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https://github.com/danchoi/kindlefodder
Bring web docs to the Kindle
https://github.com/danchoi/kindlefodder
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Bring web docs to the Kindle
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/danchoi/kindlefodder
- Owner: danchoi
- License: mit
- Created: 2012-01-20T15:17:44.000Z (over 12 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2023-04-12T06:36:01.000Z (over 1 year ago)
- Last Synced: 2024-07-20T22:59:24.245Z (2 months ago)
- Language: Ruby
- Homepage:
- Size: 5.57 MB
- Stars: 366
- Watchers: 15
- Forks: 45
- Open Issues: 17
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: MIT-LICENSE.txt
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Kindlefodder
Kindlefodder is a Ruby framework and a collection of recipes for
translating website-bound books and documentation into Kindle ebooks that
are easy to navigate and a pleasure to peruse. Web browsers are good for
scanning information, but Kindles are a lot better when you want to
block out distractions and actually learn something.
The ebooks posted here will in most cases be derived from material published
under a Creative Commons license. I am grateful to the original authors
for writing such good and useful material. They are welcome to take these
ebooks and recipes, modify them, and distribute them under their own name.
## You can download these ebooks now
Here are a few Kindle ebooks generated with the Kindlefodder framework. You
can download them and transfer them to your Kindle via USB.
### GitHub Projects
This is a collection of READMEs and Wiki Pages from useful GitHub projects. (Work in progress)
* [Download GitHub Projects for Kindle][github_projects-mobi]
* [Add READMEs to the next version of this ebook][github_projects-web]
[github_projects-mobi]:https://github.com/downloads/danchoi/kindlefodder/github_projects.2012-02-05.mobi
[github_projects-web]:https://github.com/danchoi/kindlefodder/wiki/Github-READMEs-for-the-github_projects.rb-recipe
### Heroku Guide
* [Download Heroku Guide for Kindle][heroku-mobi]
* [Heroku Documentation on the Web][heroku-web]
[heroku-mobi]:https://github.com/downloads/danchoi/kindlefodder/heroku-guide.2012-01-20.mobi
[heroku-web]:http://devcenter.heroku.com/categories/getting-started
### Thoughbot Playbook
* [Download Thoughtbot Playbook for Kindle][thoughtbot-mobi]
* [Thoughtbot Playbook on the Web][thoughtbot-web]
[thoughtbot-mobi]:https://github.com/downloads/danchoi/kindlefodder/thoughtbot_playbook.2012-01-20.mobi
[thoughtbot-web]:http://playbook.thoughtbot.com/
### Pro Git by Scott Chacon
* [Download Pro Git for Kindle][progit-mobi]
* [Pro Git Book on the Web][progit-web]
If you enjoy the Kindlefodder version, I encourage you to buy the [print
version][progit-print] to support the author. I own the print version.
[progit-mobi]:https://github.com/downloads/danchoi/kindlefodder/pro_git.2012-01-21.mobi
[progit-web]:http://progit.org/book/
[progit-print]:http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Git-Chacon/dp/1430218339/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1327266631&sr=1-1
### jQuery Reference
* [Download jQuery Reference for Kindle][jquery-mobi]
* [jQuery Reference on the Web][jquery-web]
[jquery-mobi]:https://github.com/downloads/danchoi/kindlefodder/jquery.2012-01-22.mobi
[jquery-web]:http://docs.jquery.com/Main_Page
### jQuery Fundamentals by Rebecca Murphey et al.
* [Download jQuery Fundamentals for Kindle][murphey-mobi]
* [jQuery Fundamentals on the Web][murphey-web]
[murphey-mobi]:https://github.com/downloads/danchoi/kindlefodder/jquery_fundamentals.2012-01-22.mobi
[murphey-web]:http://jqfundamentals.com/
### Frontend Docs Bundle: Haml/Sass/CoffeeScript/Backbone.js Reference
* [Download Frontend Docs Bundle for Kindle][frontend-mobi]
* [Haml Documentation on the Web][haml]
* [Sass Documentation on the Web][sass]
* [CoffeeScript Documentation on the Web][coffee]
* [Backbone.js Documentation on the Web][backbone]
[frontend-mobi]:https://github.com/downloads/danchoi/kindlefodder/frontend_bundle.2012-01-22.mobi
[haml]:http://haml-lang.com/docs/yardoc/file.HAML_REFERENCE.html
[sass]:http://sass-lang.com/docs/yardoc/file.SASS_REFERENCE.html
[coffee]:http://coffeescript.org/#comparisons
[backbone]:http://documentcloud.github.com/backbone/
### Ruby on Rails Guides
The code used to generate this ebook is actually the evolutionary ancestor to
the Kindlefodder project. That code is available in the
[docrails_kindle][docrails_kindle] project.
* [Download Ruby on Rails Guides for Kindle][railsguides-mobi]
* [Ruby on Rails Guides on the Web][railsguides-web]
[railsguides-mobi]:https://github.com/downloads/danchoi/kindlefodder/rails-guide.2012-01-18.mobi
[railsguides-web]:http://guides.rubyonrails.org/
[docrails_kindle]:https://github.com/danchoi/docrails_kindle
### The Art of Unix Programming by Eric Steven Raymond
This one is my personal favorite.
If you enjoy the Kindlefodder version, I encourage you to buy the [print
version][unix-print] or the official [Kindle version][unix-kindle] as well, to
support the author. I have both versions.
* [Download The Art of Unix Programming for Kindle][unix-mobi]
* [The Art of Unix Programming on the Web][unix-web]
[unix-print]:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0131429019/104-5607387-8275944?v=glance
[unix-kindle]:http://www.amazon.com/Art-UNIX-Programming-ebook/dp/B003U2T5BA/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
[unix-mobi]:https://github.com/downloads/danchoi/kindlefodder/unix.2012-01-22.mobi
[unix-web]:http://www.faqs.org/docs/artu/index.html
* * *
# Writing your own ebook recipes
Read on if you're interested in learning how to contribute recipes for turning
web documentation for other products and services into Kindle ebooks.
If you want to turn web content into an ebook but don't have the time or skill to
write the Kindlefodder recipe, you can post an [issue][issues] requesting
help from someone who might be interested in writing that recipe.
Otherwise, my software outfit, Kaja Software LLC, may be willing to do
it for a reasonable fee. Send your inquiry to .
## Requirements
* Ruby 1.9
* ImageMagick (i.e. the `convert` command)
* You must be a fairly good at slicing and dicing HTML with [Nokogiri][nokogiri]
[nokogiri]:http://nokogiri.org/
Also, download Amazon's [KindleGen 2][kindlegen] tool and put it on your PATH.
[kindlegen]:http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000234621
## How to write a recipe
Fork this project and git clone your fork. `cd` into the cloned project
directory.
Run `bundle install` to make sure you have the required dependencies
(nokogiri and kindlerb) in the gem path.
Create a recipe file in the `recipes/` directory.
Follow the existing recipes as models. The `recipes/heroku.rb` recipe
was the first and is also the most extensively commented.
The requirements of a recipe should be simple and straightforward. I've
tried to minimize the amount of work a recipe has to do by abstracting
away all the low-level details of generating Kindle MOBI documents. You
won't have to think about NCX and OPF files, just fetching HTML source
material, cleaning the HTML up, and splitting it up into Kindle sections
and articles. Images will be downloaded, converted to grayscale gifs,
resized, and incorporated into the ebook automatically (as long as the
`src` attributes of the `img` tags point to absolute URLs).
Still, writing recipe code to clean up and extract Kindle-friendly
content can sometimes be time-consuming, depending on the source. Often
you will have to strip out or tweak HTML content to make it work better
in Kindle format. But thanks to the expressive power of Ruby and
[Nokogiri][noko], performing the necessary HTML plastic surgery on
a source usually takes me no more than 20 minutes.
[noko]:http://nokogiri.org/
Once you finish your recipe, generate the ebook with this command:
ruby -Ilib recipes/your_new_recipe.rb
If all goes well, you should have a nice Kindle ebook version of the web
documentation you processed.
Now submit a pull request on your fork so I can pull in your recipe.
All recipe contributors will be recognized and thanked heartily on this page.
If you're working on a recipe, you may want post a [Github issue][issues]
saying what you're working on and give it the "recipe in progress"
label. This will help prevent unnecessary duplication of effort.
[issues]:https://github.com/danchoi/kindlefodder/issues
[issues]:https://github.com/danchoi/kindlefodder/issues
## Working with Docker
A Dockerfile is provided to build an image with all dependencies. In order to build image, run
```bash
docker build -t kindlefodder .
```
In order to build your recipe, run
```bash
docker run --rm -v $PWD/src:/usr/app/src kindlefodder recipes/your_new_recipe.rb
```
## Issues
This project is new and rough around the edges, so please feel welcome to
report issues and contribute to the code.
## Kindlefeeder
Kindlefodder is based on what I learned making [Kindlefeeder][kf], a
feed aggregation service that bundles your favorite RSS and Atom feeds
-- like [the full content of the front page items of Hacker
News][hnfeed] -- into Kindle ebooks delivered to your Kindle. There are
free and paid versions of this service.
[kf]:http://kindlefeeder.com/
[hnfeed]:http://kindlefeeder.com/feeds/1626