Forum: Site Announcements

Don't panic! You can get what you prefer through the download preferences page:

https://storiesonline.net/sol-secure/user/downloads.php

You can choose to have all the buttons show up like before or pick the format that you want for those two buttons.

The download button choices in the account preferences are not working on the home page.

I got mine changed to kindle.

I'm not sure how this simplifies things but oh well.

I had already changed it with the account options at the top corner.

So all the work you did was just so the reader would see two download boxes instead of four? Or was there more features added I am not aware of. (The four choices never bothered me.)

So all the work you did was just so the reader would see two download boxes instead of four? Or was there more features added I am not aware of. (The four choices never bothered me.)

As he said in the OP option, individual users mostly only ever used one option. And SOL is picking up users on smart phones and/or tablets. Fewer buttons could matter quite a bit on small screen devices.

Speaking of UX, would it be possible to make scrollbars dark in dark mode? When I read a story at night, the scrollbar is the only thing glowing brightly on my screen.

I think this stackoverflow post addresses the issue.

Yes BUT I am on social security ONLY and can't afford premium

I got mine changed to kindle.

The setting was working everywhere except the main homepage. It's fixed now.

Working now. Thanks.

I am on social security ONLY and can not afford premium!!!

This is because I was greatly annoyed during the Mopipocket/Amazon fiasco.

No need to download every format, it's a waste of SOL's data. Just the zip should suffice as backup. It's just zipped html files, which in turn are just flat text files, always readable. Proprietary formats I would avoid as the plague too.

Downloading all formats shouldn't affect SoL bandwidth that much. Now if Lazeez created a button to download ALL stories of xxx size or larger, a score of x.xx or better and x file type… THAT would be a bandwidth hog! Nice option though. Hmmm. Can multiple zip files be inside a zip file?

Can multiple zip files be inside a zip file?

yes

The only iffy format that we have is .mobi.

As I understand it, Mobipocket published the format specs under an open license before they were bought out by Amazon.

This is why Amazon doesn't actually publish anything in a .mobi format.

The .azw That Amazon uses is a propritary extension (mostly DRM) of the .mobi format.

Any Kindle reader can handle .mobi files, an original Mobipockt reader wouldn't be able to handle a .azw.

Actually, I believe that the original Mobipocket file was the .prc files. I could reinstall the last Mobipocket install for windows and double check. Yes I'm a pack rat. I still have some driver installs for 1990's SoundBlaster devices. When you had to obtain files via a 9600 baud modem YOU KEEP THOSE SUCKERS FOR ETERNITY! lol

There is the issue that some non-txt stuff might be lost eg italics, bold etc. No point in the author warning that speech written in italics would have been spoken in Spanish if the italics don't come across.

Then use the zip which contains html. Also "text" but when rendered through a browser it has all the styling as on SOL.

For myself, I prefer to save to all four (4)formats.

Two words: Reading Comprehension.

From the OP:

You can choose to have all the buttons show up like before or pick the format that you want for those two buttons.

twisted & 9999999ah probably aren't the only ones getting all four. Heck, I used to do it years ago, altho' my paranoia has eased somewhat since :-)

Could this customization be further modified to have two buttons, one for intermediate downloads and one for all four for finished?

- -

As for loss of info for text only format, there is a convention of bracketing with asterisks for *bold*, etc. Slippery slope, I know, next it would be headers and colors. XD

Bravo!

The way you did this is an insult to your clients.

Just out of idle curiosity, are you feeling insulted enough to quit SoL and go to another site that offers such a range of download options, or are you just feeling insulted enough to make a post in a manner that makes you appear to be a three year old throwing a temper tantrum?

Oh, if you chose option one I won't expect a reply, even though I doubt you'll find an alternative site that (a) offers the range of options you enjoy here on SoL, and (b) one that would not only reply to you in such a timely manner and with such good manners. In fact there are sites that would simply delete your post and your account.

Good manners cost nothing, bad manners can be out of your price range.

Respectfully, Joy R aka joyR

I've no idea what's stuck up your bum lately, but you used to be fairly pleasant to talk too.

Was that perhaps when I was agreeing with you?

"Chose again." worked for Aenea. Maybe Deerhunter is deeper than all of us? I for one welcome our new messiah overlord.

zip: the html story files compressed into a a single archive in the zip format. Zip is many years old and not going away. Most systems have fascilities installed by default to open and extract the files from a zip.
epub: basically also a zip file but with xhtml files and a very strict regimen for formatting. You read the story using an epub reader. Most systems nowadays have an ereader installed by default, if not there are many free readers available for download for all types of operating systems.
txt: a single text file with all chapters that are posted. Text files don't have any formatting, so no bold and italic text and no colors. Every operating system can display text files by default.
kindle: a proprietary format from amazon. It's constructed like an epub but basically only for Kindle devices. If you buy from amazon you get a kindle book. Calibre software can convert kindle into anything else you might want.

when I can't get on-site ill call you all and someone can help me

How are you going to 'call us' if you can't get on the site? You log in with an email address and your password. If you don't remember your password send a message and ask for a password reset because you need your current password to reset it to a new one.
If you don't remember what email address you used, go to your account settings and you can see the email address. If you no longer have access to that address change it to an email address you do have access to.

kindle: a proprietary format from amazon. It's constructed like an epub but basically only for Kindle devices.

Not quite. The format generated for Kindle devices is .mobi which is a older (currently unsupported) format that was released under an open license briefly before Amazon bought the creator and took the specs off the internet.

The format Amazon actually uses for Kindle e-books is .azw or .azw3. These are proprietary formats created by Amazon using .mobi as a base. They are extensions of .mobi. Nobody outside Amazon has the software to create .azw or .azw3 files.

Because the Amazon native formats are extensions of .mobi all Kindle readers can handle .mobi files.

There is non-Amazon software out there to create .mobi files.

Because of this, third party ebook providers interested in selling to or serving Kindle users provide .mobi formats.

Not quite. The format generated for Kindle devices is .mobi which is a older (currently unsupported) format that was released under an open license briefly before Amazon bought the creator and took the specs off the internet.

You are right but the download button says "Kindle" and the poster I answered to stated not being able to keep up with new technical babble. The 'kindle' format is a convoluted mess of different formats created by amazon based on mobi so how I stated it keeps it simple. In my opinion the kindle format is best ignored if possible and if not convert it as fast as possible to something more main stream and non-propriety.
It's really sad amazon killed of the mobi format as an open standard because it supports several features not available in an epub.

In my opinion the kindle format is best ignored if possible and if not convert it as fast as possible to something more main stream and non-propriety.

Except Amazon has a big chunk of the commercial ebook market and there are a lot of kindle devices (and users of them) out there.

Someone looking to sell ebooks ignoring Kindle would, in my opinion, not be a wise choice.

Yes, if you are a reader, and you don't have a Kindle reader already, ignore the Kindle format.

You are right but the download button says "Kindle" and the poster I answered to stated not being able to keep up with new technical babble.

He also threw out zip as "new technical babble" he didn't understand.

Zip predates Microsoft Windows. It isn't new by any stretch of the imagination.

Someone who has a computer and is on-line and doesn't know what zip is? I'm fairly sure that poster was being sarcastic.

I'm surprised Keet answered a request for help with technical babble by using more technical babble: html and xhtml.

I should have called it 'chapter files'. Explaining what html/xhtml is would have made understanding even more difficult.

He also threw out zip as "new technical babble" he didn't understand.

Zip predates Microsoft Windows. It isn't new by any stretch of the imagination.

You incorrectly have me connecting 'zip' and 'new'.
My original part about zip: (notice the 'many years old)

zip: the html story files compressed into a a single archive in the zip format. Zip is many years old and not going away. Most systems have fascilities installed by default to open and extract the files from a zip.

I clearly state that zip is an archive that has html story files in it. You can't dumb that down much further, besides leaving out the word 'html'.
If you have to explain something technical in laymen terms you can't get around missing some accuracy. If you can do better feel free to do so.

You incorrectly have me connecting 'zip' and 'new'.

No, not you, outlawdog306 to whom you were responding.

outlawdog306 claimed not to know what zip is. Given how long zip has been around, I took his whole comment as sarcasm.

Given how long zip has been around, I took his whole comment as sarcasm.

Don't be surprised. More and more people don't know what zip is because most systems handle it so automatic that you don't even see it. Did you know that your word document is also a zip file? Word handles it automatically. Same for LibreOffice.

Is that the .docx format? I'm pretty sure I still get substantial size reductions when I zip a .doc file.

The .docx and .doc are completely different formats. .doc is a binary format and it has no built in compression.

Is that the .docx format? I'm pretty sure I still get substantial size reductions when I zip a .doc file.

A .docx is a zipped file. Like DS said, a .doc file is a binary file, the (very) old Word format and not zipped. If you have an archive program you can look into the .docx file and see what's in it. You might try a right click and see what options are presented. I'm 100% on Linux so I can't verify what it looks like on Windows or IOS.

Did you know that your word document is also a zip file? Word handles it automatically. Same for LibreOffice.

DocX and Open Document formats are compressed.

However:

1. Zip is not the only compression format out there.

2. My understanding is that zip is not the compression format used by docx.

2. My understanding is that zip is not the compression format used by docx.

It's the zip compression: https://docs.fileformat.com/word-processing/docx/.
There is however a difference between MS .docx files and LibreOffice .odt files: MS still has some 'unreadable' binary parts in the .docx where the LO .odt is fully readable.

Zip is not a 'compression format,' it is an archive format, essentially a container format for files and directories. Each file individually *can* be compressed by any of about a dozen compression algorithms.

It is still a zip file if none of the files are compressed. In that case it is still a convenient shipping container, that ensures file and directory attributes are reproduced as closely as source and destination systems allow.

E.g. https://pkware.cachefly.net/webdocs/casestudies/APPNOTE.TXT

Zip is not a 'compression format,' it is an archive format, essentially a container format for files and directories. Each file individually *can* be compressed by any of about a dozen compression algorithms.

Sure, but virtually every zip program compresses the archive by default. I don't know anybody that uses zip to collect files in an archive without compression.

Sure, but virtually every zip program compresses the archive by default. I don't know anybody that uses zip to collect files in an archive without compression.

ZIP actually doesn't compress "the archive", it (usually) compresses the individual files before storing them in the archive. The Unix world typically does it the other way around, storing files in a tarball before compressing the whole thing with one of a number of compression tools — most commonly gzip, though there are others in use.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods. The ZIP method is easier to manipulate — you can add or extract files without having to de/re-compress the whole shebang — and allows individually tuning compression algorithm to files — which can often result in it just storing files uncompressed, because they're small or already compressed and any minimal compression gains wouldn't be worth the overhead of doing it — but involves more overhead, and may make the compression perform less well.

I don't know anybody that uses zip to collect files in an archive without compression.

Easynews does exactly this for its zip manager - back when I perused the forum there, the question came up quite often as many people expected zip==compress, but it was used purely as a container to handle a bunch of disparate files as a single entity. Also, I've done this myself to get a bit better compression on a bunch of large, similar text files (instrument data) - zipping individually creates a dictionary for each file, zip together without compression then zip the resulting container file avoids this duplication of the dictionary resulting in a noticeable and sometimes substantial reduction in overall size.

Calibre creates azw3.

Since when? It's been a while, but the last time I had it set up it only did .mobi.

AZW3 is still there in the newest release.

I wouldn't expect it to go away if they had a converter for it.

Looked up the Caliber manual on line. The latest version supports AZW4. I didn't even know that there was an AZW4.

There is no AZW4 in the output format pull-down window.

It might only be supported as an input format.

Yep.

https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/faq.html#e-book-format-conversion

What formats does calibre support conversion to/from?

calibre supports the conversion of many input formats to many output formats. It can convert every input format in the following list, to every output format.

Input Formats: AZW, AZW3, AZW4, CBZ, CBR, CB7, CBC, CHM, DJVU, DOCX, EPUB, FB2, FBZ, HTML, HTMLZ, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ

Output Formats: AZW3, EPUB, DOCX, FB2, HTMLZ, OEB, LIT, LRF, MOBI, PDB, PMLZ, RB, PDF, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ, ZIP

- version: 0.8.50
date: 2012-05-04
new features:
- title: "AZW3 output plugin. This output plugin generates pure KF8 mobi files. These only work on the Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch with latest firmware."

The current version of Calibre posses the ability to convert files to AZW3, among many others.