Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Version 0.12.10-16 now uploaded for both Fremantle and Diablo. The changes are:

• Fixed direction for drag-scrolling in the library view
• Fixes to variable initialisation, cleanup, etc. as reported by valgrind
• Fix to support editable combo boxes (author, series, etc)
• Removed threading - this had been bolted to support the Maemo banners and progress spinner, but without ensuring thread-safe behaviour, causing lockups, errors and segfaults
• Check window is still displayed before attempting to display banner or busy spinner
• Added option allowing enabling/disabling of library scroll bar
• Added Quit option to the popup menu

The source code changes are available from here.

The removal of threading means that long-running processes (version migration, library load, book load) sometimes fail to show the busy message (the banner/box shows but there's no text) and the busy spinner is static for Diablo (for Fremantle this still works though - must be handled outside the application). Unfortunately I don't see any other way around this - the application doesn't have any support for multi-threading, and fitting it in properly afterwards means a near-total rewrite.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

I have a problem of long standing with my beloved FBReader, which I always keep updated to the newest available version.

When I want to change to another program that is running -- any other program, such as a browser -- and I hit the icon with the two overlapping squares at the upper left corner of the screen, my FBReader almost always starts scrolling so that I am no longer on the page where I was last reading my book.

If I change to another program by hitting Ctrl-BkSp or by depressing the camera key, this scrolling never happens.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

That's an odd one - what scrolling options do you have enabled in FBReader?

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Enable scrollbar.

Defaults for the rest, I think:

Lines to scroll per line scrolling 1
Lines to keep per page scrolling 1
Delay between key scrollings, msecs 101
Enable tap scrolling is not checked.

Enable text Selection is checked, fwiw, and when the scrolling described is happening, text selection is happening.

BTW: I thought maybe my finger was brushing the screen and somehow causing the scrolling, but when I poked the overlapping rectangles right in the center with a stylus, the scrolling still happened.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Looks to be related to the text selection - I'll dig into the code and see what it's doing there.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Confirmed -- when I turn off text selection, the problem goes away.

Edit: If you have text selection turned on and click one word in the text to highlight it and then click the title of the book (above the text), note that the highlighlit area expands beyond the one word. This might be the same problem.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Yes, probably. I think we're receiving a movement event as the "cursor" is moving out of the application. I'm going to try adding a check for this - hopefully the reported position can be matched as being outside the window, in which case I can just skip processing the event. Another possibility is trying to track press & release events and stop processing movement events which aren't actual drags (currently every pair of taps seems to be interpreted as a movement event).

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

The Library view has trouble distinguishing between scroll-by-finger-drag and selection. The old FBReader (0.10.*) did not have this problem, as far as I remember.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Not really do with fbreader, but I thought I would just send out a message to anyone wanting another small reading device...I got the sony prs-350 5 inch ereader and it totally fails in reading the toc on the oreilly books I use. So isn't it funny that a top of the line ereader designed for epub can't even do what a volunteer developer has done on his spare time with fbreader? Just make me appreciate my n900 and this community even more...

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

ok that is the second update today.

I'm glad to see we are getting back to a more realistic release schedule :)

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Version 0.12.10-17 now uploaded for both Fremantle and Diablo.

This adds a check for stylus movement being triggered outside the window. This should prevent the text selection from going crazy when selecting the system menu or task switcher.

The button shown the indicator bar can now be selected from a list - currently there's Full Screen, Popup Menu, or None.

Finally, I've exposed the option for configuring the motion sensitivity - this is switchable between stylus & finger operation. This should make it easier for those without fingernails.

The source code changes are available from here.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Yes, this change seems to solve my text selection / scrolling problem. I didn't have to change any settings. Thanks!

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

thanks getting close to perfect. a few things I noticed..

1) nice little drag box near colors in preferences...good catch I have many times noticed hitting colors while scrolling preferences changed the colors...

2) variable drag scrolling which I have set at 150 no longer seems to work. I set things to finger as opposed to stylus mode but I don't think it has to do with a change in sensitivity..I can still swipe a big swipe to turn pages quickly.

3) the menu button is overlapping the page numbers...

4) finally (as you said it might) the quit from the menu is very easy to trigger...any way to either make it only trigger on double tap or long press?

Anyway thanks, you know you should make a device with your settings and sell it as an ereader. This is now far easier to use to navigate technical epubs then either my sony or kindle readers...call it the "tech reader". I gurantee you at least one customer....

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Long-range features I would like to see:

1 The ability to grab books from Gutenberg Project without leaving FBReader. Something like this used to be available, but the official FBReader guy seems to have given it up.

2. Clicking on a word and getting an instant definition. And/or an automatic Wikipedia link.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

I'll take a look at this - I should be able to install the 0.10 version from extras. In the 0.12 version, selection is triggered on press, whereas scroll is on release, so selection will take precedence. I'll take a look at how this was handled on 0.10 though.

I've not made any changes there - if you mean the box on the right, that's displaying the current colour. It does make a handy place to drag from though.

That shouldn't have changed - I'll check on this one though.

It does a bit, yes - I'll add some padding there.

Unfortunately not - it's a standard GTK menu, so there's no way to alter that. I could pop up a confirmation dialogue, but that'd make it as much work as exiting fullscreen and then quitting. I'll look at re-ordering the buttons though, which might help.

There's lots of code for a "Network Library" but it looks like this isn't currently enabled for Maemo - I'll have a look into this. Project Gutenberg doesn't appear to be in the current list though - I guess they don't have an appropriate API.

Again, there is something in the code for dictionary support - I've not looked into whether this is working or how to use it though.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

FYI:

I think the name of the site FBReader used to use was Feedbooks.com.

Then it was said that Feedbooks.com was changing its api and the feature stopped existing, though a Russian site continued to be supported for awhile.

If anyone is curious, Feedbooks.com has information at

http://www.feedbooks.com/api

Some information about Project Gutenberg access that might get someone started is at

http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenb...ll_EBook_Files

though it's correct that there is apparently no API.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

I've had a check and 0.10 works in exactly the same way and has the same issues. The only reason scrolling is easier on 0.10 is that opening the groupings can only be done by tapping on the little cross, whereas it's now done by tapping on the group name or image. This means that there's fewer hyperlinked areas on 0.10 to accidentally select than there are on 0.12 (which correspondingly makes it far more difficult to expand/collapse the groupings).

Okay - Feedbooks is supported (and working) in the desktop version, so I see no reason why the Maemo version shouldn't be able to work with it.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

just tried the upgrade/install of the new version on my N800/OS2008 (all updates current) and FBReader opens then I see a window, inside FBReader, that the program is updating. What it is updating I can only imagine, maybe the previous catalog? Not sure...have no idea where it would be as I have completely reformatted both memory cards ages ago and I NEVER use this POS tablet.

I was updating from FBReader 0.10.7. I tried several variations of the update and even a clean install but apparently there is something somewhere that is either and/or not removed if I uninstall 0.10.7 or that the current version 0.12.x is trying to find?

Just thought I would pass along that yet another aspect of these crappy Nokia tablets stopped working. Worst tech purchase I ever made.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

It has to update the catalogue database - the format has changed between 0.10 and 0.12. This shouldn't take very long though - I've got around a hundred books in the catalogue and I think it took a minute or two on my N800 (far faster on the N900 of course).

The catalogue (and configuration) are saved in the ~/.FBReader directory, and won't be touched during install/uninstall. If you want a clean start then you can just wipe that directory - it'll get recreated when the application is next started.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

super!!! :)

I will hunt it down and whack it!! hahahaha...

BTW, sorry for ranting about the N800 as I love the software folks have either written or ported over. Xword is my other always used program beside FBReader. I wish my Kindles used FBReader.

I was bummed because I was happy to see a new update for the first time in ages and then to have it just, well, site then...the app just shut down without any indication anything was happening. And I searched maybe I didn't search closely enough?

Anyway, I truly appreciate the prompt and helpful reply... :D

EDIT: I thought for ebook reading sorts there is an ebook reader device which uses an E-ink epaper panel, they are made by Pocketbook, a Ukraine Company with offices here in the US and around the planet. But someone ported a version of FBReader for their devices. Best of all it runs on their super Pocketbook 360 5" reader.

http://www.pocketbookreader.com/PocketBook_360.html

US based forum;
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65865

That port even lets users calibrate the reader's accelerometer so a simply wrist flick turns the page. Pretty spiffy. Not all the features, obviously as it's a greyscale device but it's pretty nice to have the consistence of the UI, or at least close enough.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

actually I know of pocketbook using fbreader and that is why I made the suggestion to rob1n that he bundle up all his changes and make (yea like you can just snap your fingers and start a company I know) a deicated pocket ereader. The changes implemented so far have made the n900 my goto reader over my kindle dx for text books. A few months back kindle tested the dx in schools vs text books and the result was a flop. I do wonder if it had all the intuitive things fbreader has for navigation/customization if the trst result would have been different...of course it requires touch and only sony is doing that well now...

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

OMG Thank You!!!

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Well, my first plan is to bundle up the changes and get them pushed into the main FBReader codebase. Many of the new features will be useful on other platforms as well, and it'd be good to get the Maemo-specific code cleaned up. It'll take me some time getting the changes organised into logical chunks first though.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Version 0.12.10-18 now uploaded for both Fremantle and Diablo.

The user-visible changes are:

• Fixed bug in motion detection, which was causing short scrolls to fail.
• Fixed spacing of indicator bar items.
• Network Library support
• Enforced ordering for popup menu entries

The Network Library support was actually already enabled, it's just that when it loads the configuration files for the external libraries, it ignores symlinks. The optification process was moving all the config files and replacing them with symlinks though, preventing them from being loaded. Anyway, I've told it to look for symlinks as well now, and have added all the normal scrolling/popup support to the Network Library view as well.

The popup menu entries are now ordered as they are in the config file (/usr/share/FBReader/default/popupmenu.xml), so this may help with accidentally pressing the Quit button. You can also just remove the appropriate entry from the file if you don't want it to appear at all.

The source code changes are available from here.

EDIT: Oh, and I've had a quick look into dictionary support. There's built-in support for calling out to an external dictionary program (the intention looks to be to supply a cross-platform implementation along with FBReader, but that's not finished yet) but I'll need to find whether this can be made to work with any of the Maemo dictionary apps.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Integrating with QStardict would be great. Alternatively, showing a small popup window with a definition of highlighted word in the text. It would save me typing the word all the time in QStardict when I really want to know what authors really mean.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Wow. network support works for me! I successfully downloaded Jane Austen's Persuasion from feedbooks.com.

Some notes:

--For some reason I had to open an xterm and become root and run apt-get upgrade before I could find the new version of FBreader.

--I set my copy of FBReader so that it opens in library view. From there, it's hard at first to figure out how to search the net for a book. You have to open a specific book before you see the globe, which is what you click on to search the net.

--Feedbooks.com was checked in my Preferences so I could access it. It's not quite as good as Project Gutenberg, I think, but it still gives you a lifetime and more of free reading.Another site, manybooks.net, is also available. As I recall, it also gives lots of free reading. I didn't try it yet today.

--With my usual luck, when I went to download Persuasion, I had two identical choices for the same book (see attached screenshot). I picked the second one and it turned out to be Persuasion in French, not what I had in mind. I easily deleted it and downloaded the first one, which was the English version.

This is great!

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Thanks you have seriously improved fbreader, looks like this release really is the cumulation of a lot of great work you have done..

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

QStardict will search from the command line, so this should be straightforward to integrate. Unfortunately, it doesn't handle being launched again if it's already running, so this'll cause some complications.

I'm looking into adding RPC support (which is the cleaner way to do this) into MStarDict - I've got a basic version working, but I need to get it all cleaned up and add a couple more features. If that works okay, I'll take a look at QStardict as well - then it'll depend on whether the developers will include the patches. I also need to check on whether I can define multiple dictionaries in the config file.

I'll look at the implications of allowing it to be launched from either view.

I'll have a look at whether this is information that's accessible via the API - showing the language would certainly be useful.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

I am not have any luck on my n800 with the new version. When ever it tries to use the library it hangs. This happens when I let it try to convert - after 15 mins I killed it... Then I removed the .FBReader dir and tried again. This time it will start and I can get in options. If I try to add a book (from a local fs) I can select it, but it hangs when trying to put it in the library.

I have also tried uninstalling and reinstalling with no luck. Are there new libs used that are not in the deps?

Ideas?
Ed

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Funny how people are different - I absolutely hate having text to reread when I flip a page...

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

There shouldn't be any new libs, no, and missing libs would cause it to fail to start at all (though older libs could cause this sort of issue). I'll do some tests on my N800 and see whether I can reproduce the issue - what book formats are you using? Also, have you updated to the community firmware release? And can you try running "apt-get upgrade" as root to check whether there's newer versions of any of the libraries available?

Thankfully that one's configurable :)

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Why not introduce a toggle to/from full screen by tapping around the middle of the screen. I appreciate much this feature of the MGutenberg reader and would like to see it in my preferred FBreader. Currently this is not easy - have to use the pop-up menu or keyboard.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

I had fun with this one. Tried all sort of things. strace helped in that it showed lots of file activity when it was hanging.

I have lots of books. Many live in zip files with many books per zip. I first tried telling it not to scan for books - it still hung. Then I removed the paths (library tab) it had to scan for books. Now it works but is very slow when entering the a 'books' dir or when responding to the selection of a book.

Looks like it always tries to scan if a path exists.

The network support is nice. Any chance it could be configured to understand a calibre web service? It would need to know an address:port and user/password. Here this would be very handy as I try to keep my books indexed with calibre.

Thanks for enhancing FBReader - this app gets used a lot here.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Same here. Both "open the library" and "add a book" seem to run forever without actually opening a book.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

You can also enable the fullscreen button in the indicator bar or (on the N900 anyway), the fullscreen overlay button. Tapping in the middle of the screen could be added, but would conflict with tap-to-scroll and tap-to-search-dictionary.

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Didn't realise it looked in ZIP files - mine are all epub files, so there's no point in zipping them up. I'll try to play around with this a bit anyway.

I'll have a look at this - providing the calibre service is rich enough and the FBReader configuration options are flexible enough then it should be easy enough to add.

A quick update on dictionary support - MStarDict looks to be working fine now, but I'm having a few issues getting QStarDict working properly (mostly, I think, due to the dbus implementation in scratchbox being very flaky). I'll post up a new version once it's all working, along with .deb files for QStarDict and MStarDict (and the patches).

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Thanks, I do hope in the future user added menu items could be available such as change font and move to next/prev toc section. But at this point I am just too spoiled, it is pretty great as it is :)

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

Speaking of ePub-files: is there anything documented on the support for CSS? I'm having a hell of a time getting top and bottom margins to take effect :(

That said: kudos, and plenty of it, for all the improvements you've made to FBReader. I think you've actually covered most of what I object to, last I wrote about it .... :)

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

fbreader is now the absolute best n900 ereader for left handed, fingernail-less, full screen wanting, oreilly table of content reading users...

Re: New FBReader build in Extras-Devel
 

What is that making fbreader the best for left-handed users? Hehe no complaining here for the right-side placement of the stylus. I don't know of whether my eyes have some sort of unambidextrous behavior.