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JimLL · 03-12-2012, 01:23 AM

Every time I find a very powerful piece of software it's the same old thing.

Calibre is like other software written by geniuses; the greater the genius and more powerful the app the less chance there is of it being usable by normal people. Geniuses apparently cannot even imagine anyone not knowing all about the program the minute they open it. They think only in terms of technicalities, details and how other genius programmers will will view it. Programmers write for programmers.

Now, does ANYONE, ANYWHERE know of ANYTHING that gives you the general basics of using Calibre - in non-techy, everyday language?

Googling shows me that a lot of people have asked where to get "Calibre for Dummies." That is NOT a foolish question. I've pored over Calibre Helps and it's all a mass of leaps from one buzz word to another, one detail to another, one technical obscurity to another - all written for folks who have taken a college course in Calibre. There is no overview for the beginner. Calibre is really for people who are deeply steeped in every detail of ebooks of every format in existence.

There isn't so much as a "Do this first" suggestion, much less a step by step explanation as to how to go through and fill out the myriads of TECHNICAL DETAILS necessary to carry out some kind of project. Fill in an XPATH box?? What the dash blank do I know about such esoterica as xpaths? And the helps are, again, written for professional's - people with photographic memories.

There are no FAQs telling you what, when, why or how to do anything. You're supposed to just DO IT. Many of the pop-up bubbles themselves are couched in the buzzwords super-programmers have every morning for breakfast and who have no idea everyone else isn't having the same breakfast. The very idea of explaining what they already know and take for granted is far beyond their genuis.

Yes! There are a LOT of technical things involved in turning out eBooks. So why do you programmers expect users to know all of them by memory?

I haven't found one yet, so will someone PLEASE write something with a non-techie overview and how-to steps??????????

03-12-2012, 01:23 AM	#1
JimLL Cynic Posts: 75 Karma: 51078 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Kindle	One last question Every time I find a very powerful piece of software it's the same old thing. Calibre is like other software written by geniuses; the greater the genius and more powerful the app the less chance there is of it being usable by normal people. Geniuses apparently cannot even imagine anyone not knowing all about the program the minute they open it. They think only in terms of technicalities, details and how other genius programmers will will view it. Programmers write for programmers. Now, does ANYONE, ANYWHERE know of ANYTHING that gives you the general basics of using Calibre - in non-techy, everyday language? Googling shows me that a lot of people have asked where to get "Calibre for Dummies." That is NOT a foolish question. I've pored over Calibre Helps and it's all a mass of leaps from one buzz word to another, one detail to another, one technical obscurity to another - all written for folks who have taken a college course in Calibre. There is no overview for the beginner. Calibre is really for people who are deeply steeped in every detail of ebooks of every format in existence. There isn't so much as a "Do this first" suggestion, much less a step by step explanation as to how to go through and fill out the myriads of TECHNICAL DETAILS necessary to carry out some kind of project. Fill in an XPATH box?? What the dash blank do I know about such esoterica as xpaths? And the helps are, again, written for professional's - people with photographic memories. There are no FAQs telling you what, when, why or how to do anything. You're supposed to just DO IT. Many of the pop-up bubbles themselves are couched in the buzzwords super-programmers have every morning for breakfast and who have no idea everyone else isn't having the same breakfast. The very idea of explaining what they already know and take for granted is far beyond their genuis. Yes! There are a LOT of technical things involved in turning out eBooks. So why do you programmers expect users to know all of them by memory? I haven't found one yet, so will someone PLEASE write something with a non-techie overview and how-to steps??????????