Which one do you use?
After using them both, this is what I found. I tried to gather all the differences, but there might be things I missed. Maybe we can complete and discuss the list then upload to wiki? I compared them under the patched firmware, it seems like the better way to do this as patch brings them closer and fixes many problems. Under patched firmware:
kepub;
advantages:
- Reading Status.
- Optional footer and header.
- Faster page turning.
- Quicker response to touch.
- Advanced settings for opentype typefaces.
- Choice between Adobe style page numbering and chapter-based true page numbering.
- Better image rendering, ability to zoom etc.
- Footnotes are rendered as pop-ups with added ability to go to the notes.
- Annotations are better.
disadvantages:
- Broken hyphenation (it works but situations like ever-ybody is commonplace). this is fixed.
- Kerning only works of you edit your typeface to support old-style kerning pairs.
- Justification setting overrides all text, not only on the paragraph level.
- No ligatures.
- Glyphs are sometimes cut-off at lower line spacing values (lower from the device default which is very high). patch fixes this.
If one looks at the kepubs, ability to render footnotes sanely sometimes can force one to use a kepub. In my non-edited, DRM'ed version of Graeber's Debt, for example, footnotes were almost unusable before converting to kebup. Images can also cause this. But the broken hyphenation, no kerning and missing ligatures might be deal breakers for typographically inclined personages.
epub;
advantages:
- Working hyphenation. No longer a bonus.
- Working kerning.
- There are ligatures.
- Better justification algorithm.
- No cut-off glyphs at lower line spacing values.
- Better support for embedded fonts.
- ePubs can be downloaded with the device browser.
- Optional footer, no header.
disadvantages:
- Touch is sometimes less responsive.
- Page style might, very rarely, need editing.
- Slower page turns.
- Opentype typefaces are problematic with advanced settings.
- No reading status.
- No pop-ups for footnotes.
- Only Adobe style page numbering.
Advanced typographical features of epubs makes them main format for novels and stories. But, compared to kebup, footnotes and images are problematic.
Overall, kepubs render better if one discards typography and typography is one of the most important part of reading (apart from the content, obviously), if not the most. Choice is yours, but I think choosing according to the book is the best way to go. With a book without footnotes and important images (or very few of them), go with epub; with something like an academic work, kepubs are better.
Kepub is a nice feature of Kobo, but I think it should be regarded as something that stands next to epub, not something to replace it.