Quote:
Originally Posted by Quoth
It runs on Linux, Windows and Mac. Unlike Mac and Win10, Linux can use radically different desktops. Then there are user configurable themes. Calibre uses QT. There is even a utility for QT to adjust the desktop application look and feel.
Additionally Calibre has different layout options, one or multiple tool bars, A menu strip option and all can be configured as to the content. Content can be set to change depending on if a device is connected or not.
So I think Calibre UX greatly depends on: - Which OS you use.
- Which Linux Desktop and QT settings.
- Calibre configuration.
- Which plug-ins and utilities you need. Some people edit the CSS of every ebook to their own flavour.
- What device or devices are connected for transfer, if they are Mass Storage, MTP direct or via a directory, if the App imports or uses directly.
- If you merely transfer books to the device, or use annotations to a 3rd party program, or rotate which books are on a device with limited Flash.
- If you buy a lot of ebooks with DRM
- If you also use PDFs.
- If you use Calibre to catalogue stuff not for an ereader.
|
Linux is irrelevant if you use Windows. And with Windows, you don't have the issues you can have with Linux. The UX on Windows is good beecause you don't have the possibility of all these dependency issues and the horrible Linux depository that (in most cases) screws up Calibre but good.
As for the UX, what you get depends on what you do and what you need to do. My UX may be very different from someone else's UX based on what I have installed and what I do with Calibre. My UX works for me. Calibre was originally called LibPRS500 because it was written for the Sony Reader PRS-500. It was because of this that I bought the PRS-500. I used to buy MSReader and Mobi format eBooks because I could remove the DRM and convert to LRF (the original format Sony used).
Quote:
|
Kobo, Adobe and Amazon, and in the past Sony, provide crippled walled garden desktop programs that only work with specific brands or formats of ebook and are mostly desktop shop or DRM management for people without WiFi. I've not used any of those for years.
|
Sony's Reader for PC was originally only good for Sony's walled garden. Back when Sony added ePub to the PRS-505, the walled garden got a door. MSReader converted well to ePub. So that was a win-win.