Jump to content

MobiPocket Complaint Page


Crusso

Recommended Posts

I have a couple of problems with the Mobipocket reader on my Prism. Wondering if anyone is having similar problems?

 

1. Mobi does not like apostrophes! When it gets one in a log it puts a couple of weird characters (a trademark sign & some non-english symbol) in thier place!

Took me a while to figure out what they were supposed to be. icon_frown.gif

 

2. Mobi will occasionally hit a character that will cause everything from that point on to be in bold! If I access the log using "Go to page" so I go past that page it's ok. icon_rolleyes.gif

 

3. Mobi will for no reason cause a fatal error. Seems again to be associated with certain characters in log pages. One cache I was doing would cause this crash whenever I got to a certain page. icon_mad.gif

 

4. This one may not be a Mobi problem... I don't get all the hints! Only some, then the rest are lost. I've checked the caches on Geocaching.com & they do have hints. icon_confused.gif

 

5. Jeremy, Can we get a button labeled "Run this query one time only" for the query criteria? I believe it would reduce some system load & be a help for people that are traveling. They wouldn't have to go back & modify those queries to not run when they got home.

It would also then allow us to have another query to use next time we need one since we are limited to 5 & have to go through the steps to modify an existing one. This way the query would run then drop out of our existing query list so we could start fresh. (Hope I explained that ok)

icon_wink.gif

 

Thanks for listenin. Hope it's not just me! icon_eek.gif

 

PS While I'm making requests.... How about a spell check for the forums?! icon_razz.gif

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Crusso:

1. Mobi does not like apostrophes! When it gets one in a log it puts a couple of weird characters (a trademark sign & some non-english symbol) in thier place!

Took me a while to figure out what they were supposed to be. icon_frown.gif


 

This isn't actually specific to MobiPocket. It's a problem with Microsoft Internet Explorer. Apparently, the apostrophes and quotes all us normal people use weren't good enough for the folks at Microsoft, so they use a different character for an apostrophe. IE supports it, and most TrueType fonts display it correctly, so you never know the difference unless you try to use the text on some other OS or browser. The only way this can be fixed is for Jeremy to fix it before he generates the Mobi document.

 

quote:

2. Mobi will occasionally hit a character that will cause everything from that point on to be in bold! If I access the log using "Go to page" so I go past that page it's ok. icon_rolleyes.gif

 

3. Mobi will for no reason cause a fatal error. Seems again to be associated with certain characters in log pages. One cache I was doing would cause this crash whenever I got to a certain page. icon_mad.gif


 

Both of these problems can be solved by just not using MobiPocket for PalmOS. It's horribly broken, from the design phase on down. The people who wrote it should be punished for some of the stupid things they did, in direct violation of the PalmOS programming standards.

 

I use TealDoc or CSpotRun (I have both installed on my Palm) with the documents created by my MobiPocket-to-doc converter and it seems to do an okay job. Since the PalmDoc format doesn't support links, you have to use the bookmark list instead to jump to a particular cache, and any markup is lost (no bold or italic, and no pictures) but it's still worlds better than memopad was.

 

quote:

4. This one may not be a Mobi problem... I don't get all the hints! Only some, then the rest are lost. I've checked the caches on Geocaching.com & they do have hints. icon_confused.gif


 

Try using the converter above to convert one of your documents to plain text and see if the hints are there. If not, it's not a Mobi problem.

 

warm.gif

Link to comment
Originally posted by Warm Fuzzies - Fuzzy:

Apparently, the apostrophes and quotes all us normal people use weren't good enough for the folks at Microsoft, so they use a different character for an apostrophe. IE supports it, and most TrueType fonts display it correctly, so you never know the difference unless you try to use the text on some other OS or browser. The only way this can be fixed is for Jeremy to fix it before he generates the Mobi document.

 

 

Well, I don't know at what point the mobi generator hooks into the database, but I think the problem should be fixed upstream of what you're proposing. Those stinking smart quotes (which I would be delighted to be barred at input) should be encoded as HTML entities when they are output. They aren't. They are being emitted as Unicode. So if Mobi is reading HTML, fixing the HTML to be correct is the right step. If they're still ugly (i.e. they show up as "xe2x80." or "s/R", then Mobi should be taught to read HTML.

 

All that said, I'd be much happier to cleanse this silliness on the way INTO the database than on output of everything that reads it. (Of course, these things DO still need to recognize entities and unicode, but it shouldn't be for things like this; it should be for i18n and reserved HTML characters such as less-than and ampersand.

Link to comment

By the way, if someone has a complete list of these abominations and what they should be, I can see what I can do about at least fixing them in my converter for those who don't use MobiPocket. (I could fix them for those using MobiPocket, too, but I'm philosophically opposed to the creation of new MobiPocket documents.)

 

warm.gif

Link to comment

I can't seem to use the infrared link in MobiPocket Reader to send my cachelist ebook document to my Palm PDA. When I try to do so, MobiPocket reader tells me that the document I'm trying to send is not a valid ebook file. Yet the files function as ebooks on my laptop and Palm, so I don't understand why they aren't valid ebooks.

 

The Infrared link on the Laptop is enabled and recognizes the Palm, so it seems that the MobiPocket Reader sofftware is the problem here.

 

Anybody out there know what could be going on? If these aren't valid ebook files, then what can I do to fix 'em?

Link to comment

My biggest complaint/problem is that (At least for PalmOS), if I click the "Hints are in Appendix" link (or whatever the text is) it just jumps down further in the cache descriptions area. It doesn't take you to the hint in the Appendix.

Do others have this problem?

Link to comment

On the PalmOS, the hints description directs me to Appendix A where all the hints are in sequence. It seems to work exactly as described(just not quite as I'd like since the hints are all in cache sequence with no direct link to or from the cache description - not a big problem though).

Jon

Link to comment

On re-reading my post, I realize I wasn't clear. The "Hints Available in Appendix 1" text is not a hot link. I have to go to Appendix 1 via the right-hand pop-up menu to get to the hints.

 

What's probably happening to you is that you are configured to cause a tap on the screen to go to the next page, so when you tap on the "hints available" text, it's being interpreted as a page forward or page back since the text itself is not a hot link.

 

Hope that helps.

Jon

Link to comment

quote:
Try using the converter above to convert one of your documents to plain text and see if the hints are there. If not, it's not a Mobi problem.


 

Seems to be a Pocket Query problem. I've had only the first few hints in both Mobi and the text conversion version. I've seen several others mention this problem.

 

max

Just visiting this planet

Link to comment

Mobipocket reader reminds me strongly of some software I've run into before.

 

1. MVS/TSO - It may be slow, but it sure is hard to use. Can anyone explain why searching through a mobipocket document on my Palm m505 using the text search function is so dadgum SLOW? And why, after it finds the text, it feels obliged to make me dismiss the dialog by clicking the close button hidden in the corner, near the edge of the screen where it's hard to hit when you're riding in a car? It qualifies for the other comment I remember being leveled at TSO - "It's sort of like kicking a dead whale down the beach."

 

2. Adobe photoshop - until Mobipocket, the leading contender for the 'hit the design team before they strike again' award.

 

Surely a better solution awaits. Please, tell me that a better solution awaits.

 

What ever happened to the XML descriptions of caches discussion. Did that founder?

 

Mobipocket and the pocket queries beat the tar out of the reams of paper I was using before. But mobipocket falls so short of the potential that it just breaks my heart.

 

icon_geocachingwa.gif

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Kodak's4:

Can anyone explain why searching through a mobipocket document on my Palm m505 using the text search function is so dadgum SLOW?


 

Encryption. The document is compressed and encrypted, so it has to decrypt and decompress it before checking to see if it matches the text you're looking for. Plus, it was designed and coded by crack monkeys.

 

quote:

Surely a better solution awaits. Please, tell me that a better solution awaits.


 

A better solution awaits.

 

quote:

What ever happened to the XML descriptions of caches discussion. Did that founder?


 

We've been told that finishing GPX support is next in line after the speed issues.

 

warm.gif

Link to comment

Ok, Warm (or is it Fuzzy?) I tried the document converter.

 

It was too exciting for me. I am a palm neophyte.

 

But I converted a rather large pocket query .prc file. I got back a .zip file,which I duly unzipped. From that, I got a mobidoc.pdb file, which I expected, sort of. I click on that, and voila! the palm installer appeared, to load the thing onto my palm.

 

So I hotsynced, and eager grabbed the Palm. But alas, no reader for this filed installed. Hmm. I install Palm Reader off the CDROM that came with the palm. I fire that baby up. It sits there for a LONG time telling me it's perparing the document, or something. Finally it displays some text. What's this? No links in the index. Whoa, this is pretty grungy looking stuff.

 

I go to compare to the Mobipocket thingie, and Mobipocket crashes! I try installing the .prc for the mobipocket query and it still crashes. Oh, ick.

 

Ok, I uninstall everything - Mobipocket, the Palm reader, the pocket queries. Hm, I've never deleted anything before. What the screaming blue whatever *is* all this stuff. Libraries, I guess. Weird bits of applications dragged in by even God doesn't know what. Sheesh, and people think Windows is bad (well, that's another story for another day).

 

Now I go back and install Mobipocket and the old .prc file. Ah, I'm back to Mobipocket, which now works (but still blows fairly big chunks) which at least has links I can punch through from the index.

 

Sheesh. Maybe I should take this Palm thing out to the driveway, drive over it with the Volvo, and buy one of those Pocket PC's.

 

Enough excitement for the day. Whew!

 

icon_geocachingwa.gif

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Kodak's4:

Ok, Warm (or is it Fuzzy?) I tried the document converter.


 

Fuzzy.

 

quote:

So I hotsynced, and eager grabbed the Palm. But alas, no reader for this filed installed. Hmm. I install Palm Reader off the CDROM that came with the palm.


 

Palm Reader has support for PalmDoc files, but alas, it has no support for bookmarks. The reader I usually recommend for those who don't want to pay for TealDoc is CSpotRun. If you decide to give it another try and still can't get it to work, drop me an email and I'll see what I can do to help (I still owe you for your finding the problem with my number maze...)

 

warm.gif

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Warm Fuzzies - Fuzzy:

 

Fuzzy.


 

Sheesh. I *knew* that. I should take the *brain* out and drive over it with the Volvo.

 

quote:

Palm Reader has support for PalmDoc files, but alas, it has no support for bookmarks. The reader I usually recommend for those who don't want to pay for TealDoc is http://www.32768.com/bill/palmos/cspotrun/. If you decide to give it another try and still can't get it to work, drop me an email and I'll see what I can do to help (I still owe you for your finding the problem with my number maze...)

 


 

Aha! Ok, I will give it a try the next time I have some spare time, using cspotrun. Or maybe

I'll just buy Tealdoc.

 

And, no, you don't owe me! Thanks for the help!

 

-Paul

 

icon_geocachingwa.gif

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Crusso:

I have a couple of problems with the Mobipocket reader on my Prism. Wondering if anyone is having similar problems?


 

I can't say that I'm having any technical problems with MobiPocket...but after having used another format previously (before the data was made inaccessible to this extraction method), I was very disappointed in the layout of the MobiPocket format, and the way the Hints are stored in a separate index. (It just seems very user unfriendly, compared to the previous tool that was taken away.)

 

My PDA came with Microsoft Reader, and I sent an e-mail to Jeremy, asking about the possibility of alternate formats for the Pocket Queries...but as is usually the case, I haven't received any reply or acknowledgement of my question. icon_frown.gif

 

-------

"I may be slow, but at least I'm sweet!" 196939_800.jpg

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by jon & miki:

What's probably happening to you is that you are configured to cause a tap on the screen to go to the next page, so when you tap on the "hints available" text, it's being interpreted as a page forward or page back since the text itself is not a hot link.


 

Ah, that's problably it! So the problem is is that "hints available" line looks like a link.

 

thanks

Link to comment

Mobipocket simply doesn't work on my Sony Clie pda (crashes every time). But I really like the pocket query idea - I know there is a Mobipocket to doc converter, but what I would prefer is just the html for me to convert.

 

Not what I can get right now by scooping the geocaching website but the nice thing about the pocket queries is that they match up with the loc file you can have sent as well.

 

If the file comes as a zipped html archive, I can then use any program I want to make the conversion - even set it up automatically if I so desire.

 

Thanks!

 

Laurie

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by laurie:

Mobipocket simply doesn't work on my Sony Clie pda (crashes every time).

<>

 

It works fine on my Clie'. Maybe you're using an older (or newer) version than I am though. I'm using 4.1.1

 

====================================

As always, the above statements are just MHO.

====================================

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Crusso:

4. This one may not be a Mobi problem... I don't get all the hints! Only some, then the rest are lost. I've checked the caches on Geocaching.com & they do have hints. icon_confused.gif


 

quote:
Originally posted by Embra:

Seems to be a Pocket Query problem. I've had only the first few hints in both Mobi and the text conversion version. I've seen several others mention this problem.


 

OK, let me add my name to the list of those who aren't getting the clues. The file I requested has 400 caches, and only 9 clues appear in the Appendix. I'm currently using the Mobipocket Reader for PC in anticipation of my palm arriving on Tuesday. I really don't expect any difference in the palm, since it will be reading the same file. Is there anyone who is definitely NOT experiencing this?

 

Greg

N 39 54.705'

W 77 33.137'

Link to comment
Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...