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What's the love affair with GoodReader? OR the need for a file system?

VirtualRain

VirtualRain

macrumors 603
Original poster
Aug 1, 2008
6,304
118
Vancouver, BC
I purchased an iPad for the simplicity and minimalism and NOT to have to deal with file structures and organization.

Am I the only one that thinks GoodReader is counter to everything that the iPad is supposed to be? :confused: Steve Jobs must be shaking his head at this stupid app.

GoodReader is almost an OS unto itself... file manager and file viewer. Ugh! Why would you want an iPad and then use something like this?

Yeah, I have PDF's I want to read, but do you really want to manage a file system to view your PDF's? I sure don't. I want an iBooks or iPod like interface for my PDF's... not some clunky file browser from like 1990.

There seem like equally good PDF apps for the same price like myPDF's (no association) that seem so much more along the lines of what the iPad experience was meant to be.

GoodReader is just bringing your OSX file system into the iPad... I really really don't understand that.

Flame away! :D
 
VirtualRain said:
I purchased an iPad for the simplicity and minimalism and NOT to have to deal with file structures and organization.

Am I the only one that thinks GoodReader is counter to everything that the iPad is supposed to be? :confused: Steve Jobs must be shaking his head at this stupid app.

GoodReader is almost an OS unto itself... file manager and file viewer. Ugh! Why would you want an iPad and then use something like this?

Yeah, I have PDF's I want to read, but do you really want to manage a file system to view your PDF's? I sure don't. I want an iBooks or iPod like interface for my PDF's... not some clunky file browser from like 1990.

There seem like equally good PDF apps for the same price like myPDF's (no association) that seem so much more along the lines of what the iPad experience was meant to be.

GoodReader is just bringing your OSX file system into the iPad... I really really don't understand that.

Flame away! :D
Click to expand...

I didn't hear a valid point, just advertising for myPDFs : P
Unless someone is holding you at gunpoint making you use it, why complain?

I use the console all the time on my jail broken iPod touch, including vim with a bluetooth keyboard... but at the same time I love the simplicity of not having to mess with the file system. It's just that I really like to tinker with stuff also.

Find what works for you and use it. Don't bug the people who have what works for them : )

David
 
VirtualRain said:
I purchased an iPad for the simplicity and minimalism and NOT to have to deal with file structures and organization.

Am I the only one that thinks GoodReader is counter to everything that the iPad is supposed to be? :confused: Steve Jobs must be shaking his head at this stupid app.

GoodReader is almost an OS unto itself... file manager and file viewer. Ugh! Why would you want an iPad and then use something like this?

Yeah, I have PDF's I want to read, but do you really want to manage a file system to view your PDF's? I sure don't. I want an iBooks or iPod like interface for my PDF's... not some clunky file browser from like 1990.

There seem like equally good PDF apps for the same price like myPDF's (no association) that seem so much more along the lines of what the iPad experience was meant to be.

GoodReader is just bringing your OSX file system into the iPad... I really really don't understand that.

Flame away! :D
Click to expand...

So don't use it. Just because you don't like that type of an interface doesn't mean others don't. It has a very favorable rating from users who have it. Not sure why that seems to bug you.
 
Good reader gets closer and closer for me to not use a netbook.

Steve jobs is nodding his head...not shaking.

And its the only app where i can download ZIP format files, uncompress them and then open the files inside.

Made my Ipad a Billion times more friendlier for my needs instead of buying or waiting for an "APP"
 
I don't necessarily want a file system, but I do want a way to organize and manage large numbers of PDFs, ebooks, document files, and any other type of files I might put on the iPad. For instance, in iBooks, I want a way to organize my books into categories, with subcategories under that. The biggest categories would be fiction and nonfiction, then within fiction, I might have classics, mystery, romance, and so on, and I might further want to divide classics by time period; romance also has subgenres like historical, contemporary, etc. On a computer with a file system, this is easily done by making nested folders. Unfortunately, on the iPad, it seems that everything is just thrown into an app, and there sometimes isn't even a way to reorder things so at least like files are grouped together. How can anyone find anything without a file system or something to substitute for it? I really don't understand.... :confused:
 
Also with a file system I could edit a doc in one program then view it in another or email it. As it is right now if i save that doc I cant open up email and email it. Also I cant save attachments I recieve for another program to access.
 
Discovered this app last night and it makes my iPad soooooooooo much more useful.

In my spare time I like to write and Goodreader makes it very easy to transfer my files from my iDisk.

Very nice!
 
Dropbox

Can you say dropbox!!!!

Goodreader + dropbox = the easiest way to get PDFs on my iPad, especially from multiple computers.

Much better than emailing them to myself or connecting via usb to iTunes. Why oh why can't iTunes wifi sync? At least the small files.

GoodReader also has a PDF to text reflow feature which lets you change the fonts and font size and various page background color.

Best $0.99 I ever spent
 
It's the only way for me to log into blackboard and download PDFs for grad school. Safari won't cut it.
 
Actually, if you don't understand the need for apps like goodreader, AND you really don't see anything missing on your iPad, I'd say just ignore it. Ignorance is bliss sometimes, ya know?
 
I think I'm sitting at 1500 PDFs on the ipad.

If a person wouldn't want them categorized into folders... Well, have fun finding what you need.

Some are kids reading books, some are worksheets, some are my DDs CAP leadership and aerospace books, some happy to be a PDF & word copy of every cap form, and finally some are all the regs.

All with stupid names I wasn't redoing.

Folders are good.

Happy you don't need them!
 
I'm not sure what you are complaining about, to be honest. It doesn't replicate a file structure... it just connects to just about any cloud storage and lets you pull fines into your device for viewing or editing without dealing with a filesystem. I freaking love it! The feature where it will grab ONLY emails with attachements is brilliant. The built in text editor and FTP up/download ability makes it a mobile web development tool (if they added code hi-lighting I would happily pay extra for it)...
 
Much like the comic reader app discussion, no idea why people care if "their" preferred app is the same as other people's preferred app. Variety is good.
 
When you have 100's of pdfs its nice to be able to sort them into folders. I have folders for .net, linq, sql server, html, silverlight, magazines, photography and that is just ebooks.

Figured out last night I can also use the folder scheme to organize videos AND password protect them.

My kids often use my itouch and now iPad, but I dont want my 5 year old watching Spartacus, Law and Order, or Family Guy (and others ;) ). I realize you can do ratings but if the show doesn't have a rating its a pain and my daughter can still see the icon which in the case of spartacus is usually either a half decapitated gladiator or half naked slave woman. With goodreader I can throw them in their own folder and password protect the folder and only the folder is visible not the contents. Kids appropriate moves can just get sync through iTunes.
 
supermanx said:
Figured out last night I can also use the folder scheme to organize videos AND password protect them.
Click to expand...

Ohhhhhh, i didn't know this..... that is going to be nice when i come up for air on monday!!! LOL!! We have a ton of them that don't need to be in iTunes, and fit better this way.

Thanks for sharing that!!!!
 
VirtualRain said:
I purchased an iPad for the simplicity and minimalism and NOT to have to deal with file structures and organization.

Am I the only one that thinks GoodReader is counter to everything that the iPad is supposed to be? :confused: Steve Jobs must be shaking his head at this stupid app.

GoodReader is almost an OS unto itself... file manager and file viewer. Ugh! Why would you want an iPad and then use something like this?

Yeah, I have PDF's I want to read, but do you really want to manage a file system to view your PDF's? I sure don't. I want an iBooks or iPod like interface for my PDF's... not some clunky file browser from like 1990.

There seem like equally good PDF apps for the same price like myPDF's (no association) that seem so much more along the lines of what the iPad experience was meant to be.

GoodReader is just bringing your OSX file system into the iPad... I really really don't understand that.

Flame away! :D
Click to expand...

I bought it for a 99 cent way to download PDF's from websites such as the IRS so that I can read them on the iPad. Nothing more really.... however it is nice to grab wallpaper from websites too.
 
I think GoodReader is what iBooks should have been, and its probably the best third-party iPad app on the store, and for $0.99 its well worth it many times over. Rather than converting my textbooks to ePub I just load the PDF and it handles even the largest files extremely well. Also works great for comics.
 
Just another utility to allow people to do more if needed. If you don't need it then no big deal. Everyone has their reasons for owning an iPad in the first place. It just depends on what you want to do with it.
 
File structures aren't only for geeks. Let's say you receive a spreadsheet from a classmate with lab results. You notice an error and want to fix it and email it back. Without a filesystem this doesn't work so well. Sure you can use dropbox or another cloud based solution. You can even set up your own little "mini cloud" in your basement with network attached storage that supports FTP. That's what I did. I've said this in another thread but I'll repeat it here. Goodreader's main benefit is that it brings something like a filesystem to the iPad. The ability to read pdf's was already there when you got your iPad. If you don't believe me, delete goodreader (don't worry, it comes back for free when you reinstall it from the app store or restore it using iTunes). Then go to a web site with a link to a pdf. There it is. You can read it just fine.

Is goodreader counter to what the iPad is supposed to be? Perhaps. Apple likes few buttons and very limited capabilities. Remember they don't want to cannibalize their Macbook Air sales or Macbook sales with this thing. Perhaps the Apple approach will be to upgrade the capability of the iDisk app to let us move files easily to and from our Mobile Me accounts and offer no local file handling solution. To me this might be correct according to Apple's philosophy but I would say it is a mistake. We need a way to work with files even when we are not online. Why offer a wifi version knowing full well wifi isn't everywhere and then require a cloud based solution to file handling? Why offer 3G pricing that makes it easy to forego using 3G for months at a time and then require a cloud based solution to file handling? I hope Apple realizes this omission soon. In fact, I hope today's announcement involves some kind of file handling solution, even if there is no support for folders and subfolders. I won't mind one bit that I paid for goodreader even if it's only to get me through till June when the 4.0 OS update goes live.

BTW, I'm not trying to make the iPad a netbook. I'm trying to make the iPad work for me to do some things I might use a netbook to do like taking notes in class, editing word docs, browsing the web and answering emails. I should also mention that I appreciate a non geek approach to a device that makes it simple and reliable so I'm willing to accept some compromises to achieve simplicity and ease of use, only please don't claim to be able to edit word docs but not save them until I go digging for a usb cable and a "real computer" to sync to. That would make the iPad a toy.
 
Funnily enough, after reading this thread, I am headed to pick up Goodreader and drop box for myself!;)
 
I'll Just echo what others have said. I have almost 10 gigs of PDFs. I need to be able to manage them. And I really want most of them on my iPad.

That, along with a semblance of a file system, is exactly what put the iPad over te line from "cool gadget that i love" to a genuine laptop replacement. When the dbm tools get to where i need them to be--or I get comfortable with the apps that are there--I will be selling my MacBook.

If logmein works well enough for me to be able to use statistical packages reasonably well, this is a huge bucket of win.

I've been disappointed ever since apple discontinued the 12 in PowerBook. I love that portability. Obviously, there are some caveats, but for me, it's looking like the ipad is the new 12 in pbook.

And since they're so cheap, maybe I'll buy another one. :D
 
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