The Hacker Quarterly
NOW ON STANDS!
Current issue: AUTUMN 2024
NOW ON STANDS!
2600 Magazine is now available for digital subscriptions and instant downloads. There are two formats to choose from: PDF or EPUB.
The format that's right for you depends on how you will read the issue, and what else you would like to do with it. Both formats are delivered without digital rights management (DRM). You can save it wherever you want, and view it on different devices.
If you want to view your issue just like the print magazine, PDF is probably best.
If you want to view your issue on an ereader or tablet, EPUB is probably best.
Here are more details:
The PDF is, essentially, a digital facsimile of the print magazine. It has all the layout of the magazine and all the graphics, fonts, etc. Just like the magazine, the front cover, back cover, and payphone photos are in color and the rest is black and white. The PDF presentation is focused on being faithful to the print magazine. This brings all the art and beauty of the magazine layout to the digital form.
Who might prefer PDF? People who love the layout of the print magazine, and who want a digital copy to cherish and enjoy. You can even print your magazine issues, just like any other PDF file.
The EPUB (version 3, also known as EPUB3) is the current standard for electronic books and magazines.It is optimized for reader devices like Kindle, Nook, and Kobo. It also works well with ereader software included on most tablets and many computers. The EPUB format is basically a zipped HTML file, and EPUB files can have many features of the web like interactive content and hyperlinks. In practice, though, usually they are mostly text and images, and the 2600 Magazine digital edition EPUB exists mainly to make the content of the magazine more accessible and usable on ereaders. The EPUB doesn't have the layout of the print magazine (such as multiple columns with a title on a graphical background). Instead, each article, ad, or other section of the magazine is presented as a "chapter" in the epub. A table of contents lets you navigate around the magazine.
If you are viewing the EPUB on a computer or tablet, you can easily copy and paste content. This is a great way of copying source code or anything else you want to save from the EPUB to a separate file like a text file or word processor document. When you get your digital delivery of a new 2600 issue, consider keeping the EPUB file safe on a computer or other system you can control.
Who should select EPUB? Anyone who prefers to read 2600 Magazine on their ereader or with ereader software like Calibre. Or anyone who wants to easily copy and paste source code or other content from the magazine. The EPUB format is probably best for people with visual impairments who use software to convert to audio or Braille, or to choose larger fonts or higher contrast.
