Marvin 3.0.6

[kguil]

Here’s a what's new today:

• New: Redesigned and simplified text selection menu commands editor (dictionary, highlight, etc…) in Settings > EPUB.
• New: Now you can reorder text selection menu commands any way you like and identify them better.
• New: Even more built-in text selection menu commands use icons instead of text to save space.
• New: Maintenance function in Settings > General to resume word counts of books that have stuck at 0 words.
• Updated: Improved legibility in caramel colour scheme.
• Fixed: Some books had their word counts stuck to 0.
• Fixed: Some books where showing silly values instead of correct page numbers.
• Miscellaneous fixes and improvements.

Make sure to check out blog.appstafarian.com for tutorials about these new features.

If you have a moment, please remember to rate and review Marvin. It really helps a lot.

Happy reading.

[mariosipad]

for updating my favorite epub reader on the iPad.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by kguil

Here’s a what's new today:

• New: Redesigned and simplified text selection menu commands editor (dictionary, highlight, etc…) in Settings > EPUB.
• New: Now you can reorder text selection menu commands any way you like and identify them better.
• New: Even more built-in text selection menu commands use icons instead of text to save space.

These are huge and important improvements. Many thanks for them!

Originally Posted by kguil

• Fixed: Some books were showing silly values instead of correct page numbers.

Except, of course, page numbers in Marvin 3 are still silly and nonsensical (apart from – inconsistently – "pages in chapter", which do work as expected), as has been discussed at length here, here and here. I really hope Marvin will, in future, give us the opportunity to use consistent page numbering for both "pages in chapter" and "pages in book", so that the same page-count method is used in both instances. Many thanks in advance for that, too, Kris.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Faterson

These are huge and important improvements. Many thanks for them!



Except, of course, page numbers in Marvin 3 are still silly and nonsensical (apart from – inconsistently – "pages in chapter", which do work as expected), as has been discussed at length here, here and here. I really hope Marvin will, in future, give us the opportunity to use consistent page numbering for both "pages in chapter" and "pages in book", so that the same page-count method is used in both instances. Many thanks in advance for that, too, Kris.

The best page numbers are ADE style page numbers. Without them, Marvin is really really annoying to use. Trying to go from a book you were reading with Marvin to read on my H2O using ADE, it's hard to do. ADE page number would make switching to and from a breeze. Me, I'm holding off buying Marvin 3 until it has ADE page numbers. If Kris wants anther sale then Marvin 3 will NEED ADE page numbers.

[Turtle91]

Yes people......we know you two have had multiple arguments about the page number issue in multiple other threads....please don't bring it to yet another one...

[eschwartz]

@Faterson, @JSWolf,

I'll be happy to take the lead for the "down with all pagenumbers" side, if you cannot find anyone else.
Though really, feel free to carry on the catfight in the existing thread(s).

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The best page numbers are ADE style page numbers.

Definitely not. To me, they are only slightly less silly than Marvin's current pseudo-"page" scheme.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Without them, Marvin is really really annoying to use.

I agree that Marvin 3 is very annoying to use due to all the fake page-counts, but switching to another type of fake page-counts (ADE) would not make it any less annoying, to me.

I think we agreed in one of the previous threads, Jon, that the proper solution for this issue is not to enforce a single solution for all Marvin users. That is the hallmark of execrable software, exemplified by Apple and the other corporations. Marvin aspires higher – I really hope so.

The proper solution for this page-count issue, Jon (I believe we've agreed on that), is to give each Marvin user the choice of whichever page-count method he or she prefers: you would select the ADE method, I would select the pages=screens method (so that "pages in chapter" and "pages in book" in Marivn is, at long last, consistent), and other Marvin users might stick with Marvin's current default scheme.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Trying to go from a book you were reading with Marvin to read on my H2O using ADE, it's hard to do.

No wonder, but I believe pages shouldn't ever be used for this purpose. Instead, I propose "percentage into the text" (using the 4-digit 72.48% format) as a cross-platform metric to do that.

Originally Posted by Turtle91

multiple arguments about the page number issue in multiple other threads....please don't bring it to yet another one...

That is exactly why I've been maintaining that these MobileRead forums, much as they're nice for chatting with like-minded folks, are not a professional environment to discuss complicated software issues such as e-book page-counts.

I agree: discussing the same issue in multiple threads is abominable, and can never be productive. That is why I've been patiently waiting for Kris to give us the "all clear" signal, so that we can once again start using Marvin's GitHub to discuss Marvin issues in a serious manner. After all, the main organizing principle of GitHub is the crucial one you're demanding here: a single thread per software issue. That is the way to go about resolving software issues in a serious manner – not this MobileRead chit-chat. In Marvin's GitHub, a dedicated single thread can be set up for discussing all page-count issues, proposals, user requests and concepts, and all future discussions of Marvin page-counts can be referred to that single thread.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I'll be happy to take the lead for the "down with all pagenumbers" side, if you cannot find anyone else.

Such a nonsense lead is not needed, if you ask me. I find page numbers are essential in all books – printed and electronic. But it will never happen for all Marvin users to agree on a single page-count scheme/calculation method to oblige all Marvin users' expectations. That is why Marvin definitely should give us a choice of the page-count method we prefer. It's as simple as that.

(Conceptually, that is; I realize it will not be quite as trivial for Kris to implement multiple page-count methods, so I'll just be waiting patiently for that fine day when they finally are made available in Marvin.)

[FredipusRex]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

. Me, I'm holding off buying Marvin 3 until it has ADE page numbers. If Kris wants anther sale then Marvin 3 will NEED ADE page numbers.

Marvin is $2.99 - less than 20 minutes of minimum wage work or 1/166th the cost of the cheapest iPad you can buy. Why anyone should "withhold" their three bucks over one detail (however "important") and why the author should be quaking in his boots waiting for your benevolent gift of silver is a mystery to me.

By all means, advocate for features you want, but acting like Kris needs to dance to your $2.99 tune is ridiculous.

[mariosipad]

@FredipusRex

Marvin is $4.99/€4.99 in my appstore.

Other than that I agree 101% with your post!

[JKenP]

This fixation with page numbers is getting too anal. No matter what is done, everyone won't be satisfied. It really a dead horse.

Being fat, dumb, and happy with Marvin -- warts and all -- as a reader for standard books seems to be raison d'etre enough for me.

Had no idea about ADE so I had to go look. The site seems a great one for epub nuts and bolts.

The first paragraph about ADE says:
Page numbering is automatically generated and inserted by ADE. There is a way we, as content developers, can either manually establish page number or disable it altogether, however as of Dec 2011 it requires the use of a proprietary Adobe extension to the .opf that will cause VALIDATION FAILURE. Continue at your own risk.

Looks like Schwartz has friends in the forget page numbering lands.

[FredipusRex]

Originally Posted by mariosipad

@FredipusRex

Marvin is $4.99/€4.99 in my appstore.

Other than that I agree 101% with your post!

Oops - I forgot about the early adopter discount. The basic point remains.

[Faterson]

Originally Posted by JKenP

This fixation with page numbers is getting too anal. No matter what is done, everyone won't be satisfied.

False. A manifestly false statement. If the solution I've been proposing is adopted in Marvin, everyone will be satisfied. The solution is to give every Marvin user the option to use whatever page-numbering scheme they prefer: ADE, Marvin's current default, or pages=screens (which already is in Marvin, but only for "pages in chapter", for a reason I can't comprehend).

Originally Posted by JKenP

Looks like Schwartz has friends in the forget page numbering lands.

eschwartz's "concern" is entirely bogus, because eschwartz's request has already been fulfilled by Marvin. You're kicking out an open door, eschwartz and JKenP. Marvin already allows you to fully customize headers and footers, so that you who don't find page numbers useful, don't ever need to see them.

Now, what on earth drives you folks, who – as you claim – are not interested in page numbers at all, to protest against suggestions submitted to Marvin's developer from users who do find page numbers crucial? If you don't find page numbers important, just (if you permit) shut up about them, OK? Is that a deal?

I'm not contributing to Marvin threads relating to concerns I find unimportant for me. For example, you won't find any contributions from me related to Marvin's Calibre plugin, because I couldn't care less about that plugin (even though I'm an active Calibre user). But I know that some Marvin users (many of them, I guess) do find that plugin essential. Now, do I go to those threads, repeatedly telling those users they should shut up about the plugin because it's not needed at all (given – to me – superior syncing solutions such as cloud storage)? Nope – I don't do that. I let the Calibre plugin fans make their case, without my disruptions. Please show us the same courtesy, and if page numbers truly aren't important for you, just don't contribute to threads dealing with them, OK? No one is forcing you to use page numbers in Marvin – you can disable them forever, right now. Your wish has already been granted!

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by JKenP

This fixation with page numbers is getting too anal. No matter what is done, everyone won't be satisfied. It really a dead horse.

Being fat, dumb, and happy with Marvin -- warts and all -- as a reader for standard books seems to be raison d'etre enough for me.

Had no idea about ADE so I had to go look. The site seems a great one for epub nuts and bolts.

The first paragraph about ADE says:
Page numbering is automatically generated and inserted by ADE. There is a way we, as content developers, can either manually establish page number or disable it altogether, however as of Dec 2011 it requires the use of a proprietary Adobe extension to the .opf that will cause VALIDATION FAILURE. Continue at your own risk.

Looks like Schwartz has friends in the forget page numbering lands.

You just don't get it. That nonsense about ADE page numbers needing proprietary crap is 100% wrong. ADE pages numbers are calculated based on the contents of the ePub not some OPF garbage that causes a validation failure. Take a look at the count pages plugin. That correctly calculates ADE page numbers and does not use anything proprietary. It's just an algorithm that you program in the reading software and there you go, ADE page numbers. So please don't go saying things that are 100% false like it's true in order to further your agenda.

[pwalker8]

One of the definitions of troll is carrying these battles from thread to thread to thread. How about moving these page count wars to one thread so the rest of us who don't care can ignore it all? You guys have pretty much driven off all the actual discussion of Marvin.

[JKenP]

I am not trying to further an agenda. I am just tired of the page numbering brouhaha getting propagated into every thread here. As stated in the previous post, it isn't a courteous way to complain about something.