Kindle Paperwhite 5.6.5 - OPDS and ePub?

[mateuszv]

Hello all, I recently got a Kindle Paperwhite device. I'd never buy such closed-software thing myself, but I got it as a present so here it is.

But here comes the problem: all my ebooks are in ePub format, and I fetch them from my local OPDS server. It would seem that Kindle supports neither OPDS, nor even ePub. Not out of the box at least.

I suppose there are other owners of Kindle Paperwhite here - have anybody found some trick that would allow to access ePub files via OPDS on such device? Or if not via OPDS, then at least normal (non-amazon) ePub files? I read about jailbreaking, but my understanding is that version 5.6.5 doesn't allow this. Best would be to install FBReader (that's what I use until now on my mobile phone to read ebooks), but I guess that without jailbreaking it won't go.

Any hints please?

[Richard Marklew]

Use Calibre to convert to a readable format

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by mateuszv

Hello all, I recently got a Kindle Paperwhite device. I'd never buy such closed-software thing myself, but I got it as a present so here it is.

But here comes the problem: all my ebooks are in ePub format, and I fetch them from my local OPDS server. It would seem that Kindle supports neither OPDS, nor even ePub. Not out of the box at least.

I suppose there are other owners of Kindle Paperwhite here - have anybody found some trick that would allow to access ePub files via OPDS on such device? Or if not via OPDS, then at least normal (non-amazon) ePub files? I read about jailbreaking, but my understanding is that version 5.6.5 doesn't allow this. Best would be to install FBReader (that's what I use until now on my mobile phone to read ebooks), but I guess that without jailbreaking it won't go.

Any hints please?

The "trick" to using ebooks in file formats not natively understood by the Kindle is by definition to jailbreak it and run custom software.
You can still jailbreak over the serial port (requires: soldering).


Alternatively, are you very attached to reading EPUB, as opposed to EPUB converted on-the-fly to AZW3?
As mentioned, calibre does an excellent job. It also includes a server that can broadcast an OPDS and HTML catalog. As the Kindle does not include an OPDS parser, you will have to use the regular HTML catalog.

[mateuszv]

Thank you both for responding to my call. This confirms what I have glanced in other threads and forums yesterday, ie. that the Kindle is a sad, sad reader. The screen is indeed somewhat cool, but that's it. No native ePub support and no OPDS connectivity, plus the habit of displaying shameless ads at every possible occasion makes it really annoying. Too bad that such a nice hardware comes with this kind of locked software. Life, I guess.

I would prefer avoid soldering anything, hence I understand I must try to enjoy it as it is.

About Calibre: I am not a huge fan of it (even though I can only agree it is a nice software), I use my own cataloging software instead, much lighter, and much more "to the point" IMHO (at least regarding my own needs): http://elibsrv.sourceforge.net

The solution I imagined is that I will add an epub->mobi 'on the fly' converter to elibsrv, so I will be able to download all my ebooks in both formats. Kindle provides a 'kindlegen' (proprietary, of course!) command line tool that works well on Linux, so I will make elibsrv hook on it, and convert ePub files to mobi on demand.

That's it I guess, there's probably no better solution. Thank you all!

[eschwartz]

Your definition of the Kindle as a "sad, sad reader" appears to be entirely based on the fact that it only supports it's own bespoke format.
And therefore adds the burden of converting to a second format -- something which literally costs nothing but disk space.

I will ignore your remark about OPDS, as I am not aware of any ereader that supports OPDS. I am pretty sure you must use third-party software on ANY device.

...

You have the right to make that evaluation. But I will merely note that while it may not match your needs, there are a great many people who don't seem to find that a great burden.
People act like EPUB is some sort of Holy Grail...

[JSWolf]

The ads you can do away with if you are willing to pay a little extra to get the ad free firmware.

[HarryT]

mateuszv, it is a little unreasonable to criticise the Kindle for not being an ePub device. It is not sold or advertised as being an ePub device, is it? There's nothing magical about ePub which makes it a "better" format than Kindle formats.

As far as advertising is concerned, you are of course aware that you can buy either an "ad-supported" Kindle, or one without ads. In return for having ads, you get $20 off the price. If you don't like the ads, you can give them back the $20 and get the ads removed. The ads are not "displayed at every possible occasion"; they are on the lock screen and at the bottom of the library page - nowhere else. You do not see them while reading a book.

[mateuszv]

Hi all, didn't want to start a war here :-) I'm sorry if my evaluation of the kindle product sounded unfair. I must say that I never played with a dedicated ebook reader, hence my only experience is related to using Android reader apps on mobile phones or tablets (mainly FBReader, but I also tested Moon reader and Aldiko on a few occasions). In fact, FBReader does exactly what I ever imagined an electronic book reading experience should be - connects to any (open) library, browse catalogs, fetch the book that suits you, and read. This is not possible on Kindle, unless one decides to stay exclusively with Amazon and their internal shop. Well, I guess my expectations were simply way too high. I like "open" things, which Kindle definitely is not. I didn't buy the Kindle, it was an unexpected present, that's why I knew so little about it. If I had to buy a reader, I'd probably look for a basic android device with an e-ink screen and google store support, and use FBReader on it (haven't checked, but might be that such thing doesn't even exist).

Anyway, the Kindle is a very cool hardware nonetheless - the screen is better suited to reading than what I ever had on any mobile phone or tablet, and the brightness is perfectly adjustable (on most phones, even on minimum brightness, it's still too bright to read comfortably in the dark).

Today I discovered in the Kindle's main menu that there is an "experimental" web browser that connects just fine to my home OPDS library (although it connects to its web interface, obviously), so once I implement transparent mobi export, I will end up with an almost perfect solution.

As for the superiority of one format over another, the ePub is an open format, and that's all it needs to convince me. I hope I won't be hunted by angry Daleks for saying that.

[barryem]

While it's true that epub is open and mobi is proprietary it's also true that the vast majority of ebooks sold in the USA are in mobi format, not epub. So it might be more accurate to say that epub is a minor open format and mobi is the defacto industry standard.

It is unfortunate that e-ink readers are made by book sellers and cater to them. I'd love to see e-ink readers that can read just about any ebook like my phone can. But that's not the world we live in.

I'm an old timer and I began reading ebooks before they were called ebooks and before anyone sold them. This was even before public access to the internet was available. Ebooks were scanned by anyone who felt like it and exchanged over BBS systems and on Compuserve and AOL, etc. In those days no-one thought about them being illegal and even though those systems took piracy very seriously this wasn't considered piracy. It was just too small.

The format was plain and simple ASCII text files. There was no bold or italicized text. Formatting was very primitive. And no-one cared. We read could carry a bunch of books on a pocket device such as the HP95lx and that was all that mattered.

I read a lot of books in those days and loved it but I'd sure hate to have to go back to it. A lot of the freedom of that time is lost now with devices like the Kindles but the reading is better and the selection is hugely better. And you don't have to scan your own books, which takes a lot of time and work. I'm okay with it like it is.

Barry

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by barryem

It is unfortunate that e-ink readers are made by book sellers and cater to them. I'd love to see e-ink readers that can read just about any ebook like my phone can. But that's not the world we live in.

Of course it is. You just choose not to buy such a device, which is entirely different. There are a number of completely open eInk devices on the market, such as the Onyx T68 and Boyue T62.

I'm an old timer and I began reading ebooks before they were called ebooks...

I very, very much doubt that. The term "electronic book" was coined in the 1960s, and was in common enough usage that it was used without comment or explanation in a computer trade journal article title in 1985.

[eschwartz]

To me, it's all about the reading.
I will take a reverse-engineered format if that is what it takes to read.


But I hope you are as strongly against e.g. DOCX as you are against AZW3.

...

There are a few generic E-Ink tablets which run Android and have the Google Play Store. They have that wonderful eye-friendly E-Ink display in combination with the freedom that some people prefer, to run any ereader app.

Of course, it also costs money whereas you have a free device already.

[Cinisajoy]

You know those ads are so obtrusive that when HarryT said there was an ad at the bottom of the library page I had to go look as I didn't recall ever seeing it.
Obtrusive means almost invisible right?
As to can only put Amazon books on a Kindle, hmmm. I have put books from PG, Smashwords and various authors on my Kindle.
That is on a special offers, not jailbroke, or modified in any way Kindle.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by barryem

While it's true that epub is open and mobi is proprietary it's also true that the vast majority of ebooks sold in the USA are in mobi format, not epub. So it might be more accurate to say that epub is a minor open format and mobi is the defacto industry standard.

More eBooks via Overdrive are ePub. More ePub eBooks are read world wide.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Of course it is. You just choose not to buy such a device, which is entirely different. There are a number of completely open eInk devices on the market, such as the Onyx T68 and Boyue T62.

I've done some reading about those devices and they don't get very good reviews, they're expensive, and my experience buying from overseas hasn't been good. It can be pretty difficult do deal with a faulty device. A few years ago when I bought some memory cards from Germany back when such things were a couple hundred dollars, one of the two they sent me was defective. They wanted to send me a replacement but with shipping and taxes and so forth I decided to just take the loss. I limit that to cheap overseas things these days.

At one point Amazon did have an ereader called the Afterglow, I forget who made it, and I decided to get one come payday, but they'd dropped it by then and were no longer selling them.

Originally Posted by HarryT

I very, very much doubt that. The term "electronic book" was coined in the 1960s, and was in common enough usage that it was used without comment or explanation in a computer trade journal article title in 1985.

You may be right but neither I nor any of the others I was exchanging scanned books with ever used that term. I'm not sure what year we began doing this. Probably after 1985 but I'm not certain.

I was pretty active on BBS systems and Compuserve and a lot of scanned books were traded in both places in those days. We all just called them books. They were always just simple text files. I still have my HP95lx and I probably still have a few of those books.

This was years before the Palm came along, which is where ebooks began to be taken seriously by enough people to let it become a business.

Before that I had a Tandy Zoomer and I can't recall whether I read scanned books on that as well. I may have. I'm just not sure. My serious reading began with the 95lx and a reading program written for it called Vertical Reader. I have no idea if it was the first ereading app but it was the first one I was aware of.

Barry

[barryem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

More eBooks via Overdrive are ePub. More ePub eBooks are read world wide.

I don't pretend to have actual numbers about any of this but I think the last thing I read was that 60% of USA ebook sales are from Amazon. I have read that epub is used more in other countries than it is here but I wonder if it's enough to be a majority.

Also, it's kind of difficult to care that a format is open when it's DRM'd. That shuts the openness down, it seems to me.

I'm not against epub and I'm not trying to say mobi is in any way better. The little I know about formats suggests just the opposite. But all this fear of a "closed system" when the books are so easy to jailbreak even if the devices aren't, seems a little off to me. I wonder how many of the Kindle users in here buy books from Amazon and use Calibre to back them up just in case Amazon goes kerplunk. Probably a lot. It's hard to believe Amazon doesn't know that and nothing they've done makes it seem like they care much.

Barry