epub3 suport

[nicklaus_]

I'm a new Sigil user. Also I'm a developer and I'm interested in the new epub3 format. There's any idea to give suport to this new format?. If so, I would like to know if there's any technical problem related with the current libraries used at sigil project to provide the proper support for epub3.
I'm in the idea to start a new epub3 editor but I prefer not to start from scratch.
Thanks

[Toxaris]

At the moment it is not yet clear to which direction ePUB3 is going. I believe it is the long-term idea to support ePUB3, but not in the near future. Also, there are almost no readers supporting ePUB3.

[nicklaus_]

Originally Posted by Toxaris

At the moment it is not yet clear to which direction ePUB3 is going. I believe it is the long-term idea to support ePUB3, but not in the near future. Also, there are almost no readers supporting ePUB3.

epub3 is a recommended Specification effective October 11, 2011. We have http://readium.org/ that is an open source reference system and rendering engine for EPUB with suport for EPUB3. I think that the future is here and ibooks author from apple it's a proof of that.
My question is - anyone with some technical experience developing sigil considers the current code suitable to be enhanced in order to offer epub3 suport or it's better start from scratch a new project ?

Thanks in advance

[JSWolf]

But until there are enough readers out there that can handle ePub3, publishers are not going to publish in ePub3.

[KevinH]

Hi,

Looking at http://readium.org/ and getting the source, you see it is nothing more then an *incomplete* set of javascript pieces you add on to the Chrome Web-browser (and why only chrome I have no idea ...) to see some features of epub3 in the browser. This is certainly not a "reference implementation" of anything.

You would be better off helping to add HTML5 support to QtWebKit if you want most applications to actually support ePub3 (including future ebook readers).

KevinH

Originally Posted by nicklaus_

epub3 is a recommended Specification effective October 11, 2011. We have http://readium.org/ that is an open source reference system and rendering engine for EPUB with suport for EPUB3. I think that the future is here and ibooks author from apple it's a proof of that.
My question is - anyone with some technical experience developing sigil considers the current code suitable to be enhanced in order to offer epub3 suport or it's better start from scratch a new project ?

Thanks in advance

[nicklaus_]

I know that readium is in it's early stages but it's a first step

I've been checking the new features present in QtWebKit-2.2:

Support for HTML5 media (audio/video)
HTML5 File API ( http://www.w3.org/TR/FileAPI/)
Typed Array ( http://www.khronos.org/registry/type.../specs/latest/)
HTML5 Hashchange Event ( http://www.whatwg.org/specs/web-apps...ent-hashchange)
DeviceMotion ( http://dev.w3.org/geo/api/spec-source-orientation.html)
CSSOM View Module ( http://www.w3.org/TR/cssom-view/)
Spatial Navigation
Touch Events
Geolocation API
Progress element and meter element
Viewport meta tag
Canvas element
Application cache
Web SQL Database
Web Storage
CSS Animations
CSS Transitions
CSS 2D Transforms
CSS Text
CSS Masks
CSS ScrollBar Styles
Native JSON parser

And I infer from your answers that It will be much better to start a new project in order to support epub3 writing from scratch. It will be suitable for example using Qt 4.8 that includes qtwebkit 2.2 and wait for better html5 support from webkit project.

The idea is that this new application could grow side by side and evolve until html5 will become a finished definition.

What do you think? Is it something foolish?

Originally Posted by KevinH

Hi,

Looking at http://readium.org/ and getting the source, you see it is nothing more then an *incomplete* set of javascript pieces you add on to the Chrome Web-browser (and why only chrome I have no idea ...) to see some features of epub3 in the browser. This is certainly not a "reference implementation" of anything.

You would be better off helping to add HTML5 support to QtWebKit if you want most applications to actually support ePub3 (including future ebook readers).

KevinH

[KevinH]

Hi,

I believe Qt 4.8 is actually used in the latest versions of Sigil 0.5.3 and if Qt 4.8 supports as much of QtWebKit 2.2 as you say, then the Sigil code base can certainly help get you going. Sigil is cross-platform and written in C++, and very readable and the build is easy to do too. So someone well versed in C++ should have no trouble working with the Sigil codebase.

I think you will see many of epub3 features be supported in Sigil as QtWebKit support improves. Helping to move that forward is definitely something doable for a good developer and I am pretty sure that user_none (the developer/owner of Sigil) would accept patches that add features for some specific future version of Sigil.

That is of course his call.

But I do think the Sigil code base would be a big help in pushing your project forward. Talk to user_none and see what he thinks. Perhaps he can set up an experimental branch for you to add features too, that will eventually be incorporated back into the main line.

KevinH

[nicklaus_]

Very kind of you. I've been building sigil for mac osx and it's easy to do as you have said.
I'll follow your advice and I'll study sigil code more deeply to get used to it before trying any improvement. I'm an experienced developer in java but I need some more training in C++ if I want to do something serious.

Thanks

Originally Posted by KevinH

Hi,

I believe Qt 4.8 is actually used in the latest versions of Sigil 0.5.3 and if Qt 4.8 supports as much of QtWebKit 2.2 as you say, then the Sigil code base can certainly help get you going. Sigil is cross-platform and written in C++, and very readable and the build is easy to do too. So someone well versed in C++ should have no trouble working with the Sigil codebase.

I think you will see many of epub3 features be supported in Sigil as QtWebKit support improves. Helping to move that forward is definitely something doable for a good developer and I am pretty sure that user_none (the developer/owner of Sigil) would accept patches that add features for some specific future version of Sigil.

That is of course his call.

But I do think the Sigil code base would be a big help in pushing your project forward. Talk to user_none and see what he thinks. Perhaps he can set up an experimental branch for you to add features too, that will eventually be incorporated back into the main line.

KevinH

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by KevinH

I believe Qt 4.8 is actually used in the latest versions of Sigil 0.5.3 and if Qt 4.8 supports as much of QtWebKit 2.2 as you say, then the Sigil code base can certainly help get you going. Sigil is cross-platform and written in C++, and very readable and the build is easy to do too. So someone well versed in C++ should have no trouble working with the Sigil codebase.

Actually, I think Sigil's had to revert back to Qt 4.7.x due to some bugs in 4.8.

[nicklaus_]

Do you know what kind of bugs?

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Actually, I think Sigil's had to revert back to Qt 4.7.x due to some bugs in 4.8.

[Rand Brittain]

Originally Posted by KevinH

Looking at http://readium.org/ and getting the source, you see it is nothing more then an *incomplete* set of javascript pieces you add on to the Chrome Web-browser (and why only chrome I have no idea ...) to see some features of epub3 in the browser.

I'm pretty sure what we see of Readium is nothing but a proof-of-concept, so Chrome was probably chosen because it was easiest.

[user_none]

Originally Posted by nicklaus_

Do you know what kind of bugs?

The QWebView (at least in editing mode) eats text. It just doesn't show up. Random missing characters all over the page.