|
PeterT, I don't disagree with you, however, I do think it's a bit more nuanced than what you wrote.
Just as an end user, I benefit from the repository maintainers using the source code that Kovid supplies. And yep, they move past his bold, red warning to create the distro specific install of calibre I enjoy. As one benefit, I've got about a dozen programs (calibre, Steam, etc.) that require Python. Python needs about 70MB when installed (not counting its dependencies) which would end up nearing a gig of space if every program included its own copy. That's 'bloat' I'd prefer not to have on my system.
Second, when I first migrated from Windows to Linux, I followed Kovid's recommended Linux install. Every time there was an update, I had to enter the manual command-line command again. Not a huge deal, yet across each program within a system, well, it adds up in time and effort. With the Arch Linux repository almost all of my programs are updated at once.
Sometimes there are troubles, like this one. Kovid may never update Python in his binary packages again. Yet I noticed that kiwidude said version 3.10 is the current Windows packaged version while Kovid lists 3.11.5 in his "up-to-date list of dependencies that the official calibre binaries are bundled with". 3.12 may or may not come soon, however calibre does appear to work fine with it.
I see you rock a Pixel 7a. Have you been using Android long enough to remember when we had to update every app individually and manually? I'd venture an opinion that when the Play Store switched to automatically updating apps everything got easier for users, yet tougher for developers. I feel that the repository maintainers 'modifying' calibre through doing a source code vs. binary installation which builds upon the "system supplied python and other components" is analogous. It makes it easier for users like me, and tougher for developers like kiwidude when updates to those components 'break' the earlier code, just as each new version of Android has done to some of my dear old apps.
Whichever way you think and feel, I am thankful for this community. My copy of calibre & kiwidude's Goodreads plugin work again thanks to efforts directly from this group.
|