Read ePub

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

They would do that because you don't always want to exit the book you are in.

As I thought I was saying, I much prefer the Kobo behaviour. And personally, the only times I have gone past the end of a book without expecting have been when the book was missing some pages.

And it's possible that there is still one more page even if x=y on screen.

I was hoping you wouldn't notice that

I don't annotate to highlight any specific passages. I annotate to highlight errors in the eBook so I can fix them. Thus, if I am at home when I finish the eBook (I can fix the eBook), I want to stay in so I don't have to go back in to pull up the annotations.

Which is almost the only reason I make annotations. The only other reason I do it is to be able to look something up when I am at a computer. If I make the highlight and annotation correctly, I can fix it without reopening the book. And if I have to reopen the book, I just mark it as finished when I have fixed the problems.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Is there some way I can just stay at the last page of the eBook instead of going to the home screen?

As you have probably already found out, once all the smartass answers have been sorted out, there seems to be no way.

There are two other side effects of "finishing" a book in this way: The book is marked as finished for the statistics, and this is not reversible without manually modifying the database (flagging the book as unread does not decrease the "number of read books", not even removing the book completely from the device). And the location within the book is reset to the beginning, so when you open the book again it will show the cover page (or the first chapter, or whatever), not the last page of the book, which is where you left it.

These two side effects are reason enough for wanting the book not to be "closed and finished" after the last page.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Jellby

As you have probably already found out, once all the smartass answers have been sorted out, there seems to be no way.

Sorry Jellby, but Jon fed us the lines and we couldn't resist. But we also tried to help.

And no, there isn't a way. A swipe will always turn the page. Kobo have decided that a swipe to turn to the next page on the last page of the book will close the book. As I stated above, I consider this to be the right way to do it. The fact that other ereaders/apps work differently means that their designers had a different opinion.

There are two other side effects of "finishing" a book in this way: The book is marked as finished for the statistics, and this is not reversible without manually modifying the database (flagging the book as unread does not decrease the "number of read books", not even removing the book completely from the device). And the location within the book is reset to the beginning, so when you open the book again it will show the cover page (or the first chapter, or whatever), not the last page of the book, which is where you left it.

These two side effects are reason enough for wanting the book not to be "closed and finished" after the last page.

I don't get it. You have finished the book, why don't you want it counted? If you don't want it finished, and want to reopen to that last page, then use the menu to go the home page or the library.

As to the stats, there are two. On is "Books finished". That seems to be the number of books that you have turned the page to the end and then past the end. Or "read to completion". It doesn't include books marked as finished using the menu. If that is the interpretation, then reopening a book to reread shouldn't reduce the number. An argument could be made that rereading a book to completion should be counted.

The percent of library complete has changed somewhere along the way. It used to use the number of books in the library marked as finished. Now it uses the above number. That to me is wrong. I think the older calculation is correct here.

Reopening a finished book will always open to the first page of the book. It doesn't use the other clues such as the ToC.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I don't get it. You have finished the book, why don't you want it counted?

I don't know, plenty of reasons; I dislike software deciding for me what I want to do. Maybe the book is not a real book, but some test file and you don't want to artificially increase the number of finished books. Maybe it is a reference book and you just happen to be on the last page (think of a recipe book and you are reading the last recipe). Maybe you are just checking that the formatting is OK and all pages are there, before actually reading the book. Maybe you are using someone else's reader (with permission, of course) and don't want to mess with their database.

If you don't want it finished, and want to reopen to that last page, then use the menu to go the home page or the library.

Assuming you know it is the last page, which also requires to check and think every time to want to turn the page (wait, is this the last page? maybe...). Personally, I'd prefer a dialog: "This is the last page of the book. Do you want to mark the book as finished and return to the home page?" Give Yes/No options and a "Do not ask again" checkmark.

The percent of library complete has changed somewhere along the way. It used to use the number of books in the library marked as finished. Now it uses the above number. That to me is wrong. I think the older calculation is correct here.

Yes, I think I'd like the old one better too. My point is that turning the last page does not only cause the book to be closed and a return to the home screen (this would be just a minor inconvenience, you can reopen the book with a single tap), but it also makes some other changes, at least one of them is irreversible.

Reopening a finished book will always open to the first page of the book. It doesn't use the other clues such as the ToC.

I hadn't noticed that. Good to know (and silly behaviour, if you ask me).

[JSWolf]

Books should pen t the last page previously opened even if that is the last page of the book. It's a simple matter of using the slider to go tot he first page (the cover) if I so desire.

[Kasper Hviid]

Jellby, I also found it intrusive the way turning the page suddenly closes the book and returns me to the main screen.
When I'm at the end of a novel, the story itself might be finished, but my mind is still in its world. Okay, maybe there's some afterword or something, so I do a single swipe - and that stupid device suddenly closes the book and throw its main screen right on my face ... Nobody is so scatterbrained that they are at the process of deciding what to read next ½ second after having finished a book.
Its like watching a movie with a guy who at the second the credits starts rolling turns off the TV. Or playing chess with a guy who the second the game has been concluded is in the process of returning the board and pieces to the box.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Books should pen t the last page previously opened even if that is the last page of the book. It's a simple matter of using the slider to go tot he first page (the cover) if I so desire.

That's your personal preference. I prefer the way it's now. An option? Yes, perhaps. A change? I wouldn't like. You can use the slider in the other direction too. And I prefer going home instead of being stuck in the page too.

As I said, personal preferences.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

That's your personal preference. I prefer the way it's now. An option? Yes, perhaps. A change? I wouldn't like. You can use the slider in the other direction too. And I prefer going home instead of being stuck in the page too.

As I said, personal preferences.

But, there is no indication that the last page is the last page. Just because the page numbers match does not mean there cannot be one more page. So if I stop when I get to x=y, then I might never get the book marked as finished because I've not gone to the last page.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But, there is no indication that the last page is the last page. Just because the page numbers match does not mean there cannot be one more page. So if I stop when I get to x=y, then I might never get the book marked as finished because I've not gone to the last page.

Well, it depends on what format and configuration you have. If you have number of pages by chapter, and it's the last chapter... I know my maths And, if it stays stuck in a page, I won't know if it's the last one or the device is hang.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Jellby

I don't know, plenty of reasons; I dislike software deciding for me what I want to do.

I find that a very funny statement. How can the software not decide for you what you want to do? The only way would be for it to read you mind. Or have an infinite number of options that you reconfigure each time you use it. Yes, I'm being a bit absurd, but that is the only way I can react to your statement.

Maybe the book is not a real book, but some test file and you don't want to artificially increase the number of finished books. Maybe it is a reference book and you just happen to be on the last page (think of a recipe book and you are reading the last recipe). Maybe you are just checking that the formatting is OK and all pages are there, before actually reading the book. Maybe you are using someone else's reader (with permission, of course) and don't want to mess with their database.

As I just commented in another post, we forget that the point of these devices is to read books. Kobo and the other ereader developers are supporting that function. To my mind, loading a book to check the formatting is a relatively unusual activity. It might not be for people in this forum, but for the normal user, they wouldn't understand what you were worrying about. And personally, I've never needed to finish the book to do that,

Assuming you know it is the last page, which also requires to check and think every time to want to turn the page (wait, is this the last page? maybe...). Personally, I'd prefer a dialog: "This is the last page of the book. Do you want to mark the book as finished and return to the home page?" Give Yes/No options and a "Do not ask again" checkmark.

If you are reading fiction, how often is it that you don't know you are on the last page? It's usually obvious from the context. And a hell of a lot of books have those two magic words there that we so often don't want to see. And most of them have some sort of back-matter that means if you do go past the last page of the story, you don't actually go past the end of the book.

Maybe it is different for text or reference books. I don't read them on my ereaders as those I see are mainly PDF and I read them on the computer. But, I can't think of one that didn't have something that made if obvious I was at the end of the book.

Yes, I think I'd like the old one better too. My point is that turning the last page does not only cause the book to be closed and a return to the home screen (this would be just a minor inconvenience, you can reopen the book with a single tap), but it also makes some other changes, at least one of them is irreversible.

Again, this is a matter of opinion of what the correct behaviour is. Personally, I've finished the book, so I want it recorded. On the occasions that I don't want that to happen, I just don't finish the book.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Terisa de morgan

Well, it depends on what format and configuration you have. If you have number of pages by chapter, and it's the last chapter... I know my maths And, if it stays stuck in a page, I won't know if it's the last one or the device is hang.

Cannot do pages by chapter using RMDSK. That's a kepub feature and I don't read kepup.

[Terisa de morgan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Cannot do pages by chapter using RMDSK. That's a kepub feature and I don't read kepup.

Well, your preference again. I only read kepub, my preference.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But, there is no indication that the last page is the last page. Just because the page numbers match does not mean there cannot be one more page. So if I stop when I get to x=y, then I might never get the book marked as finished because I've not gone to the last page.

Of course not, you haven't finished the book. Or at least you haven't told the device you have finished the book. The Kobo devices do not consider the book to be finished until you go past the last page (or mark it as finished via the menu). If you are on the last page and go to the home screen or the library from the book, it will not be marked as finished.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by davidfor

I find that a very funny statement. How can the software not decide for you what you want to do?

Thanks, it was intended to be funny
I guess what I mean is that I like options, since I often don't like the defaults that work for most users.

As I just commented in another post, we forget that the point of these devices is to read books.

I can understand that, I just say that I would like it different (and it seems Jon too). I don't say it's a useless feature, or that the reader is broken. It's a feature, and I can see its use, but I can see the use of the lack of this feature too.

To my mind, loading a book to check the formatting is a relatively unusual activity. [..] And personally, I've never needed to finish the book to do that,

Only if the formatting you want to check is in the last page

If you are reading fiction, how often is it that you don't know you are on the last page? It's usually obvious from the context. And a hell of a lot of books have those two magic words there that we so often don't want to see. And most of them have some sort of back-matter that means if you do go past the last page of the story, you don't actually go past the end of the book.

Quite often, actually. There may be an additional sentence. If the text finishes mid-screen and the page number is the last, you can be pretty sure. If the text ends near the bottom of the screen, maybe the last paragraph and "THE END" are going to appear in the next screen, or maybe not. And as you say, some books have more stuff after the end, others don't. A look at the page numbers can tell you which is the case, but that still means you'd have to think twice before trying to turning a page.

Again, this is a matter of opinion of what the correct behaviour is. Personally, I've finished the book, so I want it recorded. On the occasions that I don't want that to happen, I just don't finish the book.

Yes, we are not talking about "correct" behaviour, but about the behaviour each one prefers. I'm spoilt by using linux, so I want plenty of options everywhere.

Another case of falsely finished book: a book with long end-notes. You follow the link to the last note (you don't know it's the last), the note extends a couple of pages, so you turn the page... and woosh! the book is closed and marked as finished. Unusual? Yes, but annoying too

[jackie_w]

Oh goody, Christmas parlour games. Can anybody play?

Originally Posted by davidfor

How can the software not decide for you what you want to do? The only way would be for it to read you mind.

I think you've hit on the perfect solution. I'd like my last page to say 'You've reached the end of this book. Would you like to delete it now? Yes/No'

Can you make it so, O Kobo Guru? (... just kidding)