Kobo Firmware 3.11.0

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Please don't give up. Once i get my H2O, I'll be happy to help with anything I find that's not quite right and I'll even give you as much info as I can.

I have no intention on giving up in general, just with certain people.

One reason I always want as much info on bugs as possible is to pass them directly on to some of the developers @ Kobo, as opposed to the standard help desk / customer support staff.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by violent23

Firstly they do have a choice, to use it or not. They obviously chose to use it even though it is a detriment to how .ePubs display on their devices and the features the device is able to utilize such as .epub3. You are also failing to account for Kobo's willingness to use a very old version of RMSDK that has many know bugs itself.

How is RMSDK a detriment to how epubs display? Most publishers know it's failings and do not use such features as font-variant:small-caps or the text transforms. If you really need epub3 features, a simple rename from .epub to .kepub.epub will switch to the ACCESS renderer with it's epub3 support. As for the "very old" version of RMSDK? I seem to have noted that the latest firmware revisions are using RMSDK 10 which was released in Jan. 2014. Since RMSDK 11 was released in the dim distant past of Sept. 2014, I can understand why you feel that RMSDK 10 is now a "very old" version.

[Nick_1964]

Originally Posted by murg

Clearly you have no idea how this whole 'internet' thing works...

I am glad you do

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by violent23

Firstly they do have a choice, to use it or not. They obviously chose to use it even though it is a detriment to how .ePubs display on their devices and the features the device is able to utilize such as .epub3. You are also failing to account for Kobo's willingness to use a very old version of RMSDK that has many know bugs itself.

As for reproducing it, I need no help here. I know it exists and to date there is no fix for it. The only one who can fix it is Kobo and so far they have chosen to ignore it. No matter what arbitrary info I or anyone else provides you (even though I already gave you everything I know, i.e. stock Aura, stock fonts, stock lowest margin setting, stock justification on, stock retail kobo purchased eBooks downloaded directly to the device) nothing will change. It is the firmware itself and there is frankly nothing you can do for me in this area.

I am using a Sony Reader PRS-T1 and it uses an earlier version of the ADE RMSDK. I don't see anyone complaining about it the way you seem to be. I know it has some bugs (Adobe's bugs), but overall it works well for the eBooks I read. I don't actually need ePub 3 as I read text. I don't read audio or video. I don't read right to left text or vertical text. For the eBooks I read, ePub 2 is good enough and that's what the RMDSK in my T1 supports. It will work with s basic ePub 3, but then that sort of ePub 3 uses no actual ePub 3 features other then the NAV ToC.

Kobo HAS to use Adobe's RMDSK because of the DRM support. Without it, you could not borrow most library ePub and most bought eb with DRM (not Kobo's own DRM) would not work. if I am not mistaken, the one being used in firmware 3.8.0 and 3.11.0 is the one that's equivalent to ADE 3. It's newer then the one I use on a regular basis. It does support hyphenation and the one in the T1 does not.

What is wrong with regular ePub reader (ADE RMDSK)on the Kobo that's not a problem on other Readers that use some version of ADE RMDSK? I m interested if what you think is a bug is actually the way it is or if it might be a bug unique to Kobo.

[danwatto]

I'm getting some popcorn

[Nick_1964]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I am using a Sony Reader PRS-T1 and it uses an earlier version of the ADE RMSDK. I don't see anyone complaining about it the way you seem to be. I know it has some bugs (Adobe's bugs), but overall it works well for the eBooks I read. I don't actually need ePub 3 as I read text. I don't read audio or video. I don't read right to left text or vertical text. For the eBooks I read, ePub 2 is good enough and that's what the RMDSK in my T1 supports. It will work with s basic ePub 3, but then that sort of ePub 3 uses no actual ePub 3 features other then the NAV ToC.

Kobo HAS to use Adobe's RMDSK because of the DRM support. Without it, you could not borrow most library ePub and most bought eb with DRM (not Kobo's own DRM) would not work. if I am not mistaken, the one being used in firmware 3.8.0 and 3.11.0 is the one that's equivalent to ADE 3. It's newer then the one I use on a regular basis. It does support hyphenation and the one in the T1 does not.

What is wrong with regular ePub reader (ADE RMDSK)on the Kobo that's not a problem on other Readers that use some version of ADE RMDSK? I m interested if what you think is a bug is actually the way it is or if it might be a bug unique to Kobo.

Maybe this is to simple to say: I bought an e-reader, I didn't bought a kepub reader with epub support (it isn't advertised as this).
Now Kobo gives a lot of attention to it's own internal reader and most of the fixes went for this.(IMHO)
The prs-t3 does not have problems with the build in ADE RMSDK, so it would be simple without understanding the internet,to say or think,or understand,that there is something wrong the way the kobo readers use the build in RMSDK,or call functions from the build in RMDSK.
That are things Kobo can fix.

The reseller in The Netherlands does only sells EPUB, Google books does and all the other shops do as well as the publishers.
Only the Kobo shop in the Netherlands used Kepubs, but they don't have the newest edition like Bol or Google books have,or it is way to expensive.
On the vendor pages in the Netherlands like Bol, the kepub format isn't even announced. ( only EPUB, PDF, MOBI, TXT, HTML, XHTML, RTF, CBZ, CBR)
But reseller Bol get a lot of returns,and questions by example for the space between the txt and the footer. ( and i can't recommended the patch on their forum)
If there are technical problems in a country where you sell the readers,and got a lot of the market because Sony stopped, you can't ignore the problems with the RMSDK as that is the most used one here.
90% of the sold books in The Netherlands are epub.
How does marketing defends that the Aura HD and H20 have unpatched the same displayed text on a 6.8 inch screen as there is on a 6 inch Sony.
On the Glo and Aura there is even less txt on a page.
It is logical that customers compare Sony and Kobo because Sony was the most sold one,and now 90% of the dealers sell Kobo as they need a replace for the Sony.
I know ,or understand,that a lot of functions can be added to their own reader and that they can't change much to the ADE reader due to copyrights or licences from Adobe, but that is not my problem,
Kobo has placed itself in the Netherlands as a epub reader (doesn't even advertise with the Kepub format) so it is normal that people compare the Sony against the Kobo and they seen the difference.
If they use the same RMSDK,then the way Kobo uses it, is sometimes wrong or buggy.
Like the paragraph bug.. it is solved after so many updates where they didn't do anything with it,but the problem never was on any Sony device using the same RMDSK.
If you don't solve the problems a new party will take over, like Icarus and Onyx, a lot of buyers from Kobo change into this ones.
They got so many returns that they even sell them refurbished.

As a customer, I have nothing to do with the build in RMDSK or Kepub reader, I buy a reader that have to work.
If Kobo point to the RMDSK,is not my case allso, the other brands using the same without problems but even when it was not the case, on the Netherlands market they profile theirself as a e-reader for ebooks.
then you can't ignore RMDSK problems by saying, it is not our fault,its Adobe.

[the.Mtn.Man]

I haven't followed the discussion so this may be redundant, but 3.11 seems to have made my Aura significantly faster. Books open almost instaneously from the home screen where it took several seconds before. It also wakes immediately from sleep when I open the cover instead of showing the sleep screen for a second or two. Menus also seems to open and respond noticeably faster.

[violent23]

Originally Posted by Nick_1964

As a customer, I have nothing to do with the build in RMDSK or Kepub reader, I buy a reader that have to work.
If Kobo point to the RMDSK,is not my case allso, the other brands using the same without problems but even when it was not the case, on the Netherlands market they profile theirself as a e-reader for ebooks.
then you can't ignore RMDSK problems by saying, it is not our fault,its Adobe.

Bingo!

It is Kobo's job to provide an eReader to their customers that works. How they do so is inconsequential to the average consumer. If the device is marketed as an .ePub eReader then it needs to deliver that experience bug free. It is going on too many years now to still be pushing software this bad.

[JSWolf]

But what are the problems with the ADE RMDSK in firmware 3.11.0? We know of the footer. But what else is there?

[Nick_1964]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But what are the problems with the ADE RMDSK in firmware 3.11.0? We know of the footer. But what else is there?

I don't know if that is really a bug, or just a choice from Kobo.
Extracted from the post of Davidfor( #22):
Annotations problems that are not fixed:
Annotations put under correct chapter heading in epubs.
Order no longer changes when deleting an annotation.
Have NOT fixed problem with reopening epub on the main memory messing up the percent read and the chapter the book is in. Sorting by location is still correct until you add a new annotation.
Fonts - Kobo Nickel, Ryumin, Gothic and Avenir Next still have the same problems.
And:
Still problems with Orphans and Widows.
I am not an expert, but I think all the problems that are related to epub since Kobo used the RMDSK for it.

And still some bugs in the general interface.

[RoninTech]

I just upgraded my Glo from 3.8.0 to 3.11.0 using the Kobo desktop app. Everything went well and all my sideloaded epubs were there including my currently read book at the correct page. I then installed the must-have kobo-nightmode_build13. It installed and restarted OK. I then held the button down and boom!, factory reset. Lost all my loaded books and now I have to load them all back up again, trying to remember what I've read and not read. After the reset and update to 3.11.0 I re-added kobo-nightmode_build13 and it works fine although there are no books on the device now. Long day ahead re-adding all my calibre books.

Hopefully this is just a one off thing for me but thought I'd throw it out there as a data point. Scared to upgrade my wife's now...

Is there a way for Calibre to remember what books were on the device and/or what is read/unread?

[Ripplinger]

What I do in Calibre is to add 2 extra columns. One is simply a checkmark that denotes that I currently have it or want to send it to my readers. That way if you do a factory reset, just sort by the checkmark column, highlight those at the top and send the batch to the readers. When I finish reading a book, I delete them off my reader and remove the checkmark.

Second extra column is a date entry that I make when I finish a book. Although I haven't forgotten yet which books I've read through decades, I expect one day I won't remember .

[Anak]

Originally Posted by Nick_1964

I don't know if that is really a bug, or just a choice from Kobo.
Extracted from the post of Davidfor( #22):
Annotations problems that are not fixed:
Annotations put under correct chapter heading in epubs.
Order no longer changes when deleting an annotation.
Have NOT fixed problem with reopening epub on the main memory messing up the percent read and the chapter the book is in. Sorting by location is still correct until you add a new annotation.
Fonts - Kobo Nickel, Ryumin, Gothic and Avenir Next still have the same problems.
And:
Still problems with Orphans and Widows.
I am not an expert, but I think all the problems that are related to epub since Kobo used the RMDSK for it.

And still some bugs in the general interface.

Most of the bugs/issues you refer to are 'implementation bugs' by Kobo as they have nothing to do with the render engine (here: RMSDK).
If the same bugs and/or issues also surface on Sony, Icarus, Bookeen and other ereaders that use RMSDK then those bugs are RMSDK related.
If not, those bugs, issues or problems are created by Kobo.

[RoninTech]

I was using the On Device column as I remove a book once I've read it, so that told me what I'd read or not. Unfortunately this all gets blown away on a factory reset. The kobo does track what has been read so I wonder if calibre can access that info and add the info to a book's db entry automatically, which wouldn't get lost if the book was lost from the kobo due to factory reset or removal?

[PeterT]

I actually use Kobo Utilities to automate storing the reading location on my Kobo; then it's trivial to reload and restore reading position in case of a crash.