09-29-2012, 04:14 AM | #46 | |||
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Can you please attach the actual patched files or provide an additional python file that will invoke the python patcher module? Quote:
The odd thing is that for once Calibre is more KF8 compliant than Kindlegen, because the guide items in the azw3 file that I generated with it, worked fine even on my K3. But as you know from your own professional experience, Amazon often rejects .mobi files generated by Calibre. Since you're the one with first hand experience with KDP, here is a question that you're uniquely qualified to answer: Will KDP a accept .mobi files that contain only KF8 or Mobi7 content without the source code that KindleGen embeds in the file? I.e. is it possible to simply upload a KF8-only file with the azw or azw3 extension or does KDP always expect a .mobi file (unless users upload the actual .html or .epub source files)? Also would you agree that a non-functioning Go to Beginning guide item is a minor inconvenience that the OP shouldn't be worried about since it will only affect two older Kindle generations and most people probably won't even notice that it doesn't work. Quote:
NiLuJe has updated these files, but the patch that he generated from his updated files can only be applied by people who know their way around revision control systems. Hopefully, he'll attach his patched files, too. Last edited by Doitsu; 09-29-2012 at 05:46 AM. |
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09-29-2012, 05:38 AM | #47 | |||
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I know that the OP wants it to be perfect, but I genuinely think that 99% of the (K3/K4) population will never notice. The default for Kindle is simply the first page. Who would even give it a thought, if it went to the title page, or the half-title page, or the copyright page? I certainly wouldn't. As a pro, I might "tsk-tsk," if it didn't open on the Prologue or the epigraph or the first page of Chapter 1, but, hell, that's from a pro. Fully half of my clients want the "start" location at the first page after the cover (if not the cover), not at Chapter 1, anyway, in order to inflict all their frontmatter on the reader. (I usually talk them out of it, but...) I mean, if it were actually named "Start Reading," that would be a different thing, but "go to beginning?" Meh. Could mean almost anything, and people simply flip pages to get to Ch. 1. I am not getting ulcers over it. It's a K3 glitch which I'll dutifully report to Amazon, along with my other reports about font weirdnesses and other fun factoids, and I won't give it another second's thought. It will be fixed when it's fixed, probably about the same time iBooks allows centering of elements without adding another layer of coding for no reason. I don't think it's water off a duck's back, but I do think it's close to it. Personally, I find the K3/Touch disappearing fonts a REAL issue that IS giving me ulcers Spoiler:
Compared to that, this eeensy little "start" location thing is just...well, eeensy. Font-testing is now my life.
My $.02, FWIW, Hitch Last edited by Hitch; 09-29-2012 at 05:40 AM. Reason: Added thought about ePUB. |
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09-29-2012, 07:01 AM | #48 | ||
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09-29-2012, 09:07 AM | #49 |
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Hi everyone, interesting thread.
I'm working on a patch that will fix the problem for kindlegen generated files that you're not going to be submitting to KDP. I've also tested some older versions of kindlegen. This problem of getting two EXTH entries for start of text in the KF8 section of the ebook goes back to the first kindlegen that produced such file: kindlegen 2.0. So it's a long-standing problem, and while I haven't done a round-trip test myself, I'm willing to believe that Amazon are fixing the problem for books published through KDP. Note that this doesn't seem to be a bug in the Kindle 3 firmware. It's just that the new Kindle 3.4 firmware is the first that could read the KF8 section, and so is now demonstrating a problem that's been there all along. Hopefully I'll have a python script and AppleScript wrapper ready for testing something this weekend. |
09-29-2012, 12:46 PM | #50 |
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I didn't want to hijack the usual reviewing process (and unleash potentially buggy code to the world), but if it's okay with everyone, I can of course provide a 'ready to use' version for testing purposes .
@pdurrant: I'm still leaning on the 'FW 3.4 bug!' side of things, because the Touch handles those files perfectly fine, and honors the correct StartOffset . It's not the only thing the KF8 backend/frontend on 3.4 handles differently than other FW... @Hitch: Do you happen to have a small testcase for the disappearing fonts thing? It seems eerily familiar, and reminds me of a number of issues with the Kindle's complete mishandling of some custom fonts we encountered with the different Fonts Hacks (leading to the same 'blank' font issue), until one took a hammer to the nail and switched to a custom FreeType library... Last edited by NiLuJe; 09-29-2012 at 01:00 PM. |
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09-29-2012, 01:20 PM | #51 |
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Please do upload your 'fixed' version, either in this thread or the Mobiunpack thread. I'll review it and update the first post of the MobiUnpack thread accordingly.
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09-29-2012, 01:42 PM | #52 |
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Thank you for explaining how to split the .mobi - I now remember seeing that option...
Interesting that it is still unclear if the bug is in Kindlegen or in the firmware. If the bug is in Kindlegen but the Touch and Fire know about it and fix it, like the Previewer does, but Kindle 3.4 doesn't, then if they fixed the bug all the devices that don't work would start working and the ones that work would stop working? I can't agree that this error is insignificant. I expect perfection, even if it takes several software releases to get there. |
09-29-2012, 02:05 PM | #53 |
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@pdurrant: Here we go!
EDIT: Removed deprecated attachments, merged in v055 . Last edited by NiLuJe; 10-21-2012 at 06:22 PM. |
09-29-2012, 02:43 PM | #54 | ||
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And readers? On myriad devices, I know factually that most don't even know HOW to choose "publisher fonts" or "publisher view," which means that they don't SEE what we have created--ever--in the first damn place. And don't forget the various reading apps...Bluefire and its brethren. Oh, and, seen ADE 2.0 yet? Tried any outline-style lists? Ha! Not to sound jaded or anything. We all want our books to be beautiful. But in the commercial biz, we don't control what we get to layout/convert, and we don't control the 60+ devices out there...it's not like print, where you can control every single aspect. It simply isn't. To me, the "go to beginning" thing in K3/4 is just..so minor I can't even spare a braincell for it. Many far larger issues haunting devices, at least in my opinion and experience. {shrug}. For whatever that's worth. Hitch |
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09-29-2012, 03:02 PM | #55 |
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09-29-2012, 03:49 PM | #56 | |
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I can't install it. I uninstalled, closed Calibre, then ran it again and tried to install.
It says: Quote:
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09-29-2012, 04:03 PM | #57 |
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09-29-2012, 04:05 PM | #58 |
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First go at a quickfix
Here's a python script that should take out the extra 116 EXTH value in the KF8 section. I'll be interested the hear whether it works for people. And for those on Mac OS X, here's an AppleScript wrapper (inlcudes the pythons script, just drag&drop) [EDIT: Files removed, as they are no longer required with KindleGen 2.7, as KindleGen 2.7 doesn't made this error.] Last edited by pdurrant; 10-27-2012 at 06:46 AM. |
09-29-2012, 04:44 PM | #59 | |
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(I.e. both books opened at the location marked by the Text guide item when I opened them for the first time on my K3 and the Go to Beginning menu worked, too.) @Tugger: To apply the patch you simply call the Python script with the name of the combo .mobil file as the input parameter. (It'll automatically create a new .mobi file with extension _fixed.mobi.) |
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09-30-2012, 07:33 AM | #60 |
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It definitely works on the kindlegen output I've tried it with (and the "fixed" files work as expected on a KK with firmware 3.4).
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