Wake up BOOKEEN!!! and Smell the - Page 5

Abelturd · 04-02-2009, 10:24 AM

Mobipocket had to customize its reader for use on cybook, I don't understand why they couldn't update the cybook version the same way they update versions for other devices supported by mobipocket. But maybe with the license Bookeen got the source codes too and they made the cybook port themselves. It would be a very bad deal if they bought the mobipocket license w/ no chance of any future customizations and updates to it. I'm curious too, can someone shed some more light on this?

HarryT · 04-02-2009, 11:19 AM

I'm pretty sure that the core "page rendering" engine comes directly from Mobi, since all versions of the Mobi reader have common bugs, such as the well-known page-numbering bug.

Abelturd · 04-02-2009, 11:31 AM

I've just noticed that the About message box on cybook says in the section on mobipocket reader: Licensed and adapted by Bookeen. That probably means that Bookeen has source codes to mobi reader and that they can further adapt it if they decide to.
Hm, from my experience the mobipocket reader for Windows Mobile is buggy as hell, so it's no wonder that some of those bugs got in the cybook port too.

brudigia · 04-02-2009, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abelturd

Hm, from my experience the mobipocket reader for Windows Mobile is buggy as hell, so it's no wonder that some of those bugs got in the cybook port too.

What bugs are you talking about ? Could you give an example ? I've been using it for close to ten years now, and honestly I did not experience seriuos problems.

Abelturd · 04-02-2009, 04:11 PM

@ Brudigia
This might be related to the version of Windows Mobile, mine is 6.0 and I've encountered these bugs:

Page turns - when turning pages backwards, after three, sometimes more page turns, it jumps, I don't know, maybe 10 or more pages back, really annoying and this was happening regularly, almost like a standard behaviour.
hardkeys mapping not working
Sometimes you need to hit the go back button (the left arrow button) in the menu two or three or even more times to take you back
The reader hangs (it looks like it's running in the background, but I can't bring it forward) from time to time and requires reboot of the device (you have to wait for a whole minute or more to resume reading).

Can't think of more right now, I haven't been using it for quite a while. But these are serious bugs in my opinion. They got so annoying after a while that I switched to another reader.
--Edit--
Plus it seems to be getting less and less support over time. The version for windows mobile hasn't been updated for almost a year.

igorsk · 04-03-2009, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abelturd

I've just noticed that the About message box on cybook says in the section on mobipocket reader: Licensed and adapted by Bookeen. That probably means that Bookeen has source codes to mobi reader and that they can further adapt it if they decide to.

Mobipocket distributes their SDK as pre-compiler (and obfuscated) set of Java classes, not in source code. Bookeen only implemented device-specific things like input and rendering; they cannot add support for features not implemented by Mobipocket.

tompe · 04-03-2009, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

Mobipocket distributes their SDK as pre-compiler (and obfuscated) set of Java classes, not in source code. Bookeen only implemented device-specific things like input and rendering; they cannot add support for features not implemented by Mobipocket.

I thought the Cybook version was not based on the Java version.

brudigia · 04-03-2009, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abelturd

@ Brudigia
This might be related to the version of Windows Mobile, mine is 6.0 and I've encountered these bugs:

......

--Edit--
Plus it seems to be getting less and less support over time. The version for windows mobile hasn't been updated for almost a year.

Strange, but honestly I never met any of them, including the reboot.
It could be Windows, rather than the Mobipocket, it tends to get corrupted after a while.
Certainly I never noticed them on the Cybook.

Thanks anyway.

Abelturd · 04-03-2009, 11:29 AM

You bet it's windows mobile, mainly because mobipocket didn't reflect the transition to 6.0 at all. And now there is version 6.5.
As for the page turns, well, that's just crappy programming.

But then, it's free, so what am I going on about here.
Gosh, I'm such a grumpy user

. If I was a company I would never sell to myself.

Though you were right that cybook doesn't show these page turning bugs, page turning on cybook is impeccable.

Godzil · 04-03-2009, 11:38 AM

I had this sort of problem on some PRC files or more stranges one with a file I made with mobi creator : I took a comic from a comic blog and put each pages in jpeg and import them in mobi creator and I have a lot of strange bugs:

- it says me that it has 2 pages (but the file have a lot more)
- when I go to the next page it always put me a blank page without any reason but if I go backward, the blankpage does no more exist...

I tested it with an iLliad iRex, my Gen3, Mobipocket reader on my HTC p3300 and all have the same bug, it seems that only Mobi reader on the PC work correctly :/

Strange isn't it?

HarryT · 04-03-2009, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

I thought the Cybook version was not based on the Java version.

The CyBook does not have a JVM, but I understand that the Gen3's implementation of the Mobi Reader is a machine translation of the Java version into C or C++.

igorsk · 04-03-2009, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

I thought the Cybook version was not based on the Java version.

They used GCJ to compile Java bytecode into native code.

Abelturd · 04-03-2009, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

Mobipocket distributes their SDK as pre-compiler (and obfuscated) set of Java classes, not in source code. Bookeen only implemented device-specific things like input and rendering; they cannot add support for features not implemented by Mobipocket.

That's too bad. But I can't wrap my mind around one thing. Why choose as a primary reader software you cannot later add features to and which makes you completely dependant on support from someone else (mobipocket in this case)?

It's funny how there seem to be these repulsive forces between me and mobipocket reader. On PPC it made me switch to Haali reader and on cybook it made me switch to custom pdfs. We're simply incompatible.

HarryT · 04-03-2009, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abelturd

That's too bad. But I can't wrap my mind around one thing. Why choose as a primary reader software you cannot later add features to and which makes you completely dependant on support from someone else (mobipocket in this case)?

I would imagine that's pretty standard when you're licensing software for inclusion on a device. In fairness, Mobi/Bookeen have been pretty good at fixing the "real" bugs that have shown up, which were many and varied in the initial firmware release. The only real "issue" that remains in the Mobi reader, to my personal knowledge, is the issue of page numbers, and given that it has the same peculiar behaviour on all implementations of the Mobi reader, perhaps there's some underlying reason that can't be changed.

Abelturd · 04-03-2009, 12:59 PM

I understand, Harry, but that doesn't change anything on the fact that licensing makes it harder to add new features. You pay a lot of money for the license and yet you don't have full control over your software. As a developer the very idea would make me feel uncomfortable.

04-02-2009, 04:11 PM	#65
Abelturd Little Fuzzy Soldier Posts: 580 Karma: 5711 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Nowhere in particular. Device: cybook gen3, htc hero, ipaq 214	@ Brudigia This might be related to the version of Windows Mobile, mine is 6.0 and I've encountered these bugs: Page turns - when turning pages backwards, after three, sometimes more page turns, it jumps, I don't know, maybe 10 or more pages back, really annoying and this was happening regularly, almost like a standard behaviour. hardkeys mapping not working Sometimes you need to hit the go back button (the left arrow button) in the menu two or three or even more times to take you back The reader hangs (it looks like it's running in the background, but I can't bring it forward) from time to time and requires reboot of the device (you have to wait for a whole minute or more to resume reading). Can't think of more right now, I haven't been using it for quite a while. But these are serious bugs in my opinion. They got so annoying after a while that I switched to another reader. --Edit-- Plus it seems to be getting less and less support over time. The version for windows mobile hasn't been updated for almost a year. Last edited by Abelturd; 04-02-2009 at 04:24 PM.

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04-02-2009, 10:24 AM	#61
Abelturd Little Fuzzy Soldier Posts: 580 Karma: 5711 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Nowhere in particular. Device: cybook gen3, htc hero, ipaq 214	Mobipocket had to customize its reader for use on cybook, I don't understand why they couldn't update the cybook version the same way they update versions for other devices supported by mobipocket. But maybe with the license Bookeen got the source codes too and they made the cybook port themselves. It would be a very bad deal if they bought the mobipocket license w/ no chance of any future customizations and updates to it. I'm curious too, can someone shed some more light on this?

04-02-2009, 11:19 AM	#62
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,560 Karma: 93980341 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'm pretty sure that the core "page rendering" engine comes directly from Mobi, since all versions of the Mobi reader have common bugs, such as the well-known page-numbering bug.

04-02-2009, 11:31 AM	#63
Abelturd Little Fuzzy Soldier Posts: 580 Karma: 5711 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Nowhere in particular. Device: cybook gen3, htc hero, ipaq 214	I've just noticed that the About message box on cybook says in the section on mobipocket reader: Licensed and adapted by Bookeen. That probably means that Bookeen has source codes to mobi reader and that they can further adapt it if they decide to. Hm, from my experience the mobipocket reader for Windows Mobile is buggy as hell, so it's no wonder that some of those bugs got in the cybook port too.

04-03-2009, 11:29 AM	#69
Abelturd Little Fuzzy Soldier Posts: 580 Karma: 5711 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Nowhere in particular. Device: cybook gen3, htc hero, ipaq 214	You bet it's windows mobile, mainly because mobipocket didn't reflect the transition to 6.0 at all. And now there is version 6.5. As for the page turns, well, that's just crappy programming. But then, it's free, so what am I going on about here. Gosh, I'm such a grumpy user . If I was a company I would never sell to myself. Though you were right that cybook doesn't show these page turning bugs, page turning on cybook is impeccable.

04-03-2009, 11:38 AM	#70
Godzil a pthread?? where? where? Posts: 1,763 Karma: 30462 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Somewhere in EU Device: Newton MessagePad 2100, and only this	I had this sort of problem on some PRC files or more stranges one with a file I made with mobi creator : I took a comic from a comic blog and put each pages in jpeg and import them in mobi creator and I have a lot of strange bugs: - it says me that it has 2 pages (but the file have a lot more) - when I go to the next page it always put me a blank page without any reason but if I go backward, the blankpage does no more exist... I tested it with an iLliad iRex, my Gen3, Mobipocket reader on my HTC p3300 and all have the same bug, it seems that only Mobi reader on the PC work correctly :/ Strange isn't it?

04-03-2009, 12:59 PM	#75
Abelturd Little Fuzzy Soldier Posts: 580 Karma: 5711 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Nowhere in particular. Device: cybook gen3, htc hero, ipaq 214	I understand, Harry, but that doesn't change anything on the fact that licensing makes it harder to add new features. You pay a lot of money for the license and yet you don't have full control over your software. As a developer the very idea would make me feel uncomfortable.