Oracle documentation on a Kindle

WARNING! Some time since 12c came out, Oracle have stopped supporting the Mobi/ePub formats, even HTML it seems. You can only get the documentation in PDF format as far as I can see…

Anyway, as a historical note…..

I recently bought myself a Kindle – the keyboard 3G version. Keyboard as I know I will want to add notes to things and the 3G version for no better reason than some vague idea of being able to download things when I am away from my WiFi.

So, how about getting Oracle documentation onto it? You can get the oracle manuals as PDF versions (as opposed to HTML) so I knew it was possible and that others have done so before. A quick web search will show a few people have done this already – one of the best posts is by Robin Moffat.

Anyway, this is my take on it.

1) Don’t download the PDF versions of the manuals and then just copy them onto your kindle. It will work, but is not ideal. PDF files are shown as a full page image in portrait mode and parts are unreadable. Swap to landscape mode and most text becomes legible and you can zoom in. In both modes there is no table of contents and none of the links work between sections. All you can do is step back and forth page by page and skip directly to pages, ie goto page 127. This is not so bad actually as quite often the manual states the page to go to for a particular figure or topic.

2) Do download the MOBI format of the manuals you want, if available. Oracle started producing it’s manuals in Mobi and Epub format last year. I understand that Apple’s .AZW format is based on .MOBI (Mobipocket) format. As such text re-flows to fit the screen of the Kindle. I’ve checked a few of the DBA_type manuals for V10 and V11 and Mobi files seem generally available, but not a couple I checked for 10.1. If there is no Mobi, you can still revert to downloading the PDF version.

3) You cannot download a set of manuals in this format and you won’t see an option to download an actual manual in MOBI format until you go into the HTML version of the document.

I can understand that it would be a task for someone in Oracle to go and create a new downloadable ZIP of all books in these formats or, better still, sets to cover a business function (like all DBA-type books and all developer-type books), but it would be convenient.
Anyhow, go to OTN’s documentation section, pick the version you want and navigate to the online version of the manual.

Here I go to the 11.2 version – note, I’m clicking on the online set of manuals, not the download option.

Select the HTML version of the document you want, in this case I am grabbing a copy of the performance tuning guide. As you can see, this is also where you can choose the PDF version of the manual

Once the first page comes up, you will see the options for PDF, Mobi and Epub versions at the top right of the screen (see below). I wonder how many people have not realised the manuals are now available in new ebook formats, with the option only there once you are in the manual itself?

I’ve already clicked the Mobi link and you can see at the bottom left of the screen-shot, it has already downloaded {I’m using Chrome, BTW}. Over my 4Mb slightly dodgy broadband connection it took a few seconds only.

4) I don’t like the fact that the files are called things like E25789-01.mobi. I rename them as I move them from my download directory to a dedicated directory. You then attach up your kindle to your computer and drag the files over to the kindle’s “documents” folder and, next time you go to the main menu on the kindle, they will appear with the correct title (irrespective of you renaming them or not)

5) If you download the PDFs I would strongly suggest you rename these files before you move them to the kindle as they will come up with that name. I have a booked called e26088 on my kindle now – which manual is that? {don’t tell me, I know}. I have not tried renaming the file on the kindle itself yet.

6) You don’t have to use a PC as an intermediate staging area, you can directly download the manuals to your kindle, if you have a WiFi connection. Go check out chapter 6 of the kindle user guide 4th edition for details, but you can surf the web on your kindle. Press HOME, then MENU and go down to EXPERIMENTAL. click on “Launch Browser” (if you don’t have wireless turned on, you should get prompted). I’d recommend you flick the kindle into landscape mode for this next bit and don’t expect lightning fast response. If it does not take you to the BOOKMARKS page, use the menu button to get there and I’d suggest you do a google search for OTN to get to the site. Once there navigate as described before. When you click on the .Mobi file it should be downloaded to your kindle in a few seconds. Don’t leave the page until it has downloaded as otherwise the download will fail.

There you go, you can build up whatever set of oracle manuals you like on your ebook or kindle and never be parted from them. Even on holiday…

I’ve obviously only just got going with my Kindle. I have to say, reading manuals on it is not my ideal way of reading such material. {story books I am fine with}. I find panning around tables and diagrams is a bit clunky and the Kindle is not recognising the existence of chapters in the Oracle Mobi manuals, or pages for that matter. However, the table of contents works, as do links, so it is reasonably easy to move around the manual. Up until now I’ve carried around a set of Oracle manuals as an unzipped copy of the html download save to a micro-USB stick but some sites do not allow foreign USB drives to be used. I think I prefer reading manuals on my netbook to the kindle, but the kindle is very light and convenient. If I ever get one of those modern smart-phone doo-dahs, I can see me dropping the netbook in favour of the smartphone and this kindle.

Of course, nothing beats a big desk and a load of manuals and reference books scattered across it, open at relevant places, plus maybe some more stuff on an LCD screen.