Observations/problems running Calibre under OS X

garygibsonsf · 07-18-2008, 04:55 AM

Just a few things I've noticed about Calibre on my PPC Mac: it works mostly just fine, except for one or two things.

Importing books individually and converting them to LRF seems to work just fine, however every time I've tried to convert more than one book at once (usually .lit files), calibre has hung up. To be precise: when I look at the 'active job list', the job currently under way is making no progress. (I click on the top job in the list, currently 'working', and the screen that comes up is blank: all it says is 'Log:' at the top).

But when I do one book at the time this happens less often - but still does occur every several books.

Also: when I attempt to stop a job by clicking the 'stop selected job' button, nothing ever happens. It appears to continue to try to process the book, but fails to do so.

However, if I then close calibre down and restart it, nine times out of ten that same book will process fine in no time at all.

Hope that's of some help.

kovidgoyal · 07-18-2008, 12:28 PM

What version of OS X are you running?

RandallFlagg · 07-18-2008, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garygibsonsf

Just a few things I've noticed about Calibre on my PPC Mac: it works mostly just fine, except for one or two things.

Importing books individually and converting them to LRF seems to work just fine, however every time I've tried to convert more than one book at once (usually .lit files), calibre has hung up. To be precise: when I look at the 'active job list', the job currently under way is making no progress. (I click on the top job in the list, currently 'working', and the screen that comes up is blank: all it says is 'Log:' at the top).

But when I do one book at the time this happens less often - but still does occur every several books.

Also: when I attempt to stop a job by clicking the 'stop selected job' button, nothing ever happens. It appears to continue to try to process the book, but fails to do so.

However, if I then close calibre down and restart it, nine times out of ten that same book will process fine in no time at all.

Hope that's of some help.

I'm having the same problems here. I posted ticket 815 about the stop problem and Kovid said he'd fix it in the next release. Now for some reason today I can't get it to fetch info. I get an error Error fetching metadata: Internal Server Error. I can go directly to the site and I'm logged in. This is new. I'm on os x 10.4.11 I am using Calibre version 4.74. I missed 4.75 and have installed and used both .76 and .77, but for me they are too buggy. Books just constantly get hung up in a spin cycle

kovidgoyal · 07-19-2008, 12:37 AM

the isbndb site is down. Try searching on it. I dont see the job related problems on my PPC mac running 10.4.11 any special step to reproduce them? I'm guessing it only happens when trying to convert more than one book?

RandallFlagg · 07-19-2008, 12:51 AM

Thanks for the info about the site. I went to the site to see if it was working and it was, but I guess that doesn't tell me it's not working in Calibre. As far as the books just running, its happened to me in bulk and with just one book converting. It seems to happen when I'm multitasking. If I start a conversion and then either add another book and edit meta or if I open a browser and then go back to Calibre. It's almost like it gets a hiccup in the conversion and it doesn't error out, it just spins the hour glass. I've left a couple on for a good half hour just to see if it would finish. It never finished and never error'ed. I clicked the hour glass to kill the process, but as we know, that doesn't work for me anymore

So I close Calibre, reopen it and restart the conversion. In most cases it completes the book in seconds to minutes. Lastly, any idea when the fetch site will be back up and is there a way for me to see that its down. Thanks for the great tool. Oh, and I hope you got my pittance of a donation. When I get a few bucks, I'll send another so you can get a cup of joe

kovidgoyal · 07-19-2008, 10:44 AM

Hmm OK I'm making various improvements to the IPC code, I'll post a link to an improved version here. I'd appreciate it if you could test it, since I cant really reproduce this behavior. isbndb.com is back now. And thanks for the donation, every little bit helps

kovidgoyal · 07-19-2008, 11:38 AM

OK here's an updated version, test and let me know: http://theory.caltech.edu/~kovid/calibre-0.4.77.dmg

RandallFlagg · 07-19-2008, 04:36 PM

Just downloaded and installed it. I use it today and post back.

for getting a updated version up so fast, hope you got some sleep

I just converted 5 non drm prc's, 2 non drm lit's and a html file. I did all the things I used to [save a finished conversion while the next file is converting, surf the web, opened a word doc, etc.] It was able to complete all 8 files with no problem, except some slow downs and a few spinning rainbow wheels. Those are I sure my systems fault, [mac mini 1.25 ppc w/ 1 gb ram. booting off a mini stack firewire 400.] It's slow, but I still like osx for surfing the web. It keeps the windows machine away from infection

I post later today with any other news. Thanks again and back to

RandallFlagg · 07-19-2008, 06:42 PM

Just a quick post, I was able to stop two books. One was a waiting job and the other a working job. I like that I can finish a waiting job if I find that I don't need to convert that book....whoo hoo

kovidgoyal · 07-19-2008, 07:37 PM

glad to hear its working

RandallFlagg · 07-19-2008, 07:49 PM

Well, spoke too soon. It still is converting 95%. I've got one that hung up, but it's a zip file, so I may have something in there I shouldn't. I'll remove any baggage and rezip it. Also the kill doesn't work again. It worked the one time and now it just unhighlights the working book. I don't get it, if it worked, it should work all the time...huh

Anyway, I've had enough conversion time for the day. I'll try some more tomorrow

kovidgoyal · 07-19-2008, 09:01 PM

Kill processes is a little dicey, they sometimes refuse to die. Try hittin stop a couple of times.

RandallFlagg · 07-20-2008, 12:51 AM

You just had to go release 4.78.

I was planning on sticking with the version you linked to above, but the added button to reverse title and author is a bit too much to pass up.

I downloaded the new version, but haven't installed it yet. What do you think, stick it out with the version you linked me to or try the new one. Thanks again.

kovidgoyal · 07-20-2008, 12:55 AM

the versions are more or less identical. Both have the IPC improvements and the swap button

RandallFlagg · 07-20-2008, 01:05 AM

I just checked and sure enough the button was right next to the text boxes. I'll use this one as it's working pretty good.

again.

07-18-2008, 04:55 AM	#1
garygibsonsf Addict Posts: 321 Karma: 432192 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite	Observations/problems running Calibre under OS X Just a few things I've noticed about Calibre on my PPC Mac: it works mostly just fine, except for one or two things. Importing books individually and converting them to LRF seems to work just fine, however every time I've tried to convert more than one book at once (usually .lit files), calibre has hung up. To be precise: when I look at the 'active job list', the job currently under way is making no progress. (I click on the top job in the list, currently 'working', and the screen that comes up is blank: all it says is 'Log:' at the top). But when I do one book at the time this happens less often - but still does occur every several books. Also: when I attempt to stop a job by clicking the 'stop selected job' button, nothing ever happens. It appears to continue to try to process the book, but fails to do so. However, if I then close calibre down and restart it, nine times out of ten that same book will process fine in no time at all. Hope that's of some help.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
problems running Calibre on FreeBSD	kacir	Calibre	5	10-22-2009 02:24 AM
Anyone running calibre on Centos 5.3?	merzy	Calibre	7	06-06-2009 02:01 AM
Running Calibre (0.4.77)	dsb66	Calibre	9	07-18-2008 04:42 AM
Problems running calibre on Windows XP	maccow	Calibre	2	06-05-2008 01:35 PM
Problems running calibre 0.4.56 on Windows	astrodad	Calibre	17	05-22-2008 10:49 AM

07-18-2008, 12:28 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	What version of OS X are you running?

07-19-2008, 12:37 AM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	the isbndb site is down. Try searching on it. I dont see the job related problems on my PPC mac running 10.4.11 any special step to reproduce them? I'm guessing it only happens when trying to convert more than one book?

07-19-2008, 12:51 AM	#5
RandallFlagg Hey Trashcan Man Posts: 66 Karma: 658 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: So Cal Device: Nook color, prs 505, Axim x30, psp, Acer Aspire One [running xp]	Thanks for the info about the site. I went to the site to see if it was working and it was, but I guess that doesn't tell me it's not working in Calibre. As far as the books just running, its happened to me in bulk and with just one book converting. It seems to happen when I'm multitasking. If I start a conversion and then either add another book and edit meta or if I open a browser and then go back to Calibre. It's almost like it gets a hiccup in the conversion and it doesn't error out, it just spins the hour glass. I've left a couple on for a good half hour just to see if it would finish. It never finished and never error'ed. I clicked the hour glass to kill the process, but as we know, that doesn't work for me anymore So I close Calibre, reopen it and restart the conversion. In most cases it completes the book in seconds to minutes. Lastly, any idea when the fetch site will be back up and is there a way for me to see that its down. Thanks for the great tool. Oh, and I hope you got my pittance of a donation. When I get a few bucks, I'll send another so you can get a cup of joe

07-19-2008, 10:44 AM	#6
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Hmm OK I'm making various improvements to the IPC code, I'll post a link to an improved version here. I'd appreciate it if you could test it, since I cant really reproduce this behavior. isbndb.com is back now. And thanks for the donation, every little bit helps

07-19-2008, 11:38 AM	#7
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	OK here's an updated version, test and let me know: http://theory.caltech.edu/~kovid/calibre-0.4.77.dmg

07-19-2008, 04:36 PM	#8
RandallFlagg Hey Trashcan Man Posts: 66 Karma: 658 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: So Cal Device: Nook color, prs 505, Axim x30, psp, Acer Aspire One [running xp]	Just downloaded and installed it. I use it today and post back. for getting a updated version up so fast, hope you got some sleep I just converted 5 non drm prc's, 2 non drm lit's and a html file. I did all the things I used to [save a finished conversion while the next file is converting, surf the web, opened a word doc, etc.] It was able to complete all 8 files with no problem, except some slow downs and a few spinning rainbow wheels. Those are I sure my systems fault, [mac mini 1.25 ppc w/ 1 gb ram. booting off a mini stack firewire 400.] It's slow, but I still like osx for surfing the web. It keeps the windows machine away from infection I post later today with any other news. Thanks again and back to

07-19-2008, 06:42 PM	#9
RandallFlagg Hey Trashcan Man Posts: 66 Karma: 658 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: So Cal Device: Nook color, prs 505, Axim x30, psp, Acer Aspire One [running xp]	Just a quick post, I was able to stop two books. One was a waiting job and the other a working job. I like that I can finish a waiting job if I find that I don't need to convert that book....whoo hoo

07-19-2008, 07:37 PM	#10
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	glad to hear its working

07-19-2008, 07:49 PM	#11
RandallFlagg Hey Trashcan Man Posts: 66 Karma: 658 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: So Cal Device: Nook color, prs 505, Axim x30, psp, Acer Aspire One [running xp]	Well, spoke too soon. It still is converting 95%. I've got one that hung up, but it's a zip file, so I may have something in there I shouldn't. I'll remove any baggage and rezip it. Also the kill doesn't work again. It worked the one time and now it just unhighlights the working book. I don't get it, if it worked, it should work all the time...huh Anyway, I've had enough conversion time for the day. I'll try some more tomorrow

07-19-2008, 09:01 PM	#12
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Kill processes is a little dicey, they sometimes refuse to die. Try hittin stop a couple of times.

Advert

Advert

07-20-2008, 12:51 AM	#13
RandallFlagg Hey Trashcan Man Posts: 66 Karma: 658 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: So Cal Device: Nook color, prs 505, Axim x30, psp, Acer Aspire One [running xp]	You just had to go release 4.78. I was planning on sticking with the version you linked to above, but the added button to reverse title and author is a bit too much to pass up. I downloaded the new version, but haven't installed it yet. What do you think, stick it out with the version you linked me to or try the new one. Thanks again.

07-20-2008, 12:55 AM	#14
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,858 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	the versions are more or less identical. Both have the IPC improvements and the swap button

07-20-2008, 01:05 AM	#15
RandallFlagg Hey Trashcan Man Posts: 66 Karma: 658 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: So Cal Device: Nook color, prs 505, Axim x30, psp, Acer Aspire One [running xp]	I just checked and sure enough the button was right next to the text boxes. I'll use this one as it's working pretty good. again.