bbasic help request: using calibre in linux

Ogui · 11-03-2013, 02:25 AM

hi, could someone recommend a tutorial or manual,something that tells me the basic steps to run calibre in linux environment? I use & love calibre in windows, but have made the switch to linux (ubuntu 12.04 LTS until I get the hang of it).

I installed calibre as suggested at the calibre site (binary), and placed in my home directory. All I get is the library there now, no launcher. Is it expected that I do everything from the terminal? if so, can anyone recommend a tutorial or a place where I can find the standard commands for basic use? Otherwise, I dont see a launcher for a windows type gui which I sort of expected....

thanks!

Ogui · 11-03-2013, 02:31 AM

ah.... just found it at Dash Home...
but still, if any other suggestions, please go ahead

aleyx · 11-03-2013, 04:58 AM

As far as I can tell, everything in Calibre Linux works exactly the same as in Calibre Windows. Python is awesome that way. The differences would therefore be a matter of Linux vs. Windows, and not Calibre vs. Calibre.

What type of suggestion would you need?

Ogui · 11-03-2013, 07:16 AM

Thanks Aleyx. Once I found the visual interphase everything was back on comfortable ground.
But I wonder if you could offer some advice on getting calibre to notice my separate data partition so I can place the library there. The calibre dialog box for moving or creating a library only sees up to home and that partition, whereas the data partition shows up in the devices column as mounted.

The goal is thus for my linux calibre to also detect my libraary which is in dropbox, which is in the data partition...

many thanks!
o

aleyx · 11-03-2013, 08:45 AM

I'm not familiar with the way Dropbox works, not using it myself.

Ubuntu is based on Gnome (more and more loosely; some would say lousily...), with the Gnome tools for mounting stuff, namely GVFS. Your data partition is probably mounted by GVFS.

Calibre uses the Qt toolkit, which on Linux means KDE, Gnome's not-always-so-friendly neighbour.

So yeah, when you mount stuff on Ubuntu, software built with the Qt toolkit (KDE apps and Calibre, among many others) aren't aware of it.

You can, however, access GVFS mounts under Qt by going to where GVFS is actually mounted on the filesystem. On Ubuntu 12.04, I _think_ it was in ~/.gvfs/, so be sure to display hidden files in Calibre's "Open File" dialog, and go there.

Nowadays it's in /var/run/user/<uid>/gvfs/ (much more sensible, IMO. Makes backups of the home dir less of a pain).

Anyways, if it's not there, it's not mounted by GVFS. In that case, try /media or /media/<user>, those are basically the mounts for optical and/or USB drives.

In either case, remember that using Calibre on a non-local mount is not supported, because Calibre can't make sure that it's mounted before trying to open the library. That, and the mount going boom while Calibre runs is not exactly healthy for the database. That's true for all OSes.

Ogui · 11-03-2013, 01:41 PM

thanks aleyx. I think I get what you are saying. I looked around and as you say, found what I was looking for in /media and it was in fact there (the dropbox and ebooks), which I have now succesfully linked.

But, from what you are saying, this is not a recommended set up anyway, so it sounds like I need to keep it all together inthe linux partition.

Thanks though,
Augusto

aleyx · 11-03-2013, 01:59 PM

Well, as I said, I don't know how Dropbox works. Or at least, how it integrates with the OS. It may be that Dropbox' /media mount actually points to somewhere else on the same disk, and so is safe to use.

But yeah, considering how it can go boom, I'd be really careful about how I use it.

My advice would be to only keep one copy of your library (aside from backups -- always backup!), and if you want to access your books from somewhere else, use the content server(s).

I admit that it's a somewhat hypocritical advice, since while I do keep a unique library on a 24/24 Linux server, I do all my library management from a share... ^^;;

Ogui · 11-03-2013, 02:40 PM

thanks again. So yes, will tackle content server next...

In case anyone else ever reads this post, uninstalling calibre and starting over was not as easy as it seemed. But found some code here to uninstall calibre
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1315555

and then about deleting protected files with sudo nautilus (the above did not get rid of many files) here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3aPkRe5L8w

then reinstalled from http://calibre-ebook.com/download_linux
using the binary code in terminal.

onward... and thanks Aleyx! this forum rocks.

theducks · 11-03-2013, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ogui

thanks again. So yes, will tackle content server next...

In case anyone else ever reads this post, uninstalling calibre and starting over was not as easy as it seemed. But found some code here to uninstall calibre
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1315555

and then about deleting protected files with sudo nautilus (the above did not get rid of many files) here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3aPkRe5L8w

then reinstalled from http://calibre-ebook.com/download_linux
using the binary code in terminal.

onward... and thanks Aleyx! this forum rocks.

Why did you not use Synaptic to remove all?
Piece of cake.
Then you just do the install from the Linux page

eschwartz · 11-03-2013, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

Why did you not use Synaptic to remove all?
Piece of cake.
Then you just do the install from the Linux page

It sounds like he DID do the original install from the home page.

Synaptic is a PACKAGE manager -- if you didn't install via a PACKAGE, you can't remove it like that.

Ogui · 11-08-2013, 07:59 AM

Thanks for the tip on synaptic; I did not know about it.
I just used what I found on a google search, and seemed to work.
Also, I am trying to use the terminal wherever possible to become more familiar with the language... though certainly don't feel the need to re-invent the wheel, so thanks for the advice.

As an update, I now have dropbox and calibre working with my data on the shared partition (each program is in its respective program partition). It was important to configure dropbox to not autostart as the storage partition is not (yet) automounting. Have found lots of lit on this however, just need to spend some time with it now.

Thanks again for everyone's comments and advice. The supportive peer environment for linux is awesome!

cortman · 11-08-2013, 08:52 AM

Your Dropbox folder should just be in your home directory unless you otherwise specified.
Just be sure you don't run Dropbox sync at the same time as Calibre! That will seriously mess things up. Just pause sync on Dropbox before you open Calibre.
I use mine with Copy, a service similar to Dropbox. I had a bunch of glitches with books getting missing, etc., until I realized I was running Copy sync at the same time as Calibre. Stopped doing that, and all is sweetness and light.

11-03-2013, 02:25 AM	#1
Ogui Member Posts: 10 Karma: 475010 Join Date: May 2012 Device: prs-t1	bbasic help request: using calibre in linux hi, could someone recommend a tutorial or manual,something that tells me the basic steps to run calibre in linux environment? I use & love calibre in windows, but have made the switch to linux (ubuntu 12.04 LTS until I get the hang of it). I installed calibre as suggested at the calibre site (binary), and placed in my home directory. All I get is the library there now, no launcher. Is it expected that I do everything from the terminal? if so, can anyone recommend a tutorial or a place where I can find the standard commands for basic use? Otherwise, I dont see a launcher for a windows type gui which I sort of expected.... thanks!

11-03-2013, 08:45 AM	#5
aleyx Addict Posts: 250 Karma: 20386 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: France Device: Bookeen Diva, Kobo Clara BW	I'm not familiar with the way Dropbox works, not using it myself. Ubuntu is based on Gnome (more and more loosely; some would say lousily...), with the Gnome tools for mounting stuff, namely GVFS. Your data partition is probably mounted by GVFS. Calibre uses the Qt toolkit, which on Linux means KDE, Gnome's not-always-so-friendly neighbour. So yeah, when you mount stuff on Ubuntu, software built with the Qt toolkit (KDE apps and Calibre, among many others) aren't aware of it. You can, however, access GVFS mounts under Qt by going to where GVFS is actually mounted on the filesystem. On Ubuntu 12.04, I _think_ it was in ~/.gvfs/, so be sure to display hidden files in Calibre's "Open File" dialog, and go there. Nowadays it's in /var/run/user/<uid>/gvfs/ (much more sensible, IMO. Makes backups of the home dir less of a pain). Anyways, if it's not there, it's not mounted by GVFS. In that case, try /media or /media/<user>, those are basically the mounts for optical and/or USB drives. In either case, remember that using Calibre on a non-local mount is not supported, because Calibre can't make sure that it's mounted before trying to open the library. That, and the mount going boom while Calibre runs is not exactly healthy for the database. That's true for all OSes. Last edited by aleyx; 11-03-2013 at 08:48 AM.

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11-03-2013, 02:31 AM	#2
Ogui Member Posts: 10 Karma: 475010 Join Date: May 2012 Device: prs-t1	ah.... just found it at Dash Home... but still, if any other suggestions, please go ahead

11-03-2013, 04:58 AM	#3
aleyx Addict Posts: 250 Karma: 20386 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: France Device: Bookeen Diva, Kobo Clara BW	As far as I can tell, everything in Calibre Linux works exactly the same as in Calibre Windows. Python is awesome that way. The differences would therefore be a matter of Linux vs. Windows, and not Calibre vs. Calibre. What type of suggestion would you need?

11-03-2013, 07:16 AM	#4
Ogui Member Posts: 10 Karma: 475010 Join Date: May 2012 Device: prs-t1	Thanks Aleyx. Once I found the visual interphase everything was back on comfortable ground. But I wonder if you could offer some advice on getting calibre to notice my separate data partition so I can place the library there. The calibre dialog box for moving or creating a library only sees up to home and that partition, whereas the data partition shows up in the devices column as mounted. The goal is thus for my linux calibre to also detect my libraary which is in dropbox, which is in the data partition... many thanks! o

11-03-2013, 01:41 PM	#6
Ogui Member Posts: 10 Karma: 475010 Join Date: May 2012 Device: prs-t1	thanks aleyx. I think I get what you are saying. I looked around and as you say, found what I was looking for in /media and it was in fact there (the dropbox and ebooks), which I have now succesfully linked. But, from what you are saying, this is not a recommended set up anyway, so it sounds like I need to keep it all together inthe linux partition. Thanks though, Augusto

11-03-2013, 01:59 PM	#7
aleyx Addict Posts: 250 Karma: 20386 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: France Device: Bookeen Diva, Kobo Clara BW	Well, as I said, I don't know how Dropbox works. Or at least, how it integrates with the OS. It may be that Dropbox' /media mount actually points to somewhere else on the same disk, and so is safe to use. But yeah, considering how it can go boom, I'd be really careful about how I use it. My advice would be to only keep one copy of your library (aside from backups -- always backup!), and if you want to access your books from somewhere else, use the content server(s). I admit that it's a somewhat hypocritical advice, since while I do keep a unique library on a 24/24 Linux server, I do all my library management from a share... ^^;;

11-03-2013, 02:40 PM	#8
Ogui Member Posts: 10 Karma: 475010 Join Date: May 2012 Device: prs-t1	thanks again. So yes, will tackle content server next... In case anyone else ever reads this post, uninstalling calibre and starting over was not as easy as it seemed. But found some code here to uninstall calibre http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1315555 and then about deleting protected files with sudo nautilus (the above did not get rid of many files) here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3aPkRe5L8w then reinstalled from http://calibre-ebook.com/download_linux using the binary code in terminal. onward... and thanks Aleyx! this forum rocks.

11-08-2013, 07:59 AM	#11
Ogui Member Posts: 10 Karma: 475010 Join Date: May 2012 Device: prs-t1	Thanks for the tip on synaptic; I did not know about it. I just used what I found on a google search, and seemed to work. Also, I am trying to use the terminal wherever possible to become more familiar with the language... though certainly don't feel the need to re-invent the wheel, so thanks for the advice. As an update, I now have dropbox and calibre working with my data on the shared partition (each program is in its respective program partition). It was important to configure dropbox to not autostart as the storage partition is not (yet) automounting. Have found lots of lit on this however, just need to spend some time with it now. Thanks again for everyone's comments and advice. The supportive peer environment for linux is awesome!

11-08-2013, 08:52 AM	#12
cortman Zealot Posts: 138 Karma: 1025658 Join Date: Jun 2013 Device: Kobo Glo, Kindle 3 3g, Nook HD+, Nexus 4 (Mantano)	Your Dropbox folder should just be in your home directory unless you otherwise specified. Just be sure you don't run Dropbox sync at the same time as Calibre! That will seriously mess things up. Just pause sync on Dropbox before you open Calibre. I use mine with Copy, a service similar to Dropbox. I had a bunch of glitches with books getting missing, etc., until I realized I was running Copy sync at the same time as Calibre. Stopped doing that, and all is sweetness and light.

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