MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Suggested/Best way to handle a Linux notebook like a Calibre "device"?

Quoth · 08-21-2025, 11:19 AM

Forget USB MTP. It's a horrible thing MS invented for Zune and adopted by Google after Android 3.

Networking
Either use Calibre Content Server and any browser at all on the old laptops (Download as "theducks" writes). A static IP (or DHCP allocation) and entry in each /etc/hosts helps

OR

Create a "samba" share on the old laptop (ONLY on your own LAN), for all the ebooks.
This assumes DHCP / DNS etc working for "samba".

Then as often as needed:
On the computer with Calibre, connect in Filemanager (or Connect to a Server widget).
In Calibre, "connect" to that "folder", rather than Save to Disk.

I just tested it and it works fine. You can make a bookmark in Caja for each old laptop's share.

EDIT
Crossed with Kovid. This is what he wrote.

08-21-2025, 11:19 AM	#4
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,427 Karma: 107078855 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	Forget USB MTP. It's a horrible thing MS invented for Zune and adopted by Google after Android 3. Networking Either use Calibre Content Server and any browser at all on the old laptops (Download as "theducks" writes). A static IP (or DHCP allocation) and entry in each /etc/hosts helps OR Create a "samba" share on the old laptop (ONLY on your own LAN), for all the ebooks. This assumes DHCP / DNS etc working for "samba". Then as often as needed: On the computer with Calibre, connect in Filemanager (or Connect to a Server widget). In Calibre, "connect" to that "folder", rather than Save to Disk. I just tested it and it works fine. You can make a bookmark in Caja for each old laptop's share. EDIT Crossed with Kovid. This is what he wrote.