Freda Ebook Reader for Windows and Android - Page 2

swr2408018 · 03-01-2011, 07:21 PM

I upgraded to "un" Freda and found dropbox there. (Way past time to express remunerative appreciation anyway). Is that difference expected?

(Extra benefit: now I can keep 40 books active at a time ...) Steve

Jim Chapman · 03-06-2011, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swr2408018

I upgraded to "un" Freda and found dropbox there. (Way past time to express remunerative appreciation anyway). Is that difference expected?

(Extra benefit: now I can keep 40 books active at a time ...) Steve

That difference is not expected. I expect the issue was a bug with the update from version 1.7 to 1.8 (and I hope the same issue won't arise with the forthcoming update to version 1.9).

jcraigen · 04-11-2011, 04:28 AM

This is a great App, I used for years the MS reader on pocket pc devices with lit files. I have had the HTC HD7 for about a week and have been searching for the right ebook reader. I am using Dropbox to upload epub files to my phone and it works brilliant. With the large screen, great controls and fast loading I can now get back to some seriously neglected reading. Thanks again for a great product.

swr2408018 · 04-16-2011, 06:08 PM

Same here with my HD7. I wouldn't have believed it ahead of time, but I haven't touched my Sony since I got freda on the HD7 a couple months ago. I'm nearsighted enough that I enjoy reading pretty close and without glasses, and I can go to a pretty small font, and the high resolution (it must be about 200DPI?) makes for a crisp text experience with way more contrast than the Sony, or with what I saw in a day or two of trying out an iPad a few months ago. And in retrospect, the fact that the HD7 is always in my pocket, and is charged on nearly a daily basis for other use reasons, means it's always available.

This wouldn't have been possible without freda, so my thanks, too!

swr2408018 · 05-21-2011, 12:46 PM

I've got a book with an number of floating images. In freda they don't display at all. If there were a way to detect freda, I could have different CSS styles for the img tag such that they displayed as simple images in freda and as floating in other epub implementations.

Thanks!

Steve

DaleDe · 05-21-2011, 02:00 PM

ePub does not have this capability. Questions like this are not about readers or reading they are about database creation and should be in another forum on the format, or in the workshop. I am not aware of any format that has a conditional eBook reading program choice that automatically chooses another program. You can certainly start the program first and then open the book, most programs support this.

swr2408018 · 05-21-2011, 02:19 PM

This is not about "choosing another program"; this is about conditional CSS selection, and is a common HTML coding practice for web content that has to be tweaked to run on multiple browser implementations.

Maybe it would be simpler to ask: given that Freda doesn't handle floating images, could it simply present them as non-floating images. In other words, could Freda's implementation of <img .../> simply ignore the float attribute? (What it's doing now is ignore the entire img tag.)

DaleDe · 05-21-2011, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swr2408018

This is not about "choosing another program"; this is about conditional CSS selection, and is a common HTML coding practice for web content that has to be tweaked to run on multiple browser implementations.

Maybe it would be simpler to ask: given that Freda doesn't handle floating images, could it simply present them as non-floating images. In other words, could Freda's implementation of <img .../> simply ignore the float attribute? (What it's doing now is ignore the entire img tag.)

I understand better but no there is no CSS selection for this. The only CSS selection I am aware of is for things like fonts where there is a list and the unit selects the first one available. There is no conditional CSS. you might contact Freda and ask them to ignore the CSS entry if they don't support this feature. This is standard for HTML coding practice but is not coded in the file but the reader has to support ignoring which is a bug if it does not.

Dale

swr2408018 · 05-21-2011, 03:12 PM

Thanks; this is what I'm seeing from the CSS/ePub specs as well. There are a number of other browser implementation query methods available in the broader browser HTML/CSS space, but I'm not seeing any of them exposed through ePub.

On the one hand, having a way to query the ePub implementation would be a great short-term way to deal with all the uneven implementations; on the other, it probably helps drive future standardization to not have such an escape hatch available.

So your suggestion is what my second paragraph is asking Jim to consider in Freda. (And if it's not possible, I suppose I can conditionally comment out different sets of image styles so that I can build two books from nearly identical sources, one targeted for Freda, and the other for Nook/etc.)

Jim Chapman · 05-24-2011, 09:12 AM

Just so I don't give the impression that I'm ignoring the debate ...

Freda's design is such that it should just render a floating image as non-floating. Generally, Freda should ignore tags and attributes that it does not understand.

Clearly something is broken here (Steve emailed me with further details off-forum, and it looks like a pretty significant bug in Freda's image-handling generally, albeit a bug that only pops up under certain conditions that I do not yet fully understand!). I will investigate further ...

And as it's been a while since I made any update, here is some info about the current state of Freda development:

I've been doing a pretty heavy re-factoring exercise, to improve performance and to allow a more flexible setup for book sources (to get away from the restriction of having only 3 OPDS catalogs, one DropBox and one website). From a programming perspective, that's meant a lot of pushing 'book source' logic up into an abstract base class; from a user perspective it means you can decide what book sources you want to use, and have them all appear as items on Freda's screen (with a +/- control to open/close them, rather than the tabbed 'pivot view' which is clunky to use and causes horrible performance issues). I've done also some work to make the visuals for book sources slicker - though to be honest I am still sticking to a pretty bare-bones look (just text and thumbnails, no walnut-effect panelling - though if I can get hold of some suitable background bitmaps I might add it as an option).

I'm expecting to put out one more major release before the Mango WP7.5 Operating System update (which word on the street says will be in September ... but what does the street know?). So depending on my various other commitments, you can probably hope to see Freda 2.0 some time in July.

- Jim

swr2408018 · 05-27-2011, 02:56 AM

Thanks, Jim - it sounds awesome! Steve

Kosst Amojan · 05-27-2011, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Chapman

So depending on my various other commitments, you can probably hope to see Freda 2.0 some time in July.

- Jim

Can't wait!

Jim Chapman · 07-27-2011, 03:55 AM

The new version (2.0) of Freda is now available on the marketplace.

I've added a bunch of fixes and small changes, but the main one is getting rid of the 'pivot' control for the main page. Now you just have bunch of stacked panels, one above the other - each panel can be 'expanded' by tapping on its '+' button, or 'collapsed' by tapping again on that button. The panels also have (at their right hand end) a 'maximise' button to let you switch to a full screen view.

The first panel is your bookshelf (i.e. recently opened books), and the other panels correspond to all the various sources of books that Freda knows about.

To add, remove, move or edit sources, tap the '...' menu selector, or long-tap on one the the panel headers. You can also 'hide' sources, which can help keep the screen tidier.

I've also added an image viewer (long-tap on an image in a book, and you will be able to pan/zoom around it). Other features (e.g. preventing the phone turning itself off, adding a simpler settings screen) you will find by looking on the settings screen.

Comments (in forum, or by email to jim@turnipsoft.co.uk) are welcome.

Cheers,

Jim

jpijper · 08-13-2011, 06:58 PM

Hi, I am confused about where to post about Freda for Windows Phone 7. I can't believe that the latest post I found here -a month old- is really the most recent post, and I can't find an appropriate thread on the XDA forums.
Can you help me out here?

Thanks,
Jan Roelof

als1 · 08-14-2011, 12:02 PM

Hello, I just posted a question about Freda's behavior in Windows Phone 7 here.

04-11-2011, 04:28 AM	#18
jcraigen Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: HTC HD7	Thanks This is a great App, I used for years the MS reader on pocket pc devices with lit files. I have had the HTC HD7 for about a week and have been searching for the right ebook reader. I am using Dropbox to upload epub files to my phone and it works brilliant. With the large screen, great controls and fast loading I can now get back to some seriously neglected reading. Thanks again for a great product.

05-21-2011, 12:46 PM	#20
swr2408018 Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 501 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: PRS-500	Is there a media query or other way to detect freda? I've got a book with an number of floating images. In freda they don't display at all. If there were a way to detect freda, I could have different CSS styles for the img tag such that they displayed as simple images in freda and as floating in other epub implementations. Thanks! Steve

05-24-2011, 09:12 AM	#25
Jim Chapman Addict Posts: 310 Karma: 2025434 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Lumia 950 Phone	Just so I don't give the impression that I'm ignoring the debate ... Freda's design is such that it should just render a floating image as non-floating. Generally, Freda should ignore tags and attributes that it does not understand. Clearly something is broken here (Steve emailed me with further details off-forum, and it looks like a pretty significant bug in Freda's image-handling generally, albeit a bug that only pops up under certain conditions that I do not yet fully understand!). I will investigate further ... And as it's been a while since I made any update, here is some info about the current state of Freda development: I've been doing a pretty heavy re-factoring exercise, to improve performance and to allow a more flexible setup for book sources (to get away from the restriction of having only 3 OPDS catalogs, one DropBox and one website). From a programming perspective, that's meant a lot of pushing 'book source' logic up into an abstract base class; from a user perspective it means you can decide what book sources you want to use, and have them all appear as items on Freda's screen (with a +/- control to open/close them, rather than the tabbed 'pivot view' which is clunky to use and causes horrible performance issues). I've done also some work to make the visuals for book sources slicker - though to be honest I am still sticking to a pretty bare-bones look (just text and thumbnails, no walnut-effect panelling - though if I can get hold of some suitable background bitmaps I might add it as an option). I'm expecting to put out one more major release before the Mango WP7.5 Operating System update (which word on the street says will be in September ... but what does the street know?). So depending on my various other commitments, you can probably hope to see Freda 2.0 some time in July. - Jim Last edited by Jim Chapman; 05-24-2011 at 09:16 AM.

07-27-2011, 03:55 AM	#28
Jim Chapman Addict Posts: 310 Karma: 2025434 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Lumia 950 Phone	Freda v2 released The new version (2.0) of Freda is now available on the marketplace. I've added a bunch of fixes and small changes, but the main one is getting rid of the 'pivot' control for the main page. Now you just have bunch of stacked panels, one above the other - each panel can be 'expanded' by tapping on its '+' button, or 'collapsed' by tapping again on that button. The panels also have (at their right hand end) a 'maximise' button to let you switch to a full screen view. The first panel is your bookshelf (i.e. recently opened books), and the other panels correspond to all the various sources of books that Freda knows about. To add, remove, move or edit sources, tap the '...' menu selector, or long-tap on one the the panel headers. You can also 'hide' sources, which can help keep the screen tidier. I've also added an image viewer (long-tap on an image in a book, and you will be able to pan/zoom around it). Other features (e.g. preventing the phone turning itself off, adding a simpler settings screen) you will find by looking on the settings screen. Comments (in forum, or by email to jim@turnipsoft.co.uk) are welcome. Cheers, Jim Last edited by Jim Chapman; 08-01-2011 at 04:55 AM.

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03-01-2011, 07:21 PM	#16
swr2408018 Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 501 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: PRS-500	I upgraded to "un" Freda and found dropbox there. (Way past time to express remunerative appreciation anyway). Is that difference expected? (Extra benefit: now I can keep 40 books active at a time ...) Steve

04-16-2011, 06:08 PM	#19
swr2408018 Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 501 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: PRS-500	Same here with my HD7. I wouldn't have believed it ahead of time, but I haven't touched my Sony since I got freda on the HD7 a couple months ago. I'm nearsighted enough that I enjoy reading pretty close and without glasses, and I can go to a pretty small font, and the high resolution (it must be about 200DPI?) makes for a crisp text experience with way more contrast than the Sony, or with what I saw in a day or two of trying out an iPad a few months ago. And in retrospect, the fact that the HD7 is always in my pocket, and is charged on nearly a daily basis for other use reasons, means it's always available. This wouldn't have been possible without freda, so my thanks, too!

05-21-2011, 02:00 PM	#21
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	ePub does not have this capability. Questions like this are not about readers or reading they are about database creation and should be in another forum on the format, or in the workshop. I am not aware of any format that has a conditional eBook reading program choice that automatically chooses another program. You can certainly start the program first and then open the book, most programs support this.

05-21-2011, 02:19 PM	#22
swr2408018 Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 501 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: PRS-500	This is not about "choosing another program"; this is about conditional CSS selection, and is a common HTML coding practice for web content that has to be tweaked to run on multiple browser implementations. Maybe it would be simpler to ask: given that Freda doesn't handle floating images, could it simply present them as non-floating images. In other words, could Freda's implementation of <img .../> simply ignore the float attribute? (What it's doing now is ignore the entire img tag.)

05-21-2011, 03:12 PM	#24
swr2408018 Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 501 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: PRS-500	Thanks; this is what I'm seeing from the CSS/ePub specs as well. There are a number of other browser implementation query methods available in the broader browser HTML/CSS space, but I'm not seeing any of them exposed through ePub. On the one hand, having a way to query the ePub implementation would be a great short-term way to deal with all the uneven implementations; on the other, it probably helps drive future standardization to not have such an escape hatch available. So your suggestion is what my second paragraph is asking Jim to consider in Freda. (And if it's not possible, I suppose I can conditionally comment out different sets of image styles so that I can build two books from nearly identical sources, one targeted for Freda, and the other for Nook/etc.)

05-27-2011, 02:56 AM	#26
swr2408018 Enthusiast Posts: 35 Karma: 501 Join Date: Jul 2007 Device: PRS-500	Thanks, Jim - it sounds awesome! Steve

08-13-2011, 06:58 PM	#29
jpijper Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 20 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Belgium Device: Pocketbook HD3 (PB632)	Hi, I am confused about where to post about Freda for Windows Phone 7. I can't believe that the latest post I found here -a month old- is really the most recent post, and I can't find an appropriate thread on the XDA forums. Can you help me out here? Thanks, Jan Roelof

08-14-2011, 12:02 PM	#30
als1 Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: JE100	Hello, I just posted a question about Freda's behavior in Windows Phone 7 here.

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