interface is just too cluttered. I love love LOVE the idea of making notes in the margins of the web, then searching my notes and others'. The problem is that it isn't really at all like marking up a real book. I think that electronic libraries like Safari will someday be awesome. For now, I'm not sold. Still, I keep trying to find a use.
If I could just take the whole electronic book with me while I'm off the network, it would be a 100% increase in utility.
