Calibre updates

[TerryR40]

Hi, this is my first post on this forum. My question is pretty simple, but haven't been able to find an answer reading through the different threads, so here goes:

Sometimes, when I open Calibre, I get a popup that informs me that a new update is available. My needs are very basic and I do no editing with Calibre, so often I just blow the update off.
Time goes by, and soon there is another update, a later version available to download and install.
The question is this: Say I skipped update 2.15 and now am looking at installing 2.16. Does 2.16 incorporate the changes that were included in 2.15? Or (if I decide that I want the changes in 2.15) do I need to download 2.15 and install it separately?

Thanks for any replies to clear this up for me.

[kovidgoyal]

Yes every update is standalone. You dont have to install previous updates. You can skip any number of updates you like and directly install one that interests you.

[TerryR40]

But does update 2.16, for example, incorporate the changes that were introduced by update 2.15?

So, if I skipped 2.15 and installed 2.16, would I get the fixes that were implemented by the previous version?

[TerryR40]

OK, I overlooked the word "standalone". So I surmise that the answer to my question as to whether 2.16 incorporates 2.15 changes is "NO". Correct?

[kovidgoyal]

No, standalone means that it does include the changes. You do not have to installs it along with previous updates.

[TerryR40]

OK, thanks for the clarification...

[eschwartz]

It is a new version, not a patch.

Any new release is the entirety of the program in that state, it will completely reinstall calibre from scratch.

Not a patch file which you modify the current install with. (These typically get used by programs which update themselves.)

[theducks]

Just to add clarification to eschwartz

It completely replaces the PROGRAM FILES.

A true Initial (First time) install, creates the User Preferences (folder) and a Library. These are never REPLACED during a re-install (update).

This is also the reason that NEW feature Icon do not automatically appear on existing toolbars. That would mess with your desired preference settings.

In very rare cases, The DB's internal structure was upgraded

[eschwartz]

Very true. Application Data is not removed by installers. In certain cases, uninstallation removes the program's AppData. calibre's uninstaller does not remove the calibre AppData.

[BetterRed]

For Windows installs I'm pretty sure it's the calibre Welcome Wizard that creates the default settings and library, rather than the the install process itself (msiexec.exe).

That explains why an uninstall does not remove the settings, the basic premise being that the Windows uninstaller will only remove that which the Windows installer created

BR

[eschwartz]

Yes, but some programs also offer to clean up your appdate. Can't remember offhand which ones, but they were the exception.

Not builtin uninstaller functionality, this was custom stuff.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Yes, but some programs also offer to clean up your appdate. Can't remember offhand which ones, but they were the exception.

Not builtin uninstaller functionality, this was custom stuff.

Many prêt-à-porter programs provide the Windows uninstall applet with an uninstaller.exe to do the cleanup. As well as appdata, many of them also need to do some registry cleanup, which many don't do, or only half do Ψ²

Bespoke software often has to do its own thing as the developers are bearing the burden of legacy, also the NIH syndrome is often rife in bespoke software shops - especially amongst the out-saucering [sic] and subby communities.

Calibre uses the MS install/uninstall facility at its most basic level. There's nothing with that, given calibre is multi platform and multi edition on Windows, then IMO it's a wise move.

BR