"What's so great about epub ?" you ask... - Page 7

kovidgoyal · 12-31-2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Sorotokin

This is very true (although, I'd say this is CSS problem in general - it is not much easier with DTBook, for instance) and I see a lot of friction there as devices start to utilize user stylesheets more. Note that doing blind overrides (e.g. overriding justify or font on p element) is not very good solution because some parts of the book may require particular style: for instance, poetry and code samples should be left-justified and math formulas typically require a specific font. What is needed is a guide on how to author documents so that user stylesheets can selectively override only things which are meant to be overridable.

Basically, we need a way to make EPUB files more semantic and editor/converter support for outputting semantic markup.

rogue_ronin · 12-31-2009, 03:18 PM

Basically, a style guide for the XHTML, right?

I worked one out here, and I've continued to work on it in private, including moving to Dublin Core metadata where possible. (I should update the post.)

It'd be great to get some "professional" guidance, but I think the big boys are still fighting over territory.

m a r

DaleDe · 12-31-2009, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Sorotokin

This is very true (although, I'd say this is CSS problem in general - it is not much easier with DTBook, for instance) and I see a lot of friction there as devices start to utilize user stylesheets more. Note that doing blind overrides (e.g. overriding justify or font on p element) is not very good solution because some parts of the book may require particular style: for instance, poetry and code samples should be left-justified and math formulas typically require a specific font. What is needed is a guide on how to author documents so that user stylesheets can selectively override only things which are meant to be overridable.

Actually there is a guide like that. Authors should not define those things that the user should have control over. This is spelled out very well for Mobipocket format and could easily be adopted for ePUB.

Dale

Jellby · 01-01-2010, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Actually there is a guide like that. Authors should not define those things that the user should have control over. This is spelled out very well for Mobipocket format and could easily be adopted for ePUB.

But then one thing is what the user "should have control over", and another thing is what the user "has control over". Take fonts or justification. In ADE there's no way to change them, so if the defaults are not enough for your book (for instance, if you have Cyrillic characters), you had to define it (embed a font with Cyrillic characters). Now the Cybook firmware allows the user to change fonts and justification, so this is not needed, but other readers still don't support this.

Fringecup · 01-02-2010, 04:37 AM

A couple of folks earlier on were discussing converting to ePub from other formats. Well I'm really new at ePub and didn't have a word processor (to my knowledge anyway) that would save a file in ePub format. So I searched out one called "Atlantis" that would so this. I've found, after a bit of playing around with it, that Atlantis is the cat's meow for convertine .txt and .rtx files! All you do is copy them into Atlantis, then press the save - special button and ePub is one of the options! Then, once it's in ePub, you can identify the REAL author (rather than your reader thinking that YOU are the author) and you can insert an image at the beginning to serve as a cover, if you want one. I like that featire because I have my Sony 600 set to show thumbnail images and a picture is much easier to see at a glance than some tiny words!

I've also had no problem in converting .txt files into .pdf ones that are set up for my reader by following the instructions given in the Sony help files. the problem with this method is that the book always shows up as having written by me (a lie) and I haven't figured out how to put a picture as a cover for my thumbnails.

From now on, I plan to use just ePub - it's great!!

Daniel Jones · 01-10-2013, 02:00 AM

The answer for what is great in ePubs lies in the size of the files. Generally ePub shows all the information that PDF files offer in a much smaller size. PDF books that consumes hundreds of MB when converted to ePub files takes only a few MB space of memory.

Toxaris · 01-10-2013, 02:15 AM

Not really. If I would create a real PDF with text, the size would not be hundreds of MB but more closely to the ePUB size. If you have a PDF which is hundreds of MB, it is quite probable that all pages are images instead of text.
There are many advantages, but size is relative.

HarryT · 01-10-2013, 03:38 AM

Moderator Notice
Please don't resurrect ancient threads for no good purpose. It's better to start a new thread.

Thanks.

Jellby · 01-10-2013, 06:25 AM

But this is a sticky thread, maybe we should un-sticky it if we don't want it to come back to life?

HarryT · 01-10-2013, 06:33 AM

You're right. 3 years with no posts is enough. Unstuck.

12-31-2009, 03:18 PM	#92
rogue_ronin Banned Posts: 475 Karma: 796 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Honolulu Device: Nokia 770 (fbreader)	Basically, a style guide for the XHTML, right? I worked one out here, and I've continued to work on it in private, including moving to Dublin Core metadata where possible. (I should update the post.) It'd be great to get some "professional" guidance, but I think the big boys are still fighting over territory. m a r Last edited by rogue_ronin; 12-31-2009 at 03:21 PM.

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01-02-2010, 04:37 AM	#95
Fringecup Enthusiast Posts: 33 Karma: 127588 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Campbell River, BC Device: Sony Reader 600 Touch Edition	A couple of folks earlier on were discussing converting to ePub from other formats. Well I'm really new at ePub and didn't have a word processor (to my knowledge anyway) that would save a file in ePub format. So I searched out one called "Atlantis" that would so this. I've found, after a bit of playing around with it, that Atlantis is the cat's meow for convertine .txt and .rtx files! All you do is copy them into Atlantis, then press the save - special button and ePub is one of the options! Then, once it's in ePub, you can identify the REAL author (rather than your reader thinking that YOU are the author) and you can insert an image at the beginning to serve as a cover, if you want one. I like that featire because I have my Sony 600 set to show thumbnail images and a picture is much easier to see at a glance than some tiny words! I've also had no problem in converting .txt files into .pdf ones that are set up for my reader by following the instructions given in the Sony help files. the problem with this method is that the book always shows up as having written by me (a lie) and I haven't figured out how to put a picture as a cover for my thumbnails. From now on, I plan to use just ePub - it's great!!

01-10-2013, 02:00 AM	#96
Daniel Jones Nameless Being	The answer for what is great in ePubs lies in the size of the files. Generally ePub shows all the information that PDF files offer in a much smaller size. PDF books that consumes hundreds of MB when converted to ePub files takes only a few MB space of memory.

01-10-2013, 02:15 AM	#97
Toxaris Wizard Posts: 4,520 Karma: 121692313 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Heemskerk, NL Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	Not really. If I would create a real PDF with text, the size would not be hundreds of MB but more closely to the ePUB size. If you have a PDF which is hundreds of MB, it is quite probable that all pages are images instead of text. There are many advantages, but size is relative.

01-10-2013, 03:38 AM	#98
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Moderator Notice Please don't resurrect ancient threads for no good purpose. It's better to start a new thread. Thanks.

01-10-2013, 06:25 AM	#99
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,516 Karma: 18512745 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	But this is a sticky thread, maybe we should un-sticky it if we don't want it to come back to life?

01-10-2013, 06:33 AM	#100
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	You're right. 3 years with no posts is enough. Unstuck.

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