KOReader (mentioned in the article, an alternative OSS interface you can install on most ereaders) is really a marvellous piece of software. I was not sure about setting it up at first, fearing it would drain battery out of my Kobo and whatnot, but I never had any issue with it. The amount of stuff you can customize to your liking has no limit and I feel I have reached the endgame of reading comfort. If you own an ereader, I highly recommend installing it. I'm happy and grateful people spend time developing and maintaining it without being paid!
I don’t know man. Maybe it’s a great reader for those who really need to customize everything. However, I found it very hard to use. I can never find settings where I’d expect them to be. Is font or margins or hyphenation under the Gear symbol or the Document symbol or the Wrench symbol or the long-press book settings? Is it then under Typography, Display, Style, Text or Miscellaneous?
I had it on my ereader to check it out, but never got around to it. One time on a long flight I had a Gutenberg Project book that wasn’t rendering correctly and thought I’d give KOReader a try. Spent like 10 minutes trying to find how to disable hyphenation. And even if you get to the right menu, there will be a dozen options to scroll through on 1-3 pages. Maybe if I had internet to check where each setting is to set it up, but it’s not very intuitive to configure. I came from Kobo default reader where all the settings I care about are all front and center and you find them in the first place you look all grouped together.
Also, I realize this is a personal preference, I don’t like the “file explorer” view. I prefer a “library” view like Kobo or Kindle defaults to. If that makes sense.
> Also, I realize this is a personal preference, I don’t like the “file explorer” view. I prefer a “library” view like Kobo or Kindle defaults to. If that makes sense.
I'm with you, my reading device is something where I don't want to fiddle or be distracted by settings and options. I just want a stock, opinionated device with good defaults that just works and I have to charge once a month. That's it.
Exact reason why despite having a jailbroken Kindle, I stick to the stock book browser. It's so tough to navigate on an old-gen Kindle with a low refresh rate.
What makes it so good for you? I'm very comfortable with installing stuff like this in general, but I've never felt the need to install KOReader since I don't experience any issues with the basic software.
The only thing I'd maybe like is syncing reading progress with TheStoryGraph, but I can't imagine what else I might want.
- More frontlight options. Ability to toggle on/off easily using corner taps,
- More page layout and typography options e.g. custom fonts,
- Ability to load from Calibre over WiFi (I never plug mine in via USB).
Worth nothing that KOReader doesn't replace the default Kobo firmware. It's easy to install and you launch it from the Kobo firmware so it's easy to quit and go back to normal.
> Worth nothing that KOReader doesn't replace the default Kobo firmware. It's easy to install and you launch it from the Kobo firmware so it's easy to quit and go back to normal.
Ah, that's definitely something I missed, sounds like a good reason to give it a try!
Going from EPUB to KEPUB requires conversion (I believe KEPUB has XHTML directly embedded into it, right?). It's Kobo's proprietary format to "support" fast scrolling with preview, reading time estimates, etc.
Yes, Kobo can potentially read EPUBs natively, however the support is intentionally gimped to try and push you towards KEPUB/their own store.
The overwhelming thing I hear about KOreader is once people use it for their way of reading (including doing things they coudlnt) they can't use an ereader any other way again.
A similarly awesome ebook reader on Android is Librera. The package on F-Droid is the full version but one may also buy it on the play store the support the Ukranian developer.
I’ve just jailbroken my Kindle this week. I have a Paperwhite 7th Generation and my biggest problem was that I didn’t have dark mode on it. Turns out the only reason that is is because Amazon didn’t want me to have it. Maybe maybe I’ll buy a new device. KOReader has no problem with dark mode and is much faster and snappier than the Kindle software.
What’s funnier is that both my son and my wife have the Paperwhite 10th generation, but only my wife’s device has dark mode. Same exact device, different software depending on when it was bought.
The second major reason for Jailbreaking is that KOReader can do DRM through a plugin so I was finally able to loan out ebooks from my library. No need for a new device, the 10 year old one works extremely well with the right software
Ok, this one crosses the bar - time to jailbreak my Kindle.
On days when I don't vibe-code (or code less), I get this withdrawal-like feeling (lack of dopamine?), and I tend to spend too much time watching dumb X posts or striving for anything that ticks my nerves. Actually, I could use this time to catch up on my RSS queue.
Kind of a hijack comment, but since RSS was mentioned - Do you guys have some recommendations for ereader friendly feeds? Content like r/longreads is what comes to mind.
I own a Boox and I've thought about putting it on my tailnet... I love the device, but unfortunately, I trust it about as far as I trust the Chinese government, which means no connections to my accounts or networks, ever. It's a shame.
Can't let a Botox mention go by without highlighting that they've never released the linux kernel source for any of their devices. They've been challenged on it and refused to comply with the GPL for over 10 years now.
I knew this was the case, but I did a couple of stopovers in China earlier this year when flying to/from Japan, and using Tailscale to connect through my local homelab worked perfectly.
Which is also why you get Google results in your own language, even if you're in Japan. Google receive your requests from an IP address in your own country.
Otherwise Tailscale (the company) will be collecting your behavioral metadata every time you use your Kindle (what other hosts it connects to, on what ports, connection open and close timestamps, etc): https://tailscale.com/docs/features/logging#opt-out-of-clien...
If metadata loging is a concern, worth mentioning you can self host the co ordinates server with the headscale instead. cuts tailscale is out of loop entirely rather than just opting out of what claim to collect.
I was also going to make a snarky comment about AI written blog posts but they are just so prevalent now it’s barely worth saying. I just have to suppress the irritation and parse out the information. And I’m guilty of doing AI documentation so I’m a total hypocrite.
KOReader (mentioned in the article, an alternative OSS interface you can install on most ereaders) is really a marvellous piece of software. I was not sure about setting it up at first, fearing it would drain battery out of my Kobo and whatnot, but I never had any issue with it. The amount of stuff you can customize to your liking has no limit and I feel I have reached the endgame of reading comfort. If you own an ereader, I highly recommend installing it. I'm happy and grateful people spend time developing and maintaining it without being paid!
I don’t know man. Maybe it’s a great reader for those who really need to customize everything. However, I found it very hard to use. I can never find settings where I’d expect them to be. Is font or margins or hyphenation under the Gear symbol or the Document symbol or the Wrench symbol or the long-press book settings? Is it then under Typography, Display, Style, Text or Miscellaneous?
I had it on my ereader to check it out, but never got around to it. One time on a long flight I had a Gutenberg Project book that wasn’t rendering correctly and thought I’d give KOReader a try. Spent like 10 minutes trying to find how to disable hyphenation. And even if you get to the right menu, there will be a dozen options to scroll through on 1-3 pages. Maybe if I had internet to check where each setting is to set it up, but it’s not very intuitive to configure. I came from Kobo default reader where all the settings I care about are all front and center and you find them in the first place you look all grouped together.
Also, I realize this is a personal preference, I don’t like the “file explorer” view. I prefer a “library” view like Kobo or Kindle defaults to. If that makes sense.
> Also, I realize this is a personal preference, I don’t like the “file explorer” view. I prefer a “library” view like Kobo or Kindle defaults to. If that makes sense.
I'm with you, my reading device is something where I don't want to fiddle or be distracted by settings and options. I just want a stock, opinionated device with good defaults that just works and I have to charge once a month. That's it.
> I don’t like the “file explorer” view
Exact reason why despite having a jailbroken Kindle, I stick to the stock book browser. It's so tough to navigate on an old-gen Kindle with a low refresh rate.
What makes it so good for you? I'm very comfortable with installing stuff like this in general, but I've never felt the need to install KOReader since I don't experience any issues with the basic software.
The only thing I'd maybe like is syncing reading progress with TheStoryGraph, but I can't imagine what else I might want.
I’ve only just installed it this week, but for me:
- DRM support (via a Plugin)
- Dark mode on an older device
- SSH Server
- Custom dictionaries
Next on my list is to find a plugin that can transform imperial to metric for when I’m reading American books
Edit: oh and also something that syncs my progress on books not bought from Amazon on multiple devices
A few things I like:
- More frontlight options. Ability to toggle on/off easily using corner taps,
- More page layout and typography options e.g. custom fonts,
- Ability to load from Calibre over WiFi (I never plug mine in via USB).
Worth nothing that KOReader doesn't replace the default Kobo firmware. It's easy to install and you launch it from the Kobo firmware so it's easy to quit and go back to normal.
> Worth nothing that KOReader doesn't replace the default Kobo firmware. It's easy to install and you launch it from the Kobo firmware so it's easy to quit and go back to normal.
Ah, that's definitely something I missed, sounds like a good reason to give it a try!
Same for Kindle. Nothing changes, you just have a link to open KOReader and you can still use your device as before, if you choose to
You can read epubs directly. Cloud storage. It's got like everything so you should check out the features list.
What does directly mean? I can read epubs directly now (but more importantly, kepubs)
Going from EPUB to KEPUB requires conversion (I believe KEPUB has XHTML directly embedded into it, right?). It's Kobo's proprietary format to "support" fast scrolling with preview, reading time estimates, etc.
Yes, Kobo can potentially read EPUBs natively, however the support is intentionally gimped to try and push you towards KEPUB/their own store.
I think I assumed you have a Kindle. Sorry.
The overwhelming thing I hear about KOreader is once people use it for their way of reading (including doing things they coudlnt) they can't use an ereader any other way again.
The interface is a bit complicated. Maybe their brains get rewired after figuring it out. :)
KOReader is a must have for Remarkable 2. If you are going to install it on your Remarkable 2, use reManager.m, it's amazing.
A similarly awesome ebook reader on Android is Librera. The package on F-Droid is the full version but one may also buy it on the play store the support the Ukranian developer.
I’ve just jailbroken my Kindle this week. I have a Paperwhite 7th Generation and my biggest problem was that I didn’t have dark mode on it. Turns out the only reason that is is because Amazon didn’t want me to have it. Maybe maybe I’ll buy a new device. KOReader has no problem with dark mode and is much faster and snappier than the Kindle software.
What’s funnier is that both my son and my wife have the Paperwhite 10th generation, but only my wife’s device has dark mode. Same exact device, different software depending on when it was bought.
The second major reason for Jailbreaking is that KOReader can do DRM through a plugin so I was finally able to loan out ebooks from my library. No need for a new device, the 10 year old one works extremely well with the right software
> Same exact device, different software depending on when it was bought.
Can't you update it to the latest firmware?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=...
I had no idea I can update it manually, I’ve always relied on the over the air update, that, in this case, says I’m on the newest version
Ok, this one crosses the bar - time to jailbreak my Kindle. On days when I don't vibe-code (or code less), I get this withdrawal-like feeling (lack of dopamine?), and I tend to spend too much time watching dumb X posts or striving for anything that ticks my nerves. Actually, I could use this time to catch up on my RSS queue.
I made this for ESP32 in Rust giving full Tailscale experience with NAT-traversal https://github.com/punnerud/mpe-tunnel
Kind of a hijack comment, but since RSS was mentioned - Do you guys have some recommendations for ereader friendly feeds? Content like r/longreads is what comes to mind.
Any suggestions for an ancient Chromebook?
Have one that is managed by a school from 10 years ago and they failed to release the device.
I am a fan of alpine Linux which i think may work well on an old Chromebook.
Any suggestions/links welcome
I own a Boox and I've thought about putting it on my tailnet... I love the device, but unfortunately, I trust it about as far as I trust the Chinese government, which means no connections to my accounts or networks, ever. It's a shame.
Can't let a Botox mention go by without highlighting that they've never released the linux kernel source for any of their devices. They've been challenged on it and refused to comply with the GPL for over 10 years now.
You don’t have any Chinese made electronics in your home network otherwise? TV, router, networking gear etc?
ah, to live in a country where the government doesn't block wireguard packets
As someone completely out of the loop - which countries block WireGuard packets en masse?
China, Iran, Russia
I knew this was the case, but I did a couple of stopovers in China earlier this year when flying to/from Japan, and using Tailscale to connect through my local homelab worked perfectly.
All mobile roaming traffic is tunneled through your home country. The host network simply forwards everything to and from your provider at home.
Which is also why you get Google results in your own language, even if you're in Japan. Google receive your requests from an IP address in your own country.
https://github.com/ClusterM/wg-obfuscator
AmneziaWG 2.0
sing-box
Adding a few real-world setups, like Calibre, Nextcloud, or Home Assistant, would help readers understand the practical benefits.
You will probably also want to add `--no-logs-no-support` (don't mind the FUD-y argument name) to the scripted invocation of `tailscaled` here: https://github.com/victoria-riley-barnett/koreader-tailscale...
Otherwise Tailscale (the company) will be collecting your behavioral metadata every time you use your Kindle (what other hosts it connects to, on what ports, connection open and close timestamps, etc): https://tailscale.com/docs/features/logging#opt-out-of-clien...
Yes obviously the actual connection contents are encrypted, but ”just metadata” tells a whole heck of a lot about you: https://kieranhealy.org/blog/archives/2013/06/09/using-metad...
If metadata loging is a concern, worth mentioning you can self host the co ordinates server with the headscale instead. cuts tailscale is out of loop entirely rather than just opting out of what claim to collect.
Unreadable
Reader mode is in all major browsers.
Also I really don't see how this meets "unreadable". It's very plain and normal, at least on mobile. (Which is a compliment to the site)
I was also going to make a snarky comment about AI written blog posts but they are just so prevalent now it’s barely worth saying. I just have to suppress the irritation and parse out the information. And I’m guilty of doing AI documentation so I’m a total hypocrite.
I was able to read it fine on iPhone?