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Huisie · 03-03-2011, 07:20 AM

I'd like to offer a big thank-you to ... my Mom!

No, not for the obvious stuff - at the sprightly age of 62, she went out and bought a Kindle.
This started the rest of my family off on an ebook adventure.
All my family are keen readers and I'm addicted (their words). I can't walk past a book store without going inside even if just to look at the covers.

I've been reading on PDAs for years, but e-reading never caught on with friends and family until my Mom got the bug.

Being the "I.T." buy to my family and friends, I am now supposed to understand all this stuff and make it "just work".
So far, there is an even split of Apple and Windows platforms, a selection of mobile phone platforms, a Kindle and an iPad (on the way).

I have a large and messy collection I have built up over the years. It has been easier to just run a search for a book and copy directly to phone, rather than tackle the mess and wrangle it into shape.

I have known about Calibre for years and visited these forums, but hesitated to take the plunge - too much like hard work!
Now, however, I have no choice but to bite the bullet.

I selected some books for my Mom to get on with, read up on the Kindle and showed her how to use Calibre to organise her library and transfer books to Kindle.
She was well impressed and has been telling everyone and showing off her new toy.

I have been having a lot of fun with Calibre since. I cannot believe how complex and yet simple it is at the same time or how mature it is as a product.

That such a product should be free and so well supported is eye-opening.
Considering how disparate, contradictory and conflicting sources and information can be (I'm learning), I'm amazed that anyone would tackle this, let alone so well.

If you do a search for managing ebooks on Google, everyone mentions Calibre.
I once read, a few years ago, that no-one would try to create such a program as, unlike TV and movies, book info changes too often.
I can automate management of my Tv + movie collection usong such programs as XBMC and Ember Media Manager.
Books, however, are republished, covers and publishers change, series are rearranged, etc., etc.
For instance, getting cover and metadata info for my copy of Jane Eyre was not straightforward.

My hope is that the growth of ebooks and programs like this will see accessible databases created and made available for us to get standard info - easier cover and summary selection, for example.

In the meantime, Calibre and its great fanbase make a lot of the impossible less so.
So, in case it wasn't obvious, a big thank-you to Kovid and this forum.

Of course, I can kiss my free time goodbye for the next few months, but hey - it's for family, right?

03-03-2011, 07:20 AM	#8
Huisie Enthusiast Posts: 27 Karma: 100 Join Date: May 2010 Device: none	I'd like to offer a big thank-you to ... my Mom! No, not for the obvious stuff - at the sprightly age of 62, she went out and bought a Kindle. This started the rest of my family off on an ebook adventure. All my family are keen readers and I'm addicted (their words). I can't walk past a book store without going inside even if just to look at the covers. I've been reading on PDAs for years, but e-reading never caught on with friends and family until my Mom got the bug. Being the "I.T." buy to my family and friends, I am now supposed to understand all this stuff and make it "just work". So far, there is an even split of Apple and Windows platforms, a selection of mobile phone platforms, a Kindle and an iPad (on the way). I have a large and messy collection I have built up over the years. It has been easier to just run a search for a book and copy directly to phone, rather than tackle the mess and wrangle it into shape. I have known about Calibre for years and visited these forums, but hesitated to take the plunge - too much like hard work! Now, however, I have no choice but to bite the bullet. I selected some books for my Mom to get on with, read up on the Kindle and showed her how to use Calibre to organise her library and transfer books to Kindle. She was well impressed and has been telling everyone and showing off her new toy. I have been having a lot of fun with Calibre since. I cannot believe how complex and yet simple it is at the same time or how mature it is as a product. That such a product should be free and so well supported is eye-opening. Considering how disparate, contradictory and conflicting sources and information can be (I'm learning), I'm amazed that anyone would tackle this, let alone so well. If you do a search for managing ebooks on Google, everyone mentions Calibre. I once read, a few years ago, that no-one would try to create such a program as, unlike TV and movies, book info changes too often. I can automate management of my Tv + movie collection usong such programs as XBMC and Ember Media Manager. Books, however, are republished, covers and publishers change, series are rearranged, etc., etc. For instance, getting cover and metadata info for my copy of Jane Eyre was not straightforward. My hope is that the growth of ebooks and programs like this will see accessible databases created and made available for us to get standard info - easier cover and summary selection, for example. In the meantime, Calibre and its great fanbase make a lot of the impossible less so. So, in case it wasn't obvious, a big thank-you to Kovid and this forum. Of course, I can kiss my free time goodbye for the next few months, but hey - it's for family, right?