The german epub version of the Cybook

[emellaich]

Do we actually know that they plan for folder support? I have (had) one of the earliest units and I remember waitiing eagerly for the next firmware with folder support. Boy was I disappointed when it only had a few bug fixes.

I now have a Kindle and they don't have folder support either. It seems like the users are all clamoring for this, and assuming it's just around the corner. However, for some reason the vendors aren't getting the message.

[gerraldo]

Originally Posted by Jellby

Those are possible issues of the ePUB support/implementation, not of the format. The ePUB format is better than Mobi, but the Mobi support is usually better.

Originally Posted by mtravellerh

As far as layout possibilities and enhanced graphics go, the ePub outweighs Mobi hands down. Your view is understandable from a user's POV, but on the whole, ePub is simply better.

Sorry, my fault... Excuse me for dealing with realities and not possibilities. (couldn't resist)

So OK, let me put it this way: ePUB is so much better then Mobi with all those future possibilites. But as long as those features remain just possibilities that are simply not usable for me, I'll stick to Mobi.

[gerraldo]

Originally Posted by emellaich

Do we actually know that they plan for folder support? I have (had) one of the earliest units and I remember waitiing eagerly for the next firmware with folder support. Boy was I disappointed when it only had a few bug fixes.

I now have a Kindle and they don't have folder support either. It seems like the users are all clamoring for this, and assuming it's just around the corner. However, for some reason the vendors aren't getting the message.

At least the Weltbild version (which seems to be a subset of the new firmware) already has folder support. *Hooray*

And yep, me too don't understand why such simple/basic features (e.g. the non-functional "Erase"-Button) are not there from the start.

Kind of reminds me of HDD/DVD-Recorders which still lack lots of useful features, but in the end we have to live with what "they" give us or want us to have...

[EowynCarter]

From my programmer point of view, handeling folders is not the hardest thing to do, but it's not just two lines of code either, mainly because the navigation.

[Pulp]

Originally Posted by EowynCarter

From my programmer point of view, handeling folders is not the hardest thing to do, but it's not just two lines of code either, mainly because the navigation.

That was not the case I fear.
The old versions of the cybook required the books, images & music to be in seperate special folders. I don't know why they did it and what they had in mind when they did, but if the filetype was bound to folders instead of file-extentions they had a bit of untangling to do before they could add the 2 lines to navigate through all the folders.

I'm pretty sure that this was also one of the the reasons images wouldn't work in in plain html-files, I hope that is now history too.

[EowynCarter]

Don't know, i noticed my music showing up in library mode.
Though once my father couddn't acces the books because it was not a the right folder.
As you have multiple formtat for ebook, images or music, you need to check the format to know how to open it anyway. Having differants folders just allow you not to scan everyting.

[Halk]

Originally Posted by gerraldo

At least the Weltbild version (which seems to be a subset of the new firmware) already has folder support. *Hooray*

If I'm right in thinking this device is made by Bookeen, then it means they have folder support for Cybook coded.... and when we get our new firmware then it might appear.

It seems as if they have the same opinion of quarters that I do when I'm slicing up a pizza... still, fingers crossed it's on the way.

[EowynCarter]

Bookeen told us folders were comming about a month ago

[K-Thom]

They did come! I've been told they waited for five minutes, but no reader showed up so they left the city. Only time will tell when they may approach us again ...

[Snuffi]

Originally Posted by Pulp

That was not the case I fear.
The old versions of the cybook required the books, images & music to be in seperate special folders. I don't know why they did it and what they had in mind when they did, but if the filetype was bound to folders instead of file-extentions they had a bit of untangling to do before they could add the 2 lines to navigate through all the folders.

I'm pretty sure that this was also one of the the reasons images wouldn't work in in plain html-files, I hope that is now history too.

I don't think they have to do some untangling because they *can* handle file-extensions. They decide according to the extension how to open each of the supported formats (PDF is opened differently than txt) so I am pretty sure that the fact that they require you to use different folders for music and books is just a convention they invented not some technical requirement. It makes sense not to throw everything in one folder and as a nice side effect they do not have to filter out so many files when you are in "book" mode. Try putting an exe (or some other binary extension) into the book folder, you'll see that it won't display. So they *do* handly extensions already...

[wallcraft]

On mobipocket.com forums, the thread Cybook Gen 3cannot open prc files suggests that the ePub version is still recognized as a Cybook by Windows Desktop MobiPocket Reader, with an autodetected PID, and the Desktop Reader will re-download MOBI files for you and copy them to the Cybook. On the Cybook they fail to open, but with the not very informative message: "error while opening this document: takeover.prc".

I guess it is a good thing that this isn't the final firmware. At a minimum Bookeen needs to come up with a better error message.

[Snuffi]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

On mobipocket.com forums, the thread Cybook Gen 3cannot open prc files suggests that the ePub version is still recognized as a Cybook by Windows Desktop MobiPocket Reader, with an autodetected PID, and the Desktop Reader will re-download MOBI files for you and copy them to the Cybook. On the Cybook they fail to open, but with the not very informative message: "error while opening this document: takeover.prc".

I guess it is a good thing that this isn't the final firmware. At a minimum Bookeen needs to come up with a better error message.

The MobiPocket Desktop reader has no way of knowing which firmware version is on the Cybook so it recognises all Cybooks just the same. I am pretty sure this won't change because the device name/id mobipocket receives from the device is still the same as all the other Cybooks and if they change that via a future firmware not only mobipocket reader would no longer recognize the Cybook but also other applications like Calibre.

I also doubt that the error message on the Cybook will change. They have a generic error message for all errors related to problems opening a file. They could filter out all files ending in .prc so you couldn't even try to open it but I think that they will eventually support non-drm prc files (support for the format is there, it's just a legal thing that they aren't allowed to open mobipocket DRM-ed stuff, not a technical issue) so they cannot filter them out entirely. If the reader opens a file and does not decrypt it (because the DRM part has been removed) then it gets just gibebrish out of the file and wouldn't know the difference between a proper .prc file with DRM and a renamed .exe or a file which is broken (by some disk error or something). For that reason I think the "error while opening" message is here to stay

[wallcraft]

Originally Posted by Snuffi

The MobiPocket Desktop reader has no way of knowing which firmware version is on the Cybook so it recognises all Cybooks just the same. I am pretty sure this won't change because the device name/id mobipocket receives from the device is still the same as all the other Cybooks and if they change that via a future firmware not only mobipocket reader would no longer recognize the Cybook but also other applications like Calibre.

It would presumably be easy to change the USB information, e.g from Gen3 to Gen3e (or whatever change is necessary to stop MobiPocket Reader from recognizing the device). This is certainly controlled by firmware.

I don't entirely blame Bookeen for not doing this, since I am sure they hope that Amazon will change its mind and allow DRM co-existence. If Amazon ever gets declared a monopoly (they are a long way off yet, but don't forget Mobipocket counts as Amazon so they are closer in ebooks distribution than in paper books) then tactics like requiring exclusivity will get looked at in an entirely new light.

[Snuffi]

Originally Posted by wallcraft

It would presumably be easy to change the USB information, e.g from Gen3 to Gen3e (or whatever change is necessary to stop MobiPocket Reader from recognizing the device). This is certainly controlled by firmware.

I don't entirely blame Bookeen for not doing this, since I am sure they hope that Amazon will change its mind and allow DRM co-existence. If Amazon ever gets declared a monopoly (they are a long way off yet, but don't forget Mobipocket counts as Amazon so they are closer in ebooks distribution than in paper books) then tactics like requiring exclusivity will get looked at in an entirely new light.

I wouldn't put my money on the courts to solve that. Not many companies have to fear the courts for creating and exploiting a monopoly. Even Microsoft which has been sentenced to pay a huge fine like 2 years ago in Europe is still appealing and hasn't paid yet (and more importantly hasn't changed much)

Much more important is the decision of publishers to support a different format like ePub. If enough publishers support that format the device manufacturers will *have* to support it and if it means that they can no longer support mobi than they will do that (actually they'll not even be too angry about it because if they change to ePub then the Kindle is no longer a competitor to them). Once there are significantly more device without mobi support than with mobi Amazon will have to change or lose a huge chunck of the market.

[Jellby]

I have a question about the PDF support in this version. Does it display bookmarks (toc) and follow hyperlinks (in the same book)?