Sugg.: Less frequent, but more condensed updates, PortableApps platform integration

[avid01]

First of all I love Calibre very much. Hence my suggestions to make it better.

• It would be cool if you could work together with the folks at PortableApps for the portable version. They have an awesome platform which also auto-updates portable software, see here: http://portableapps.com/development/...pps.com_format
• I can tell you in advance theit requirement would be for a partnership is to switch to a less frequent but more condensed update cycle. But doesn't it make sense, anyways? I don't think your average user updates every time a tiny modification comes out. Thank you.
• +1: As for Calibre as an e-book reader. It would be a useful addition that when you just click on a compatible file on wherever it is located on your computer, it opens the file for reading in Calibre. Now, when I pair given file format to open with Calibre, Calibre will open but doesn't do anything with the file.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by avid01

[*]+1: As for Calibre as an e-book reader. It would be a useful addition that when you just click on a compatible file on wherever it is located on your computer, it opens the file for reading in Calibre. Now, when I pair given file format to open with Calibre, Calibre will open but doesn't do anything with the file.

This can already be done: use 'ebook-viewer', not the main Calibre executable.

[theducks]

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[avid01]

Originally Posted by theducks

Please read the sticky https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=122042 before making a post in Development

Sorry. Feel free to move it to another forum.

[avid01]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

This can already be done: use 'ebook-viewer', not the main Calibre executable.

Thank you. This was half helpful. First, the 'ebook-viewer.exe' only works when in it's appropriate subfolder (when using Calibre Portable), it does not integrate well with the PortableApps platform. Second, there are many icons on the side, hovering on them doesn't tell me what they do.

But anyways, keep it up!

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by avid01

Thank you. This was half helpful. First, the 'ebook-viewer.exe' only works when in it's appropriate subfolder (when using Calibre Portable), it does not integrate well with the PortableApps platform. Second, there are many icons on the side, hovering on them doesn't tell me what they do.

But anyways, keep it up!

@avid01

If I open an epub it opens it with the ebook-viewer.exe program file with which I have associated the epub extension. I probably achieved that via the Open With context menu item in Windows Explorer. The file can be on my desktop, in my downloads folder, in my calibre library folder, on a network drive, on a flash stick - in other words anywhere.

Same deal with the calibre ebook-reader on my Mint netbook.


Are you sure the Reader has mouse focus when you hover on the buttons, the tooltips only work if the control (button) you're hovering over is owned by the window that has focus - pretty sure that's true for all Windows programs. They take 1-2 seconds to appear. There maybe a way to disable/enable them in Preferences, I couldn't see - it but I often don't see things.


Re frequency of updates - I like things just the way they are, i.e. weekly updates. A benefit is that I get 1-7 day delivery of the change requests I lodge in Calibre Bugs, 24 hours if I want to apply the patch myself. On one occasion there was an 'in between' version posted within a couple of hours of me reporting a defect; I would have been happy to wait a week, but Kovid obviously thought it too important to wait that long.

There are defects in some products that take months (years) to get fixed. By which time the average Joe would have devised a workaround, so if/when the defect is fixed it is often ignored by the people who have established there own workarounds.

The notion that the update frequency of a multiple platform product like Calibre should to be determined by the restrictive practices of a 3rd party one platform application like Portable Apps is, in my opinion, absurd. One of the reasons Calibre needs frequent updates is because it targets the most diverse and fastest moving segment of the ITT sector - e-book readers, smart phones and tablets.

BR

[avid01]

Hovering over icons: it works, sorry, it was my mistake.

Calibre is a Windows/Linux/Mac application. I'm on a Windows. Maybe it's just me, but I'd also prefer the less frequent but more substantial updates on a Linux or a Mac as well.

Calibre is more of a converter/manager program than an e-book reader, right? (I don't use the manager, I just need the converter, but maybe that's just me.)

As for Calibre as a reader, on the ebook-viewer.exe on the desktop I cannot use notes and bookmarks which are crucial for me for a proper reader app. On the other hand, it does have a dictionary integration which is cool.

I haven't tried the Calibre Companion for Android but it is also more of a manager, than a reader, as far as I understand, right? I'm still looking for a good Android reader app. (And I got no answer to this basic inquiry on this board which I find strange.)

[Dopedangel]

Originally Posted by avid01

Hovering over icons: it works, sorry, it was my mistake.

Calibre is a Windows/Linux/Mac application. I'm on a Windows. Maybe it's just me, but I'd also prefer the less frequent but more substantial updates on a Linux or a Mac as well.

Calibre is more of a converter/manager program than an e-book reader, right? (I don't use the manager, I just need the converter, but maybe that's just me.)

As for Calibre as a reader, on the ebook-viewer.exe on the desktop I cannot use notes and bookmarks which are crucial for me for a proper reader app. On the other hand, it does have a dictionary integration which is cool.

I haven't tried the Calibre Companion for Android but it is also more of a manager, than a reader, as far as I understand, right? I'm still looking for a good Android reader app. (And I got no answer to this basic inquiry on this board which I find strange.)

Why do you upgrade every week usually I just look at the whats new if its something interesting or something effecting me I update otherwise I dont.

[BetterRed]

avid01 - Have you seen the usage stats for calibre - the most popular version is 0.9.6 with 3.1%, the current version (0.9.25) is in 20th position with 2%. You don't have to upgrade if you don't want to, also see Preferences->Behaviour top left checkbox

If all you need is the converter, then you could just use the Command Line version of Calibre.

There's a thread somewhere in the Calibre forum that discusses the issue of annotation at length.

It includes a number of comments from Kovid Goyal. Search for annotate - last time I recall seeing the thread active was sometime last year. Maybe someone can has it bookmarked or subscribed and they can post a link for you.

I've given up on integrated, embedded annotations of ebooks - I just use evernote with links to the document, book, whatever in question.

BR

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by avid01

Calibre is a Windows/Linux/Mac application. I'm on a Windows. Maybe it's just me, but I'd also prefer the less frequent but more substantial updates on a Linux or a Mac as well.

As has been pointed out, update when a new feature strikes your fancy.

Originally Posted by avid01

Calibre is more of a converter/manager program than an e-book reader, right? (I don't use the manager, I just need the converter, but maybe that's just me.)

With folks often having more than one tablet or ereader in the household, calibre is indispensable as a ebook converter / manager. On Android devices combine calibre with Calibre Companion and a good Reading App and your bases are covered

Originally Posted by avid01

As for Calibre as a reader, on the ebook-viewer.exe on the desktop I cannot use notes and bookmarks which are crucial for me for a proper reader app. On the other hand, it does have a dictionary integration which is cool.

I only read on my tablet. Calibre's reader is quite flexible and does have bookmarks but no note taking ability. If your on a PC there are other options to accomplish this task. It doesn't seem that there is a universal standard for annotations for ebooks yet.

Originally Posted by avid01

I'm still looking for a good Android reader app. (And I got no answer to this basic inquiry on this board which I find strange.)

The first post of the thread you link to has a description of over 30 Android reading apps (the first post listing items pertaining to the thread title is common for threads of this type), check it out.

I find it strange that even though many folks responded to your request (which was in the thread you pointed folks to, not the thread you linked to above), you haven't responded to the thread with any interest or further questions. Have you investigated any of the suggestions yet?

As a side note I use PStart (Portable Start) to integrate third party apps with my PortableApps menu, see attached.

Good Luck.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by DoctorOhh

As a side note I use PStart (Portable Start) to integrate third party apps with my PortableApps menu, see attached.

Good Luck.

Aaah, Pstart - there's a blast from the past.

I've probably got a thumb drive with it here somewhere, and Fx 2.1

BR