eBook readers for Linux

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UncleBaldie
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eBook readers for Linux

#1 Post by UncleBaldie »

Hi all,
I have been checking out the ebook readers available for linux.

One that I came across is ThoutReader.
It is a Java program, and runs quite nicely on Puppy.

Only trouble is, the company - oSoft.com - seems to have disappeared.
Anyone know what happened to them ?

Regards,
Phil
Crackin' cheese, Gromit lad...
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Woof-woof......oh yes !!

muggins
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#2 Post by muggins »

I just googled & it's available on sourceforge here.

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UncleBaldie
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#3 Post by UncleBaldie »

@ muggins,

Thanks for the link. It seems like a nice program, but unless the Creator program is available, to convert ebooks into Thout format, it is not really much use. And I can't seem to find ThoutCreator anywhere
That's why I wondered what had happened to the company, and whether anyone else had taken over this reader.

Looks like this program is a dead 'un....ah well, back to FBReader (which is a cracking program, BTW !)

It's just seems that all the ebook programs I've looked at only display text, apart from the title page. Or is it that sites`only produce ebooks in text only ?

Regards,

Phil
Crackin' cheese, Gromit lad...
[img]http://www.lichfieldecclesia.org/462665.png[/img]

Woof-woof......oh yes !!

DMcCunney
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Re: eBook readers for Linux

#4 Post by DMcCunney »

UncleBaldie wrote:Hi all,
I have been checking out the ebook readers available for linux.

One that I came across is ThoutReader.
What format are the ebooks in?

The best option I'm aware of for Linux is FBReader, from http://www.fbreader.org/

FBReader supports ePub, fb2 (default standard for Russian txts) Mobipocket, Plucker, plain text and an assortment of other things.

ePub is used by the Sony Reader and Barnes and Noble nook ebook readers, and may become the standrd format for ebooks. Specs for the format are here: http://www.idpf.org/specs.htm

Mobipocket is the format used by the Amazon Kindle (Amazon owns Mobipocket), and a view app is avaialble for a number of platforms. It's essentially an encapsulated dubdet of HTML. Mobi is here: http://www.mobipocket.com/en/HomePage/d ... anguage=EN

Plucker format was a big win for me, Plucker is an offline HTML reasder for Palm OS devices. The Plucker desktop that creates files viewable on the handheld is is cross-platform, written in Python, and available for Windows, Mac OS/X, and Linux. I have about 3,00 volumes in Plucker format and it was lovely to be able to read then under Puppy. (I have all the Gnu Linux HOW-TOs in Plucker format, for example.) Plucker is here: http://www.plkr.org/

Note that if DRM is involved, all bets are off. FBReader can't read secure books purchased from a commercial site.

With FBReader and a PDF viewer, you've covered most of the ebook bases.

There is a Puppy port of FBReader 0.12.1 posted elswhere in the forums.
______
Dennis

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technosaurus
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#5 Post by technosaurus »

I just compiled and packaged 2 different versions of FBReader.

liblinebreak and the fbreader zlibrary (not libz) are compiled in statically for reduced size and increased speed

I also optimized the png files, and created symlinks to duplicates, optimized the build for size and switched the theme a bit

The "en" version has non-english files removed
Check out my [url=https://github.com/technosaurus]github repositories[/url]. I may eventually get around to updating my [url=http://bashismal.blogspot.com]blogspot[/url].

DMcCunney
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#6 Post by DMcCunney »

technosaurus wrote:I just compiled and packaged 2 different versions of FBReader.

liblinebreak and the fbreader zlibrary (not libz) are compiled in statically for reduced size and increased speed

I also optimized the png files, and created symlinks to duplicates, optimized the build for size and switched the theme a bit

The "en" version has non-english files removed
Thank you!

I also just found another option - Cool Reader. http://coolreader.org/e-index.htm

Cool Reader v2 was Windows specific. CoolReader 3 is open source, and there's a DEB file of v3.14 available on SourceForge. The homepage says it supports .txt, .doc, .html, .fb2 or .rtf formats, but the 3.X version also handles ePub.

It might be nice to have it in the Puppy toolbox, too.
______
Dennis

DMcCunney
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#7 Post by DMcCunney »

technosaurus wrote:I just compiled and packaged 2 different versions of FBReader.

liblinebreak and the fbreader zlibrary (not libz) are compiled in statically for reduced size and increased speed

I also optimized the png files, and created symlinks to duplicates, optimized the build for size and switched the theme a bit

The "en" version has non-english files removed
Hmmm. Your en version installed fine, by FBReader fails to invoke, complaining about a missing libsqlite depencency. Another version of FBReader 0.12.1 posted here works fine.

(E wasn't aware FBReader used SQLite for anything and would need that library, but I haven't looked at the source.)
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Dennis

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technosaurus
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#8 Post by technosaurus »

Please post the error along with puppy version you are running. sqlite should already be installed on all puppies though. (compiled in 4.3.1)

also see if all dependencies are found

Code: Select all

ldd FBReader
here is the fix for Quirky003 (for others change "libsqlite3.so.0.8.6" to whatever yours is)

Code: Select all

ln -s /usr/lib/libsqlite3.so.0.8.6 /usr/lib/libsqlite3-3.6.12.so.0
Check out my [url=https://github.com/technosaurus]github repositories[/url]. I may eventually get around to updating my [url=http://bashismal.blogspot.com]blogspot[/url].

DMcCunney
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#9 Post by DMcCunney »

technosaurus wrote:Please post the error along with puppy version you are running. sqlite should already be installed on all puppies though. (compiled in 4.3.1)
I'm running Puppy 4.12. I'll get around to updating to another version soon.

The specific error I get is "fbreader: error while loading shared libraries: libsqlite3-3.6.12.so.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory.
also see if all dependencies are found

Code: Select all

ldd FBReader
The missing piece is the libsqlite mentioned above.
here is the fix for Quirky003 (for others change "libsqlite3.so.0.8.6" to whatever yours is)

Code: Select all

ln -s /usr/lib/libsqlite3.so.0.8.6 /usr/lib/libsqlite3-3.6.12.so.0
Yep. That fixes it. Thanks!
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stiginge
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#10 Post by stiginge »

Bravo technosaurus, this is a wonderful .pet.

Marcos Santos
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#11 Post by Marcos Santos »

Thanks so much, works fine to me.
http://solucoespuppylinux.webnode.com/

ndujoe1
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Ebook reader options

#12 Post by ndujoe1 »

I have downloaded Calibre, even though it is a conversion program you can read the Epub and mobi books within the program.

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jakobcornelis
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#13 Post by jakobcornelis »

I think calibre is really the cat's meow. Amazing piece of application software. You hardly even need a manual. I have started to use it to load my NOOK with epub, and I've converted from quite a few other formats. And, yes, it functions as a reader also.

Jake

Rope
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#14 Post by Rope »

Hi. Sorry this is old but I installed and get this error:

# fbreader
fbreader: error while loading shared libraries: libsqlite3-3.6.12.so.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory


I have slacko 5.6
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ndujoe1
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eBook Readers for LInux

#15 Post by ndujoe1 »

You have to install the Qt library from the Slacko repository.

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technosaurus
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#16 Post by technosaurus »

What? No!
You just need a symlink with that name to the real libsqlit in /usr/lib.
Feel free to read the thread for questions already asked and answered.
Check out my [url=https://github.com/technosaurus]github repositories[/url]. I may eventually get around to updating my [url=http://bashismal.blogspot.com]blogspot[/url].

ndujoe1
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eBook for LInux

#17 Post by ndujoe1 »

Thanks for the correction :)

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Ted Dog
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#18 Post by Ted Dog »

Would like to run puppylinux on my eReader, so we can balance out. Wish a eInk computer was available. :?

Rope
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#19 Post by Rope »

technosaurus wrote:What? No!
You just need a symlink with that name to the real libsqlit in /usr/lib.
Feel free to read the thread for questions already asked and answered.
Is this a reply to me? What makes you think I did not read the thread? I did not understand how to do it. Thanks for your answer but if it bothers you to explain please save your time. I would have posted in the newbie forum but I searched and found this thread and thought it was better to use this to open a new one. :)
Last edited by Rope on Sun 01 Sep 2013, 01:07, edited 1 time in total.
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bignono1
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#20 Post by bignono1 »


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