How many words in an ePub Book

[eschwartz]

I'd originally thought (due to not carefully reading) that ADE calculated based on characters. I must've glossed over the truth on account of rejecting the sheer stupidity as impossible. (Moral: Never underestimate corporate stupidity especially not Adobe.)

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I'd originally thought (due to not carefully reading) that ADE calculated based on characters. I must've glossed over the truth on account of rejecting the sheer stupidity as impossible. (Moral: Never underestimate corporate stupidity especially not Adobe.)

It isn't as simple as the link to the section of the wiki would have you believe.

From the Page Map section of the Wiki.

Adobe can add a page-map to provide mapping between the hardcopy book page numbers and the eBook. In the absence of a page-map ADE computes an arbitrary page number for each file in the spine using 1024 unicode characters as the page size. The last page in the file contains whatever overflow is needed.

Further on in talking about Page Maps (which I know is different from the algorithm for page counts) it says,

Most if not all of the portable devices supporting ADE use this page number as the eBook page number. Since most eBooks pages are not capable of showing 1024 readable characters on a screen there is usually multiple screens with the same page number. Sony, for example, displays page numbers on the status line that is the ADE number and a sub-number. If the Sony Reader showed 3-7 you see 3 ADE page number and a sub-number of 7 within that main number. The number of available sub-numbers varies since it is a virtual page number based in the screen and font size. Images will also increase the screen number but not the ADE number. The idea of the ADE number is to have a single number that can be referenced like a book reference you sometimes see in academic works so it should not change based on font size or screen size.

From using many devices that used ADE over the years I know first hand that the number of pages, when not using a page-map, was never skewed wildly because of images.

I'll let others ponder this further.

[theducks]

My PEz (MRSDK based) puts the number in the right margin ONLY at the change point (can be many numberless screens between).

As best I can tell, this is based visible word content, not markup. (Bulky markup just make it crawl on page turns). Maximum Page numbers and EPUB file size do not track (some proof again that images are not counted)

[eschwartz]

I know about page maps, and I wouldn't think images would increase the size as well (they aren't visible text).

I am simply awestruck at the ingenuity of any engineer which designs a page-count algorithm dependent on the compression level used.

Whoever thought that one up must have a special talent for doing stupid things.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I know about page maps, and I wouldn't think images would increase the size as well (they aren't visible text).

I am simply awestruck at the ingenuity of any engineer which designs a page-count algorithm dependent on the compression level used.

Whoever thought that one up must have a special talent for doing stupid things.

So if you go and change the compression level and thus change the page count, that is your fault. It is not stupid at all. In fact, it's the only page count for eBooks that's not dependent on an extra file (aka Amazon) nor the font size, screen size, and any other settings that changes the number of words per screen.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

So if you go and change the compression level and thus change the page count, that is your fault. It is not stupid at all. In fact, it's the only page count for eBooks that's not dependent on an extra file (aka Amazon) nor the font size, screen size, and any other settings that changes the number of words per screen.

I highly prefer the Amazon version, where if there is no actual page count they don't lie to you and say there is.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I highly prefer the Amazon version, where if there is no actual page count they don't lie to you and say there is.

And do you prefer to try to figure out locations in terms of how much you've read and how much is left?

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And do you prefer to try to figure out locations in terms of how much you've read and how much is left?

I ♥ me my "Time Left In Chapter/Book".

To me it is the best method of all in determining how far I have left (and I don't care about how far I've gotten).

[theducks]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

To me it is the best method of all in determining how far I have left (and I don't care about how far I've gotten).

Start reading book.

How much more to go so I can decide: Finish now? continue later?

[speakingtohe]

I like the Adobe method, probably because that is what I am used to. Page 112 of 388 tells me all I need to know. With a physical boo, I would often look at the last page number of the book and guestimate how far along I was. Being off by a page or two was never that important to me.

Helen

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

I like the Adobe method, probably because that is what I am used to. Page 112 of 388 tells me all I need to know. With a physical boo, I would often look at the last page number of the book and guestimate how far along I was. Being off by a page or two was never that important to me.

Helen

I too like the Adobe page number method. I've always been one who goes by page numbers. I do do the math to see how many pages I have left. Also, when I have to have a book read by a specific day, I use the page numbers to figure out how many pages to read each day. It works well when there is a deadline.