I'm studying postgrad business and have come across VitalSource for the first time. This software is terrible. I can only access materials on one computer and can only print 2 pages at a time. Gives me my text in .pdf any day! Extremely disappointing.
I'm using VitalSource for my CFA and I agree it is not user friendly at all. I can't scroll with keyboard shortcuts after installing version 6.3.1 (11), and the pages keep jumping. There is no zoom function either.
I recently purchased a medical ebook. Which uses the Bookshelf software package. After attempting to use the package on a PC with Windows 7 I have demanded a refund against a physical text. The reason for this is the appallingly bad functionality of Bookshelf. Overall it is clunky and not user friendly and navigation is a nightmare.
Specifically (but by no means limited to) I cannot:
1) Go To a page - this function fails to work and takes me 30 pages away each time
2) The table of contents is not linked
3) Page scrolling is virtually impossible and either jumps multiple pages or only goes half a page
4) The mouse scroll does not work and the only way you can move is via the scroll bar
4) There is no page numbering on screen - I have to go the book page No to find my location which is often no visible
5) The search function does work, but the results are often to verbose to be of use
6) There is no zoom function for the limited page viewing options
7) Printing is difficult to print more than the limit (in this case 5) you have to refer to the page numbers on the book each time
I have only been using the software for a limited time, but have been forced to abandon my attempts due to lack of basic functionality. Overall Bookshelf is one of the worst pieces of software development I have come across (I have been in the IT industry for over 20 years) In the case of study texts where efficient and fast navigation is essential - Bookshelf is seriously below par.
It's not just the limited sharing or printing capabilities which are bad. The worst thing is you can't read the books properly in a real full screen format, or rotate them. The program's user interface looks like something out of the mid nineties and is cumbersome to use. Overall the reading experience is abysmal. Too bad if you have to spend hours in front of it, damaging your eyesight , because you have no alternative.
There are so many formats and readers around, who on EARTH would want to restrict themselves to something with such limited capability for sharing and exchanging between formats? Bought a hardcopy book that came with a free vbk version - it's going to be very lonely. Get with the century guys.
There are so many formats and readers around, who on EARTH would want to restrict themselves to something with such limited capability for sharing and exchanging between formats? Bought a hardcopy book that came with a free vbk version - it's going to be very lonely. Get with the century guys.
Specifically (but by no means limited to) I cannot:
1) Go To a page - this function fails to work and takes me 30 pages away each time
2) The table of contents is not linked
3) Page scrolling is virtually impossible and either jumps multiple pages or only goes half a page
4) The mouse scroll does not work and the only way you can move is via the scroll bar
4) There is no page numbering on screen - I have to go the book page No to find my location which is often no visible
5) The search function does work, but the results are often to verbose to be of use
6) There is no zoom function for the limited page viewing options
7) Printing is difficult to print more than the limit (in this case 5) you have to refer to the page numbers on the book each time
I have only been using the software for a limited time, but have been forced to abandon my attempts due to lack of basic functionality. Overall Bookshelf is one of the worst pieces of software development I have come across (I have been in the IT industry for over 20 years) In the case of study texts where efficient and fast navigation is essential - Bookshelf is seriously below par.
greedy publishers