Bored with ereaders?

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I'm the type who would love to be able to carry my entire library on my ereader. Unfortunately, absent better library management, that's not exactly practical unless one has good memory recall. Hence, my wishing for something similar to Calibre Companion as a native interface or failing that, at least support for nested collections.

I suppose it's just different ways that we read. I only read one book at a time and usually have some idea of what book I'm likely to want to read next. So I couldn't imagine using collections of any sort on my device to find fantasy stories suitable for children.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I'm the type who would love to be able to carry my entire library on my ereader. Unfortunately, absent better library management, that's not exactly practical unless one has good memory recall. Hence, my wishing for something similar to Calibre Companion as a native interface or failing that, at least support for nested collections.

I agree with this. I do most of my reading on my iPad and use CC a lot to find set things up in Marvin so I can easily choose my next read or flip between books as my mood changes. It's much harder on the Kobo.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I suppose it's just different ways that we read. I only read one book at a time and usually have some idea of what book I'm likely to want to read next. So I couldn't imagine using collections of any sort on my device to find fantasy stories suitable for children.

That's likely the situation. I'm normally in the process of reading anywhere from 3 to 5 books at a time and frequently have 20+ books partially read. I can be a pretty moody reader, especially when I don't have any new books that have just come out to be read. Then a week later, my mood will change and I'll blast through 3 or 4 books.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I suppose it's just different ways that we read. I only read one book at a time and usually have some idea of what book I'm likely to want to read next. So I couldn't imagine using collections of any sort on my device to find fantasy stories suitable for children.

I tend to read one book at a time as well. Caveat is similar to @pwalker8, I don't know what I'll be in the mood for and I hate needing to get up and plug my device to USB to browse and load books via Calibre.

One of the reasons why my e-ink readers haven't replaced tablets entirely for reading. While I do prefer reading on e-ink, browsing for and downloading books to the tablet without a PC is much easier than it is on e-ink.

[crane3]

Originally Posted by crossi

The ability to nest collections which is not possible with kindle collections is the main reason file structure matters. Consider the mess your computer would be without nested folders.

I kind of recall that Mantano/Bookari can do sub-collections. However I gave up on Bookari when it won't open a TXT file for reading as it was an "unknown" file-type. May have to check it again since I did purchase it.

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Don’t you remember how difficult first-generation eInk screens were to read? They were great in direct sunlight but virtually unreadable in dim indoor lighting.

Yes, I remember excitedly getting delivery of my first e-reader, a new Kindle 2, and immediately knowing I had to return it. Just seemed too "foggy", too dark of a background. The immediate next generation, Kindle 3 and Sony 505, were fine, as were all after that (other than the Sony PRS-700 and PRS-300/600).

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by crossi

The ability to nest collections which is not possible with kindle collections is the main reason file structure matters. Consider the mess your computer would be without nested folders.

I would disagree with your attempt to conflate nested collections with any need for a file structure. If there is a database of what is on your device with a half decent search facility and the database allows for nested collections, the file structure is of purely academic interest.

Not to mention, that depending on a file structure to handle your ebooks mapping into collections will either lead to masses of symlinks or multiple copies of files.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Not to mention, that depending on a file structure to handle your ebooks mapping into collections will either lead to masses of symlinks or multiple copies of files.

Symbolic links are cheap, and hard links are even cheaper. (Of course M$ defines hard links as file system corruption.)

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Symbolic links are cheap, and hard links are even cheaper. (Of course M$ defines hard links as file system corruption.)

Does FAT32 even support those?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

Symbolic links are cheap, and hard links are even cheaper. (Of course M$ defines hard links as file system corruption.)

Symlinks may be cheap however under Windows, they break when the target is moved. I believe Linux has the same behaviour but have never tested it. Junctions have the nasty side effect under Windows that when the junction is deleted so is the target. As for hard links? You get a similar nasty side effect that deleting the last hard link also deletes the target and you can't hardlink to a different volume nor can you use a program to edit a file that creates a temporary working file and then renames the temp file as the hard link will still point to the original unmodified file. I won't even bother to do more than mention that Windows requires using NTFS for the file system.

Again, why bother when a database and search capability gives better functionality and no need for user intervention creating directory structures and maintaining them.

OTOH, I have never seen a hard link detected as file system corruption from Windows 7 onward (I never used Vista or XP and hard links). Can you give an example? And please don't mention that editing a file using different paths simultaneously can cause file corruption as that is specifically warned against by Microsoft.

[Timboli]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I tend to read one book at a time as well. Caveat is similar to @pwalker8, I don't know what I'll be in the mood for and I hate needing to get up and plug my device to USB to browse and load books via Calibre.

One of the reasons why my e-ink readers haven't replaced tablets entirely for reading. While I do prefer reading on e-ink, browsing for and downloading books to the tablet without a PC is much easier than it is on e-ink.

I have a 'Reading Order.txt' file on my Kindles, that has a loose order I follow, but which I am always prepared to insert something I am more in the mood for.

Other than that, I am always thinking ahead, and I organize my Kindles, by either Author Name folder or Category Name folder as collections. Some books of course, exist in more than one folder ... they are akin to a shortcut on your PC after all, and not actually the book itself, which never moves from where it has been installed on the device structure.

Generally I need to have at least two ebooks by an author, though more usually at least three, before that author gets their own folder. Less books by an author, mean they go in the Various category or if a short story collection, the Collections category. Because I have gotten so many freebies from BookBub, I now have a Fantasy & Scifi folder and a Mystery & Thriller folder, plus some others, to make browsing more manageable ... i.e. Cozy Mystery.

It really would be more helpful though, if you could at least go one more sub-folder deep ... two, even better.

[Apache]

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I'm the type who would love to be able to carry my entire library on my ereader. Unfortunately, absent better library management, that's not exactly practical unless one has good memory recall. Hence, my wishing for something similar to Calibre Companion as a native interface or failing that, at least support for nested collections.

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I agree with this. I do most of my reading on my iPad and use CC a lot to find set things up in Marvin so I can easily choose my next read or flip between books as my mood changes. It's much harder on the Kobo.

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

I tend to read one book at a time as well. Caveat is similar to @pwalker8, I don't know what I'll be in the mood for and I hate needing to get up and plug my device to USB to browse and load books via Calibre.

One of the reasons why my e-ink readers haven't replaced tablets entirely for reading. While I do prefer reading on e-ink, browsing for and downloading books to the tablet without a PC is much easier than it is on e-ink.

I mostly read one book at a time and I usually do not know what book I am going to read next. I use my Surface Pro as my reader and I have Calibre installed and can scroll through my library to choose my next book. I used to read a lot of hardback books and to me the Surface is just an electronic version of a hardback book. I use Freda+ to read the books. My wife uses Moon+Reader Pro, but I find Freda+ a better reader more intuitive program.
Apache

[GeoffR]

I still read a few paper books each year, ones that are not available as ebooks. Each time I do, it reminds me how wonderful my ereader really is.

[hollowpoint]

Originally Posted by Apache

I mostly read one book at a time and I usually do not know what book I am going to read next. I use my Surface Pro as my reader and I have Calibre installed and can scroll through my library to choose my next book. I used to read a lot of hardback books and to me the Surface is just an electronic version of a hardback book. I use Freda+ to read the books. My wife uses Moon+Reader Pro, but I find Freda+ a better reader more intuitive program.
Apache

That's a unique approach. I haven't heard of many folks using a Windows PC as their primary reader. The obvious advantage there being you can directly interact with your Calibre library.

How do you like the touch interface of Windows--I mean how refined and easy-to-use is it--compared to advanced mobile devices like a Samsung or Apple phone/tablet? The few times I tried to use Windows touch-based apps in tablet mode, I found it frustrating. That could be a problem with those specific apps, not necessarily Windows.

[Apache]

I have not had any problems at all with using touch on my Surface. It is very responsive.
Apache