4.0 version Calibre update? Terrible

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by michael95621

With that said my suggestion for Calibre that I think would be ideal, would be to have it function like a hybrid of softwares that people already use extensively for their work or leisure, the chief among them being Adobe Reader and Netflix respectively. When you go full screen in these the method of exiting full screen is ESC or F11, which are common for browsers and many applications, so having that bring up the GUI is confusing at least to me. Additionally simply mousing brings up the clean GUI for these applications, and the GUI in them has a similar look and feel to 3.48 vs. a GUI that took up over half my screen in 4. Generally speaking full screen is really meant for people who already know the keyboard shortcuts or who will be doing mouse clicks/wheel only without any scrolling.

You can change the keyboard shortcuts for the viewer. And F11 is the default for toggling full screen for the viewer.

[lontjr]

Correction on one item above: right click only in the book body area gets the options up. Doing this in the table of contents does not.

I'd like to see the following, all from the old version, may add to the bugs/features on launchpad unless someone can point out the error of my ways:

1. page turning slide instead of the quick screen change for page forward and backward.
2. a button for forward/back pages. Sometimes I have access to the mouse and not the keyboard.
3. GoTo position. This was very easy in the old browser. I figure out how to show the position (e.g. "18.9/1017"), but I can't find a way to change position in the new. GoTo Location is a complete mystery to me. "Currently at: epubcfi(/14/2/4[x9780698409767_EPUB]/2/44/1:684)" ... how useful is that?
4. Keyboard shortcuts setting UI is painful. Many clicks to get to see what kb shortcuts are set, then "cancel" to see the others? ("Ok" or ESC jumps you back two levels). Maybe it's a responsive problem, but it hurts bad on my PC.

[thiago.eec]

Originally Posted by lontjr

2. a button for forward/back pages. Sometimes I have access to the mouse and not the keyboard.

Just hover your mouse over the left/right margins. The button will appear.

Originally Posted by lontjr

3. GoTo position. This was very easy in the old browser. I figure out how to show the position (e.g. "18.9/1017"), but I can't find a way to change position in the new. GoTo Location is a complete mystery to me. "Currently at: epubcfi(/14/2/4[x9780698409767_EPUB]/2/44/1:684)" ... how useful is that?

Kovid added this today and will be in the next release.
About the CFI: it is great for more accurate reference, since it allows you to refer to the character level, not just pages.

[Jerry D Bell]

When I upgraded to 4.1 from 3.47 the up grade produced a stand alone instance of Caliber 4.1 and retained the 3.47 instance. I can close Caliber 3.47, drill down into the program list and open 4.1. What happened. I have a Windows 10 Home Version 1903.
JD

[JimmyR]

Originally Posted by Jerry D Bell

When I upgraded to 4.1 from 3.47 the up grade produced a stand alone instance of Caliber 4.1 and retained the 3.47 instance. I can close Caliber 3.47, drill down into the program list and open 4.1. What happened. I have a Windows 10 Home Version 1903.
JD

Is one 32bit and the other 64bit? You can have both 32/64 bit installed simultaneously.

[Jerry D Bell]

Ah, that makes sense.

[michael95621]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I don't get is why so many people are assuming things about Calibre 4.x and getting it all wrong. A good example is assuming that the options were taken away from the viewer.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

i have to say that you are incorrect. I'm using a laptop and I also use a Surface Pro 2 and on both, the interface does not take up 1/2 the screen. Besides, once I do what I want/need to do, the interface control go back to being hidden.

For the first quote, the reason people aren't happy is that the design simply isn't intuitive. Sure if I played around with it for an hour I could probably get used to it and tweak it to exactly how I like it, but 3.48 was user friendly right off the bat and most of the design changes done in 4 could have been done on the same interface as 3.48. For instance there is no need to even re-design the sidebar and put it into a menu system, the sidebar worked perfectly and could just have been made disappearing instead.

In my opinion it's an example of what Don Norman wrote about. If the use of a simple object isn't obvious to many users it's the designer's fault. In the case of doors pushing on a pull door isn't the fault of the user it's the fault of the door designer for not putting a clear handle on the door that indicates the intended direction.

For the second quote. I use a surface pro 6 and I can confirm that when I press the esc key a menu screen popped up that took nearly half the available display up and every option that I routinely use in Calibre was nested in one of the menu items.

My personal opinion is I would like calibre to operate with similar user controls to Abode or Netflix which it used to do. At the current moment 4 operates like a computer game where I am pausing it with esc. In my opinion that is far more jarring and disruptive than having a small sidebar which is why I switched back.

I only commented once I saw I wasn't the only person who disliked the design choices, because design is personal preference and if the old design is determined to be more preferred it will probably be rolled back. It will be interesting to see if a lot of people simple switch to 4 and switch right back.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What I don't get is why so many people are assuming things about Calibre 4.x and getting it all wrong. A good example is assuming that the options were taken away from the viewer.

Probably for the same reason many people seemed not to have realised that the controls in the old viewer could be hidden by unchecking Preferences->Miscellaneous->Show controls in the viewer window, and using the consequent Show/Hide controls toggle in the right click menu - or pressing Ctrl+F11

Same deal if you pressed F11 to go full screen.

BR

[aegiswiz]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

ESC is used to access the controls which are actually useable in fullscreen unlike in the old viewer. And the controls have button to toggle fullscreen. And pressing crtl+(+ or -) increases and decreases font size just as it did in the old viewer. And there is a clickable way to increase and decrease font sizes as well via the controls.

This direction with the ebook reader is --I think a wrong direction. I saw the bugs immediately and you've never put out something so buggy and so disappointing to so many fans. If I took the time to comment, you can bet there are tons who never comment who feel the same and did the same. I found the controls easy enough, programmed a css file which would not save, or if it did, had no css effect on ebooks.

After hours messing with 4x, I surrendered and abandoned the upgrade. Love Calibre and have for years. I do support it as I've used it extensively. If Calibre divorces itself from the ebook reader I'll upgrade again, or when the postings signal relief of this issue. I shut off both automatic upgrades and notifications of upgrades.

Sorry Kovid. I'll continue to donate when I can.

If you're going to continue with this new direction would you consider offering an option to not upgrade the ebookreader while gaining access to the library and ebook editing software?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by aegiswiz

If you're going to continue with this new direction would you consider offering an option to not upgrade the ebookreader while gaining access to the library and ebook editing software?

As has been said multiple times in different threads, nothing is stopping you from using the old viewer with the new Calibre version. I do it on two different computers, no problems.

(While the new viewer has acquired the scrollbar and other things it lacked in the beginning, it still opens books much slower than the old viewer. Yep, I know it only does so the first time it opens a new book, but that's my main use case. So it's still the old viewer for me, for the time being at least).

[Reiziger]

While I do think Calibre is one of the best, maybe the best, ebook tool available, I have loads of trouble using it on an ereader (no right click!) and hate it on my laptop.
Reading and agreeing with all the responses and complaints here, will it be enough to have the next update take us back to the viewer as in the 3.48version?

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by Reiziger

While I do think Calibre is one of the best, maybe the best, ebook tool available, I have loads of trouble using it on an ereader (no right click!) and hate it on my laptop.

What ereader? Calibre doesn't run on IOS or Android.

Originally Posted by Reiziger

will it be enough to have the next update take us back to the viewer as in the 3.48version?

No.

If you want to use the 3.48 version for your viewer, install it on your system too. Calibre 32 bit and 64 bit are different installs and calibre portable can be placed in any Windows directory. Then in calibre 4.1 either use the Open With plugin to point to the 3.48 viewer or go to calibre main Preferences - Behavior and uncheck use internal viewer for your format of choice and then in your OS make the 3.48 viewer the default app for those formats.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

What ereader? Calibre does run on IOS or Android.

You probably meant Calibre does not run on IOS or Android.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

What ereader? Calibre does run on IOS or Android.


No.

If you want to use the 3.48 version for your viewer, install it on your system too. Calibre 32 bit and 64 bit are different installs and calibre portable can be placed in any Windows directory. Then in calibre 4.1 either use the Open With plugin to point to the 3.48 viewer or go to calibre main Preferences - Behavior and uncheck use internal viewer for your format of choice and then in your OS make the 3.48 viewer the default app for those formats.

You can do it with the built in Open With:



I used a resource editor to change the icon and name, which means I see the blue icon and "Old Calibre viewer" in Windows Open with too.

BR

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Probably for the same reason many people seemed not to have realised that the controls in the old viewer could be hidden by unchecking Preferences->Miscellaneous->Show controls in the viewer window, and using the consequent Show/Hide controls toggle in the right click menu - or pressing Ctrl+F11

Same deal if you pressed F11 to go full screen.

BR

Clicking the right mouse button is just so intuitive. I did it without knowing that's how I get to the viewer controls. Are all of those that are having trouble finding the viewer controls that much of a newbie?