MobileRead Forums - View Single Post

LadyKate · 01-07-2014, 03:22 AM

I admit, I am very attached to the directory structure I keep the ebooks I read in.

At first I just used calibre for the fab conversion abilities but the more I used it the more the whole thing makes sense.

What you seem to be ignoring is that the file structure is an important part of the database. The "Product" would not be as flexible and usable and quite probably would not exist at all if Kovid Goyal had not come up with this elegant method of cataloging ebooks.

It is shareware. I wonder if I am being gauche but can't help but think if you are not happy with the shareware you have not contributed financially to the software.

My way of dealing with the "draconian" directory structure and file names, which I admit are not at all the way I want to read them on my android, is to consider the calibre library to be my "backup". I then save all the books I want to read, as I complete the metadata review and a quality check in a library structure I like, on a separate drive, which I use to load my devices.

After all, when a library is large enough to want to use a management program, such as calibre, it is large enough to demand a backup.

Saving books in a format you desire is simple with calibre and the multitude of options we have. In just the last six months there have been so very many updates and improvements to the program.

I now wonder how I ever felt that the directory structure was limiting. I used to get a batch of books and rename them by hand, put them (by hand) into individual directories and had no way of knowing if I had the book or not until I went to that individual authors directory. If it was misfiled (a not all that uncommon happening) I would not know I had it two or three times already, not to mention all the multiple occurrences of anthologies.

Now, I just add the books and make sure the author, title and metadata are good. I even added a column for the quality of the book with my own settings (very flexible to be able to do that

)

All in all, this is a great product. In my humble opinion it is at the top of it's field, if not the only one which works well and has the ability to convert books.

So, as I said, consider your calibre library your backup and save the books to your beloved library structure. OR if the structure of your library is more important than the multitude of organizational tools to you, stick with your tried and true structure and use a product you like. Just don't complain because the developer isn't willing to trash the program and start over to make a different type of program to do the same thing.

01-07-2014, 03:22 AM	#92
LadyKate Fanatic Posts: 515 Karma: 1470724 Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Quebec CA Device: android 4 (samsung tablet and asus tablet)	I admit, I am very attached to the directory structure I keep the ebooks I read in. At first I just used calibre for the fab conversion abilities but the more I used it the more the whole thing makes sense. What you seem to be ignoring is that the file structure is an important part of the database. The "Product" would not be as flexible and usable and quite probably would not exist at all if Kovid Goyal had not come up with this elegant method of cataloging ebooks. It is shareware. I wonder if I am being gauche but can't help but think if you are not happy with the shareware you have not contributed financially to the software. My way of dealing with the "draconian" directory structure and file names, which I admit are not at all the way I want to read them on my android, is to consider the calibre library to be my "backup". I then save all the books I want to read, as I complete the metadata review and a quality check in a library structure I like, on a separate drive, which I use to load my devices. After all, when a library is large enough to want to use a management program, such as calibre, it is large enough to demand a backup. Saving books in a format you desire is simple with calibre and the multitude of options we have. In just the last six months there have been so very many updates and improvements to the program. I now wonder how I ever felt that the directory structure was limiting. I used to get a batch of books and rename them by hand, put them (by hand) into individual directories and had no way of knowing if I had the book or not until I went to that individual authors directory. If it was misfiled (a not all that uncommon happening) I would not know I had it two or three times already, not to mention all the multiple occurrences of anthologies. Now, I just add the books and make sure the author, title and metadata are good. I even added a column for the quality of the book with my own settings (very flexible to be able to do that ) All in all, this is a great product. In my humble opinion it is at the top of it's field, if not the only one which works well and has the ability to convert books. So, as I said, consider your calibre library your backup and save the books to your beloved library structure. OR if the structure of your library is more important than the multitude of organizational tools to you, stick with your tried and true structure and use a product you like. Just don't complain because the developer isn't willing to trash the program and start over to make a different type of program to do the same thing.