im thinking of getting an ereader, but cant find many foss devices. i dont plan on connecting it to the internet, so i suppose it doesnt matter if its controlled by amazon right? love to hear your thoughts…
Kobo devices are the way to go. Easy sideloading, multiple FOSS operating system alternatives, and generally they’ve got some nice n’ cheap options.
What do you mean with OS alternatives?
You can install PostmarketOS on several kobo devices, e.g.: https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Kobo_Clara_HD_(kobo-clara)
PostmarketOS is a general linux distro based on alpine linux.
The only one I know is Inkbox OS https://inkbox.ddns.net/
Yeah, this and Koreader are the ones I was referring to. Sorry for not listing anything.
Koreader is one. Plato is another.
Those are glorifies apps that you install on top of the default OS
Instructions for avoiding sign in, and side-loading etc
I’ve had good luck with this. I buy books, and occasionally go to my library and download the books to my desktop for the day I change devices. Adept helps with the DRM stuff, and knock with the even worse ASCM DRM crap. Manage it all in Calibre.
Some books I move to a reMarkable and read them there; technical books, mainly, because they’re easier to read in large format - code examples, formulas, etc., are better on a bigger screen.
Can I transfer books though SFTP or something, or just USB?
It’s not FOSS, but I have a Kobo Clara 2E, I like it a lot. There’s a bit of a sqlite hack to activate it without an account, but it works great after that.
Don’t bother with Overdrive on the Kobo, its a scummy company and it didn’t even work without a Kobo account.
Kobo has a good support for alternative OS software and they are good.
At least in Germany “tolino” might be worth a look. I don’t know how far they have expanded out of Germany, though.
I am using my normal Android Phone with Librera Reader, it works great.
Yep, it’s probably easier to get an Android device and install readers on it than to try for a prepackaged FOSS reader.
I use several apps on my Android phone, but mostly Kindle (for Kindle, duh), PDF Reader (for PDFs, duh again), and Lithium (mostly for EPUB but pretty much everything else, too). I get most of my e-books as DRM-free EPUBs and PDFs.
Hisense makes these e-ink phones that run Android. They’re fiddly to get a working app store on, but once you do, you can pick your reading app. I run a Hisense A7CC with Kobo, Kindle, Aldiko, Perfect Viewer, and, well, this app! That is, if you want a very small screen. Boox makes a few 6-8" e-ink Android readers. I do like being able to sideload in whichever reading app I want. The colour ones are overpriced though.
Didn’t know nothing about that Hisense. Just wow, thanks for sharing.
Those Hisense phones are cool! Seems really nice for reading news and such that you can’t get on a traditonal ereader.
Kobo is definitely the best in terms of side loading, DRM etc. If you’re the DIY type there’s also an open source ereader project
https://github.com/joeycastillo/The-Open-Book?ref=itsfoss.com
Just go for whichever looks best for you, as long as it supports the EPUB file format, which is by far the most widespread ebook format nowadays. Be warned that the Kindle is particularly bad in this respect, because it only offers partial support for EPUB. You have to go through a whole spiel to get an epub file to your Kindle, whereas with most other e-readers, it’s just a matter of copying a file over to your device.
Here’s a comparison table for e-readers on Wikipedia. It may not be comprehensive, but it should give you an idea of what functions and/or features you’re looking for:
only offers partial support for EPUB. You have to go through a whole spiel to get an epub file to your Kindle, whereas with most other e-readers, it’s just a matter of copying a file over to your device
Have you read the Amazon page you linked? Kindle supports epub now, nothing on that page indicates that it is limited in any way except file size. Also, getting an epub on your kindle is no different than any other supported file. They dropped support for mobi and azw, both Amazon specific formats.
Yeah, I only glanced at wikipedia’s e-reader comparison sheet and saw the word “Partial”, so that’s my bad. That said, transfering files to kindle still seems to be a pain. From Amazon’s page:
Upload documents through the web, an authorized email address, the Kindle app for iOS and Android devices, or a Send to Kindle application if available.
So, if I’m understanding this correctly, you can transfer files to your Kindle through:
- a) Send to Kindle webpage
- b) Email
- c) An iOS or Android app
- d) Send to Kindle application
For a) and c) to work, you need an Amazon account. b) seems to be a bit unorthodox, but sure. And for d) needs an application to be installed on your computer. Contrast that to, say, PocketBook, which simply shows up as a USB device and you just drag and drop your e-books into their designated folders. No account, email or app required.
EDIT: formatting
I don’t know if things have changed, but I used to just be able to copy and paste files to the Kindle from File Explorer. Windows would mount it like a phone and you’d get access to the internal storage. I don’t think they would have removed that ability.
Edit: I don’t have my Kindle on me to check at the moment, but the most recent source I could find still says it’s possible.
I have a recent Paperwhite, and you can still do the drag and drop thing with it. The Kindle shows up as a device on your computer, and you just need to get the files into the documents folder on it.
I can’t remember off the top of my head if you can skip the setup with a new Kindle and not make an Amazon account.
Always amuses me a bit when people say Kindles don’t support EPUB, since I’ve been stripping DRM from my books and storing them in Calibre (enabling transparent conversion between EPUB and Amazon’s formats) for thirteen years without a hitch. You should be doing this on any platform if you want to keep your books.
It’s beyond me why anyone who so much as knows what FOSS stands for wouldn’t do the same.
thanks
I use Kobo Forma with a 8" screen. Has physical buttons. Perfect for books and manga. Never connected it to the internet.
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That table doesn’t contain any info on FOSS compatibility.
You can hack pretty much any e-reader and upload a foss OS
Really? I’ve only managed to find a way to hack kobo readers.
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Google it, but if you’ve got ebooks on a hard drive somewhere, you can easily transfer them to a kindle, no further purchases required.
Sideloading ebooks is not the same thing as running alternative FOSS software on a device.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I don’t have the will to find out how to upload an alt OS to a kindle, but the Internet is vast and if ye seek, ye shall find.
I did look into it and I’ve yet to find a way to do this.
The FOSS community is not limitless and while some community might develop a way in the future, it most definetly is not trivial to do, just by googling. This is a niche topic and AFAIK quite hard to do (first getting custom firmware to run and then develop a FOSS OS for it… While probably not being paid to do so).
Your comments seem quite condescending. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt but I’d kindly advice you to adjust your tone a bit.
“Now, I don’t know what I’m talking about, but I assure you, you can do it.”
Kindle devices are nice but not at all FOSS, and not very open either. Although you can sideload books, EPUB files are still not directly supported, you have to convert them. Converting is easy with Calibre but it’s still a hassle that is not needed on any other ereader.
There’s a vibrant jailbreak community on MobileRead, however Amazon keeps blocking jailbreaks.
After my Kindle died I got a Kobo instead. Costs about the same as Kindle (maybe slightly more?). Still not fully open, but supports EPUB and its MobileRead community is just as vibrant (and Kobo doesn’t block you from doing this).
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I have a Boox Nova Air that I use KOReader on. It was the best basic android option that offered an ~8in 300ppi model when I was looking to buy.
I’m not a particular fan of Boox and their disregard for the GPL but their hardware is nice and runs the apps I wanted to use. I think I paid ~$160 or so for the device used on fleaBay and I have no complaints. Most of the other models I’ve tried were so underpowered that they were annoying to use, this one has been just right.
Yeah Booxs’ are nice because they run Android. Gives a lot of freedom.
E-book readers are great for reading. I have a kindle which isn’t foss sadly but I can give my opinion on e-ink. It offers a much more comfortable way to read compared to reading on a tablet or phone. I can’t read books on phones or tablets anymore now that I’m used to e-ink lol.
It also doesn’t strain the eyes.
I have a Boox Poke 3 that I like.
Up vote for boox in general.
I have a Kobo Clara HD. I’ve not put a new OS on it but I’ve added custom software and sideloaded books. Its been a wonderful experience. No matter what you pick I recommend it for the eink technology.
Inkplate offers some esp32 powered eink solutions, and someone built an eReader software for it, should be this one
https://github.com/turgu1/EPub-InkPlate
But I have no idea how good it is. If you want to use it offline I suppose you could get any eReader that supports loading stuff via USB, You can manage a kindle library with calibre and turn off wifi after the first setup, for example.
