1paragraph
Productivity
ebook reader
SHOW HN2022
108points
41comments
#580of 2,570 in 2022
Top 23%of 2022 by points
How HN took it
MixedNo clear lean
5 positive, 8 neutral or asking, 4 mixed, 3 critical, out of 20 comments about the project. Thread score +0.07.
Execution: 1 for, 2 againstIdea: 2 for, 0 againstPerformance: 1 for, 1 againstDesign: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Simple, efficient, and the offline-first browser concept appeals to commenters
From 3 comments
I love it. Thank you for this! Its simple, and efficient. If there was a way to change the page width easily, that'll be the icing on top of the cake.
juefeicheng on HNVery cool. I wish regular e-readers did this instead of foisting their store on me (I‘m looking at you, Kindle).
rcarmo on HNBroadly, it feels like the seemingly paradoxical "browser-based, offline-first" idea could be the future of everything. I think it's worth considering.
jrm4 on HN
Objections
Does not work in some browsers and devices (Firefox Android, some ebooks fail to load)
From 3 comments
A similar tool I made: https://h5reader.azurewebsites.net/ Btw, yours did not work for me in Firefox on Android. Nothing happened after choosing an .epub
lostmsu on HNOn macOS Safari/Chrome and Win11 Edge, after adding my ebook and entering into it, I see a large broken image (cover.jpeg failed to load) and I don't seem to be able to scroll or…
hombre_fatal on HNI confirm that it doesn't work on Firefox Android. H5 should have a dark mode. I'm reading at night in my bed and the screen is white. The ebook reader I use (Cool Reader) lets…
pmontra on HN
Styling is dropped and internal links send the user back to the library
From 2 comments
I gave it a shot with a stress test (The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire[1]) and it works OK! But unfortunately it throws away endnote styling, and clicking…
robin_reala on HNStyling isn't supported at all, internal links are supposed to work, probably do not work right now, because I implemented the back button in the most naive possible way, where…
amadeuspagel on HN
No dark mode at first and no loading feedback
From 3 comments
I confirm that it doesn't work on Firefox Android. H5 should have a dark mode. I'm reading at night in my bed and the screen is white. The ebook reader I use (Cool Reader) lets…
pmontra on HNThank you! The lack of a good e-book reader on macOS drives me to distraction. (Every app seems to insist on my using it to curate my books, rather than simply allowing me to…
JadeNB on HNThere's no loading animation, but it shouldn't take that long.
amadeuspagel on HN
Requests
Preload public domain books or link to Gutenberg or Archive.org
From 2 comments
Looks nice, I like the concept. It would be nice if you pre-loaded some public domain books, to allow the user to get a feel for the application.
HellsMaddy on HNAn easy solution to this would be to add a simple interface into either The Gutenberg Project's library, or Archive.org's library (or both, even). Both have rather huge…
blooalien on HN
Adjustable page width
From 1 comment
I love it. Thank you for this! Its simple, and efficient. If there was a way to change the page width easily, that'll be the icing on top of the cake.
juefeicheng on HN
Better explanation of uploads and privacy on the page
From 1 comment
Seems interesting, but I think the page really needs more detailed information. What is "add epub(s)" going to do with my file? Does "offline-first" mean offline only? If not,…
mkl on HN
Questions
Is the code open source?
From 2 comments
Probably? What language is this thing written in? Lemme go see if it's something I know anything about. I'm normally a Python guy (and sometimes a little bit of Javascript here…
blooalien on HNIs the code open source? I've been wanting to build something similar but with the option translate the text, to help with language learning.
craig on HN
What language is it written in?
From 1 comment
Probably? What language is this thing written in? Lemme go see if it's something I know anything about. I'm normally a Python guy (and sometimes a little bit of Javascript here…
blooalien on HN
Alternatives named
ttu ebook reader
From 1 comment
Dunno about this one, but ttu[1] is a very popular offline web-based HTMLZ and EPUB reader in the Japanese learning community. [1]: https://github.com/ttu-ttu/ebook-reader
cyphar on HN
SumatraPDF
From 1 comment
In addition to reading PDFs, SumatraPDF also functions well as an ePub reader. It's free, lightweight, and (obviously?) works offline.…
doc_gunthrop on HN
Calibre-style desktop readers and Kindle
From 1 comment
Very cool. I wish regular e-readers did this instead of foisting their store on me (I‘m looking at you, Kindle).
rcarmo on HN