A word of caution for the uninitiated KOReader tester

Moonbase59 · 01-02-2022, 03:49 AM

I’m a curious guy. So I tried out KOReader on my Linux laptop.

Yes, it works.
Yes, it is fast.
Yes, it has a zillion options (in odd places).
Yes, it seems optimized for e-ink devices.
Yes, it works with StarDict dictionaries (and even my GoldenDict app).
Menus are HUGE on a 1920x1080 display.

BUT: It littered my system with lots of ".sdr" subfolders, in lots of places (where EPUBs are stored)! Found these accidentally (some days after), had to check what they were meant to be, and it took me some time to remove them (and KOReader plus its configuration and cache files) again.

I understand this is not a KOReader problem but must have something to do with how Kindle wants to store their book data. A crazy dumb solution, in my eyes. Teaches me staying away from Amazon crap! Fortunately, I already decided for EPUB a long time ago, and stay away from MOBI, AZW, KF… formats.

So be warned: If you’re just testing around like me (and possibly want to check out a multiplatform reader on the desktop before you put it onto a device), an app might leave lots of data in odd places which you need to manually clean up after testing.

Too bad that there isn’t a standard for citation, highlights, annotations and bookmarks for EPUBs (or actually any type of ebook), that would allow an easy, cross-platform exchange. Sigh.

I also think a reader should never touch or try to modify the original (as I would never allow a music player to meddle with my audio files after having them tagged)—this is also my main criticism with the Calibre e-reader. But well, this might be asking too much… ;-)

Uncle Robin · 01-02-2022, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonbase59

I still think a reader should never touch or try to modify the original (as I would never allow a music player to meddle with my audio files after having them tagged)—this is also my main criticism with Calibre. But well, this might be asking too much… ;-)

Calibre DOESN'T modify the original unless you set it to do so. The default is to create a copy and leave the original untouched. If you alter the default so that Calibre DOES modify the original, that's your choice and your responsibility.

Moonbase59 · 01-02-2022, 04:27 AM

That’s what Calibre does. Talking only about its reader, just open an EPUB with it and do a diff afterwards. Boom! Changed.

But that’s another topic.

Uncle Robin · 01-02-2022, 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonbase59

That’s what Calibre does. Talking only about its reader, just open an EPUB with it and do a diff afterwards. Boom! Changed.

But that’s another topic.

It's also a different app. You said Calibre did that, and when corrected you changed your mind and said the Calibre viewer. Not the same thing.

Moonbase59 · 01-02-2022, 04:41 AM

I didn’t change my mind, I’m talking about readers here. But for the nitpickers, I’ve changed "Calibre" to "the Calibre e-reader" in the first post.

Anyway, this is is not the topic. And I also didn’t change my mind on that.

pazos · 01-02-2022, 08:41 AM

That's a fair warning.

Sidecar folders have nothing to do with kindles besides historical reasons. In the beginning KOReader was made for Kindles, so authors repurposed the sdr folders that Kindles use. Nowadays we use the same structure for all platforms.

So yeah: you'll end with one .sdr subfolder for each book you open in KOReader (unless the book is opened from read only storage medium).

If you want to remove all those folders and you keep all your books in /home/moonbase59/books you can type from the terminal:

Code:

find /home/moonbase59/books -name "*.sdr" -type d -exec rm -rv {} \;

That aside I see no point in using KOReader in the desktop unless you're already using it in other platforms and want to keep the same reader in all of them.

For most people the calibre reader or foliate will be better alternatives.

pazos · 01-02-2022, 08:52 AM

> Menus are HUGE on a 1920x1080 display.

The resolution of the display doesn't matter. It matters its DPI. A 2k screen with high DPI (say 400+ PPI) will look okayish without any change. The typical fullHD 32" monitor will look way oversized since it has less than 70PPI.

Anyways, you can tune it from Settings->Screen->DPI. Once you setup the UI the size you want you won't need to change it anymore.

Default/auto values are probably okay for most e-ink ereaders up to 8". 10-13" ereaders might need to downscale ui size.

Moonbase59 · 01-02-2022, 11:08 AM

Thanks for some insights, @pazos! I actually used a find similar to yours, twice. First to be sure I found the right ones, second to actually erase the sdr folders.

Unfortunate, though: Since I was at home, it also looked at many TB of NFS automounts across the WiFi, making each run take roughly half an hour. ;-) And of course I had also tested some of the EPUBs on those mounts.

Anyway, now we know more!

01-02-2022, 03:49 AM	#1
Moonbase59 Zealot Posts: 111 Karma: 196896 Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Germany Device: Tolino Vision 5, Tolino Tab 8"	A word of caution for the uninitiated KOReader tester I’m a curious guy. So I tried out KOReader on my Linux laptop. Yes, it works. Yes, it is fast. Yes, it has a zillion options (in odd places). Yes, it seems optimized for e-ink devices. Yes, it works with StarDict dictionaries (and even my GoldenDict app). Menus are HUGE on a 1920x1080 display. *BUT: It littered my system with lots* of ".sdr" subfolders, in lots of places (where EPUBs are stored)!** Found these accidentally (some days after), had to check what they were meant to be, and it took me some time to remove them (and KOReader plus its configuration and cache files) again. I understand this is not a KOReader problem but must have something to do with how Kindle wants to store their book data. A crazy dumb solution, in my eyes. Teaches me staying away from Amazon crap! Fortunately, I already decided for EPUB a long time ago, and stay away from MOBI, AZW, KF… formats. So be warned: If you’re just testing around like me (and possibly want to check out a multiplatform reader on the desktop before you put it onto a device), an app might leave lots of data in odd places which you need to manually clean up after testing. Too bad that there isn’t a standard for citation, highlights, annotations and bookmarks for EPUBs (or actually any type of ebook), that would allow an easy, cross-platform exchange. Sigh. I also think a reader should never touch or try to modify the original (as I would never allow a music player to meddle with my audio files after having them tagged)—this is also my main criticism with the Calibre e-reader. But well, this might be asking too much… ;-) Last edited by Moonbase59; 01-02-2022 at 04:44 AM. Reason: Changed "Calibre" to "the Calibre e-reader" to make clear that I’m talking about READERS here.

01-02-2022, 04:41 AM	#5
Moonbase59 Zealot Posts: 111 Karma: 196896 Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Germany Device: Tolino Vision 5, Tolino Tab 8"	I didn’t change my mind, I’m talking about readers here. But for the nitpickers, I’ve changed "Calibre" to "the Calibre e-reader" in the first post. Anyway, this is is not the topic. And I also didn’t change my mind on that. Last edited by Moonbase59; 01-02-2022 at 04:46 AM.

01-02-2022, 08:41 AM	#6
pazos cosiñeiro Posts: 1,396 Karma: 2451781 Join Date: Apr 2014 Device: BQ Cervantes 4	That's a fair warning. Sidecar folders have nothing to do with kindles besides historical reasons. In the beginning KOReader was made for Kindles, so authors repurposed the sdr folders that Kindles use. Nowadays we use the same structure for all platforms. So yeah: you'll end with one .sdr subfolder for each book you open in KOReader (unless the book is opened from read only storage medium). If you want to remove all those folders and you keep all your books in /home/moonbase59/books you can type from the terminal: Code: find /home/moonbase59/books -name "*.sdr" -type d -exec rm -rv {} \; That aside I see no point in using KOReader in the desktop unless you're already using it in other platforms and want to keep the same reader in all of them. For most people the calibre reader or foliate will be better alternatives.

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01-02-2022, 04:27 AM	#3
Moonbase59 Zealot Posts: 111 Karma: 196896 Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Germany Device: Tolino Vision 5, Tolino Tab 8"	That’s what Calibre does. Talking only about its reader, just open an EPUB with it and do a diff afterwards. Boom! Changed. But that’s another topic.

01-02-2022, 08:52 AM	#7
pazos cosiñeiro Posts: 1,396 Karma: 2451781 Join Date: Apr 2014 Device: BQ Cervantes 4	> Menus are HUGE on a 1920x1080 display. The resolution of the display doesn't matter. It matters its DPI. A 2k screen with high DPI (say 400+ PPI) will look okayish without any change. The typical fullHD 32" monitor will look way oversized since it has less than 70PPI. Anyways, you can tune it from Settings->Screen->DPI. Once you setup the UI the size you want you won't need to change it anymore. Default/auto values are probably okay for most e-ink ereaders up to 8". 10-13" ereaders might need to downscale ui size.

01-02-2022, 11:08 AM	#8
Moonbase59 Zealot Posts: 111 Karma: 196896 Join Date: Oct 2021 Location: Germany Device: Tolino Vision 5, Tolino Tab 8"	Thanks for some insights, @pazos! I actually used a find similar to yours, twice. First to be sure I found the right ones, second to actually erase the sdr folders. Unfortunate, though: Since I was at home, it also looked at many TB of NFS automounts across the WiFi, making each run take roughly half an hour. ;-) And of course I had also tested some of the EPUBs on those mounts. Anyway, now we know more!

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