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Comment by wrxd | Hacker News Reader

I bought a Kobo because it felt one of the most hackable e-readers but I ended up using the stock software with a single but very important change: I edited a configuration file to point the API to my BookLore instance. This gives me access to all of my ebooks and preserves all the functionalities of the stock software, which is perfectly adequate for my needs.

It turns out that what I wanted all along was the ability to seamlessly read books I buy from any source, not any deeper hacking of the OS.

Kudos to Kobo for keeping their system so open. These days it’s not that common

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> Kudos to Kobo for keeping their system so open. These days it’s not that common

This is such an underrated feature. I used to own a Kindle before, and now a Kobo Libra. I'm very pleased and satisfied with the Kobo - something I rarely feel about consumer devices these days. Kobo should be proud of themselves for sticking to the principle. I will not spend my money on anything less open when it's time to replace it. I hope the vendors take note.

Freedom and openness should be considered as a feature for any product - perhaps the most important one. And us, consumers need to encourage and if possible, force the vendors using our collective purchasing power, to offer us that feature. I may be preaching to the choir here. But this message is well worth spreading among the public. Please do.

PS: I have seen DIY devices that are more open than Kobo. But Kobo is also the most viable option here. Please mention any alternatives that you know of.

Do you know if booklore syncs the page that you’re on?

I haven't updated to a version with the feature yet but support for it has been added recently In https://github.com/booklore-app/booklore/pull/1541 and https://github.com/booklore-app/booklore/pull/1644

I noticed that there is also this issue open https://github.com/booklore-app/booklore/issues/1898 so it sounds like the core of the feature is there but they are still ironing out all the kinks

Pocketbook is the main alternative. Hardware better than Kobo imo (e.g. their 6-inch eReader has buttons, Kobo's doesn't), and the software is even more open.

Pocketbook has far worse service and are not easily available in the US. Their use of flat bezels means that any small fall or bump will destroy the screen too.

The bezels of the Kobo are the reason I opted to jailbreak a Kindle instead of buying a Kobo. For me, they're far too distracting to see and feel

I appreciate the aesthetic of flat bezels, but I find cases more annoying than bezels so I go for bezels to avoid needing to buy a new reader every 6 months to a year. My flat-bezeled Onyx Boox and Pocketbook readers have proven much more fragile than my fully-bezeled Kobos and old Kindle.

I have not had enough luck busting Kindle books out of drm for the last few years and assumed Kindles were out of consideration.

I've never touched the OS, but I've had four generations of Barnes & Noble Nook e-ink devices. I add a launcher via ADB and then can install any Android software. I usually only use them for AnkiDroid.

That sounds cool. Perfect hardware for the task. I’d love to see a video of it. I checked on youtube but didn’t find one.

(I used to run flashcards on a Palm Pilot back in the days. The app was called SuperMemo.)

The first versions of Anki used the SuperMemo algorithm if I'm not mistaken.

I've actually since graduated to a 10.3" Boox E-ink tablet. It's too big for AnkiDroid or book reading, but it is terrific for note taking during meetings or lectures, reading and annotating technical documentation, calendar management, and web browsing. My next gift to self will either be a Tesla Roadster or a 7" E-ink device for AnkiDroid and books!

Haha. Well, you might be able to run flashcards in your Tesla. I once made an app to read books in a Tesla using text to speech. Gotta do something against the boredom once the thing drives itself! :)

I was just looking at booklore for my kobo this weekend. The links for kobo in the docs 404 so I had sort of assumed it was an abandoned part of the project. Glad to hear it’s not and now I have a reason to dig into the code.

This should be the correct link https://booklore-app.github.io/booklore-docs/docs/integratio...

I bought a kobo for myself about 18months ago and I'm hooked. I have since bought two more for gifts and 3 friends have bought them on my recommendation. I have never before been such a vocal (if unintentional) ambassador for a tech gadget.

Why so passionate, I hear you ask? Pretty much exactly the reasons you specify - unlike other hardware, I actually can do what I want with it.

And now I'm wondering what this Quill OS is about. Thanks Kobo!

I came onto the comments to bemoan the fact that there isn't an easy way to sync progress across devices. This is definitely going to be the trigger for me to buy a Kobo

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