Calibre on Linux and Windows

[fidvo]

I run Calibre Portable on an external hard drive, and I recently installed Linux Mint on one of my computers. I would like to run Calibre on the same databases in both Windows and Linux.

I've identified potential issues that might arise, and I wanted to get input on how to solve them. So here are several questions I need answers to in order to get this to work.

1. Linux vs. Windows

I've heard there might be issues with case sensitivity of folder names and folder name length. Is there a way to identify whether this will be a problem for my existing libraries?

If I have to take the time to re-create my libraries from scratch in order to get around these incompatibilities, I'm willing to do it, but I'd prefer to avoid that if possible.

Also, going forward are there any steps I should take to make sure these issues don't arise?

2. Calibre 1.48 vs. 2.x

My laptop runs Windows XP. Since I often run Calibre on my laptop, I use Calibre Portable 1.48. Is it still correct to assume Calibre 2.x is not compatible with Windows XP?

If so, should I also assume it's best not to mix two different versions of Calibre if I'm running them on the same library? i.e. there will likely be problems if I run Calibre 2.x for Linux on a library that I will later want to access with Calibre 1.48 for Windows.

I've downloaded the 1.48 tarballs and read the instructions for installing old versions under Linux, so I'm fine if that's the case.

3. Installed vs. Portable

I've always used Calibre Portable on my external hard drive, so I've never actually installed the non-portable version of Calibre before. Can I assume it's safe to run an installed version of Calibre on a library created under Calibre Portable?

Note that my external hard drive is not a NAS, and I don't intend to run multiple instances of Calibre at the same time. I just want to run it under Linux sometimes and under Windows other times.

4. Plugins

I have several questions about plugins.

4a. Since plugins are written in Python, can I assume they're cross-platform? i.e. I can get the same plugins for my Linux version of Calibre as for my Windows version.

4b. Since my version of Calibre is "frozen" at 1.48, are there likely to be issues with newer versions of plugins on older versions of Calibre? I stopped updating my plugins the same time as I stopped updating Calibre because I didn't want to risk downloading and installing a plugin that would no longer work.

4c. (A combination of 4a and 4b) If it's better to stick with older versions of plugins, how do I get them into my Linux version of Calibre? Is there a place to download old versions? If not, can I transfer the plugins from my Windows version to my Linux version? I've read the "installing plugins manually" instructions, and I see a bunch of zip files in my "Calibre Settings\plugins" folder. Can I use these zip files to install the plugins manually under Linux?

5. Are there any other issues I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

[gbm]

Originally Posted by fidvo

I run Calibre Portable on an external hard drive, and I recently installed Linux Mint on one of my computers. I would like to run Calibre on the same databases in both Windows and Linux.

I've identified potential issues that might arise, and I wanted to get input on how to solve them. So here are several questions I need answers to in order to get this to work.

1. Linux vs. Windows

I've heard there might be issues with case sensitivity of folder names and folder name length. Is there a way to identify whether this will be a problem for my existing libraries?

If I have to take the time to re-create my libraries from scratch in order to get around these incompatibilities, I'm willing to do it, but I'd prefer to avoid that if possible.

Also, going forward are there any steps I should take to make sure these issues don't arise?

2. Calibre 1.48 vs. 2.x

My laptop runs Windows XP. Since I often run Calibre on my laptop, I use Calibre Portable 1.48. Is it still correct to assume Calibre 2.x is not compatible with Windows XP?

If so, should I also assume it's best not to mix two different versions of Calibre if I'm running them on the same library? i.e. there will likely be problems if I run Calibre 2.x for Linux on a library that I will later want to access with Calibre 1.48 for Windows.

I've downloaded the 1.48 tarballs and read the instructions for installing old versions under Linux, so I'm fine if that's the case.

3. Installed vs. Portable

I've always used Calibre Portable on my external hard drive, so I've never actually installed the non-portable version of Calibre before. Can I assume it's safe to run an installed version of Calibre on a library created under Calibre Portable?

Note that my external hard drive is not a NAS, and I don't intend to run multiple instances of Calibre at the same time. I just want to run it under Linux sometimes and under Windows other times.

4. Plugins

I have several questions about plugins.

4a. Since plugins are written in Python, can I assume they're cross-platform? i.e. I can get the same plugins for my Linux version of Calibre as for my Windows version.

4b. Since my version of Calibre is "frozen" at 1.48, are there likely to be issues with newer versions of plugins on older versions of Calibre? I stopped updating my plugins the same time as I stopped updating Calibre because I didn't want to risk downloading and installing a plugin that would no longer work.

4c. (A combination of 4a and 4b) If it's better to stick with older versions of plugins, how do I get them into my Linux version of Calibre? Is there a place to download old versions? If not, can I transfer the plugins from my Windows version to my Linux version? I've read the "installing plugins manually" instructions, and I see a bunch of zip files in my "Calibre Settings\plugins" folder. Can I use these zip files to install the plugins manually under Linux?

5. Are there any other issues I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Calibre Portable 1.48 and 2.19 will run under wine in Lunix, and run the lateness verison if your cpu will support sse 2.

bernie

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by fidvo

I run Calibre Portable on an external hard drive, and I recently installed Linux Mint on one of my computers. I would like to run Calibre on the same databases in both Windows and Linux.

I've identified potential issues that might arise, and I wanted to get input on how to solve them. So here are several questions I need answers to in order to get this to work.

1. Linux vs. Windows

I've heard there might be issues with case sensitivity of folder names and folder name length. Is there a way to identify whether this will be a problem for my existing libraries?

If I have to take the time to re-create my libraries from scratch in order to get around these incompatibilities, I'm willing to do it, but I'd prefer to avoid that if possible.

Also, going forward are there any steps I should take to make sure these issues don't arise?

I have no idea, I just use Restore Database anytime I switch OSes with a calibre library. It isn't that frequent anyway.

2. Calibre 1.48 vs. 2.x

My laptop runs Windows XP. Since I often run Calibre on my laptop, I use Calibre Portable 1.48. Is it still correct to assume Calibre 2.x is not compatible with Windows XP?

Correct.

If so, should I also assume it's best not to mix two different versions of Calibre if I'm running them on the same library? i.e. there will likely be problems if I run Calibre 2.x for Linux on a library that I will later want to access with Calibre 1.48 for Windows.

I've downloaded the 1.48 tarballs and read the instructions for installing old versions under Linux, so I'm fine if that's the case.

It *should* be safe to mix, what matters is that the database schema hasn't really been updated. But you may wish to be safe anyway.

3. Installed vs. Portable

I've always used Calibre Portable on my external hard drive, so I've never actually installed the non-portable version of Calibre before. Can I assume it's safe to run an installed version of Calibre on a library created under Calibre Portable?

Note that my external hard drive is not a NAS, and I don't intend to run multiple instances of Calibre at the same time. I just want to run it under Linux sometimes and under Windows other times.

Correct, Portable is just a rebundled copy of the binaries with a wrapper program to launch calibre using the correct environment variables and stuff, and managing the settings to play nice with the library path.

4. Plugins

I have several questions about plugins.

4a. Since plugins are written in Python, can I assume they're cross-platform? i.e. I can get the same plugins for my Linux version of Calibre as for my Windows version.

Some plugins will say they only work on a specific platform. In that case, they will refuse to install.

4b. Since my version of Calibre is "frozen" at 1.48, are there likely to be issues with newer versions of plugins on older versions of Calibre? I stopped updating my plugins the same time as I stopped updating Calibre because I didn't want to risk downloading and installing a plugin that would no longer work.

Most plugins try to remain backwards compatible if it isn't actually necessary to use new features. Some plugins will remain useful on old versions but require new versions for specific features.

4c. (A combination of 4a and 4b) If it's better to stick with older versions of plugins, how do I get them into my Linux version of Calibre? Is there a place to download old versions? If not, can I transfer the plugins from my Windows version to my Linux version? I've read the "installing plugins manually" instructions, and I see a bunch of zip files in my "Calibre Settings\plugins" folder. Can I use these zip files to install the plugins manually under Linux?

Yes, use those ZIP files if it is necessary. I know of no other way, besides checking the Wayback Machine and praying (or if the plugin is managed in a GitHub repository).

5. Are there any other issues I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

Well, you might want to take a look at the updated version of calibre-portable.sh which I am working on, here: https://github.com/eli-schwartz/cali...re-portable.sh

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by fidvo

I run Calibre Portable on an external hard drive, and I recently installed Linux Mint on one of my computers. I would like to run Calibre on the same databases in both Windows and Linux.

I've identified potential issues that might arise, and I wanted to get input on how to solve them. So here are several questions I need answers to in order to get this to work.

1. Linux vs. Windows

I've heard there might be issues with case sensitivity of folder names and folder name length. Is there a way to identify whether this will be a problem for my existing libraries?

If I have to take the time to re-create my libraries from scratch in order to get around these incompatibilities, I'm willing to do it, but I'd prefer to avoid that if possible.

Also, going forward are there any steps I should take to make sure these issues don't arise?

I run Calibre between Linux and Windows with an external drive and have had very few problems. Calibre has never created a filename that works in Windows and not in Linux, so you won't have a problem with case sensitivity unless you're in the habit of editing filenames yourself.

The one related problem that I've had is that Linux will occasionally create a filename that's longer than what Windows considers acceptable. Windows seems happy using such files if they already exist, but won't create new ones, so this has only been an issue when using Windows to make a copy of my library. The solution is to use Linux to make copies or backups of your library instead of Windows. It's also a good idea to periodically run "Check library" from the "Library Maintenance" menu from both Linux and Windows to make sure everything's up to snuff, paying particular attention to "missing file formats".

Originally Posted by fidvo

2. Calibre 1.48 vs. 2.x

My laptop runs Windows XP. Since I often run Calibre on my laptop, I use Calibre Portable 1.48. Is it still correct to assume Calibre 2.x is not compatible with Windows XP?

If so, should I also assume it's best not to mix two different versions of Calibre if I'm running them on the same library? i.e. there will likely be problems if I run Calibre 2.x for Linux on a library that I will later want to access with Calibre 1.48 for Windows.

I've downloaded the 1.48 tarballs and read the instructions for installing old versions under Linux, so I'm fine if that's the case.

I haven't had any problems and I was accessing the same library with pretty divergent versions for a while, but I upgraded all of my installations to 2.19 recently. Unless someone else has said otherwise, I wouldn't expect problems using both 1.48 and 2.xx. I make regular backups, though, and would recommend that you do the same.

Originally Posted by fidvo

3. Installed vs. Portable

I've always used Calibre Portable on my external hard drive, so I've never actually installed the non-portable version of Calibre before. Can I assume it's safe to run an installed version of Calibre on a library created under Calibre Portable?

Note that my external hard drive is not a NAS, and I don't intend to run multiple instances of Calibre at the same time. I just want to run it under Linux sometimes and under Windows other times.

That's what I do. My Linux installation is a regular install and I have Calibre Portable for Windows on the drive. In fact, I have multiple libraries created under the Calibre Portable directory and freely switch between them.

Originally Posted by fidvo

4. Plugins

I have several questions about plugins.

4a. Since plugins are written in Python, can I assume they're cross-platform? i.e. I can get the same plugins for my Linux version of Calibre as for my Windows version.

For the most part, yes. There are a few plugins that use DLLs and are Windows-only, but all of the plugins I use work just fine in both Windows and Linux.

Originally Posted by fidvo

4b. Since my version of Calibre is "frozen" at 1.48, are there likely to be issues with newer versions of plugins on older versions of Calibre? I stopped updating my plugins the same time as I stopped updating Calibre because I didn't want to risk downloading and installing a plugin that would no longer work.

If you use the "get plugins" interface, the minimum version of Calibre is listed. Avoid any that are higher than 1.48.

Originally Posted by fidvo

4c. (A combination of 4a and 4b) If it's better to stick with older versions of plugins, how do I get them into my Linux version of Calibre? Is there a place to download old versions? If not, can I transfer the plugins from my Windows version to my Linux version? I've read the "installing plugins manually" instructions, and I see a bunch of zip files in my "Calibre Settings\plugins" folder. Can I use these zip files to install the plugins manually under Linux?

Even if you keep an older version of a Windows plugin, I can't think of a reason to use the older version in Linux. You are correct, though, that you can use the zip files to install the plugins on either platform.

Originally Posted by fidvo

5. Are there any other issues I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

The most frequent problem I have is accidentally pulling out the drive's USB cable when I'm on my laptop. I've never done any permanent damage done to the filesystem, but I still make frequent backups. You should, too.

[fidvo]

Originally Posted by gbm

Calibre Portable 1.48 and 2.19 will run under wine in Lunix, and run the lateness verison if your cpu will support sse 2.

bernie

I actually tried Calibre under Wine, and it works mostly fine, although a little slow. The biggest issue is file types I'm not using Calibre's internal viewer for. I'm sure there's a way to configure Wine to handle these, but I'd rather spend my time getting Calibre working natively.

Originally Posted by eschwartz

It *should* be safe to mix, what matters is that the database schema hasn't really been updated. But you may wish to be safe anyway.

I think I'll stick with 1.48 for now. Maybe later I'll update after I've done some solid testing, but mixing and matching like that is just one more thing that has the potential to go wrong.

Originally Posted by Difflugia

That's what I do. My Linux installation is a regular install and I have Calibre Portable for Windows on the drive. In fact, I have multiple libraries created under the Calibre Portable directory and freely switch between them.

That sounds exactly how I'm trying to get this set up. It's good to know someone else is already running it like that.

Originally Posted by Difflugia

If you use the "get plugins" interface, the minimum version of Calibre is listed. Avoid any that are higher than 1.48.

Thanks for pointing that out. Can you believe I never actually noticed that column in the "get plugins" screen?

Looks like this is going to work out. I still plan to do some serious testing on a dummy library first, and of course make good backups of my existing libraries, but I'm pretty confident now. Thanks for your help, everyone!