When comparing Icecream Ebook Reader vs Zathura, the Slant community recommends Zathura for most people. In the question“What are the best desktop readers?” Zathura is ranked 2nd while Icecream Ebook Reader is ranked 7th. The most important reason people chose Zathura is:
Zathura is fast and can open a pdf file almost instantly.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Clean, customizable UI
The application has an easy to use and understand interface with important features such as search always within easy reach at the top.
The interface can also be customized to best suit wishes. For example, font size can be changed, there's choice between single and double column view when reading books, or table and bookshelf view when managing the library.
Pro Pleasant reading experience
The app tracks how much of the book has been read, jumping between chapters or bookmarks can be done with a few clicks, and there's even a distraction-free mode that takes away all the interface and allows focusing on the book.
Pro It is much more lighter than Adobe Digital Editions, Calibre, etc.
So, Icecream ebook reader will work faster.
Pro Lightweight
Zathura is fast and can open a pdf file almost instantly.
Pro Clean interface
Inferface is clean and shows only a small statusbar.
Pro Vim bindings
You can browse files via keyboard, using keyboard commands similar to vim (text editor).
Pro Automatic document reloading
Zathura will automatically refresh the view when a document has been modified. (By contrast, Chrome requires a manual refresh and brings you back to the top of the document so that you have to scroll back down).
Pro Default page layout always same and predictable
No unpredictable window opening behavior like Atril. Together with it's easy ways to scroll and zoom, zathura is perfect for fast look through lots of PDFs
Pro Detailed adjustment of dark mode
- recolor-darkcolor
- recolor-lightcolor
- recolor-keephue
- recolor-reverse-video
(see manpage zathurarc)
Also, proper dark mode: colors are grayscaled not inverted.
Pro Deactivation of all GUI elements
Pro Very detailed adjustment of page layout
For example:
- pages-per-row 3 (3 pages next to each other)
- first-page-column 3:1 (for 3 page column layout: first page is on the left)
- page-right-to-left false (2nd and 3rd page are shown right to the 1st)
Unfortunately I haven't found a way yet to map these commands to a key. The ability to prefix a shortcut with a number argument would lend itself perfectly to achieve what I had in mind.
Pro Call userscripts on document
For example:
map <C-l> exec "termite -c ./termite_config --class float -e 'tmux new-session /bin/ranger $(dirname "%")'"
<C-l> opens ranger with directory containing the opened document
Other ideas:
- extract pages
- print pages
Pro Good documentation of configuration options
See man page "zathura".
Pro Multiple tabs via tabbed
https://tools.suckless.org/tabbed/
But unlike qpdfview search will only operate on one tab instance.
Cons
Con Requires PRO version for basic functionality
PRO version of the reader is required for reading without gigantic "Buy Me" billboard shoved in face every minute for 10 seconds. Oh and it's needed to copy and paste and edit.
Con Can't read Kindle books
Con No annotation support
Con No thumbnail view
Unlike qpdfview, okular and evince, which have it.
Con Input forms are not editable
qpdfview, okular and evince do this.