pReader (an eBook Reader for Palm-DOC files)

[Jappus]

Originally Posted by jschaap26

I downloaded the Zondervan NIV Bible to my Pre but when I add it the the library the "loading circle" appears but does not rotate... it just sits there forever... I tried reloading the book and also restarting my Pre... any ideas?

Could you send us the file, or a link to it? Because that sounds like it triggers a veritable bug. That's because the circle should always spin, even if its movement is choppy most of the time. But if it stops, that indicates that something has gone really wrong.


Thanks.

[ivhs72]

The books I have were purchased from Fictionwise, and the unique ID was my user name and unlock code was my CC #. I've not updated the CC# in quite awhile so I'm sure it's still the current one. Everytime you get a new CC#, you have to go in and reset the code for all your books, and redownload, which I've done. I've installed the books using this data on a BlackBerry 8330 & 9630, as well as my iPod Touch and have had no problems. I can send you a copy of the book that I'm trying to install if you can give me your email address, and you can take a look at it.

Originally Posted by Jappus

Ahh, yeah, you're right. Fictionwise produces eReader documents, and not MobiPocket documents.

In that case, the document should be encrypted with either your username and credit card number, or with a custom password instead of the CC number. Either way should be supported by the pReader. So I really do wonder if your files aren't encoded in a third way, in which case it would really be useful to get a copy of them.

[Jappus]

Originally Posted by ivhs72

The unique ID for the eReader books is the credit card # that they were purchased with. There really is no way to change that number that I know of. I've changed the PID for MobiPocket, but am having a problem loading those books to see if I can open them. It loads about 95% of the book (indicated on the status bar) and then hangs. I've left it for 20 minutes at that point, and it never seems to finish.

In that case, could you send us a copy of the book? Because as soon as the loading bar starts, that means that the pReader has accepted your encryption credentials. And that means that the inability of the pReader to add your file is because of a bug within the pReader and not due to a problem with the encryption or any error on your side.


I've just sent you a PM with my E-Mail address.

[ivhs72]

With Fictionwise, you can download their book in many formats, including both eReader and MobiPocket formats. eReader and Fictionwise are now the same company, and are both owned by Barnes & Noble. They merged my eReader and Fictionwise accounts about 5 months ago, so books that I purchased off eReader I can now download off of Fictionwise.

Originally Posted by Jappus

Ahh, yeah, you're right. Fictionwise produces eReader documents, and not MobiPocket documents.

In that case, the document should be encrypted with either your username and credit card number, or with a custom password instead of the CC number. Either way should be supported by the pReader. So I really do wonder if your files aren't encoded in a third way, in which case it would really be useful to get a copy of them.

[alanh]

I originally had the Homebrew version of pReader installed. I am unable to install 0.7.7 from the App Catalog. It downloads, says "Installing..." on the button at the bottom of the screen, pops up a "Installed: pReader" notification. However, the "Installing..." button never goes away from the App Catalog. Tapping on the pReader icon brings up the App catalog.

I have tried deleting both of the preader-related directories from .app-storage, and those do not get recreated when I try to reinstall.

Can anyone suggest a solution?

Also, I know this isn't exactly on topic, but how do you combine Fictionwise and eReader accounts?

[Reign25]

Originally Posted by Jappus

Well, we do plan to add as many formats as possible, eventually. But to do that, we need as much documentation about the format as possible. Unfortunately, some format developers really don't like publishing the details of their format, in the hope of locking users into their formats and software.

And just like the iSilo developers, VitalSource seems to have taken that latter way. I searched 15 minutes online in the hope of finding even a tiny, abstract description of the VBK-format, but other than the advertising text on the VS homepage, and an equally ad-laden blurb on the otherwise very helpful Mobile Read Wiki, I couldn't find anything.

And without documentation, VBK support moves to the list of nice, but unfortunately currently unattainable features. Of course, if you or another reader here has more luck and can actually find or obtain useful documentation on the format, it might still be possible.

I figured as much. I had done a lot of research on it trying to find something to no avail. I actually e-mailed them a couple of times recently and they concluded that they will be releasing a mobile version this week of the BookShelf. I don't understand how, but we'll see. They said they were also interested in the WebOS, but they don't have any plans for it yet.

[retrobits]

Originally Posted by ivhs72

... I've changed the PID for MobiPocket, but am having a problem loading those books to see if I can open them. It loads about 95% of the book (indicated on the status bar) and then hangs. I've left it for 20 minutes at that point, and it never seems to finish.

Hi ivhs72, just to be clear are you having problems with pdb or prc? In your first post you said that you wanted pReader for "reading pdb books from Fictionwise"?

Regardless of which DRM format you are using, in either case pReader should not attempt to load the file if the credentials (pdb) or device id (prc) is not correct. You should see an alert message in this case letting you know specifically that the information you entered does not match that encoded into the DRM of the book.

On the other hand, if the convert runs to 95% completion, then there is nothing wrong with your credentials or device id. In this case the import is failing due to an unknown condition in the file. It would be very helpful to us if we could get a link to the actual file, although if its a DRM'd copy this may not be possible.

How many books have you tried from fictionwise? Does this same behavior happen with every book?

Thanks for helping us test this app!

[ivhs72]

I've downloaded both .pdb (eReader) and .prc (MobiPocket) files from Fictionwise. The .prc files were older books that are not available as .pdb and I purchased them from eReader before it was purchased by Fictionwise (and they were both purchased by Barnes & Noble). I guess I didn't elaborate enough in my first post, since my main source of ebooks is now .pdb from Fictionwise. But I am having problems with both.

What happens when I attempt to load a .pdb file downloaded from Fictionwise, when I try to load it into my library, I get a message saying "This book has been protected by the publisher. Crenditials are required to open it". There are boxes for my name and a numeric password. Fictionwise uses the credit/debit card number on file in my account for the password. When I enter that information, it says that it is incorrect. I know that the information I am entering is accurate as I have just purchased a couple of books last week, and installed them on my Blackberry with no problems.

When I try to load a .prc book from MobiPocket (downloaded from Fictionwise), it asks me for the device PID. I generated that PID per the instructions, entered into my online profile for authorized devices, verified that the PID is present on the books on my bookshelf, and then redownloaded them. When I start the install process, it says it needs the PID and fills in the one for the device, then the installation starts. The first book I tried it with started loading, the circle spun, and the status indicator showed the progress. It filled about 90% of the status bar and then stopped (the circle continued to spin, however). (That is the book that I sent Jappus per his pm request). I have tried loading a couple of my other .prc books and was able to load two, but several others hung, one at about 35% complete, the rest at 80-90% completion. The ones that loaded successfully were approx. 500-600kb in size. The ones that didn't load successfully were in excess of 2.5mb. Are there any size limitations, or time out for taking too long to load? I have been able to install .prc files that I created myself using the MobiPocket program, and they are just fine.

One other thing I noticed is that whenever I try to load a book and it fails, it still registers in the pReader database that it loaded a book. I can't tell the title of what the books are since they don't have any way to tie them to a title. I also noticed that the time stamp in the database is off by almost an hour. The time on the Pre is accutate, it is just the time stamp on the file.

Originally Posted by retrobits

Hi ivhs72, just to be clear are you having problems with pdb or prc? In your first post you said that you wanted pReader for "reading pdb books from Fictionwise"?

Regardless of which DRM format you are using, in either case pReader should not attempt to load the file if the credentials (pdb) or device id (prc) is not correct. You should see an alert message in this case letting you know specifically that the information you entered does not match that encoded into the DRM of the book.

On the other hand, if the convert runs to 95% completion, then there is nothing wrong with your credentials or device id. In this case the import is failing due to an unknown condition in the file. It would be very helpful to us if we could get a link to the actual file, although if its a DRM'd copy this may not be possible.

How many books have you tried from fictionwise? Does this same behavior happen with every book?

Thanks for helping us test this app!

[ivhs72]

It has happened with every .pdb book that I have downloaded from Fictionwise.

Originally Posted by retrobits

How many books have you tried from fictionwise? Does this same behavior happen with every book?

Thanks for helping us test this app!

[retrobits]

Originally Posted by ivhs72

It has happened with every .pdb book that I have downloaded from Fictionwise.

OK, I just created a fictionwise account this evening and purchased a few books in secure eReader format. pReader imported these books with no problems.

I would urge you to double check your account information at fictionwise. You need to make sure you enter your name as you entered it at fictionwise. For example, if you entered "James P Robison" when you entered your credit card info, you need to enter that complete name including middle initial (credentials are not case sensitive, and spaces don't matter). Furthermore you need to enter the credit card number that was active at the time you downloaded the book. Only the last 8 digits of your credit card number need to be entered to open the book. Sorry if you've already done all these things, but I honestly see no reason why secure eReader fictionwise books would not open for you unless your credentials are actually not correct. If you are not 100% sure what your credentials are please re-enter your credit card number and download the book again, it only takes a few minutes to double check this.

Its possible that there is another eReader DRM flavor for certain books, but I think its highly unlikely since you are the only user to ever report it.

again, thanks for assisting in testing.

[zebibyte]

I'm also having the 0.7.7 install problem...

I've installed, updated, etc for every version from original homebrew until 0.7.6, but now I'm unable to install 0.7.7.

It appears to download correctly.

The installer pops up a notification saying it's completed, but the "install" button never changes from the "Installing..." status.

Then I'm left with a ghost icon for pReader 0.7.7 on the launcher, only it doesn't work. I've rebooted, power cycled, removed 0.7.6, tried to reinstall after each step, but no improvement.

Any suggestions? I'm already missing my pReader

[jladams]

[QUOTE=alanh;2211329]I originally had the Homebrew version of pReader installed. I am unable to install 0.7.7 from the App Catalog. It downloads, says "Installing..." on the button at the bottom of the screen, pops up a "Installed: pReader" notification. However, the "Installing..." button never goes away from the App Catalog. Tapping on the pReader icon brings up the App catalog.



I had this problem, but I was able to install the latest version by using WebOS QuickInstall to install pReader.

[thekarens]

I've got several books from Fictionwise in various formats. One word of warning, if you ever download one in protected pdf it will not work on this application because their protected pdf is Adobe Digital Editions. I have been able to transfer books over with the other formats.

[zebibyte]

I also was able to work around the 0.7.7 install issue by using FileCoaster to install it. Both Preware and the App catalog failed to install it correctly.

[ivhs72]

Success!!! I tried entering the last 8 digits of the credit card number and now it is loading them. That is great. Whenever I've entered the numbers in the past, I just entered all of them and it worked.


Were you able to get the larger .prc books to load? I sent jappus a copy of one book that consistently hangs at about 90%. Just sits there, circle spinning but status bar not advancing. Any luck on that one?

Originally Posted by retrobits

OK, I just created a fictionwise account this evening and purchased a few books in secure eReader format. pReader imported these books with no problems.

I would urge you to double check your account information at fictionwise. You need to make sure you enter your name as you entered it at fictionwise. For example, if you entered "James P Robison" when you entered your credit card info, you need to enter that complete name including middle initial (credentials are not case sensitive, and spaces don't matter). Furthermore you need to enter the credit card number that was active at the time you downloaded the book. Only the last 8 digits of your credit card number need to be entered to open the book. Sorry if you've already done all these things, but I honestly see no reason why secure eReader fictionwise books would not open for you unless your credentials are actually not correct. If you are not 100% sure what your credentials are please re-enter your credit card number and download the book again, it only takes a few minutes to double check this.

Its possible that there is another eReader DRM flavor for certain books, but I think its highly unlikely since you are the only user to ever report it.

again, thanks for assisting in testing.

[Shadowcat]

Well, apparently while I was typing up a reply, ivhs72 managed to get his ebooks working, so nevermind. Just ignore this post.

[retrobits]

Originally Posted by ivhs72

Success!!! I tried entering the last 8 digits of the credit card number and now it is loading them. That is great. Whenever I've entered the numbers in the past, I just entered all of them and it worked.

Glad to be able to help, and happy reading! What good is a phone if it can't read books eh? All 16 digits of the CC should work as well.

Originally Posted by ivhs72

Were you able to get the larger .prc books to load? I sent jappus a copy of one book that consistently hangs at about 90%. Just sits there, circle spinning but status bar not advancing. Any luck on that one?

I will look at this when I can, probably in a few days. Please realize that both Jappus and I are very busy at the moment and pReader is something we do in our spare time. I'll post here & PM you when I make any progress.

[Jappus]

Originally Posted by zebibyte

I'm also having the 0.7.7 install problem...

I've installed, updated, etc for every version from original homebrew until 0.7.6, but now I'm unable to install 0.7.7.

It appears to download correctly.

The installer pops up a notification saying it's completed, but the "install" button never changes from the "Installing..." status.

Then I'm left with a ghost icon for pReader 0.7.7 on the launcher, only it doesn't work. I've rebooted, power cycled, removed 0.7.6, tried to reinstall after each step, but no improvement.

Any suggestions? I'm already missing my pReader

Well, as a quick fix, you can use the WebOS Quick Install program to manually install the ipk file that I've attached to the first posting of this thread. That should install pReader without any hitch.


As for why the App Catalog and Preware install fails for some users, I've no idea. I think I'll wait till after we released the next 0.7.8 version to see if updating the ipk file clears up the problem. If not, I'll write directly to Palm's developer support E-Mail acount and ask them if there's a deeper problem.

In the meantime, as I said, it'd be best if those of you, who can reliably reproduce the error try to contact Palm, either through the forums, the IRC chatrooms or by mail. Because at the moment I'm still guessing that this is a weird device- or carrier-specific issue with the App Catalog.

Which gives me an idea: Could those of you who have installing problems post their WebOS version, carrier and device (Pre/Pixi/Plus) to this thread? Perhaps we'll be able to figure out a pattern.

[Jappus]

Originally Posted by ivhs72

Were you able to get the larger .prc books to load? I sent jappus a copy of one book that consistently hangs at about 90%. Just sits there, circle spinning but status bar not advancing. Any luck on that one?

I've just identified the reason why those files hang upon import. It will be fixed in the next version.

If you want to know the details, well, the problem occurs when many large images are linked to shortly one after another. At the moment, the pReader tries to read them all without relinquishing control back to WebOS. But WebOS only allows that for ~2 seconds or so. If we exceed that time, WebOS silently kills the Javascript thread that was running at that point. So to fix that error, all we have to do is give back control to WebOS after every image.
Of course, since this is Javascript, that's not exactly an easy task, since it completely breaks the flow of the program logic. But well, you have to do what you have to do.


Ohh, and by the way. Your file also helped me to identify a bug that caused images to be placed at the wrong position in the book. Basically, MobiPocket books can address images in three ways. The first way is by name, but no MobiPocket generator I know actually uses that. The second and third is by specifying the number of the image.

Normally, the numbers are specified as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and so on. Those images were retrieved correctly. But the file you sent us specified them as 00001, 00002, 00003 and so on. But when you give Javascript SUCH a number, it treats them as octal and not decimal numbers, which means that 00010 is actually decimal "8". As such, the images were put into the wrong places.

I've fixed the bug in the SVN, so the next version will import the MobiPocket images correctly.


Thanks again for the files!

[paulpenny]

For the record:

I'm running 1.3.5.2 on an o2 Pre.