Ebooks question [Archive] - maemo.org

JBear

07-17-2007, 04:07 PM

I know this sort of thing has been addressed but I don't see a current thread within the last 6 months. I recently bought a Nokia 770 and would like to purchase ebooks from a site like ebooks.com. Are there any readers/formats that I can use that would support this. I know that FBReader support mobi but not the DRM kind. I've checked out a bunch of the free sites but they don't have a lot of the newer books I'm interested in purchasing.

Thanks in advance!!

omegaone37

07-17-2007, 04:31 PM

JBear...

I have had success with the "plucker" format...

...should add that I use FBReader :o

Omega :rolleyes:

JBear

07-17-2007, 10:52 PM

I've seen that FBReader supports plucker. But a lot of the sites that I want to use are for mobipocket, microsoft and adobe. does FBReader read any of those?

Karel Jansens

07-18-2007, 05:42 AM

I've seen that FBReader supports plucker. But a lot of the sites that I want to use are for mobipocket, microsoft and adobe. does FBReader read any of those?

Just about any questions you might have about FBReader are answered here:

http://www.fbreader.org/about.php

Well, except maybe one: If you're into transcoding certain *.lit format ebooks that you might have -- errr... -- "found", transcoding them into *.pdb books actually gives better results than using FBReader's native (I'm not even sure it's the reader's native format) *.fb2 format.

You know, I heard. Like, some dude told me this. Not that I've done it myself. Obviously...

wallcraf

08-12-2007, 01:12 PM

Karel Jansens

08-12-2007, 03:16 PM

If it is legal to do so where you live, the DRM of MS Reader .LIT files is easily defeatable using ConvertLIT. This program also "explodes" .lit files without DRM. You should end up with HTML files, images and a .oeb file. If you make a zip file of them all and rename it .oebzip this will be directly readable by FBReader.

It is well known that .LIT is not secure, but publishers keep using it anyway and many buyers of .lit e-books are doing so for personal use without format lock-in.

Amber LIT converter (http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html) converts *.lit to a bunch of formats, including html, pdf, pdb and fb2. It's a nice, free proggie.

Curiously enough, I found that the pdb format gives me much more control in FBReader than the fb2 format.

jbenny

08-16-2007, 11:32 PM

If it is legal to do so where you live, the DRM of MS Reader .LIT files is easily defeatable using ConvertLIT. This program also "explodes" .lit files without DRM. You should end up with HTML files, images and a .oeb file. If you make a zip file of them all and rename it .oebzip this will be directly readable by FBReader.

Yep, when I am forced to buy ebooks with DRM, I always get the LIT format. ConvertLIT (and the GUI add-on) can strip the DRM quite nicely. That way, I can read the LIT ebook on any Windows PC that I have, without having to "register" every damn PC that I have. With the explode option, I can do as wallcraf mentioned and read them on my N800 with FBReader just fine.

I paid for the ebook and I should be able to read it on any device I want to and not just the ones that MS or someone else decides I should use. Taking the N800 to the bathroom is much more convenient than taking the Tablet PC :-)

jbenny

08-16-2007, 11:36 PM

Amber LIT converter (http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html) converts *.lit to a bunch of formats, including html, pdf, pdb and fb2. It's a nice, free proggie.

I don't think that Amber will strip the DRM, however. I tried Amber for a few conversions and although it does support quite a few conversions, the HTML output in particular is rather bloated. For reading in FBReader, the easiest method is to not convert, but just to explode/zip as mentioned already.