Stanza instead of iBooks? WHY?

kokkolos · 10-25-2010, 06:11 PM

Hi!

I read your 3d,

why do you suggest Stanza instead of iBooks?

Thanks a lot.

Regards

copyrite · 10-25-2010, 07:11 PM

Pretty sure that was written before the iBooks app came out. Stanza was what I used first, and I could get ebooks on my iTouch without connecting via USB. I know there are other reasons, but since I got my Kindle, I only seem to read from my Kindle device or the Kindle app.

monkeyluis · 10-25-2010, 08:52 PM

Stanza and calibre together give you the server function. I just like iBooks though. I have no problem updating and putting books on it by plugging it in. Gives me a chance to update apps and back up the ipad anyway.

murraypaul · 10-26-2010, 04:07 AM

Stanza allows for much more flexible control over layout, being able to adjust margins, having a large number of fonts and fontsizes and much greater control over colour scheme.

K-Thom · 10-26-2010, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Stanza allows for much more flexible control over layout, being able to adjust margins, having a large number of fonts and fontsizes and much greater control over colour scheme.

You've got to be kidding?!

Stanza is a PITA in regards of layout control, at least if you create eBooks.

I don't how many stunts and tweaks I had to pull to get my files on Stanza right while they were looking fine on any other device.

Hyphenation is the one asset why I would recommend Stanza.

Leep · 10-26-2010, 11:12 AM

I like Stanza best because I can access my Calibre library wirelessly. I personally don't have a problem with either Stanza or iBooks for reading, but like Stanza slightly better.

cheers

RoninTech · 10-26-2010, 01:09 PM

I love how stanza integrates with Calibre's content server. Only thing missing from a reader's perspective, IMO, is support for series' in Stanza.

Rob_E · 10-26-2010, 01:12 PM

I was trying to figure out which reader was preferable, too. I've been using Stanza on my iPod Touch since before iBooks was an option. I now have iBooks on my iPad, but I think I still prefer Stanza because:

Stanza has a more customizeable display (especially for white on black reading and margin control)
I can access my eBook library wirelessly in Stanza
I can get books from multiple on-line sources into Stanza without syncing through iTunes.
Stanza seems to handle certain metadata fields better than iBooks (I think my Series info, for instance, transfers from Calibre to Stanza well, but does not transfer to iBooks, or at least iBooks will not use/display that info).

To me the most compelling reason to use iBooks is the page syncing across devices. At the moment I only have one device capable of running iBooks, so that's not very compelling. I also converted a book to epub that had lots of endnotes. iBooks handled the links between endnotes and the main text well, but Stanza did not. There may be a fix for that. I haven't looked into it, but so far that's the only reason I've seen to prefer iBooks. That and it's pretty, but once I'm actually reading, I prefer no distractions to pretty page animations.

Some pros of Stanza over iBooks are discussed on the last pages of the thread you pointed to and on a thread I recently started on the same issue:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=101852

murraypaul · 10-27-2010, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K-Thom

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

Stanza allows for much more flexible control over layout, being able to adjust margins, having a large number of fonts and fontsizes and much greater control over colour scheme.

You've got to be kidding?!

Stanza is a PITA in regards of layout control, at least if you create eBooks.

I don't how many stunts and tweaks I had to pull to get my files on Stanza right while they were looking fine on any other device.

Nope, what other app others the same level of customisation for the user? iBooks doesn't even offer any sort of margin control. Stanza allows control over margin size, line spacing, paragraph spacing and paragraph indent. iBooks offers 2 colour schemes, normal and sepia. Stanza offers around 140 choices of foreground and background colour independently. iBooks offers 6 choices of font, Stanza about 45.
I'm not particularly interested in how the creator of the book wanted it to be laid out, I'm interested in how I want it to be laid out. Stanza allows me to override the formatting in the file and make my own choices, as a reader that is a good thing.

toddos · 10-27-2010, 04:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by murraypaul

I'm not particularly interested in how the creator of the book wanted it to be laid out, I'm interested in how I want it to be laid out. Stanza allows me to override the formatting in the file and make my own choices, as a reader that is a good thing.

This. Screw your layout. I want my layout. My fonts, my line spacing. If I want newlines between paragraphs and indentation, Stanza lets me do it even though the author didn't want it that way. I can read with a sans serif font even though the author thought the book would be best presented in comic sans. I can strip off the 2em left and right margins that cause the book to be only three words across on an iPhone because the author thought that made sense on an iPad. I can force it into full justification even though the author thought a ragged right edge was a good idea.

Stanza has its problems. The hyphenation can be weird sometimes, and it does have occasional layout issues. However when it comes to reading books how I want to read them, nothing beats it (on iOS, anyway). That's what ebook publishers and authors just don't seem to get. I don't want to have multiple ereader applications all with different look&feel, settings, etc (iBooks, Kindle, Nook, Kobo, etc). I want a single reader that does it all, and with Stanza as the reader, Calibre as the server, Sigil for occasional book cleanup, and the various de-drm tools I get what I want. That's why I use Stanza.

bthoven · 10-27-2010, 09:33 AM

For non-english speaking people like myself, having in-device dictionary lookup is a great feature of iBooks. Overall I like Stanza a lot and it will be perfect for me if they add in-device dictionary which won't need Internet connection.

margaretanne · 10-27-2010, 10:03 AM

I have just received my ipad today. I have Calibre and am wondering how to transfer books from Calibre onto the ipad? I would really appreciate some help.

leebase · 10-27-2010, 10:53 AM

I like Stanza's integration with Calibre (and lots of online book sources). However, I just really like the iBooks reading experience best. It's a personal thing. On my iPhone, Stanza was fantastic. On the larger ipad screen, just text on a color background doesn't seem right.

iBooks "look like a book" page decorations may be trite, but somehow they make the difference for me.

Otherwise it's Stanza all the way. Unless I'm reading kindle books, then it's the kindle app.

Lee

copyrite · 10-27-2010, 11:01 AM

Stanza needs an upgrade. I asked them about a couple of issues this summer (Now Reading doesn't stick, and retrieving emailed books via Book Sources screws up the title) and they said these would be addressed in the next upgrade.

Seanette · 10-27-2010, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by copyrite

Stanza needs an upgrade. I asked them about a couple of issues this summer (Now Reading doesn't stick, and retrieving emailed books via Book Sources screws up the title) and they said these would be addressed in the next upgrade.

Did they offer any indication of when that might be?

10-25-2010, 06:11 PM	#1
kokkolos Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: ipod touch 4g	Stanza instead of iBooks? WHY? Hi! I read your 3d, why do you suggest Stanza instead of iBooks? Thanks a lot. Regards

10-26-2010, 01:12 PM	#8
Rob_E Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 154004 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: iPod Touch/iPad	I was trying to figure out which reader was preferable, too. I've been using Stanza on my iPod Touch since before iBooks was an option. I now have iBooks on my iPad, but I think I still prefer Stanza because: Stanza has a more customizeable display (especially for white on black reading and margin control) I can access my eBook library wirelessly in Stanza I can get books from multiple on-line sources into Stanza without syncing through iTunes. Stanza seems to handle certain metadata fields better than iBooks (I think my Series info, for instance, transfers from Calibre to Stanza well, but does not transfer to iBooks, or at least iBooks will not use/display that info). To me the most compelling reason to use iBooks is the page syncing across devices. At the moment I only have one device capable of running iBooks, so that's not very compelling. I also converted a book to epub that had lots of endnotes. iBooks handled the links between endnotes and the main text well, but Stanza did not. There may be a fix for that. I haven't looked into it, but so far that's the only reason I've seen to prefer iBooks. That and it's pretty, but once I'm actually reading, I prefer no distractions to pretty page animations. Some pros of Stanza over iBooks are discussed on the last pages of the thread you pointed to and on a thread I recently started on the same issue: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=101852

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10-25-2010, 07:11 PM	#2
copyrite Wizard Posts: 1,841 Karma: 4985051 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Maryland Device: Kindle	Pretty sure that was written before the iBooks app came out. Stanza was what I used first, and I could get ebooks on my iTouch without connecting via USB. I know there are other reasons, but since I got my Kindle, I only seem to read from my Kindle device or the Kindle app.

10-25-2010, 08:52 PM	#3
monkeyluis Banned Posts: 725 Karma: 656644 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Central Florida Device: iPad "3", Kindle Touch, Kindle Fire, iPhone 4S	Stanza and calibre together give you the server function. I just like iBooks though. I have no problem updating and putting books on it by plugging it in. Gives me a chance to update apps and back up the ipad anyway.

10-26-2010, 04:07 AM	#4
murraypaul Interested Bystander Posts: 3,726 Karma: 19728152 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Note 4, Kobo One	Stanza allows for much more flexible control over layout, being able to adjust margins, having a large number of fonts and fontsizes and much greater control over colour scheme.

10-26-2010, 11:12 AM	#6
Leep Guru Posts: 739 Karma: 1018859 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Near Seattle Device: kindle1, K3, K3G (thanks MR), iTouch, Kindle Touch	I like Stanza best because I can access my Calibre library wirelessly. I personally don't have a problem with either Stanza or iBooks for reading, but like Stanza slightly better. cheers

10-26-2010, 01:09 PM	#7
RoninTech Groupie Posts: 168 Karma: 1000036 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Citizen of the World Device: iPod Touch, Nook Colour, Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo, Nexus 7, Nexus 5, Pixel	I love how stanza integrates with Calibre's content server. Only thing missing from a reader's perspective, IMO, is support for series' in Stanza.

10-27-2010, 09:33 AM	#11
bthoven Evangelist Posts: 475 Karma: 590 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Device: Kindle Paperwhite	For non-english speaking people like myself, having in-device dictionary lookup is a great feature of iBooks. Overall I like Stanza a lot and it will be perfect for me if they add in-device dictionary which won't need Internet connection.

10-27-2010, 10:03 AM	#12
margaretanne Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: ipad	I have just received my ipad today. I have Calibre and am wondering how to transfer books from Calibre onto the ipad? I would really appreciate some help.

10-27-2010, 10:53 AM	#13
leebase Karma Kameleon Posts: 2,976 Karma: 26738313 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad Mini, iPhone X, Kindle Fire Tab HD 8, Walmart Onn	I like Stanza's integration with Calibre (and lots of online book sources). However, I just really like the iBooks reading experience best. It's a personal thing. On my iPhone, Stanza was fantastic. On the larger ipad screen, just text on a color background doesn't seem right. iBooks "look like a book" page decorations may be trite, but somehow they make the difference for me. Otherwise it's Stanza all the way. Unless I'm reading kindle books, then it's the kindle app. Lee

10-27-2010, 11:01 AM	#14
copyrite Wizard Posts: 1,841 Karma: 4985051 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Maryland Device: Kindle	Stanza needs an upgrade. I asked them about a couple of issues this summer (Now Reading doesn't stick, and retrieving emailed books via Book Sources screws up the title) and they said these would be addressed in the next upgrade.

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