Make Documentation Available as ePub, etc.?
Since the new documentation platform is based around Sphinx, and Sphinx natively supports ePub, it would be nice if the documentation (particularly but not exclusively user documentation) were available in ePub and/or other downloadable formats.
Additionally, while it might be a little more complicated to automate, it could be nice to make the ePub documentation available through OPDS, which would allow for automatic updates and the like. Foliate natively supports OPDS on GNOME, and ePub is a fairly flexible format in general.
Some advantages of ePub over just using the website include:
- The reader can make and save annotations natively in most ereaders.
- The reader can curate and maintain a collection of the reference books most relevant to them.
- The reader can easily use an e-Ink ereader, which has accessibility benefits over a normal web browser.
- If republished (no-cost and DRM-free) through one or more ebook storefronts, the documentation could be somewhat more easily discoverable for a larger audience. (This may be more useful for the user documentation than the developer documentation.)
- Particularly Luddite readers can more easily print the ePub onto dead trees. (I jest, but you never know...)
One option for wider publication (which would include OPDS support) is the Internet Archive's Open Library, which seems missionally aligned with GNOME's broader goals.