KOReader usage

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by TheSmitty

I am curious what patches you use? Thanks

Many, over 20. Some UI patches, but mostly reading and layout patches (more finely tuned font sizes, more line height options, decreasing the top and bottom margins in epubs, decreased word spacing in kepubs and so on.)

[DNSB]

The only patch I am still using is the Unify Font Sizes patch which make the font sizes between ePub and kepub consistent. I used to use more patches but as I got into editing ebooks before sending to my Kobos, they became less and less useful to me.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The only patch I am still using is the Unify Font Sizes patch which make the font sizes between ePub and kepub consistent. I used to use more patches but as I got into editing ebooks before sending to my Kobos, they became less and less useful to me.

I will admit I'd never patched any of my Kobos until I added the Unify Font Sizes patch this morning.

Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The only patch I am still using is the Unify Font Sizes patch which make the font sizes between ePub and kepub consistent. I used to use more patches but as I got into editing ebooks before sending to my Kobos, they became less and less useful to me.

I too edit my ebooks, but I don't find patches less useful because of that. My preferred font size and line height just aren't available with the default settings.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I too edit my ebooks, but I don't find patches less useful because of that. My preferred font size and line height just aren't available with the default settings.

Each to their taste. My old eyes like a couple of the stock font sizes and the line height slider is stuck at the left end.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by TheSmitty

I am curious how many Kobo users use the KOReader instead of the the stock reader that is within the Kobo.

AVID KOReader user here. I have all my key style settings preset as defaults, applying them is a matter of 3-5 clicks, and every book then looks the same. Love being able to bring up the features I use a lot with custom gestures and now that I have a Libra Colour I've got back into using sync more often too.

[kandwo]

I use both, but mostly Koreader. It turns pages much faster and I just feel comfortable using it, since I also have it on my Android readers.

On the other hand it takes ages to open up any thicker book, such as an omnibus edition. For that the native reader is much better.

[jlynton]

I have used KOReader for almost as long as I can remember. I loved it from the start, and that love is still growing. It is about as near perfect as can be, and I use it exclusively.

[Apollyon202]

KOReader all the way. No more patching after each update... Finally I can just read my books instead of tinkering the ereader all the time.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Apollyon202

KOReader all the way. No more patching after each update... Finally I can just read my books instead of tinkering the ereader all the time.

Why would you tinker with your ereader all the time? It's not as if there are updates every week. The latest for my current Kobos was half a year ago.

[Apollyon202]

Okay I could say "after every update" instead. Just to be clear, I really appreciate pgaskin's work.
I use kobo readers for over a decade now. If I was still using my old Touch (which still works fine btw) I've had the exactly same kobo reading experience like I had in 2012 (plus what pgaskin's patches add to it).

So in almost 15 years, what did kobo actually add to the default reader?
- Dark mode (which should have been default in every reader, always), but just for books, not the UI.
- Fast page turning in 2018
- Light adjusting on the side, but not for the amber light
And literally that's it.
Since then the reading awards got broken and removed, which, wasn't helpful to everyone, but it could be a nice addition to people who got more motivated by it to make them read more. Same with the reading statistics, which become broken and completely useless in the past years.

You still have to manually install Nickelclock, just to have a simple clock in the book. Why? Why they didn't ever manage to add a simple clock to the reader? In koreader you can even have an alarm, if you really lost time and yourself in the book.
Also, tap zones. You can have the exactly same 4 options today, what you had in 2012 and only for the direction of page turning. Why?
Still limited margins, custom font options and I could go on...
There are tons of features they could have add in the past one and a half decade, but they didn't.
At least they could implement some of the patches (which are really useful) but they didn't ever do that either.

Don't get me wrong, I still like kobo the most from all brands. It's just stupid that they wasted such a long time instead of making their reader better.

[Quoth]

The clock is one tap away. I don't want a clock in the book.

Innovation for innovation's sake is pointless. When I first got a Kobo the reading experience was fine. Since then the Annotations have improved and the library interface has improved. KOReader has no Library interface, just a file browser and clunky search. It's more awkward than Kobo years ago unless your need is to fiddle with the ebook formatting. I'd rather do that in Calibre.

I'll try KOreader again (on Android first) when it has a library interface. I use pocketbook on Android, though have tried KOReader on that.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by Apollyon202

Spoiler:

Okay I could say "after every update" instead. Just to be clear, I really appreciate pgaskin's work.
I use kobo readers for over a decade now. If I was still using my old Touch (which still works fine btw) I've had the exactly same kobo reading experience like I had in 2012 (plus what pgaskin's patches add to it).

So in almost 15 years, what did kobo actually add to the default reader?
- Dark mode (which should have been default in every reader, always), but just for books, not the UI.
- Fast page turning in 2018
- Light adjusting on the side, but not for the amber light
And literally that's it.
Since then the reading awards got broken and removed, which, wasn't helpful to everyone, but it could be a nice addition to people who got more motivated by it to make them read more. Same with the reading statistics, which become broken and completely useless in the past years.

You still have to manually install Nickelclock, just to have a simple clock in the book. Why? Why they didn't ever manage to add a simple clock to the reader? In koreader you can even have an alarm, if you really lost time and yourself in the book.
Also, tap zones. You can have the exactly same 4 options today, what you had in 2012 and only for the direction of page turning. Why?
Still limited margins, custom font options and I could go on...
There are tons of features they could have add in the past one and a half decade, but they didn't.
At least they could implement some of the patches (which are really useful) but they didn't ever do that either.

Don't get me wrong, I still like kobo the most from all brands. It's just stupid that they wasted such a long time instead of making their reader better.

While I agree with you on most of your points, it's not like other manufacturers are any better. They all drag their feet where improving their eink devices is concerned. Kindle, Nook and Pocketbook are even worse than Kobo in this regard.

Of course KOReader has tons of options that the stock reader doesn't have. It's just that most of those options aren't really useful to me personally. Dark mode? Don't use. Different tap zones? Not important. Light adjusting by swiping? Absolutely not, I hate swiping. Reading awards and stats? Couldn't care less. Clock while reading? Don't want it.

So the stock reader is perfectly fine for me, with patches. YMMV, of course.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Reading awards and stats? Couldn't care less.

KOReader does have stats, but I've never seen reading awards in KOReader. Kobo's stock reader used to have to have them though. When I first switched from Kindle back in 2018 I 'earned' a few of them.

[rantanplan]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

KOReader does have stats, but I've never seen reading awards in KOReader. Kobo's stock reader used to have to have them though. When I first switched from Kindle back in 2018 I 'earned' a few of them.

I think 4.39.X removed them, because they're still available on my Sage but not on a Libra Color.