Libra KOReader merits compared to stock reader

[MGlitch]

I will say one disadvantage for KOReader is the amount of time it takes opening large epubs. This also includes any modifications of the displayed text.

Dunno how it handles PDFs of similar size but my hunch is it doesn’t take as long to render.

I’ve tried KOReader off and on over the years. I want to use it I want to love it. But I think it’s not really the tool I need even if it gets what I want done. A bit like using a wrench to hammer in a nail.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

I see two advantages for using it with epubs.
1) You can organize your books via normal system folders rather than having to mess around with calibre collections.

This is not an advantage in my book. Folders are so last century. I prefer tags and custom categories, so that one book can be in several collections at once.

[ps67]

The better thing of Koreader for me is the possibility of better typography with image enlargement and pop up notes. With Nickel You have to choose: or better typography like ligatures (with epubs) or image enlargement and pop up notes (with Kepubs).

My preferred font is Bookerly that without ligatures is very bad, but now I found the Roboto Serif font that is good also without ligatures so Kepub are more acceptable.

Now I use one or the other depending on the mood.

[carmik]

Originally Posted by ps67

The better thing of Koreader for me is the possibility of better typography with image enlargement and pop up notes. With Nickel You have to choose: or better typography like ligatures (with epubs) or image enlargement and pop up notes (with Kepubs).

Can you please explain that? I definitely prefer nicer text while reading.

My preferred font is Bookerly that without ligatures is very bad, but now I found the Roboto Serif font that is good also without ligatures so Kepub are more acceptable.

Where can I get these two fonts?

[carmik]

Found the fonts, as well as an explanation to ligatures. But now how I can enable them in kepub, if such a thing is feasible.

[Quoth]

The epubs on Kobo native render correctly and much the same as on Sony, Nook, Binatone and decent apps, because it's the Adobe engine.

The kepub is a proprietary Kobo format. It allows tap on an image to zoom and popup notes (sometimes). But it doesn't correctly render 12 pt as 1 em (it renders margin or font in pt too large), it's not so good on letter spacing. So I only use it to test how books might look supplied from the Kobo store (they'll take epub2 source and deliver kepub to customers). I read all ebooks on the kobo as epubs.

Some people prefer kepub and some epub. I only read novels/fiction as ebooks (I don't count PDF as ebooks) and they rarely have footnotes at all (I admit popup notes are good, but don't always work anyway) and don't ever need the images to be enlarged.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

I see two advantages for using it with epubs.
1) You can organize your books via normal system folders rather than having to mess around with calibre collections.
2) reverse note mode. Though I think is also available in Nickel (Kobo UI), but may need a patch.

So, maybe not that much of an advantage.

It's actually easier to deal with series and collections with Calibre for Nickel then it is to fiddle with directories for KOReader. And with Calibre, you do not mess around. You just do it. And you can have the same eBook in different collections and also have series metadata. With directories, if you wanted different directories, you would need to have multiple copies of the same eBook. Overall, the Kobo way is much easier.

[ps67]

Originally Posted by carmik

Found the fonts, as well as an explanation to ligatures. But now how I can enable them in kepub, if such a thing is feasible.

If You want to enable ligatures in Kepub You have to edit the file "Kobo eReader.conf" in the .kobo/Kobo/ directory of Your Kobo (to see the .kobo folder You can enable hidden folder in Your OS)

In the

[Reading]

section insert the following instruction:

webkitTextRendering=optimizelegibility

Last time I tried to have ligatures in kepub I had issues with some double spaced letters in some words so I decided to give up. If You want to try do it, if there are problems it is very simple to cancel that instruction.

Anyway Koreader has a better typography also for other things: more control on letter spacing, You can separately choose the sharpness and the boldness of You font, word expansion etc.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

This is not an advantage in my book. Folders are so last century. I prefer tags and custom categories, so that one book can be in several collections at once.

To be fair, it's not either/or in KOReader, both are available. I normally browse my KOReader by authors (folder structure), but often use Calibre metadata search instead for choosing by tags or series.

[ableal]

I generally agree with this, but

Originally Posted by Pajamaman

(.sig) Courtesy costs nothing

"pour courtoisie j'ai perdu ma vie"

Totally off-topic, but somewhere or other I came across this line, perhaps not in French, and it stuck with me.

You can have it now, too

[carmik]

Originally Posted by ps67

If You want to enable ligatures in Kepub You have to edit the file "Kobo eReader.conf" in the .kobo/Kobo/ directory of Your Kobo (to see the .kobo folder You can enable hidden folder in Your OS)

In the

[Reading]

section insert the following instruction:

webkitTextRendering=optimizelegibility

Thank you, sounds simple enough. I also presumed it might be problematic, since it's not enabled by default...

I must say though (a bit off-topic TBH) the Adobe engine sounds like the better deal, in order to bring the "press" quality to a read... I was under the impression that kepub was superior in all areas, but from https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Kepub it seems that there's work to be done on the kepub engine.

[carmik]

@ps67: Perfect, thanks mate! I'm considering enabling and then using Bookerly (on kepubs of course). Do you foresee any major incompatibilities/issues by doing so?

[the.Mtn.Man]

Been messing with KOReader the past few days, so have some more recent impressions:

Pros:

• You can override an ebook's settings and apply the same settings globally.
• Very fast rendering; page turns are instantaneous.

Cons:

• Interface is a nightmare; to get the exact look you want requires tweaking dozens of settings scattered across numerous nested menus, and to apply settings globally requires you to press and hold on each one and select it as default.
• Browsing by folder instead of tags is annoying, and I have found no way to view the collection simply as a list of books.
• Extremely slow to open and make changes to very large books, and complex formatting will simply cause KOReader to choke (I have an ESV Study Bible with tens of thousands of footnotes and links; opens in seconds with the stock Kobo reader; KOReader simply hangs and requires a device reboot).

So I stand by my original assessment that KOReader is for "power users" who like playing around with software while the stock reader is the "it just works" option for those who prefer to spend their time reading.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by the.Mtn.Man

[*]Browsing by folder instead of tags is annoying

You do know that browsing by tags is very easy in KOReader, right?

[trekk]

Originally Posted by the.Mtn.Man

Cons:
... and to apply settings globally requires you to press and hold on each one and select it as default.

But once you have done this, it is default - you don't have to do it again, unless you want other defaults.
You can also use profiles to change different things all at once with just one tap. This needs some initial configuration, but it's not that complicated and you will be rewarded later.

Originally Posted by the.Mtn.Man

Browsing by folder instead of tags is annoying, and I have found no way to view the collection simply as a list of books.

I prefer a simple folder structure. And in combination with tags I have no problem organizing my books. But to each his own ;-)

Originally Posted by the.Mtn.Man

Cons:

• Extremely slow to open and make changes to very large books, and complex formatting will simply cause KOReader to choke (I have an ESV Study Bible with tens of thousands of footnotes and links; opens in seconds with the stock Kobo reader; KOReader simply hangs and requires a device reboot).

This is true. My George R.R. Martin Omnibus is a real pain, when I change format or font. But as I have no other book that large, this problem seems to be negligible for me.

But people have varying demands. For me the advantages far overweigh the disadvantages.