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1) Save to disk lets you do this as easily as copying a folder
2) The reason for the folder structure is not to support tagging/search/sort. It is for the following two reasons:
a) calibre supports multiple copies of the same logical book in different formats. That means each logical book needs its own folder.
b) Robustness.
- 1) In my experience when programs allow you to store files in arbitrary locations, those locations inevitably change over time and the links between the database and the locations change. I'm not saying you, personally will do this, I'm saying for a program with as large a user base as calibre, a significant fraction of calibre's users will, and this will create a support nightmare for me.
- 2) Putting files into folders is a way of storing metadata using a filesystem. This is less than optimal for various reasons I have detailed elsewhere and I want to discourage the practice.
- 3) By having the cataloguing program manage the folder structure, your folders will always match the updated metadata for the books, making it easy to browse the folder structure.
These are the advantages of the calibre approach. The disadvantages are:
1) Performance impact on windows. Windows, especially older version can't handle having too many nodes in a single folder. This will be addressed by giving users of large libraries the option of having a folder structure optimized for large collections, in the future.
2) Interoperability with other programs. You really shouldn't be using two catalog programs to manage the same set of books. And calibre comes with a comprehensive set of command line tools to allows users to use just the conversion/news download features if they want to stick with their existing catalog scheme.
In my opinion, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
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