pyCBDS

I recently tried using my Nintendo DS to read some PDF files, but unfortunately, the device doesn't have enough resources to handle them. However, I discovered that it is possible to read CBR-like files on the Nintendo DS with the help of a homebrew program called Comic Book DS. This program uses a unique file format known as ComicBookDS, which is identified by the CBDS extension. To use Comic Book DS, you'll need to pair it with a converter program.

Luckily, there are several converter utilities available, and one such utility is PictoDS. This Java-based GUI tool is capable of transforming CBR, CBZ, ZIP, and RAR files into the CBDS format, making it the go-to tool for creating CBDS files. However, I encountered some difficulties getting PictoDS to run on my GNU/Linux box, so I decided to create my own converter.

I ended up creating a console tool written in Python, which I tested on Ubuntu Hardy. While it requires some minor modifications to run on Windows, it has almost all of the capabilities of PictoDS. In fact, my converter is capable of converting not only CBR, CBZ, ZIP, and RAR files, but also PDF files and image directories. Overall, I found the Comic Book DS program and my converter to be reliable tools for reading comic book style files on the Nintendo DS.