[GUI Plugin] Kobo Utilities

[WovenTales]

The issue is that the plugin is using a deprecated type name which has finally been removed in Python 3.12. If using the version on the Calibre download page (and its bundled Python 3.11) works for your personal system administration, great, use that since the community's hostile to native distro packaging. Otherwise, there's a patch posted in the plugin thread which works perfectly well.

[WovenTales]

I can't figure out how to edit my post, so sorry for the double message, but I wanted to do due diligence and acknowledge that nichobi also found the exact same issue and fix back in May. I didn't see that post until after I did my own digging into the Python release history and the plugin source code, but the fact that it was a known issue for that long, with such a straightforward fix, has contributed to my annoyance with the whole matter.

[DNSB]

Going back to using Lotus Domino/Notes, I've run into quite a few programs that install their own private copies of dependency files. One was a ticketing program that was done in Python and Java. Updating either of those broke the original release so in the next release both Python and Java were installed with the program in it's directory so system Python and Java were not used. According to one of the programmers I chatted with, it cut their support calls by over ⅔.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by WovenTales

The issue is that the plugin is using a deprecated type name which has finally been removed in Python 3.12. If using the version on the Calibre download page (and its bundled Python 3.11) works for your personal system administration, great, use that since the community's hostile to native distro packaging. Otherwise, there's a patch posted in the plugin thread which works perfectly well.

The community is not so much hostile to distro packaging as the community is getting tired of people who try to use distro installs which are sloppily built and try to save space by not including all of calibre dependencies. The common advice is to install the official version from calibre's download page which oddly enough seems to fix the issues 99% of the time.

Also note that Linux makes up 4.6% of the installed calibre base (Windows is 80.4% and MacOS 15%) and yet Linux users contribute about ~30% (a quick count) of install issues and most of those complaints are from distro installs.

[nerdy_knowledge]

Originally Posted by DNSB

The community is not so much hostile to distro packaging as the community is getting tired of people who try to use distro installs which are sloppily built and try to save space by not including all of calibre dependencies.

I think this equals to the community being hostile to distro builds - which, with the explanation you've given, is completely understandable, btw. Anyway, my bad, I should've read the official pages before installing the distro build. Being rather new to Linux, coming from a Mac, I've learned my lesson now.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by nerdy_knowledge

I think this equals to the community being hostile to distro builds - which, with the explanation you've given, is completely understandable, btw. Anyway, my bad, I should've read the official pages before installing the distro build. Being rather new to Linux, coming from a Mac, I've learned my lesson now.

It isn't so much 'hostile', as Ugh! another one that needs saving from the distro mess (some is just caused by the 'We Know better crowd' that had a specific goal and did not test fully with the rest of the distro packages).

But, the most simple reason to use the official: Many distro packages are Frozen at time of release and don't get the bi-weekly updates

[Steven Karp]

And let us not forget that there is no system Python in Windows. There are, I imagine, a few Windows users. ;-)

[JSWolf]

This thread belongs in the Kobo Utilities plugin thread.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

This thread belongs in the Kobo Utilities plugin thread.

Moderator Notice
Done as requested

[foosion]

Is there a way to set a keyboard shortcut to "Store current bookmark/reading position".

I can check a box to store on connect and I can set a shortcut to bring up the store/restore bookmarks dialog, but those are different. I just want a single key to take the info from my device and set the relevant columns on Calibre.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by foosion

Is there a way to set a keyboard shortcut to "Store current bookmark/reading position".

I can check a box to store on connect and I can set a shortcut to bring up the store/restore bookmarks dialog, but those are different. I just want a single key to take the info from my device and set the relevant columns on Calibre.

Is that not exactly what the Store on connect option does? It takes the information such as reading status, percent read, etc. and places them into the columns in calibre without even having to hit a key. Heck, if you change libraries while connected to your Kobo ereader, it will update the columns in the new library. Since the information on your Kobo should not be changing while you have it connected, why would you want to re-run the Store operation? Out of curiosity, what do you see as the difference between the Store on connect option and running the same operation from the Store/Restore tool?

As for Restore? That is something I do very rarely, mostly after a factory reset so I see no real advantage to having it as a keyboard shortcut. To me, keyboard shortcuts are reserved for common operations

[foosion]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Is that not exactly what the Store on connect option does? It takes the information such as reading status, percent read, etc. and places them into the columns in calibre without even having to hit a key. Heck, if you change libraries while connected to your Kobo ereader, it will update the columns in the new library. Since the information on your Kobo should not be changing while you have it connected, why would you want to re-run the Store operation? Out of curiosity, what do you see as the difference between the Store on connect option and running the same operation from the Store/Restore tool?

As for Restore? That is something I do very rarely, mostly after a factory reset so I see no real advantage to having it as a keyboard shortcut. To me, keyboard shortcuts are reserved for common operations

Yes, that's what it does on connect. I only want to run it on some connects, not all. I could change the options in KU, turning it off when I don't want the info transferred and back on when I do, but that's many more clicks/keypresses.

The underlying issue is the amount of time it takes. Sometimes I do things that don't require updating info, so I don't want to have to wait for the updating jobs to finish.

FWIW, I've never run restore. As you say, I'd run it after a factory reset.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by foosion

Yes, that's what it does on connect. I only want to run it on some connects, not all. I could change the options in KU, turning it off when I don't want the info transferred and back on when I do, but that's many more clicks/keypresses.

The underlying issue is the amount of time it takes. Sometimes I do things that don't require updating info, so I don't want to have to wait for the updating jobs to finish.

FWIW, I've never run restore. As you say, I'd run it after a factory reset.

Difference between our computers and ereaders then. I see about a 1 second difference between have Store turned on or off with my Sage and Libra Colour. Not enough for me to worry about. In the image, I connected the Sage to calibre with the Intake library selected and then switched to my Main library. The same 1 second time for 35 or 1434 books. If I connected my Clara HD with the full library on it, the 15500 books take about 11 seconds which is not all that significant compared to the time required get list of books on device, send updated metadata, backup Kobo device database, etc.