Where can I find FBReader 2.0.x for Puppy? (Solved)

[vtpup]

I've just tried to add my favorite book reader, FBReader to F96-CE v.4 from Puppy Package Manager. Boy, a really ugly ancient version and it crashes. Removed.

I've actually only ever used the vastly better, old free Android .apk version 2.0.6 on my tablet. I really love that reader. So I'd like to find a working 2.0.x free version of FBReader for F96-CE if anyone knows of one?

(I did find a link on the FBReader site to a Snap, and to an .rpm but I don't know about Snaps, and the RPM only contained the main file and a desktop file with, no needed libraries.)

I guess a portable version would be ideal.

[williwaw]

I've just tried to add my favorite book reader, FBReader to F96-CE v.4 from Puppy Package Manager. Boy, a really ugly ancient version and it crashes. Removed.

I've actually only ever used the vastly better, old free Android .apk version 2.0.6 on my tablet. I really love that reader. So I'd like to find a working 2.0.x free version of FBReader for F96-CE if anyone knows of one?

(I did find a link on the FBReader site to a Snap, and to an .rpm but I don't know about Snaps, and the RPM only contained the main file and a desktop file with, no needed libraries.)

I guess a portable version would be ideal.

DEB packages
DEB-based distributions do not provide Qt 6.5 at the moment. We will build the DEB packages as soon as that is possible.

I am guessing any kind of portable would be quite large.

As a workaround I have found that their are simple ways to view some formats of ebooks. Do you have a particular filetype you use?

[Jasper]

@vtpup

I do not know if it is available to you, but Anbox via the PPM should allow you to install APK's via terminal.

Alternatively, could Qemu be used for a virtual Android OS?

[mouldy]

There are several linux epub readers. Though one might look at Calibre, you can call the reader portion of it without opening the whole app. Its really clumsy if you just want to read a book and whole app opens, but you can use just the reader part of it and its very configurable. Its probably the best supported epub reader out there.

I tried another, cant think of the name at moment (Lucidor?), but based on PaleMoon browser, meaning PaleMoon has to be installed for it to function, though PaleMoon doesnt have to be open. It seems ok.

If you are going Android, look at Librera epub reader. I really like that app. It runs well on Waydroid by the way and you can install RHVoice so it can read to you. I wouldnt install Anbox or Waydroid or whatever for an epub reader though. I only got into Waydroid so I could run the Kindle4Android app since there is no linux version and current Kindle4PC wont run in WINE. Kindle uses proprietary DRM crap so you have to use their software. ApprenticeAlf has no answer to their current DRM version.

https://itsfoss.com/best-ebook-readers-linux/

You might also try either Bookworm Pup or Bookworm Dog and see what apt-get downloads for FBReader. Maybe newer version, though probably not the latest. Or VoidPup, the Void repositories tend to have latest versions possible.

UPDATE: Ok I was curious. Booted into BookwormDog right now. Apt-get installed FBReader 0.12.10dfsg2-6 Its not fancy but its stable and if you search through settings you can adjust it though even with margins set to zero, it still left goodly space on both sides of text. But was able to do white text on black background and adjust font and font size. Its ok I guess. I mostly did this so could tell you the version that apt-get will install and that its stable. I didnt try BookwormPup but assume its similar. I think likely Debian only offers last opensource version of FBReader. From what I am seeing, its no longer open source.

Hey I get it, we all have our favorite ebook reader. But if you dont like this version FBReader, you probably will need to look at the other options. Or try the SNAP version. Like say though, this version is perfectly stable in BookwormDog.

UPDATE2: Yep in BookwormPup now and apt installed same 0.12.10dfsg2-6. Perfectly stable,

[MPXY]

Hello, here it is.

FBReader-0.99.4.glibc2.14-x86_64.AppImage

[mouldy]

MPXY found a newer version in an appimage. try it, might be close to what you are looking for. But it isnt 2.0.

I downloaded the windows version 2.x. Double click and it installs and opens on "micro11". Great... But will it work in WINE. My newest WINE is on a MINT 21.3 (or whatever it is) install so tried clicking on it there, nope, archive manager tried and failed to open it. WINE wasnt having anything to do with it cause its "msix" file, not msi, not exe.

Ok, so back to BookwormPup, archive manager there opened it and copied the files to directory I created. Put that on thumbdrive and took it back to MINT. Ok, finally dug down deep enough in one extracted folder and found fbreader.exe. Clicked on that and WINE opened it, didnt install it, just ran it. FBReader immediately looked and found epub books I had in MINT and was able to open them. Seemed to work fine. Now this is rather current version WINE as I installed it to see if I could get latest Kindle4PC to run on it. I couldnt. But its whatever latest stable version WINE is. Now guessing since WINE is treating this like an exe run file rather than something to install, that it probably run in older versions WINE. Not going to go further with it cause I personally have no use for FBReader.

But I am saying for you to first check size of the SNAP version FBReader 2.0 or whatever it is. I couldnt find size mentioned and I didnt want to set Puppy up for SNAP and try to download it. I really HATE SNAP package stuff, its ALWAYS SUPER BLOATED. And if as I suspect its HUGE, then consider WINE and the windows version. Like say the "msix" suffix will install in regular windows, but WINE doesnt know what to do with it. You have to unarchive it and dig down and find fbreader.exe and click on that. WINE understands and likes that. Also check, I think this windows version FBReader 2.x is 64bit only. So you need 64bit version WINE.

[vtpup]

Wow, lots of responses so quickly! I'll try to answer briefly:

@williwaw Thanks, but I do already have Calibre, and my usual format is epub.

I just happen to really like the old free FBReader apk I have on a tablet. Seems quite different than the early versions ( v .99 and 1.x) , and is again quite different than the latest paid versions available for recent Android. I guess it was kind of a sweet spot in development. It had a really nice look and feel, and the way it handled libraries, and allowed formatting preferences was really nice. It was uncluttered -- probably more like reading an actual book than anything else I've seen. It just looked good and handled well.

@Jasper That's a great idea -- I'd be interested in that. I do have the FBReader .apk.....In fact I did just try installing Anbox just a minute ago into F-96 CE v4, and it opened for a minute or two, saying Android was starting, but then closed silently. But definitely would be interested in going this route if I could figure out what the problem was... (my computer details are in sig, btw).

@mouldy Thanks, kindly. Not interested, as mentioned, in the quite different early versions, and I do have Calibre. Also can't really switch Puppy OSs, since this one is the best fit for this laptop after much trial of others and customization of this one as well.

mouldy, thanks for working so hard at this! I agree with you about Snap. And it looks like latest free FBReader needs QT6.5, which is out of the question for practical reasons. I am intrigued most by the Anbox idea and running the actual .apk I like so much -- if that's possible. That might be the best route. I wonder if it's possible to get working?

[Flash]

What about MPXY's post here?

[vtpup]

Thanks Flash, I answered that one but somehow managed to erase my own writing while posting. That's an early version, as mentioned, not a 2.x version which is the one of interest. Apologies for the omission.

[vtpup]

I just did a little more reading about Anbox. Seems others have found it difficult to implement in Puppy, and looks like it is actually a qemu based emulator under the hood. Since I already have a qemu instance of Windows7 I could probably do the same for an instance of Android. But then this is starting to seem complicated to start and a lot of memory usage for what should be a fairly modest ereader app. I don't really have need of Android for anything else.

[mouldy]

Ereaders kinda thing with me so no problem and yes I understand having a favorite. Not trying to talk you out of it. I know you dont want to change puppies. Bigpup somewhere got Anbox working in Fossapup if I remember. So you might search for that thread and read through it. If you look down in the Debian Dog forum, I got Waydroid working on BookwormDog. Anbox is old and not being developed anymore, but it can work especially for older android apps. Neither Anbox nor Waydroid are what I would call easy. Waydroid is a fork of Anbox and is currently continuing being developed. There are couple other alternatives in linux but huge and I suspect painful. Really WINE is I think easier, I just dont know how old you can go but I suspect as long as its a 64bit version WINE, it could well run the windows version fbreader 2.x. It works fine in WINE and seems very stable. Really cool that it just runs and doesnt get all hung up with installers and registry entries and all that.

You might look at that FOSS article of 8 epub readers. Okular is actually quite modern. I tried it long ago but seemed designed to do far more than I needed and reading epub kinda add on extra, not it prime focus. Think its a KDE related app so probably install quite few KDE libraries.

If you use Firefox or Chromium, might find an addon epub reader also. That would be super simple to get working. Just looked in addons for Firefox, seems to be a lot of them, so....

Oh by the way, easier than installing Anbox or Waydroid, you might do this: https://itsfoss.community/t/install-pri ... istro/7405 Its a way of installing a bare metal version of x86 android into linux much like Puppy can be installed in other windows or linux partition. You just then need a GRUB entry to boot it. Unlike Anbox or Waydroid, you would have to leave Puppy and boot into Android. This article describes doing this with PrimeOS (android 11). But can do it with BlissOS (also android 11) or with Android x86 (android 9 last I looked). The nice thing about Android x86, it offers an RPM pkg with script to do all the heavy lifting. And yes you can use alien to convert it to a DEB pkg. I tried it and yes it works, though as per the article you can also do it manually. Since you are puppy user sure you understand how to do this sort install manually. The article gives you a menuentry for GRUB2 to boot it.

[vtpup]

@mouldy Thanks again. Agree with what you say -- posts crossed..... I'd like to try the Win version on Wine. Which one did you use?

The version I downloaded was a Microsoft .msix file. Not sure how to in install that in Wine....

Whoops, I see you mentioned in your earlier post........

[mouldy]

@mouldy Thanks again. Agree with what you say -- posts crossed..... I'd like to try the Win version on Wine. Which one did you use?

The version I downloaded was a Microsoft .msix file. Not sure how to in install that in Wine....

I used the windows "stable 2.0.5" version fbreader and I think its WINE 8. Though like say try the version available via pkg manager in your pup. Long as its the 64bit version it should work. There are alternatives if you go to WINE section of software part of forum. I just have feeling it doesnt need the latest version WINE to run. But I dont have an earlier version installed that is handy right now.

EDIT: Oops thats "WINE 9" I used , not WINE 8. Everything changes so fast anymore....

[mouldy]

Like I said the msix is some goofy new windows thing. Unarchive it, copy the files and folders to a new directory. Now dig down, lets see \VFS\ProgramFilesX64\FBReader.org%20Limited\FBReader\FBReader.exe\

Then with WINE installed double click on FBReader.exe. It will immediately open FBReader if everything is working. Surprised me it opened FBReader rather than running some installer or something.

[vtpup]

Hmmm, I'm using day-today a Wine Portable with the v 5.11 Wine appimage in it.

I believe that's 32 bit, and FBReader is 64 bit, or needs a 64 bit wine prefix....

[vtpup]

SUCCESS! I was able to run Mike Walsh's portable Wine 9.3 from here: viewtopic.php?t=10955 and load FBReader by the way you worked out @mouldy and it works.

I wouldn't just install Wine for FBReader, but I do use Wine quite a lot for CAD (old Google Sketchup 7 and 8) and Josh Madison's program Convert, so it was worth upgrading from my older 32 bit-only Wine 5.11 portable to the newer 9.3 version, and get the bonus of FBReader working.

Thanks to all who responded to this thread!

[mouldy]

Thats great, I hadnt tried Mike Walsh's portable WINE 9.3, so I learned something too from your success.

[vtpup]

Here's FBReader in use. I really like the ability to change fonts, colors, layout and the presentation of the library with this program. Smooth page turning with arrow keys is pleasantly animated, Clean graphics inclusion with epubs, nice tables of content, all around nice formatting. Night reading reverse text background colors. Adjustable page brightness and paper colors. Makes reading a pleasure, at least for me, if I set it up the way I like it.

FBReaderinWine.jpg (237.19 KiB) Viewed 131 times