Ereader

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/43297441

I just started working on a self hosted Android & iOS ereader app. I’d like to know what features you would like to see if you use this kind of app.

Current Planned Features

• Support for EPUB, TXT, and HTML ebooks.
• Syncing over WebDAV. (Bring your own server. I’m not hosting people’s pirated libraries.)
• Multiple libraries (a WebDAV server is a library), and multiple users per library.
• Current progress from offline reading will get synced when back online.
• Dark mode.
• Custom fonts and themes.
• Text to speech.
• Keep awake.
• Orientation lock.
• Open source. (GPL license)
• Native apps using React Native.
• Animations can be turned completely off.
• Really good e-ink screen support.
• Tablet and phone sized device support.

Background

I use a Boox Palma, but sometimes I don’t have it with me, and I’d like to read on my iPhone.

With the current ereaders I know of, there’s always some downside. Syncing costs money, rendering is janky, page turn animations can’t be disabled, themes cost money (really???), no cross platform support, etc.

I want to learn how to build native apps with React Native, so I’m using this as a learning project. I’m not trying to make money on it, so it’ll be open source, and you have to have your own WebDAV server with all your ebooks on it to sync.

Non-Planned Features

Some things I just can’t do or won’t help me learn, so I’m not going to do them.

• PDF support. (Maybe in the future, but not the initial version.)
• Web app. (I don’t want to host it.)
• Kindle app. (React Native doesn’t support them.)
• Syncing over anything but WebDAV. (I’ll be using WebDAV properties, and I’m not interested in doing any other providers.)

So I’d like to know, what are some features you would like to see, and what are the pain points you’ve experienced with your current ereader apps?

A new jailbreaking tool, WinterBreak, was released earlier this year. It can jailbreak even the latest generation Kindles, as long as the device has not been updated to 5.18.x firmware. 5.18 firmware is available for 10th, 11th and 12th gen Kindles, and was released last month. OTA updates usually propagate over weeks or even months, so even if you have used your Kindle recently, there's a good chance the update hasn't reached your device.

Some older devices can be jailbroken with another tool. Only 1st generation Kindle, and Kindle Touch (4th gen) cannot be jailbroken.

Once jailbroken, you have freedom to do pretty much anything you want with the device. Get rid of the mostly useless Amazon interface, and replace it with KOReader. Or go crazy and install Linux.

You can get the tools and guides from this page: https://kindlemodding.org/jailbreaking/getting-started

And if you prefer to watch a video, this one shows how to jailbreak, why you might want to do so, and what new features you can get: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtk7ERwlIAk

Of course I use it when travelling, but it feels so nice to use without a cover while at home.

Title from the article. Interesting article, with some good words from our DRM-free favorite Cory Doctorow.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/40754848

Apparently this seems to be one of the best English dictionaries out there. I thought I'd post it here to make it available to some more people that might be interested. Thanks to @[email protected] for sharing!

Internet Archive Page

.zip download, IA host

.torrent download, IA host

Torrent magnet link

Original post

Years ago someone on a certain dedicated ereader fourm shared a fixed updated stardict version of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. This is of one of the rare holy grails of digital dictionary files, as you cant find a properly working version of this dict anywhere on the usual sites just one scuffed conversion version with broken formatting.

Unfortunately it was only available a very short time before a mod removed the links on the fourm for copyright infringement policy.

So now they are gone off the public internet for good AFAIK. Every now and then I see people in the fourms asking for links to these specific files.

I was fortunate enough to save everything the generous user shared while still available and still have them locally. I would like to make these files available and easily findable to anyone who wants them. Can you please give a newbie >some guidance on how to best do this?

Looking to trade my Scribe in for a KLC, was wondering if anyone had experience with both. I like the size of the scribe, but I don’t care much for the screen. I had an Oasis before this and I never liked the screen on that either. I have a hard time getting the settings to look right, and something about the fonts just doesn’t look right. My partner’s paperwhite always looked much better.

Main uses are reading, note taking, and manga/comic reading. Intrigued by the color aspect, but worried about the screen crispness.

Currently I really enjoy Literata and Vollkorn. As well as KaiTi for Chinese.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/27410537

Note that there still have been no studies on its efficacy. At worst, it is a great font to avoid ambiguity between characters.

Cross-posted from "Quick and dirty way to rip an eBook from Android" by @[email protected] in [email protected]

Some of you might have followed my earlier posts about the LCP ePub DRM. Here's another one of Terence's blog posts that I thought was great.

Cross-posted from "Extracting content from an LCP "protected" ePub" by @[email protected] in [email protected]

Finally there are some more methods to tacke LCP DRM, but the messages to the creator from Readium consortium is so frustrating. Just read this:

"We were planning to now focus on new accessibility features on our open-source Thorium Reader, better access to annotations for blind users and an advanced reading mode for dyslexic people. Too bad; disturbances around LCP will force us to focus on a new round of security measures, ensuring the technology stays useful for ebook lending (stop reading after some time) and as a protection against oversharing."

Also on Mastodon

On a whim I decided to complement my Kobo Libra 2 and buy a Boox Page. I decided between the Meebook M7 and the Boox, but as the M7 wasn't in stock and it felt safer to get the Boox from a local store due to return and warranty policies, I decided on the Boox instead. Anyway, I'm super happy with it. The battery definitely drains faster, and many apps aren't optimized for e-ink, but it's really useful to access different kinds of reading apps I'd like to use on an e-ink screen. And stuff like Wikipedia. Even though I detest DRM, unfortunately it's not possible to access a lot of the material I want to access, outside of apps. I find the Boox to work better with PDFs though, and it feels snappier even when comparing KOReader on my Boox and KOReader on my Kobo. The extendable storage and being able to install Mihon is great for manga purposes too.

Compared to my Kobo, the physical design of the device is unfortunately a bit worse. The ergonomics are so-so and the buttons feel flimsy and I don't know what to feel about the magnetic cover. I've also heard the Boox has a tendency to break more easily than other devices.

I find that both devices fulfill different purposes for me. For reading normal epubs and so forth, I definitely prefer KOReader and my Kobo Libra 2. I like single-use devices and it might be my imagination, but the Kobo feels snappier and the page turns a bit faster, probably due to less overhead. For comics, foreign language books and other kind of reading, the Boox is awesome.

Anyone else that'd like to share their experiences?

I'm running a Kobo Libra 2 that I bought last year, to upgrade from my Kobo Aura One. Getting an e-ink device has definitely been one of the best decisions I've made, I've read so much more since then

...and to provide cutting-edge, thought provoking sci-fi

Not a shill, I was looking for Peter Watts' The freeze-frame revolution, which drove me straight to its publisher, Tachyon.

Verified DRM-free buy!

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/3605996

Thought this was interesting. Really hope Amazon doesn’t give up on the buttons.

You can do web browsing on the Wave, but it isn't designed for it. Browsers can be crashy, especially if they haven't run recently. But if you need to browse minimally, it can be done.

I was surprised by how much pressure is needed to write with the default pen that comes with the Mobiscribe WAVE. It's just a standard Wacom EMR device, so I tried a few S-Pens, and it's a noticeable difference. Much easier to write and to make darker marks with less pressure. The stylus you use matters!