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Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

epub.to

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Re: Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

#81

Post by Tepix »

enriquto wrote: post #73
harshreality wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Math epubs can be done properly using mathjax; equations can be written in typical TeX notation and rendered into MathML or SVG or various other targets. Also, modern unicode fonts have good coverage of math symbols, so a lot of abstract math can be written inline without even resorting to mathjax. Algebra, set theory, and things like that. I think the delay there is the many older ebook readers and apps that have qu…

> Text flow... are you talking about inter-word spacing and rivers? My take on that is: full text justification was always a bad idea, only promoted for aesthetic reasons and to show off fancy layout engines that reduced rivers and other bad artifacts. It seems some publishers are doing away with it in new books. I would say that mathematicians are extremely picky about the quality of their displayed formulas. Most o…

Unless the text size is too large or too small on your device. I'll take accessability over finer points of typography any day.

Re: Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

#82

Post by Tepix »

enriquto wrote: post #41
fastball wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where are you downloading content as epubs that you can't get as PDF?

Fortunately, most stuff that I read is math-heavy thus unfeasible as an epub. Yet, there is the rare essay, interview or otherwise math-less text that comes in the annoying epub format that needs to be converted.

So you're complaning about EPUB not supporting math notation, turns out

a) EPUB supports Math notations

b) you don't even have EPUB files where it's an issue.

Re: Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

#83

Post by enriquto »

Tepix wrote: post #82
enriquto wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fortunately, most stuff that I read is math-heavy thus unfeasible as an epub. Yet, there is the rare essay, interview or otherwise math-less text that comes in the annoying epub format that needs to be converted.

So you're complaning about EPUB not supporting math notation, turns out a) EPUB supports Math notations b) you don't even have EPUB files where it's an issue.

I'm not complaining about anything; I'm actually happy that math texts are not usually distributed in epub so that I don't get to use those silly auto-reflowing viewers!

Re: Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

#84

Post by marvindanig »

SecurityLagoon wrote: post #79
marvindanig wrote: post #29

Nice tool but ack!, yet another this file format to that file format conversion tool. A book is not a file. It never will be. I know half the unixy nutcases won't agree with anything normal but in reality the world will continue to buy dead-tree books because no real consumer believes or wants these stupid files. Or will pay for it. Meh, the trash.

There is a growing market for ebooks. I have a lot of friends who are not tech literate who prefer buying on their kindle for the convenience of having one small device rather than shelves of paper. Both markets will continue to exist for a long time for different reasons and readers.

> ...for the convenience of having one small device rather than shelves of paper.

Yeah, that’s why people moved away from cassettes to Youtube. I have a lot of friends who gave their Kindles away and are back into paperbacks and/or the iPads.

Re: Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

#85

Post by rualca »

Tepix wrote: post #81
enriquto wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Text flow... are you talking about inter-word spacing and rivers? My take on that is: full text justification was always a bad idea, only promoted for aesthetic reasons and to show off fancy layout engines that reduced rivers and other bad artifacts. It seems some publishers are doing away with it in new books. I would say that mathematicians are extremely picky about the quality of their displayed formulas. Most o…

Unless the text size is too large or too small on your device. I'll take accessability over finer points of typography any day.

Your comment makes no sense. If you want to read a math-heavy do and you stumble on unreadable text, your experience doesn't suddenly improve if you say "well at least I can get JAWS to play audio". There is no tradeoff.

Re: Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

#86

Post by pricci »

unicornporn wrote: post #19
davidhbolton wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ones with DRM are .azw, basically an encrypted .mobi. Calibre is your friend. https://calibre-ebook.com/

And (another fun fact) if you want to email EPUBs to your kindle, just make the file extension .png (!?) and it will be automatically converted, without the need for Calibre.

Really!? This is the best tip I've heard in years. This will save me a lot of time when on the go (without access to calibre)

Re: Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

#87

Post by harshreality »

enriquto wrote: post #73
harshreality wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Math epubs can be done properly using mathjax; equations can be written in typical TeX notation and rendered into MathML or SVG or various other targets. Also, modern unicode fonts have good coverage of math symbols, so a lot of abstract math can be written inline without even resorting to mathjax. Algebra, set theory, and things like that. I think the delay there is the many older ebook readers and apps that have qu…

> Text flow... are you talking about inter-word spacing and rivers? My take on that is: full text justification was always a bad idea, only promoted for aesthetic reasons and to show off fancy layout engines that reduced rivers and other bad artifacts. It seems some publishers are doing away with it in new books. I would say that mathematicians are extremely picky about the quality of their displayed formulas. Most o…

Everyone prefers better typography, but what qualifies as readable and acceptable for math? Generations of mathematicians learned from handwritten (including horrible scribbles on chalkboards), typewritten, and facsimile/photocopied material (like many Dover reprints). Current mathematicians grab scans of old math books from online pirate libraries. Math material on the web is mostly mathjax, and it's just fine. Math rendering doesn't have to be up to Spivak's standards to be just fine for reading and learning. And there's an even greater gap between "just fine" and "acceptable".

Back to the main points:

Epub is a better format for everything except niche uses (textbooks, especially math, papers, etc) where there's an argument for pdf. It's rather weak, but I understand the argument and I don't throw a fit when such material is only available in pdf. Most regular books aren't even published in pdf format anymore, for good reason.

There's no reason to convert epub to pdf except to print it — and why the hell would you do that? buy a used print copy — or to send to someone who doesn't have an epub reader — in which case you're better off giving them the name of an epub app to search for and install, so that they can read epubs in the future, rather than converting every epub you want them to read into poor quality pdfs.

Meanwhile, mathjax will only improve, along with publishers' general css competence.

Re: Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

#88

Post by rofrol »

criddell wrote: post #18
JadeNB wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In case the question isn't about the format but about the DRM, Apprentice Alf has a wonderful plugin for Calibre: https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com

And unfortunately I don't think the DRM for the latest format (KFX) has been cracked yet. The best anybody can do is work around it by getting Amazon to send you the book in an older Kindle format but then you lose all the nice things that you get with KFX.

I haven't tested it:

https://www.epubor.com/ultimate.html

eBook DRM Removal functions

Support eBooks purchased from: Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony, Kobo, Google Play, Lulu, Smashwords, Fictionwise, and more... Input formats: KFX, EPUB, PDF, AZW, AZW1, AZW3, AZW4, Mobi, PRC, TPZ, Topaz, TXT, and HTML. Output formats: EPUB, Mobi, AZW3, TXT and PDF.

Re: Show HN: Epub.to – ePub to pdf, mobi, Kindle, and an API

#89

Post by rofrol »

criddell wrote: post #18
JadeNB wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In case the question isn't about the format but about the DRM, Apprentice Alf has a wonderful plugin for Calibre: https://apprenticealf.wordpress.com

And unfortunately I don't think the DRM for the latest format (KFX) has been cracked yet. The best anybody can do is work around it by getting Amazon to send you the book in an older Kindle format but then you lose all the nice things that you get with KFX.

April 2018: As of version 6.6.0, Apprentice Alf's DRM removal tools support Amazon's newer .kfx file format. You'll also need to install the KFX conversion plugin(link is external) to import your .kfx files into Calibre.

https://www.geoffstratton.com/remove-drm-amazon-kindle-books

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