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Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

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Re: Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

#31

Post by apocalypstyx »

jonahbenton wrote: post #18

Hoping for good things for this product but will put in an plug for the Remarkable- open source software, well designed and capable hardware, solid product vision.

Remarkable + koreader has been one of my primary work tools for the last few months. However, it's the storage capacity that most aggravates me (a commonality among most ereaders).

Really, I wish we had a sort of eink (and lcd) tablet PC: general, bare hardware that it's just assumed you'll probably throw your own OS onto at some point. Make it ugly: four torx screws and the back comes off and you can access the battery and the mainboard and the onboard storage. Maybe an external micro SD slot.

Not android, just plain linux + off the shelf components with solid driver support.

The real frustration is that the Remarkable is 90% of the way there to such a thing.

If desktop computers had started out like tablets, we would have skipped over the Apple II and it would have been hermetically sealed Macs from the beginning.

The problem with projects like these (other than for fun) is that the software isn't where the issue is. It's the lack of open hardware. We reinvent too many wheels and never bother to get to the actual cart.

Re: Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

#32

Post by amwelles »

komali2 wrote: post #23
GekkePrutser wrote: post #20

This isn't really equivalent to a kindle though. The fonts are basic, there's no enclosure. Fonts are a huge thing for eReaders and Amazon has spent a lot of time perfecting them. It's also important to remember that it's perfectly possible to use the Kindle without DRM. You can just put your own books on it with a cable, though you'll have to convert them to MOBI as it doesn't do ePub. The same can be done with othe…

> Even if you have an open eBook reader, where are you going to get the books from? There's a huge ebook pirating scene, so you could always do that, buying the book beforehand if the ethics disturb you. What is sad to me is that there's no way to check out an ebook from a library in a way that doesn't involve Amazon.

> there's no way to check out an ebook from a library in a way that doesn't involve Amazon

Isn't this what Libby - https://libbyapp.com/ - does?

Re: Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

#34

Post by criddell »

cherioo wrote: post #13
criddell wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's also ones from Sony, Supernote, and Remarkable.

None of those appears to be Android, which IMO makes them have less utility value. There's definitely pros and cons though, and one should research which is right for them.

Android sucks on tablets. I had a Nexus 7 which is probably the last and only decent Android tablet.

I know the Remarkable has some third party software for it because it's running a version of Linux. The others probably do as well.

Re: Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

#35

Post by dafoex »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #3

I want an e-ink web browsing tablet. I want to be able to go to nytimes.com, or Vox, or Hacker News, and read the articles and comment threads on a high-contrast screen that doesn't hurt my eyes. I don't want to use some read-later service that sends specific articles to my e-reader, I want to just navigate to the sites directly. There would be trade-offs for sure, but it seems like the benefits would outweigh the do…

My Kobo Glo has an experimental web browser that works fairly well. It has no reader mode which would be nice on an eReader, but its still a reasonable experience.

Re: Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

#36

Post by 0xCMP »

amwelles wrote: post #32
komali2 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Even if you have an open eBook reader, where are you going to get the books from? There's a huge ebook pirating scene, so you could always do that, buying the book beforehand if the ethics disturb you. What is sad to me is that there's no way to check out an ebook from a library in a way that doesn't involve Amazon.

> there's no way to check out an ebook from a library in a way that doesn't involve Amazon Isn't this what Libby - https://libbyapp.com/ - does?

But then you can't use it on an e-reader. It remains in the app.

Re: Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

#37

Post by coverband »

criddell wrote: post #34
cherioo wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None of those appears to be Android, which IMO makes them have less utility value. There's definitely pros and cons though, and one should research which is right for them.

Android sucks on tablets. I had a Nexus 7 which is probably the last and only decent Android tablet. I know the Remarkable has some third party software for it because it's running a version of Linux. The others probably do as well.

I used to think so too, until I tried and bought one of the recent Samsung Tabs. Excellent experience on par with iPad.

Re: Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

#38

Post by AdmiralAsshat »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #3

I want an e-ink web browsing tablet. I want to be able to go to nytimes.com, or Vox, or Hacker News, and read the articles and comment threads on a high-contrast screen that doesn't hurt my eyes. I don't want to use some read-later service that sends specific articles to my e-reader, I want to just navigate to the sites directly. There would be trade-offs for sure, but it seems like the benefits would outweigh the do…

Both the Kindle and the Kobo have "experimental" web browsers, but it you try to read any webpage that was made after the year 2000 or so, the site is nearly impossible to navigate on them. Even freaking Wikipedia mobile pages are pretty annoying to read on my Kobo. I end up saving the page to Pocket if it's particularly long due to the headache of e-ink redrawing on longform pages.

The hardware isn't enough. The modern web itself resists being displayed on single-purpose devices.

Re: Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

#39

Post by utf_8x »

The kindle doesn't lock you into Amazon's ecosystem though... It supports many different formats, Calibre allows you to convert your books to a kindle-specific format for convenience and I've yet to find an ebook DRM that can't be easily cracked...

Re: Open-source, DRM-free Kindle alternative

#40

Post by deng »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #3

I want an e-ink web browsing tablet. I want to be able to go to nytimes.com, or Vox, or Hacker News, and read the articles and comment threads on a high-contrast screen that doesn't hurt my eyes. I don't want to use some read-later service that sends specific articles to my e-reader, I want to just navigate to the sites directly. There would be trade-offs for sure, but it seems like the benefits would outweigh the do…

It's not quite the same, but Calibre can actually generate epubs from websites. There's a recipe called "HN with comments links" which will create an epub with the articles from the current front page. It works surprisingly well. I have a VPS which generates this daily and which I download onto my Kobo in the morning.
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