Kobo Libra 2 + KOReader installation and use

/ loikein | 此生未命名

Original link: https://blog.loikein.one/posts/2023-05-20-kobo-libra-2-koreader/

I have always liked the concept of the ink screen, but I don’t like the Kindle as an entity. I don’t like that it can’t read ePub, don’t like that it can’t transfer files via USB, don’t like that it has Micro USB, don’t like that it binds an Amazon account, and so on. But the ink screen, I like it. (I even still have the long-defunct Pebble Time Round, and often wish a company would follow in its legacy. Long story short.)

Of course, I have heard of KOReader a long time ago, but I didn’t have the confidence to toss it at that time (even now, with the document guide so scattered, the process of tossing this thing is still a headache, see below), but later Kindle I couldn’t install KOReader, and I kind of forgot about the need for the ink screen, and then let it go. Until recently, the problem of motion sickness while watching the mobile phone in the car has become serious again, and the ink screen has to be put on the agenda again.

The reason for buying Kobo Libra 2 is very simple. I need to borrow an ink screen device to test whether it is motion sickness in the car. My friend took out the Kindle Oasis very boldly. I liked the size and buttons, so the goal was to have a device that looked exactly like the Kindle Oasis but would address my Kindle complaints. That’s it.

The following is updated at any time.

start up

After booting, choose the UI language first. There is no Simplified Chinese, I can’t type Zhuyin or Cangjie, and Japanese is really not very friendly as a UI language (katakana warning), so I choose English. But this is not a problem, because KOReader has an optional simplified Chinese UI, and after installing it, you hardly need to look at Kobo’s original UI.

There are two options for activating the machine, connecting to Wi-Fi or plugging it into a computer (it seems to download a desktop program). I was too lazy to download that program and chose Wi-Fi. Then choose one of a bunch of optional services (remember there are Kobo, Rakuten International, Rakuten Japan, etc.), log in to your account, and you’re activated. If you don’t have an account, it is recommended to register one on the computer. It is really not easy to type on the ink screen. I tried to register for Kobo, and then found that I already had an account, maybe I registered when I wrote the previous e-book store comparison … It’s like this because of my bad memory.

There are also tutorials on the Internet to skip the login account , but I am too lazy to do it. If someone tries it successfully, please comment.

Enter the book list interface, even if the boot is complete.

Install KO Reader

I have a lot to rant about this step, where do I start…

First, the code for KOReader is here . It has a wiki page with English and Chinese Kobo installation tutorials, both of which seem to have been updated recently. But don’t be fooled, this Chinese version of the tutorial is from who knows how many years ago, and you won’t be able to find any useful information from any of the links it contains. Please see the English version.

Secondly, you should look at the Semi-Automated Installation Method, but the macOS automatic installation script provided in the mobileread post that clicked into the link, at least on my computer, just opened the terminal and did nothing, so I had to manually Installed a bit. Proceed as follows:

1. Download the One-Click Kobo Packages compressed package on the first floor of the mobileread post , choose one of KOReader and KOReader AND Plato. I didn’t feel the need for Plato, so I just downloaded KOReader.

2. Unzip OCP-KOReader-v2023.04.zip (example), observe the folder structure as follows:

 . ├── .adds │ ├── kfmon │ ├── koreader │ └── nm ├── .kobo │ └── KoboRoot.tgz ├── kfmon.png └── koreader.png

3. Plug the Kobo into the computer and click the OK link on the screen. Open it on the computer (Mac: cd /Volumes/KOBOeReader/ ), observe the folder structure as follows (probably so, I don’t remember, I forgot to take a screenshot at the time, and it changed slightly after the installation):

 . ├── .adobe-digital-editions ├── .kobo └── .kobo-images

4. Copy .adds folder and the two .png files in OCP-KOReader-v2023.04 folder directly to the root directory of Kobo, and then copy OCP-KOReader-v2023.04/.kobo/KoboRoot.tgz Go to the Kobo’s .kobo folder.

5. Eject the USB flash drive, unplug the cable, and wait for the Kobo to restart (the screen will be blank during this period, and dots, don’t panic, this is normal), it will take about five minutes.

6. After restarting, it is still the normal Kobo book list interface, and all functions of Kobo are still available, but there is a hamburger menu ( ☰ , NickelMenu) in the lower right corner, click it, and click KOReader in the pop-up menu to enter the KOReader interface. Finish.

Some KOReader tips

User guide to see the document! Look at the documentation! Look at the documentation!

Set the function of clicking the four corners of the screen
top menu > gears > gesture management > tap corner
Default: upper left: switch page flip; upper right: bookmark; lower left: switch backlight; lower right: none
My settings: Top left: General > Show menu (top menu), Bottom right: Reader > Contents
The way to open the top menu and bottom menu that is not easy to touch by mistake
Swipe from the top/bottom of the screen to the center (like the phone notification center)
screenshot
Swipe from the upper left corner of the screen to the lower right corner, or swipe from the upper right corner of the screen to the lower left corner
Set lock screen
top menu > gear > screen settings > screen saver
How to open the top menu in the file manager
Click on the word KOReader in the middle of the top of the screen
Reverse page button
top menu > Gears > Tap & Gestures > Page Turn > Invert Page Turn Button. This is an overall setting, including the file manager and the page turning in the settings will be changed accordingly.

Custom KOReader

dictionary

Manage dictionary entry: top menu > magnifying glass > dictionary settings.

List of built-in downloadable dictionaries: koreader/dictionaries.lua

The built-in dictionary I tried: (The language entry and page number are in brackets. Both languages ​​can be found, and the list is short.)

  • English:
    • GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English (English 1)
      • This is the only one with Zhuyin, but it doesn’t use IPA, and I don’t know what it uses.
    • English Idioms (English 4)
    • WordNet (English 17)
      • There are most words.
    • English-English Wiktionary (English 34)
      • Sometimes some confusing explanations are given, such as the last item of dungeon – Wiktionary . Am I too ignorant?
    • Old English-English (English 56)
  • Chinese: (language list page 9)
    • Mandarin-English Wiktionary (English 50, Mandarin 1)
    • Chinese-English dictionary (Chinese 1)
    • Chinese-English Wiktionary (Chinese 1)

External dictionary: According to Wiki , you can download the StarDict file by yourself and put it in .adds/koreader/data/dict/ . Too lazy to do this for now. There are many downloadable dictionary files on this page: Resources for Stardict .

Notice:

  1. Although there are built-in Chinese-English and Japanese-English dictionaries, they cannot be checked back. If you want to look up English words, you can only use English-English or (add your own) English-Chinese dictionary.
  2. After ticking off unwanted dictionaries in the management dictionary, click the small ✓ in the lower right corner of the screen instead of the × in the upper right corner, otherwise it will not work. Checked dictionaries will not be deleted, only disabled. I haven’t found where to delete the download file for the built-in dictionary…

Skill:

  1. In the query window, if the found form is not what you want (for example, the description of adv. is generally do sth adj. -ly, so what does adj. mean!?), you can click the pen button in the upper right corner to modify the form, and then Enter.

font

If there is a need to add additional fonts (usually, the built-in English fonts are not very good-looking), theoretically, you can add them directly after the fourth step of installing KOReader, or you can add them at any time later. The steps are as follows: (Take Fanwood recommended in KOReader Wiki as an example)

1. Download fonts. There is a Download button on the Fanwood website, which essentially downloads the entire Git repo, but only the four .otf font files and two .markdown license files are needed.

2. Plug Kobo into the computer, click the OK link on the screen to open the /Volumes/KOBOeReader/.adds/koreader/fonts folder.

3. Create a new folder fanwood and put the font and license files in it.

4. Eject the USB flash drive, unplug the cable, and wait for KOReader to reload. Finish.

In addition, I also downloaded Charter , but Fanwood Text is already very good.

For Chinese, Japanese and Korean fonts, I downloaded NotoSerifCJKsc-Regular and NotoSerifCJKjp-Regular , and put them directly in the noto folder that comes with them. Because it is too big, no other font weights are downloaded. (After seeing the actual effect, I feel that I should download Medium or Bold directly… Forget it.)

Skill:

  1. The way to modify the font of the book is top menu > the second icon from the left (paper with words written on it) > font.
  2. If you are satisfied with the settings, you can click top menu > the second icon from the left > document settings > save document settings as default. The default cannot be saved by language, only one can be set.
  3. Fanwood Text settings: line spacing 130%, font size 24.
  4. Noto Serif SC settings: line spacing 130%, font size 20, font weight +1.

This article is transferred from: https://blog.loikein.one/posts/2023-05-20-kobo-libra-2-koreader/
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