home > Jeans > Electronic reader for computer. The best programs for reading on a computer. Video: where to download Foxit Reader and how to install it

Electronic reader for computer. The best programs for reading on a computer. Video: where to download Foxit Reader and how to install it

Good afternoon.

Whoever predicted the end of books with the beginning of the development of computer technology. However, progress is progress, but books have lived and still live (and will continue to live). It’s just that everything has changed somewhat - paper tomes have been replaced by electronic ones.

And this, I must note, has its advantages: on the most ordinary computer or tablet (on Android) more than one thousand books can fit, each of which can be opened and started reading in a matter of seconds; there is no need to keep a large cabinet in the house to store them - everything fits on the PC disk; Electronic video makes it convenient to make bookmarks and reminders, etc.

The best programs for reading e-books (*.fb2, *.txt, *.doc, *.pdf, *.djvu and others)

For Windows

Several useful and convenient “readers” that will help you immerse yourself in the absorption process another book sitting at the computer.

Cool Reader

One of the most common programs, both for Windows and Android (although, in my opinion, for the latter, there are programs that are more convenient, but more about them below).

Among the main features:

  • supports formats: FB2, TXT, RTF, DOC, TCR, HTML, EPUB, CHM, PDB, MOBI (i.e. all the most common and in demand);
  • adjusting the brightness of the background and fonts (a mega convenient thing, you can make reading convenient for any screen and person!);
  • auto-flipping (convenient, but not always: sometimes you read one page for 30 seconds, another for a minute);
  • convenient bookmarks (this is very convenient);
  • the ability to read books from archives (this is also very convenient, since many are distributed online in archives);

AL Reader

Another very interesting “reader”. Among its main advantages: it is the ability to select encodings (which means that when opening a book, “cracked” and unreadable characters are practically excluded); support for both popular and rare formats: fb2, fb2.zip, fbz, txt, txt.zip, partial support for epub (without DRM), html, docx, odt, rtf, mobi, prc (PalmDoc), tcr.

In addition, it should be noted that this program can be used both on Windows and Android. I would also like to note that this program has quite fine adjustments to brightness, fonts, indents, and other “things” that will help you adjust the display to perfect condition, regardless of the equipment used. I definitely recommend you check it out!


FBReader

Another well-known and popular “reader”, I could not ignore it in this article. Perhaps its most important advantages are: it is free, it supports all popular and not so popular formats (ePub, fb2, mobi, html, etc.), flexible ability to customize the display of books (fonts, brightness, indents), a large network library (you can always pick up something for evening reading).

By the way, we can’t help but say that the application works on all the most popular platforms: Windows, Android, Linux, Mac OS X, Blackberry, etc.


Adobe Reader

This program is probably known to almost all users who have ever worked with the PDF format. And many magazines, books, texts, pictures, etc. are distributed in this mega-popular format.

The PDF format is specific, sometimes it is impossible to open it on other readers except Adobe Reader. Therefore, I recommend having a similar program on your PC. It has already become a basic program for many users and its installation does not even raise questions...

DjVuViwer

The DJVU format has become very popular in Lately, partially displaces PDF format. This happens due to the fact that DJVU compresses the file more strongly, with the same quality. Books, magazines, etc. are also distributed in the DJVU format.

There are quite a lot of readers of this format, but among them there is one small and simple utility - DjVuViwer.

Why is it better than others:

  • light and fast;
  • allows you to scroll through all pages at once (i.e., there is no need to flip through them, as in other programs of this kind);
  • there is a convenient option for creating bookmarks (convenient, not just its presence...);
  • opening all DJVU files without exception (i.e., it’s not like the utility opened one file but couldn’t open the second... And this, by the way, happens with some programs (like the universal programs presented above)).

For Android

eReader Prestigio

In my humble opinion, this is one of the best reading programs e-books on Android. I use it on my tablet all the time.

Judge for yourself:

  • a huge number of formats are supported: FB2, ePub, PDF, DJVU, MOBI, PDF, HTML, DOC, RTF, TXT (including audio formats: MP3, AAC, M4B and Reading Books Out Loud (TTS));
  • entirely in Russian;
  • convenient search, bookmarks, brightness settings, etc.

Those. A program from the category - installed it once and forgot about it, you just use it without thinking! I recommend trying it, a screenshot from it below.


FullReader+

Another convenient application for Android. I also often use it, opening one book in the first reader (see above), and the second in this one :).

Main advantages:

  • support for a bunch of formats: fb2, epub, doc, rtf, txt, html, mobi, pdf, djvu, xps, cbz, docx, etc.;
  • ability to read aloud;
  • convenient setting of the background color (for example, you can make the background like a real one) old book, some people like it);
  • built-in file manager (it’s convenient to immediately search for what you need);
  • a convenient “memorizer” of recently opened books (and reading the current one).

Book cataloging

For those who have a lot of books, it is quite difficult to do without some kind of cataloguer. Keeping in mind hundreds of authors, publishing houses, what has been read and what has not yet been read, and to whom something was given is a rather difficult task. And in this regard, I would like to highlight one utility - All My Books.

For those who consume the printed word exclusively on the scale of Twitter messages, a reasonable question arises: “Why are they even needed on the computer, these same reader programs?”

Indeed, you can open small texts in any operating system without problems - there are enough standard applications for this. But there are simply no tools that allow you to work normally with larger sizes in a “clean” system. But doing this with regular ones is very inconvenient, and your eyes get very tired.

So if you have to read fairly large texts from the screen, and you want to do it with maximum comfort, and at the same time want to preserve your vision, you simply cannot do without specialized programs - electronic readers.

There are quite a lot of programs for reading e-books. Each has its own pros and cons. But it is impossible to cover them all in one article. Therefore, I will limit myself to only those that have “taken root” on my computers over the years. Or periodically, as needed, they appear on them.

Easy and convenient program. And although it is not updated very often, all versions are still functional. Designed for Windows, but on Linux it usually works well under Wine. There is also an official version running Windows Mobile.

On mobile platforms, IMHO, it has no serious competitors at all, neither in terms of capabilities nor in terms of convenience.

It has a large number of all sorts of settings that you don’t have to look into if you don’t want to - most of the options are set quite reasonably and by default.

It has big list supported formats, including the currently mega-popular FB2. One of the few that works with ODT files (Open Document, used in OpenOffice.org, Microsoft Office and LibreOffice) without prior conversion.

The default interface resembles an unfolded book; the yellowish background of the pages is more comfortable for the eyes and is very convenient for long reading. As a bonus, AlReader does not require installation and can work from any mobile media. For me personally, this is the most convenient and favorite program for reading files in FB2 and EPUB format.

The program is cross-platform and exists for almost all popular operating systems. It has a large list of supported formats and a large number of various settings. I recommend delving deeply into the settings and adjusting everything to your liking. It is not difficult.

It comes with something like a library - a simple cataloguer in which books are sorted by genre, author, etc. In this case, the book files themselves are not imported into the library, but only links are created to their location in the file system.

In general, the program is quite serious and, if properly adjusted, is very convenient. Of the minuses, over the years I have noticed only one - there is no “book” mode with two pages on the screen. On large widescreen monitors, lines of text may be too long, making them difficult to read. Although this is just a matter of habit.

The program is cross-platform and not only free (which is quite natural), but also open - its sources are available. So you can find its version on the Internet not only for any PC operating system, but I have also more than once come across packages compiled by craftsmen for a variety of mobile platforms. So, if you understand, you can do some magic with the raw materials yourself, or search on the Internet for a ready-made package specifically for your mobile device.

There is also a large selection of supported formats, a good set of settings, a choice between one-page and two-page reading modes, etc.

And although CoolReader 3 does not differ in anything extraordinary, it fulfills its main task “with 5 points” - reading with the help of this program is very convenient (with correct settings"for yourself"). Over the years of use, no particular disadvantages have been noticed.

The word “Professional” is in the name for a reason - today, IMHO, this is the most powerful and multifunctional program for reading e-books. Moreover, the Russian version is free to use.

In fact, it consists of two equivalent modules - the reader itself and the library.

The reader can operate in two modes - scrolling mode (one page on the screen) and book mode (two pages on the screen). Moreover, each mode can be configured separately - background, font, flipping, etc.

It is necessary to dwell a little more on scrolling. In ICE Book Reader Professional you can turn pages both manually (and in several ways) and automatically. In this case, you can either set the scrolling speed yourself or set it to full automatic. When fully automatic, the program will automatically adjust to the user’s reading pace.

Library mode is a full-fledged cataloguer in which you can sort added books by genre, author, series, etc. Moreover, the program can take the data for sorting itself, directly from the added files, or you can easily change everything or set it manually.

It should be noted that books are “imported” into the library - links to them are not simply created, but the book file itself is copied to a special storage (at the same time, the compression level can be adjusted to save disk space). Therefore, after import there is no need for the original file.

When installing, I recommend that you carefully consider the option of choosing a directory for storing the library - a conveniently located directory with books (your personal settings are also stored in it - next time you won’t have to configure everything again) can be easily copied to simplify your task during possible system reinstallations or transferring the program to another PC.

The list of supported formats is more than impressive - almost all common formats. At the same time, ICE Book Reader can import books directly from archives, without any need to first unpack them. A variety of archives are also supported, including exotic and outdated ones, which no modern archiver works with anymore.

The abundance of settings can confuse inexperienced users. And it’s completely in vain - everything is very simple there. All it takes is a little attention and time spent on setup, and everything will pay off. Because ICE Book Reader is not only the most powerful reader today, but also the most customizable for a specific user. It can be perfectly adjusted to suit you in order to read in comfort and enjoy the process.

Programs for viewing PDF, DjVu and other formats

In addition to all kinds of text formats, there are a number of others that, strictly speaking, are not text. But nevertheless, e-books in such formats are found all over the Internet. At the same time, if almost any Linux distribution contains tools for viewing “anything and everything” right out of the box, then in a freshly installed Windows tools for opening such files are completely absent as a class. You will have to install them yourself.

Of these formats, the first one is PDF. It is where you most often find pirated copies of books on the Internet - scanned textbooks, encyclopedias, tutorials, magazines, etc. (however, not only pirated ones). Therefore, software for working with such files is “vital”.

Original program from the format developer. And that says it all - everything that can be supported and worked in PDF is supported and works. On the one hand, this is a plus. On the other hand, all kinds of scripts embedded in the book file itself also work. And among them now there may be malicious ones.

After downloading a pirated version of a tutorial or the latest version of a computer magazine in PDF from the Internet, do not be lazy to run it properly with an antivirus.

As a result, Adobe is forced to constantly release patches and patch security holes. However, this problem affects not only Adobe Reader, but also any other software for working with PDF. As for Adobe Reader itself, the disadvantages include the significant size it takes up on the disk and its heaviness.

Also designed for PDF viewing, but an order of magnitude easier than the program described above. Lighter, faster and less gluttonous. At the same time, Foxit Reader is also not deprived of its capabilities. It has Russian localization (if you are connected to the Internet, select Russian in the settings - the localization file will be automatically downloaded and moved where needed). There are a bunch of versions - old, new, portable (working without installation)... - all cope perfectly with their main function - viewing PDF, without any need for an Adobe reader. So I recommend it.

There is a version for Linux. And although it has been in beta for many years, it works without any serious glitches.

In addition to PDF, another common e-book format on the Internet is DjVu. It is ideal for scans of educational, scientific and engineering literature - one-color text containing drawings, formulas and graphs with very good quality is compressed into relatively small files. But among the Windows programs for viewing this format, IMHO, only one is worthy of attention (Linux users are a little better with this issue).

The program is small, fast and convenient. It does not differ in particularly “sophisticated” functionality. But all she needs to do is rip DjVu files normally, which she does “with five points.” In general, it is highly recommended for use.

In order to read books in the popular FB2 (FictionBook) format, created specifically for compatibility with various operating systems, you need to use a special application - a reader. There are many such programs for PCs that allow you not only to view, but sometimes also to edit texts. Early versions are intended for use on Windows 7 and XP platforms, later versions are intended for Windows 10.

Almost every program for opening FB2 also supports most other formats. And the best readers are able to read information from an e-book out loud.

For the convenience of users, in the settings of almost all applications, from the popular Cool Reader to the infrequently used “Balabolka”, there are changes in the size and color of fonts, background and page turning options.

But in order to find the most suitable option, the user should look at the top similar programs with a description of their capabilities, disadvantages and advantages.

Fiction Book Reader

This fb2 reader for a computer gives the user the ability to work with files with the extension .epub, .mobi and .txt. The PDF format is not supported, but it is possible to sort books using OPDS catalogs.

Main menu free version Fiction Book Reader.

To make text easier to read, the application allows you to switch to full-screen mode by removing panels from the screen. The disadvantages of this fb2 reader for a computer include its availability in the Microsoft Store online store - that is, the program can only be installed on Windows 8, 8.1 and 10.

In addition, the application is paid - although it is possible to use it for free by downloading the Lite version.

STDU Viewer

The program is designed to open other formats - from DjVu and PDF to ePUB and TIFF. And it has good functionality, allowing you to perform the following operations:

  • scale the font size to see the text better;
  • choose the page orientation and their number on the screen (one or as a book spread);
  • adjust contrast and brightness.

STDU Viewer App

The application also has the ability to print the text being viewed by selecting various settings print. Using the program, you can create open documents bookmarks. In this case, the files themselves are not edited or changed.

And to transfer information from one computer to another, they use the procedure of importing and exporting a tree of bookmarks.

Cool Reader

Another popular reader program is Cool Reader, which is considered one of the best due to its support for more than ten commonly used formats and its simple user interface.

The application works with archives, opening books that have been packed to reduce their size, provides reading texts aloud and editing information. With Cool Reader you can record an MP3 audio file using several pronunciation dictionaries.

One of the best readers is Cool Reader, v. 3.3.61.

Among other advantages that CR3 (the latest, third version of the reader) received is support for multiple languages, setting bookmarks and searching for information in an open document.

After formatting, the application allows you to save the edited text as .rtf, .txt or .html files. You can also use it to list the latest documents opened in the reader.

Sumatra PDF

  • simple design that allows you to read the text without being distracted by the design;
  • the ability to copy texts from an open electronic document in any supported format;
  • multilingual interface, including menus in Russian and 59 other languages.

Application for working with Sumatra PDF e-books.

This program for reading books on a computer can be used in the form of a portable version, which allows you to do without installing it. And when opening fb2 files, it, unlike many analogues, displays pictures correctly.

If you download Sumatra PDF 0.9.1 or a later version of the application, in any open electronic document You can leave bookmarks.

Caliber

PC users who need good program to read books on a computer, they can also download the Caliber application, with which you can not only open texts in various formats, but also edit them and create your own electronic library.

The program supports downloading downloaded books from the network and connecting additional modules. Using the reader will allow you not to wonder how to open about 20 popular formats - from AZW and FB2 to PDF and RB.

Popular and feature-rich Caliber app

Among the features that this e-book reader provides is the conversion of one type of file to another. Moreover, the reader itself does not support all formats.

To work with most texts, an additional E-book viewer application is downloaded and installed at the same time.

FBReader

Among the features of the FBReader application that allow it to get into the ranking of the best e-readers are:

  • support various types e-books (including in fb2 format);
  • simple and convenient interface for viewing text, easily customizable even by an inexperienced user;
  • automatic creation of links to books, regardless of their location on computer drives.

FBReader program

This program for reading e-books has only one drawback - the lack of a two-page mode. Therefore, if necessary, you will always have at your disposal a functional and convenient tool for working with various options for electronic documents.

It is recommended to download this fb2 reader for your computer from its manufacturer’s website. The application is open source and distributed free of charge. And the coolest thing is that there are smartphone applications for modern operating systems based on Android, Windows Phone and iOS.

Liberty Book Reader

Free e-book reader for computer Liberty Book Reader developed by Microsoft. Therefore, texts can be uploaded directly from the application to the DropBox and SkyDrive cloud services.

In addition, the program user has access to books from the Microsoft online library - although it can only be downloaded for Windows 10, 8 and 8.1.

Liberty Book Reader from Microsoft

The advantages of using the application include the option that offers similar Microsoft storage genres. In the reader menu, you can create a catalog of good books, sorting them by genre, date or alphabet.

And among additional features Options that the reader provides include creating notes on the text, jumping to individual fragments of text, and changing font sizes.

ICE Book Reader Professional

Popular program for reading fb2 on ICE computer Book Reader is distributed free of charge and supports more than 70 interface languages.

At the same time, it opens a large number of e-book formats and allows you to find information faster than many similar applications. Among other functions of the reader it is worth noting:

  • reading archived texts;
  • quick search;
  • conversion to other formats.

Text reader ICE Book Reader

One of the reasons for the program to be included in the rating is that there is no need to install it in Windows and register for further use. In addition, the reader allows you to create collections of files of any type (including not only books) and manage them directly from the menu.

And when you launch the application, it opens on the page of the document that was last used.

AlReader

  • reading most existing formats;
  • working with Slovoed and Lingvo dictionaries;
  • several text scrolling options;
  • editing open e-books.

AlReader program interface

This fb2 reader supports bookmarks, footnotes, and various styles. You can download it from the official website of the developer. Latest version dates back to 2016, and the list of supported platforms includes not only Windows, but also Android.

"Balabolka"

The rating is completed by the “Balabolka” application, the functionality of which allows you not only to work with texts, but also to read them out loud. Downloading the reader will answer the question of how to read e-books on a computer, edit them and record them as audio files.

Moreover, during the recording process you can change both the reading speed and voice timbre.

Interface of the program "Balabolka"

Conclusion

When choosing a suitable application for working with e-books, the user should try several options. Finally, not only the list, but also personal acquaintance with the capabilities and interface will help you understand which fb2 reader program is best suited.

Although, if we take into account the opinions of other users, the best program for working with books in electronic format is Cool Reader, which supports dozens of extensions. Or ICE Book Reader, which you can work with not only without registration, but also without installation on your computer.

Downloading an e-reader for Windows 10 is a better solution than downloading a text editing program. Of course, if you only want to read and not edit. Readers are specialized programs that allow you to view a document, but not edit it. Text file editors, such as Word, allow you to both read and edit. Of course, editors are superior to readers. But editors, as a rule, are paid, and they take up a lot of space. Therefore, if you do not need their editing functions, then it is easier to download the reader for Windows 10.

Which ereader to download for Windows 10

is one of the best programs for viewing documents. The level of quality of readers is determined extremely simply. The more different formats a program supports, the better it is. In this regard, the Cool Reader is the undoubted leader. The utility allows you to open more than 30 different formats, among which there are not only absolutely all modern and popular formats, but also rare formats, as well as professional ones. With this free reader you can open all types of files for reading:
  • Documentation;
  • Books;
  • Instructions;
  • Books with illustrations;
Last Cool version Reader is good because it allows you to open files of any format. It does not matter whether this file contains pictures or other data besides text. The utility works great with graphs, tables, and other types of data. Everything is very clear, but the reader itself has a minimal interface. This allows you not to be distracted by the program, but to calmly read the document. If necessary, you can completely hide the entire Cool Reader interface and leave on the screen only the text itself or other data from the document that you have opened.


If you download the reader to your tablet, you can turn your tablet into a real e-book. Here it is very important to choose the best reader, since bad programs do not care about your eyesight. And good utilities help preserve vision. For example, they make the screen light slightly yellow, and also select the optimal font. But you shouldn’t rely only on e-readers. You can improve your reading quality and save your eyesight. To do this, just adjust the screen brightness to suit the ambient lighting.

In this review I will tell you about the best, in my opinion, programs for reading books on a computer. Despite the fact that most people read literature on phones or tablets, as well as on e-books, I decided to start with programs for PCs, and next time I’ll talk about applications for mobile platforms. New review:

Some of the programs described are quite simple and allow you to easily open a book in FB2, EPUB, Mobi and other formats, adjust colors, fonts and other display options and simply read, leave bookmarks and continue from where you left off last time. Others are not just a reader, but entire managers of electronic literature with convenient options for sorting, creating descriptions, converting or sending books to electronic devices. There are both on the list.

The next powerful e-reader program is Caliber, which is a source code project that is one of the few that continues to be developed to this day (most PC e-readers have either been abandoned recently or have evolved only towards mobile platforms ).

If we talk about Caliber only as an e-reader (and it is not only that), then it works simply, has various parameters for customizing the interface and opens most common e-book formats. However, it cannot be said that it is very advanced and, probably, the program is much more interesting in its other capabilities.

What else can Caliber do? At the installation stage, you will be asked to indicate your e-books (devices) or the brand and platform of phones and tablets - exporting books to them is one of the program's functions.

The next point is extensive opportunities for managing your text library: you can comfortably manage all your books in almost any format, including FB2, EPUB, PDF, DOC, DOCX - I won’t list it, in almost any, without exaggeration. At the same time, managing books is no less convenient than in the program discussed above.

One last thing: Caliber is also one of the best e-book converters, with which you can easily convert all common formats (to work with DOC and DOCX you need Microsoft Word installed on your computer).

The program is available for download on the official website of the project http://calibre-ebook.com/download_windows (it supports not only Windows, but also Mac OS X, Linux)

AlReader

Another excellent program for reading books on a computer with a Russian-language interface is AlReader, this time without an abundance additional functions for managing libraries, but with everything necessary for the reader. Unfortunately, the computer version has not been updated for a long time, but it already has everything you need, and no problems with operation were noticed.

Using AlReader, you can open a downloaded book in the format you need (tested FB2 and EPUB, much more is supported), fine-tune colors, indents, hyphens, select a theme, if desired. Well, then just read without being distracted by extraneous things. It goes without saying that there are bookmarks and the program remembers where you left off.

Once upon a time, I personally read more than a dozen books using AlReader and, if everything was in order with my memory, I was completely satisfied.

Official AlReader download page http://www.alreader.com/

Additionally

I did not include Cool Reader in the article, although it is available in the Windows version, but it can only be included in the list of the best for Android (my personal opinion). I also decided not to write anything about:

  • Kindle Reader (since if you buy books for Kindle, you should be familiar with this program) and other branded applications;
  • Programs for reading PDF (Foxit Reader, Adobe PDF Reader, built-in program in Windows 8) - you can read about this in the article;
  • Programs for reading Djvu - I have a separate article with a review of programs for computers and applications for Android:.

This concludes, next time I will write about e-books in relation to Android and iOS.


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