FBReader

FBReader
Name	FBReader
Developer	Nikolay Pultsin, Georgiy Yunaev, and community
Released	01 April 2005
Programming language	C++, Java
Operating system	Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, FreeBSD, BlackBerry 10
Genre	E-book reader
License	GPL

FBReader. FBReader is a free, open-source e-book reader application designed for a wide range of operating systems and devices. Initially created for personal digital assistants and desktop computers, it has evolved into a popular, cross-platform solution for reading digital publications. The software is developed by a community led by Nikolay Pultsin and Georgiy Yunaev and is distributed under the GNU General Public License.

Overview

The primary goal of the application is to provide a consistent, user-friendly reading experience across diverse hardware and software environments. Its development philosophy emphasizes open standards and portability, avoiding proprietary formats and vendor lock-in. The core engine is written in C++, with platform-specific implementations, such as for Android, utilizing Java. Over the years, it has garnered a significant user base, particularly within the Linux and open-source communities, for its reliability and extensive format support.

Features

Key functionalities include a customizable reading interface with adjustable fonts, colors, and margins, supporting both day and night reading modes. It offers a powerful library management system for organizing collections, with integration for online catalogs like Feedbooks and Project Gutenberg. The software supports text-to-speech via external engines, dictionary integration for word lookup, and synchronization of reading positions across devices using its own Cloud storage service. Additional features include hyphenation, justification, and support for Cyrillic and other complex scripts.

Supported formats

The reader supports a broad array of common e-book formats natively, including the open EPUB standard, plain text, and HTML. It also provides support for several legacy and specialized formats through internal converters, such as FictionBook (FB2), Mobipocket (MOBI) without DRM, and PalmDoc. It can handle comic book archives (CBR/CBZ) and documents like PDF and DOC through external helper applications or integrated plugins.

History and development

The project was initiated in the early 2000s by Nikolay Pultsin for the Sharp Zaurus platform, with its first public release announced in April 2005. Development expanded rapidly to other platforms like Windows and Linux. A major milestone was the 2009 release for Maemo on the Nokia N900, bringing it to the mobile space. The critically important port to Android was released in 2010, followed by versions for iOS and BlackBerry 10. The project has been hosted on platforms like SourceForge and GitHub, relying on community contributions for translations, bug fixes, and feature enhancements.

Platforms and availability

The application is available for a vast number of operating systems. This includes traditional desktop environments like Linux (with packages for Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora), Windows, and macOS. Its mobile presence is strong on Android via Google Play and on iOS via the App Store. It also runs on less common systems such as FreeBSD and BlackBerry 10. Installation is typically through official app repositories, direct downloads from the project's website, or compilation from source code.

See also

* Calibre (software) * KOReader * Adobe Digital Editions * Amazon Kindle * Comparison of e-book readers

Category:Free e-book readers Category:Free software programmed in C++ Category:Android (operating system) software Category:Linux software