Some serious issues with kepubs

[graycyn]

Wow, based on the images, I would not like reading a kepub! I'll stick to sideloading epubs. I don't really care about sync or reading progress stuff, all I want to do is read. Just finished reading a Kobo book, sideloaded as epub and it was fine.

[jgoguen]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I don't want to fiddle with my ebooks, I just want to read. Should I be using the KindleTouchExtended plugin to convert ePubs to load onto the Aura, or should I just leave them be?

I don't actually support the Aura at the moment, too many reports that it works poorly and I have no device to test with. I do have people who have offered to be guinea pigs and test things for me, but it's no substitute for having a device to actually play with.

That said, the plugin will send kepub files to the Aura, and you're welcome to try it and report problems on the GitHub issue tracker. Although, if you just want to read and don't care about the extras that the kepub features gives you and you don't have problems with the format of your ePub books, I would say stick with the mainline driver at least until the Aura is better supported.

[pidgeon92]

Originally Posted by jgoguen

That said, the plugin will send kepub files to the Aura, and you're welcome to try it and report problems on the GitHub issue tracker.

I have used it to send a handful of books to the Aura. It works just fine, there aren't any noticeable problems. However, I haven't loaded the corresponding epubs to look and see if there are format differences. I suppose I shall have to load them both and compare on a few titles.

[jgoguen]

Have you been able to close and re-open books sent with that plugin? Did all the images show up properly on the home screen and library before and after closing and opening a book?

[6charlong]

Originally Posted by jgoguen

Have you been able to close and re-open books sent with that plugin? Did all the images show up properly on the home screen and library before and after closing and opening a book?

The plugin works fine, better than I expected. I tried kepubs in my Aura and I was very impressed at how good kepub books appear, so I tried using the Koboextended plugin together with the new version of Calibre and they are beautiful.

As a new user, I was happy with the implementation of the Kobo interface and the Kobo Aura is the best I've seen. I've followed the evolution of epub from epub1 on the EB1150 through various devices using epub2 and a few attempts to implement epub3 in "extended" edition eBooks. Frankly, Amazon's KF3 files on the PW put epub2 to shame and the attempts at epub3 are at best disappointing but kepubs are a match.

Kobo has done a great job and deserves credit for moving the standard forward.

[samhy]

Everywhere on the forums, people seem to want options with their ereaders. And here, Kobo give you the choice between two renderers. You don't have to read epub ebooks if you don't want to. You don't have to read kepub ebooks if you don't want to.

"We are not sure why you are sideloading your Kobo books."

Maybe a bad choice of words, but I understood it as being: it takes more steps to buy from the web site, then open the desktop software, then plug the device and finally send the book to said device than connect through WIFI and buy directly or connect through WIFI to download ebooks bought with a computer.

I, for one, like the kepub format very much. This was even one of the reasons why I choose Kobo. When the price is the same on Kobo store and another web site, I'll go with Kobo so I can have the choice between an epub and a kepub

[jgoguen]

Originally Posted by 6charlong

.Kobo has done a great job and deserves credit for moving the standard forward.

I strongly disagree that Kobo has moved the EPUB standard forward. They've implemented their own non-standard additions on top of the EPUB2 standard to handle things that are not part of the EPUB2 standard (such as, what is your position when you close a book). If Kobo were moving the standard forward, they'd be supporting the EPUB3 standard (it's about a year and a half old at this point) for everything it can support and adding to that standard if they need more features. I believe that the EPUB3 standard actually handles everything the kepub format does.

[taming]

Kepubs are proprietary ePubs that fully support all required ePub3 features. The reason we went 4-5 months without an update some time ago is that Kobo adopted a new backend to make that happen.

Adobe ePubs are not yet fully compliant--it's a work in progress. Adobe still hasn't released any EPUB 3 compliant rendering. Nor do they plan to. I have been told (not by Kobo, but by someone in the industry I trust) that they have no plans to update the ACSE 4.0 SDK. Any EPUB 3 support in any reader that supports ACSE 4.0 is coming directly from the reader app vendor. It takes time and we are seeing that now as Kobo works on it.

[jgoguen]

Originally Posted by taming

Kepubs are proprietary ePubs that fully support all required ePub3 features. The reason we went 4-5 months without an update some time ago is that Kobo adopted a new backend to make that happen.

So you're saying that if I modify the ePub structure within a kepub file to be EPUB3 compliant, the Kobo device will pick up the series information per http://www.idpf.org/epub/30/spec/epu...c-opf-dctitle? And it supports the Canonical Fragment Identifier spec for syncing the reading position (http://www.idpf.org/epub/linking/cfi/)? That would be awesome if true, but as of 11 days ago Kobo supported neither in ePub or KePub, but if they do now with firmware 2.5.1 I'd be interested in revisiting at least the series information.

Originally Posted by taming

Adobe ePubs are not yet fully compliant--it's a work in progress. Adobe still hasn't released any EPUB 3 compliant rendering. Nor do they plan to.

I think I misunderstand what you mean here. As I readit, either Adobe is working on EPUB3 support and so it's a work in progress, or they have no intention of EPUB3 support and so it isn't a work in progress. Or do you mean that Adobe has no plans for EPUB3 support but Kobo (and other vendors) is working on it with KePub acting as a stop-gap until they have EPUB3 properly implemented?

[taming]

Originally Posted by jgoguen

Or do you mean that Adobe has no plans for EPUB3 support but Kobo (and other vendors) is working on it with KePub acting as a stop-gap until they have EPUB3 properly implemented?

Kepub is not a stop-gap. It will continue (as far as I know) to be Kobo's preferred format, if for no other reason that they do not have to pay a fee to Adobe like they do when an Adobe file is downloaded using ADE. What I am saying is that Kobo could work on the kepubs first because they could work from the standard without having to wait for Adobe to do anything.

I am not a techie or an expert in any of this. What I do know is that kepubs are epub3 compliant now and epubs are not yet. I also know that the standard does not require that everything available be implemented on a device--that there is a difference between what is required and what is possible. This is what Kobo is using for kepubs: http://gl.access-company.com/products/dpub/bookreader/

PS: I use your driver. Good work!

[savbeowulf]

Originally Posted by pidgeon92

I don't want to fiddle with my ebooks, I just want to read. Should I be using the KindleTouchExtended plugin to convert ePubs to load onto the Aura, or should I just leave them be?

I did that I added 170 epubs I had already through calibre and had the kobo touch extended plug in enabled and sent them all over to my Aura they all appear as kobo epub and I started reading the only thing I couldnt work out was how ro get the series info on my device but thanks to Peter I got that sorted today and it all shows up now!!

[llcj]

Originally Posted by samhy

Everywhere on the forums, people seem to want options with their ereaders. And here, Kobo give you the choice between two renderers. You don't have to read epub ebooks if you don't want to. You don't have to read kepub ebooks if you don't want to.


Maybe a bad choice of words, but I understood it as being: it takes more steps to buy from the web site, then open the desktop software, then plug the device and finally send the book to said device than connect through WIFI and buy directly or connect through WIFI to download ebooks bought with a computer.

I, for one, like the kepub format very much. This was even one of the reasons why I choose Kobo. When the price is the same on Kobo store and another web site, I'll go with Kobo so I can have the choice between an epub and a kepub

I agree with this completely. I, too, choose Kobo in part because of its format.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by jgoguen

I think I misunderstand what you mean here. As I readit, either Adobe is working on EPUB3 support and so it's a work in progress, or they have no intention of EPUB3 support and so it isn't a work in progress. Or do you mean that Adobe has no plans for EPUB3 support but Kobo (and other vendors) is working on it with KePub acting as a stop-gap until they have EPUB3 properly implemented?

At one time, Adobe published a roadmap for EPUB3 support. That roadmap has been withdrawn and it would appear at this time that Adobe has no further plans for EPUB3 support. What Kobo has done is to use another vendor (Access and their NetFront Bookreader). That allows them support for quite a bit of EPUB3 at this time, especially the support for non-European languages. From ACCESS's webpage, it would appear that they are moving towards full EPUB3 support and have become involved in the Readium project.

Regards,
David

[Sharkus]

In regards to the Adobe side of things going away. I believe Kobo partnered with the idpf because of this, as I think they pretty much stopped doing anything for ePub3.
Kobo is certainly listed on the membership list here.

In addition Kobo is a member of Readium too. In fact the EPUB Lightweight Content Protection initial spec proposal is written by a certain Mr Jim Dovey, who is the Digital Content Format Evangelist for Kobo.

[jgoguen]

Originally Posted by taming

This is what Kobo is using for kepubs: http://gl.access-company.com/products/dpub/bookreader/

Ahh, so the reader is EPUB3 compliant. That explains why they claim EPUB3 compliance but don't support basic parts of the specification. Well, here's hoping they add some of the more useful things like series info in a new firmware release

Originally Posted by taming

PS: I use your driver. Good work!