A few days ago
this post by Vetchy started me thinking a bit more about the day-to-day problems of Kobo users who's native language is not one of those currently supported by Kobo.
I have since spent a bit of time digging around in the GUI-related bits of the firmware, trying to understand it better. I've also tried to answer a few other language-related queries. Some of those were dictionary-related which is NOT what I want to discuss in this thread.
What I'd like to discuss here is the general Kobo GUI. The main problem appears to be that the 2 main Kobo system fonts
Georgia (serif) and
Avenir (sans-serif) are not well-suited to some languages, Avenir in particular. The default fallback font used when Avenir is inadequate (probably one of the CJK fonts) is not good either.
I'm going to assume that those of you who find the GUI unsatisfactory have at least managed to sideload one good font which makes reading your books tolerable. Otherwise you'd presumably have bought a better eink device by now, right?
If we wait for Kobo to package better unicode system fonts we may be waiting a long time - possibly licensing cost is an issue. So I'd like to see if there's anything we can do to improve things using your sideloaded 'good' fonts and the current kobopatch system.
There may not be a single "quick fix" so, what I'd like to know is, which parts of the GUI need early attention.
vostro here suggested the various Book lists would be a good start. This is your opportunity to have a say.
To make progress I will also need the help of
experienced kobopatch users who are willing to beta test any new patch ideas and report back here in a "timely" manner. By "timely" I mean responding in <24hours, not weeks between posts.
There may not be a 100% perfect solution but I hope it's worth a try.
I wait to hear whether there are enough willing volunteers to get started.
Here is a summary of findings, post #63