Syncronize pdf and ebook reading from an USB pen using android and linux devices

Xwang · 04-13-2019, 08:38 AM

Hi,
I store my pdf and ebook files in an usb pen and I would like to be able to read them both from my android tablet and my linux pc keeping trace of last opened files and last read page for each file so that to be able to continue to read from where I left independently from the device I use.
If possible I would like to do that without the need to connect to internet, but only moving the USB pen from one device to the other.
Is there any software that can help me?
Thank you,
Xwang

Fiat_Lux · 04-13-2019, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xwang

Hi,
I store my pdf and ebook files in an usb pen and I would like to be able to read them both from my android tablet and my linux pc keeping trace of last opened files and last read page for each file so that to be able to continue to read from where I left independently from the device I use.
If possible I would like to do that without the need to connect to internet, but only moving the USB pen from one device to the other.
Is there any software that can help me?
Thank you,
Xwang

I think it was on GitHub that I saw open source software that could do that.
I don't remember the name of the project.

You have to compile the code yourself, for both Linux, and Android.
I don't remember details, but the books, and configuration files have to be on the usb pen, and not the Linux or Android device.

Xwang · 04-13-2019, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fiat_Lux

I think it was on GitHub that I saw open source software that could do that.
I don't remember the name of the project.

You have to compile the code yourself, for both Linux, and Android.
I don't remember details, but the books, and configuration files have to be on the usb pen, and not the Linux or Android device.

Thank you,
I'm trying to find it, but I don't have any idea about what words I should use to refine the search.

Xwang · 07-03-2019, 02:01 PM

Is it this one: https://github.com/AshwinParanjape/pdfscholar or this https://github.com/geek1011/BookBrowser?

Fiat_Lux · 07-18-2019, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xwang

Is it this one: https://github.com/AshwinParanjape/pdfscholar or this https://github.com/geek1011/BookBrowser?

Neither of them look right. I was trolling through GitHub the other day, looking for the software you wanted, and got sidetracked testing some ebook reading software I found.

Xwang · 04-16-2021, 01:25 PM

I found a way to solve the synchronization issue.
I've installed on my rooted tablet a debian testing distro using linuxdeploy.
I've configured the distro to have 4GB of space (instead of the standard 2GB dimension) using a file put on the internal memory (I've tried to put it on the sd card but it becomes too slow).
The distro uses XFCE and I connect to it using bVNC free.
The vnc server is configured in linux deploy so that to be in portrait mode.
Moreover I've used the configuration of linux deploy to mount the sdcard which stores a copy of my calibre library in the same path (in the chroot) as it is mounted when I connect it to my arch linux laptop.
Then inside the debian distro I've installed and configured calibre and okular.
Finally a pair of scripts on my pc and on the debian take care of the synchronization of the calibre library and of Okular's files which keep trace of last read pages when I move the SD card from the tablet to to the PC and vice-versa.
It works pretty well and I just need to find a way (if possible) to configure the calibre gui to be more touchscreen friendly.
This is a kind of proof of concept for when in the future I'll buy a new tablet or 2-in-1 pc with linux and/or windows* (probably I will go from my 10.1" to a larger screen of about 12 or 13").

* what I've done in linux should work also with windows with small adaptations (I've made an initial testing using a virtual machine but still I've not converted the shell scripts in the bat ones)

04-13-2019, 08:38 AM	#1
Xwang Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 2136220 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: none	Syncronize pdf and ebook reading from an USB pen using android and linux devices Hi, I store my pdf and ebook files in an usb pen and I would like to be able to read them both from my android tablet and my linux pc keeping trace of last opened files and last read page for each file so that to be able to continue to read from where I left independently from the device I use. If possible I would like to do that without the need to connect to internet, but only moving the USB pen from one device to the other. Is there any software that can help me? Thank you, Xwang

07-03-2019, 02:01 PM	#4
Xwang Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 2136220 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: none	Is it this one: https://github.com/AshwinParanjape/pdfscholar or this https://github.com/geek1011/BookBrowser? Last edited by Xwang; 07-03-2019 at 03:01 PM.

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04-16-2021, 01:25 PM	#6
Xwang Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 2136220 Join Date: Sep 2012 Device: none	I found a way to solve the synchronization issue. I've installed on my rooted tablet a debian testing distro using linuxdeploy. I've configured the distro to have 4GB of space (instead of the standard 2GB dimension) using a file put on the internal memory (I've tried to put it on the sd card but it becomes too slow). The distro uses XFCE and I connect to it using bVNC free. The vnc server is configured in linux deploy so that to be in portrait mode. Moreover I've used the configuration of linux deploy to mount the sdcard which stores a copy of my calibre library in the same path (in the chroot) as it is mounted when I connect it to my arch linux laptop. Then inside the debian distro I've installed and configured calibre and okular. Finally a pair of scripts on my pc and on the debian take care of the synchronization of the calibre library and of Okular's files which keep trace of last read pages when I move the SD card from the tablet to to the PC and vice-versa. It works pretty well and I just need to find a way (if possible) to configure the calibre gui to be more touchscreen friendly. This is a kind of proof of concept for when in the future I'll buy a new tablet or 2-in-1 pc with linux and/or windows* (probably I will go from my 10.1" to a larger screen of about 12 or 13"). * what I've done in linux should work also with windows with small adaptations (I've made an initial testing using a virtual machine but still I've not converted the shell scripts in the bat ones)

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