[davidfor]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Surely it requires time to write to the database, and makes the database bigger, etc. -- even if there isn't any additional penalty for extracting the OPF?

But, as I want the information available, I don't consider it a penalty.

I have found filesize to be wildly erratic. Not only does filesize not have any good reason to be a good indicator of book length, it conforms to my expectations by not being a good indicator.

That is both true and not true. For a set of well constructed epubs with no cover that have all been compress using the same method, file size is a reasonable indicator of book length. That is part of why I included "my experience" and "known sources" in my statement.

I can get all that from the title and cover image.

That of course depends on the title and the cover. Of course, I can also sort the library list by file type. If I decided to read a comic book, I can use that to group them all together and choose.

Very true. Amazon wants you to buy books from their store.
I don't really look at summaries, but if I did I would be disappointed on most devices, as you pointed out.


Perhaps that is why I agreed with you...

Well, you said "fair substitute". I didn't agree that series info in the title is that.

And I still cannot understand why half that metadata needs exist outside of an archival database.

I guess I understand where you are coming from... partly. I still think it seems to be extracting more metadata than is actually needed.

This all really comes down to "why not?". And is it useful to some people? The metadata is there in the books. As the device can see it, why not expose it to the user. And as all the metadata is coming from one file inside the book, the extra time is minimal. The database size will increase, but only the synopsis is going to be really noticeable.

Looking back at the list of metadata that I can see on a Kobo ereader, the only bits that I don't use when choosing a book is the ISBN and language (I only read/speak English, though my wife has her opinion on that). The publisher is the least useful, but it does tell me source if the book isn't a traditionally published book, so I sometimes look at it. And of course the cover might have some influence. My decision is almost always made using the ereader and away from calibre and even a network connection. That means I have to rely on my memory or what the ereader shows me.