For those who are familiar with e-books and often download them on the Internet, this format already familiar. But for those who accidentally downloaded a file of this format, this will be a slight surprise. Especially if you encountered it for the first time and it turned out to be impossible to open it just like that. What if there is some kind of important information? That’s exactly why I wrote this article, to dot all the i’s and find out what kind of file fb2 is (and there is also fb3), how to open it and how to edit it.
First of all, let's figure it out
What kind of file is fb2 format?
FB2 (FictionBook) - presentation format electronic versions books in the form of XML documents, where each element of the book is described with its own tags. The standard is designed to ensure compatibility with any devices and formats. XML makes it easy to create documents that are ready for immediate use and software processing(conversion, storage, management) in any environment.
Documents, usually with the .fb2 extension, may contain structural markup of the main elements of the text, some information about the book, and may also contain attachments with binary files that may contain illustrations or the cover.
To put it simply, this is one of the most convenient formats for reading e-books (which is gaining popularity), especially since the software for opening it also exists not only for Windows computer, but also for other distributions (operating systems) and for smartphones (also different OSes).
There is also fb3 format. Dry characteristics from the office. site what is the difference between fb3 and fb2 hidden under spoiler
Main differences from fb2 are not in the field of ideology, but in the field of technological solutions.
An Fb3 file is now essentially a zip archive in which meta information, pictures and text are packaged as separate files.
- Requirements for the zip file format and conventions for file naming, placement and organization are described in the ECMA-376 Part 2 standard
- Meta information is displayed in separate file, the body of the book and footnotes - in another file
- All pictures are taken from XML and are, ultimately, files in the archive
- Documents are linked to files not through xlink, but in accordance with the Relationships mechanism described in OPF
- In addition to a number of minor innovations in formatting (space, underlining), fundamentally new object a “block” that falls out of the general flow of the document and forms an arbitrary fragment of the book in the form of a quadrangle, which can have a border, be embedded in the text with a flow, and have some other placement features.
- Some tags that have semantic analogues in HTML will be renamed, for example, emphasis will turn into em.
Well, for me, it’s like everything new - the same, only better.
How (how) to open a fb2 file?
There are several programs for opening. this format. Although they are not intended specifically for it, they simply support opening the same format. These programs can be used as a convenient “reader” for reading books (tuftology turned out). I will consider only the most popular and worth attention.
FBReader- the main program for opening and reading fb2 and fb3 files.
HaaliReader- FB2 reader for regular Windows and Windows CE.
AlReader- Reads and edits texts in FB2 format on computers running Windows 2000, Windows XP and higher
which does not work and is NOT Russian and working.
Cool Reader- easy to read large files. Although in principle the same as everyone else.
STDU Viewer - small convenient program for reading e-books, including fb2.
ICE Book Reader Professional- also received attention and consideration.
More programs with which you can open this file format: Athenaeum,
Have you looked? Have you downloaded it? Well done...
Here are a couple of options for curious perverts:
1) You can open this file with regular Word (since it is an XML document), if you don’t like the tags, save as RTF-document, and then into a regular one DOC. Click on the document and select from Word list. Or right-click on it and select To open with... and select Word.
The disadvantages of such a conversion will be:
1- if pictures were inserted into *.fb2, they will NOT be displayed in Word;
2- most likely you will want (but this is optional) to format the text because it turns out... ummm... like a bunch of lines and sentences. Not so nice overall.
2) You can simply rename the file extension from fb2 on htm or doc or rtf, and then open this file using the same Word (if rtf or doc) or using your browser (in the case of the htm extension). The disadvantages are the same as in the previous version.
It will be easier, you don’t need to download programs, but you will only get black text on a white background. In general, it’s up to you to choose how to open the fb2 format.
How to edit a file in fb2 format?
You can use the same AlReader as presented above or ICE Book Reader Professional.
You can use special utility FictionBook Editor.
Developer: Hose, KVS (LitRes) ()
Program status: For administrative use
Interface: Russian English
Version: 2.6 (build 05 Oct 2010)
System: Windows 2K/XP/Vista/7
Format: FB2
The archive contains instructions and the program itself.
How to convert to FB2 file format?
It will be useful for those who want to create their own book in fb2 format.
The FB2 file is a common format for storing, as well as for reading, electronic books of various versions, and was founded by a community of domestic developers. A huge number of electronic libraries use it equally as PDF and DJVU.
The FB2 extension often includes the XML markup needed for certain text elements, such as chapters, headings, paragraphs, quotes, and more. May contain additional information about books, their covers and illustrations. When creating the standard, we tried to ensure its support for any computer operating system, including mobile platforms.
The main distribution of the FB2 file was in the field of fiction, in contrast to textbooks with formulas, as well as scientific publishing houses. Quite a large number of free programs can open FB2; among the main utilities, there are STDU Viewer, Ice Book Reader, as well as FBReader, CoolReader and others.
To edit the contents of the extension, you can use software packages such as FictionBook Editor or FictionBook Tools, which are capable of creating a book with the required design. Thanks to the use of XML markup for the described file type, reading books becomes as flexible as possible, which will allow you to run it within a variety of software on personal computer, as well as on mobile phones, smartphones and tablets. Using the Caliber reading, storage and editing program, you can convert books from FB2 to other formats that you need.
Despite the fact that epub and mobi formats are becoming increasingly popular on mobile devices, it is still too early to bury fb2 (FictionBook). Today we will look under our microscope best programs for reading fb2, which provide maximum comfort for the eyes and without unnecessary frills. These applications should not only open e-books, but also be highly customizable.
The list of mobile fb2 readers for Android includes the following free applications:
All applications are available for download on Google Play, links to them are available next to the description of each fb2 reader. So, let's start testing.
FBReader - a cute fb2 reader for Android
How to open a file? FBReader is the first thing that comes to mindPerhaps not a single review is complete without mentioning the free reader FBReader. If you don’t know how to open a fb2 file, then this is the application that first comes to mind, regardless of the platform. The fact is that FBReader is available everywhere:
- for desktop OS (Windows / Mac OS / Linux)
- mobile phones and tablets (Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry 10)
Only iOS is missing from this list - but, of course, there are quite a few “native” reader applications for reading in this mobile OS.
In addition to fb2, the FBreader application for Android successfully opens the following document formats: ePub, azw3, Word documents, HTML, simple text documents, PDF and DjVu books (via module). True, the last of those mentioned are available after installing the plugins that are posted for free download on the application website.
Let's see why the FBReader project was developed, what are the main features of the reader and why it should be used to read books on Android? Let's list the three main features of the reader (highlighted in bold).
Synchronizing books on your phone using a network library. FBReader provides cloud service for storing books. You can download fb2 books for Android for free (follow the link - list of electronic libraries), easily upload documents and books in fb2 format (they can be compressed into a zip archive) to the cloud, and then access and read them on any device. The position (where you are in the document) will be saved. By the way, synchronization can be configured in a couple of clicks; by default it is disabled.
How to open fb2 using FBReader?
In addition to your own library, you can connect additional online catalogs and bookstores. What concerns me is network functions I don’t use FBReader readers at all, I just download books from popular online libraries to my Android in fb2 format. This standard way downloading books, which works like a charm.
Setting up the display of fb2 books. In addition to the fact that FBReader has a pleasant user interface, it is nice to be able to fine-tune the display of text in the book. In this regard, it is necessary to note color schemes, night and day reading modes, screen brightness, changing the background background, text color, font size and typeface. You can download your favorite fonts to Android in TrueType or OpenType format and specify them in the reader settings.
Finally, the third feature of this fb2 reading program for Android will appeal to those who read books in foreign languages - namely, the easy connection of dictionaries to translate words in the text of books. Take the same Kindle: there you can connect an English-Russian dictionary and quickly find out the translation of a particular word when you highlight it. This feature is often not available on Android readers, but FBReader is a pleasant exception. Add dictionaries ColorDict, Fora Dictionary, FreeDictionary.org to your phone, tell FBReader where to get the words from - and you can read FictionBook books and quickly translate words into Russian.
AlReader - old fb2 reader with good functionality
AlReader is a fairly old reader for fb2, which appeared at the dawn of the heyday of mobile phones. When opening the application, there is even a feeling of nostalgia: AlReader is too reminiscent of its earlier versions. That is, the interface has not changed much since then. This can be approached in two ways: on the one hand, if you have already opened books in FB Reader and similar readers, then you most likely will not like the interface of the AlReader application. On the other hand, we advise you to still evaluate other aspects of this mobile application.
The AlReader application boasts support not only for the Fb2 format, but also for reading books in epub, mobi, doc, including from archives. You can use a local or online library to navigate your document. Actually, inside the book you can also navigate through sections (one of fb2’s features, by the way), create bookmarks and notes as you read. The app recognizes many gestures, which makes sense. primarily for adjusting brightness and navigation.
The appearance and style of displaying the book on the phone screen is conveniently customizable: indents, background and font color, typeface size, flipping effects - in general, everything that can be found in any developed program for reading e-books on Android.
In short, we would advise you to pay attention to the AlReader mobile reader simply because it is a proven reader among users not only of Android, but also of other mobile platforms. And the unsightly shell is partly compensated by skins and excellent functionality.
Moon+ Reader - fb2 “lunar” reader for night owls
Reading fb2 using Moon Reader"Lunar Reader" is not much inferior to the same FBReader; it can be used with the same success for reading books in FB2 format, not only. The list of supported book formats includes popular mobile formats epub, txt, html, pdf, mobi, fb2 and others. Books can be packaged in rar and zip archives and opened without problems on Android via Moon+ Reader.
Similar to the FBReader reader, Moon Reader has the ability to connect online libraries with books. You can also download e-books in the above formats to an SD card or internal memory, and then open them in the application.
Reading convenience is excellent: adjusting font sizes, colors, backgrounds, indents, shadows, transparency and other beauties that in one way or another affect the perception of color. Returning to the name of the application - Moon Reader - yes, reading at night in this reader is quite convenient, there are a dozen design themes, as well as night and day reading modes.
When reading, it is worth noting the following features: auto-scrolling, smooth scrolling of text, adjusting screen brightness when sliding, optimization for long reading, flipping effects, adjusting text alignment, hyphenation, display modes for both tablets and small screens of Android devices.
If we talk about unique features fb2 programs, then this is an unusually wide support for gestures. You can customize literally any command by assigning a specific gesture for its execution. And if Kindle or another e-ink reader beats the screen in terms of reading pleasure, then in terms of gestures Android is ahead of the rest. You can configure actions for taps, volume control buttons, search, camera button and others. You have 24 operations at your disposal that you can assign these gestures to.
Good news for lovers of foreign literature and for attentive readers who like to scribble in the margins: Moon Reader is very convenient for highlighting fragments of text, you can connect dictionaries to translate text, popular translator dictionaries ColorDict, Fora, ABBYY Lingvo and others are supported. In this aspect, Moon Reader surpasses even the authoritative reader FBReader.
Prestigio Reader - a good phone reader for book formats
Prestigio Reader can open many book formats, but primarily focuses on mobile ones: these are FB2, ePub, DjVU, etc. If you prefer to listen to audiobooks, then the reader will satisfy these needs without any problems.
Prestigio Reader is a truly “prestigious” program for reading fb2 books
Prestigio Reader is, frankly, a very pleasant discovery for us. At the first steps, when working with the reader, everything is intuitive. First, the guide illustrates where and what elements should be used in the application.
Fb2 books are added to the library automatically through intelligent search. Which is incredibly convenient, because... you don’t need to search for files on your phone yourself, although the Prestigio Reader program contains file manager. In addition, more than 5 thousand books are available for download in the online library.
The interface of the Prestigio Reader application is very pleasant and fresh. By default, everything should be fine, but in any case, you can customize the design of the fb2 book to suit you. IN quick settings– font sizes, indents, typeface. By going to the advanced settings, you will see settings for styles, colors, panels, animations - even more than what the user needs when reading files in fb2 format.
PocketBook - FB2 and PDF reader for Android
The PocketBook program is designed for reading fb2 books on a mobile device on the Android platform. It’s hardly worth listing the book formats this reader works with - it covers all popular extensions, essentially duplicating both Moon Reader and FBReader.
Hand on heart, we have to admit that among fb2 readers for Android there are not so many pleasant programs in which a) the interface looks modern b) it’s pleasant to read books. Unfortunately, on Google Play there are pdf and fb2 readers with a frankly poor shell. You open them and think: well, all hope is that the pages in the book will look normal, at least the program won’t let you down in this regard. But no, and the fonts match the interface.
As for the PocketBook application for Android, the opposite is true: it is one of the most successful applications for reading books in the FictionBook format. The developers achieved this by easy navigation on the library and implementation of the radial menu.
At first, such a device for the main menu in PocketBook requires some getting used to, which is understandable: it’s rare to see such know-how in any mobile fb2 reader. But then it becomes clear that through this menu you can carry out almost all the necessary actions: change font sizes, adjust brightness, go to the menu, etc. In the main menu of the application, a standard set of parameters is available for customizing the display of text in the book: indents, colors, themes.
In a word, the developers of the PocketBook application tried their best and released a high-quality product for reading on Android. Interestingly, the same team is developing e-books using e-ink ink and related accessories.
EBookDroid - FB2 and PDF reader
The EBookDroid reader focuses on two book formats - PDF and Deja Vu, but fb2 books can also be read with the same convenience on a phone or tablet. However, what about this very convenience?
After a quick test of the EBookDroid, the feeling is twofold. On the one hand, all the basic reading functions are in place. You can open books, navigate through pages and sections, leave bookmarks and comment different ways, customize the display of fonts and even add your own typefaces.
However, as for the shell itself, it is not very pleasing to the eye. Although the EBookDroid application is updated quite regularly, these innovations affect the visual shell to a small extent. The FictionBook reading application looks as if the year is not 2016, but 2006.
We hope that soon we will be able to download the fb2 program in material design version. And this is not a matter of taste, but a simple requirement from most Android OS users.
Cool Reader - old-fashioned reader for Android
The free old-school fb2 reader for Android called Cool Reader supports almost all popular e-book formats (PDF, MOBI, RTF, FictionBook itself, etc.), although, for example, DOC and AZW3 are not on the list.
Old school - because the interface, as in the previous case, is a little outdated. This creates certain inconveniences: firstly, the bookshelf is not as effective as in the case of PocketBook (it could simply be replaced with a simple list); secondly, you immediately have to rearrange everything “to suit you”: background, color, font size and alignment.
If you close your eyes to the user shell, then, as the developer notes on the program description page, Cool Reader at the same time has similarities with FBReader, Aldiko, AlReader, Moon reader and other representatives of fb2-readers for Android. Therefore, the list of functions is similar to all of the above.
Summary. We have mentioned, in our opinion, the best fb2 readers for Android. As you can see, there is always something to open both fb2 and pdf, epub, mobi. The following reviews will look at these mobile formats for storing books on your phone. Good luck!
Paper books gradually became electronic view, and now all book lovers, instead of extensive bookshelves, acquire a variety of files. And sooner or later the question will arise about how to open a Fb2 file, because these types of books are the most common and convenient for use.
Fb2 is the most popular format for e-books. Its main advantage is that it will look the same on all types of devices with any operating system and screen resolution.
From this it becomes clear that there are programs for opening Fb2 files for all platforms and devices. Moreover, there are a huge number of such programs, and I will talk about some of them in this article.
FBReader
One of the most popular tools for opening a Fb2 file. It earned its fame due to its simplicity and ease, as well as cross-platform functionality. The program works quickly, and there are versions for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, Blackberry and many other OSes that run desktop and mobile devices. On the developer's website you can download the version for the desired operating system.
FBReader supports the following features:
- creation of offline and online libraries;
- sorting books
- working with bookmarks;
- working with a table of contents;
- search function;
- and others.
ICE Book Reader
You can open the Fb2 file using the universal ICE Book Reader, which also supports a huge number of other text files. This program created exclusively for Windows, unlike those described above, but it has maximum functionality.
Some of the features of ICE Book Reader include the following:
- opens text files different formats.
- you can open the Fb2 file and enable autoscrolling.
- working with bookmarks;
- working with a table of contents;
- search;
- There are many options to customize the program for yourself.
So, in this article I have listed the most popular programs that allow you to open the Fb2 file. They became so famous due to their comfort. It is unlikely that programs will appear that are more convenient than those I have described. So use it.
Many users often have problems opening e-books. The formats in which such books are distributed are not widespread and specialized programs are needed to work with them. A striking example is the FictionBook or fb2 format. Users often ask how to open fb2? In this article we will look at a number of programs that will allow you to work with e-books in fb2 format.
FBReader
FBReader – free program open source e-book reader. There are versions for operating systems Linux systems and Windows. The FBReader program allows you to open fb2, as well as other popular formats. Among them: ePub, TCR, PalmDoc, zTXT and TXT.
In addition, using FBReader you can create an electronic library by sorting your favorite books into thematic categories. Similar digital library will allow you to quickly find and open the book you need, without having to search for a file in folders.
The program is equipped with a simple and intuitive interface. Menu typical for Windows programs, absent. Instead, a toolbar is used, which contains all the main functions of the program. It is possible to run the program in full screen mode.
In the settings, the user can specify parameters for page turning, text formatting, etc.
Don’t know how to open an fb2 file on your Android smartphone? There is a version of this program for this operating system, it is called FBReaderJ. Mobile app FBReaderJ allows you to open e-book formats such as: oeb, ePub and fb2. It is possible to read books directly from zip archives, gzip and tar.
You can download the FBReader program on the official website.
CoolReader
CoolReader powerful program for reading e-books. Like the previous CoolReader program, it is distributed with open source source codes. There are versions for all popular platforms, including Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, OS/2, Android and Symbian OS.
With this program you can open FB2 files. CoolReader also supports working with formats such as CHM, TXT, EPUB (non-DRM), DOC, RTF, MOBI (non-DRM), PDB (PalmDOC, eReader), HTML and TCR.
Let's look at the main features of the CoolReader program:
- Display one or two pages at a time;
- Ability to create bookmarks;
- Support for cross-references and hyperlinks;
- Search in the text of the book;
- Display footnotes;
- Read books directly from without unpacking;
- Text encoding recognition;
- View a list of recently opened e-books;
- Reading books in full screen mode;
- Work in portable mode, without installation;
- Support additional fonts in TTF format;
- Reading the book text out loud:
There is a version of this program for the Android operating system. The Android version is equipped with the following features:
- Page turning animation;
- Day and night reading modes (screen brightness and other parameters change);
- Integrated file browser;
- Ability to select and copy text;
- Reading the text of a book aloud;
STDU Viewer
STDU Viewer - easy to use various formats. If you don’t know how to open fb2, but don’t want to deal with complex programs, perhaps STDU Viewer is best for you. The program is free for non-commercial use and only works under the operating system Windows system. With this program you can open books in the following formats: FB2, PDF, DjVu, Comic Book Archive (CBR or CBZ), XPS, ePub and TCR.
STDU Viewer is equipped with a simple interface with tab support. This means that you can open fb2 files several at a time. This will be very convenient if you need to work with several books. On the left side of the screen interface there is additional panel. With its help, you can view page thumbnails, bookmarks, and also search the text of a book in fb2 format.
STDU Viewer is also equipped with some unique features. For example, using this program you can print with print protection.
You can download the program on the official website.
ICE Book Reader Professional
ICE Book Reader Professional is a powerful program for reading e-books. The program allows you to view and convert e-books in all popular programs. The program is free for CIS users. With ICE Book Reader Professional you can easily open fb2 files, as well as e-books in other popular formats.
Supported formats include:
- FictionBook files (all versions);
- HTML;
- Microsoft Word documents;
- PALM books (.PDB and .PRC);
- Microsoft Reader books (.LIT);
- PSION/EPOC books (.TCR);
- Microsoft HELP files (.CHM);
Let's look at the main features of the ICE Book Reader Professional program:
- Converting e-books from one format to another;
- Storing electronic books and organizing your own electronic library;
- Smooth text scrolling;
- Setting text formatting;
- Book reading mode (more than one test page is displayed on the screen);
- Advanced search in the text of the book;
- Text encoding recognition;
- Full Unicode support;
- Creating bookmarks;
- Automatically remembers the page you finished reading on;
- Reading the text of a book out loud (with the ability to record the received text in an MP3/WAV file);
- and much more;
You can download the program on the official website.
What is fb2 format
The FictionBook or fb2 format is XML file, in which each element of the book is described using special tags. Using the XML markup language, you can create e-books of any complexity. The fb2 standard was developed by a group of specialists led by Dmitry Gribov and Mikhail Matsnev.
The fb2 file contains all the necessary data for working with the book. In particular, the file contains information about the author and the book itself.
To edit fb2 files, use the Fiction Book Editor program. If you don't need an editing program and just want to open fb2 for reading, then check out the list of programs below.
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