Alternatives to calibre?

freespeechuser · 11-19-2012, 08:37 PM

I share the desire for some alternative to Calibre.

I admire the developers, the rate at which they keep the application churning, and the features they've managed to support, but…

As OS X applications go, it is without doubt one of the ugliest, most cumbersome interfaces I've ever seen. Bizarre as it is byzantine, there's no getting around the fact that Calibre is just plain hideous.

oj829 · 11-19-2012, 09:05 PM

When I started using Calibre out of necessity, I found it to be a lot of what its detractors say - counterintuitive, ugly, hard to manage.

Three things happened, though.

1. KG improved it a LOT (around version 6 or 7?)
2. Necessity. There IS no other game in town for book management.
3. I decided, that, being 40+, I'd adjust to what I could not learn.
4. Third parties wrote awesome, essential plugins.
5. KG went all gui. It became obsolete to worry about python installations and scripts.
6. I use devices that can deal with titles being plopped on their storage from Windows explorer. When I wanna read, I export from calibre into one of my Desktop folders (Books4Kobo, Books4Nook, Books4Archos)

Okay, so six things happened. I'm a reader, not a mathematician.

What I'm saying is: Give Calibre 0.9x a fresh spin with a fresh mind. Yeah, it had growing pains. So did I.

DoctorOhh · 11-19-2012, 10:43 PM

Welcome to Mobileread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by commiepinkofag

I share the desire for some alternative to Calibre.

Moderator Notice
Moved posts to their own thread. The initial thread is almost a year old and there is no reason to bring that thread back from the dead.

JSWolf · 11-19-2012, 10:51 PM

I find Calibre to be very good and the interface is not ugly. Besides, you'll just have to get used to it. There is no alternative.

Ripplinger · 11-19-2012, 11:39 PM

I'm with JSWolf, I love the Calibre interface, especially the way the book covers flip across the black background, fantastic looking. And the way it organizes my library and sideloads to my reader just can't be beat.

Zetmolm · 11-20-2012, 08:18 AM

And of course there are lots of options to modify the look and feel. If you don't like it, change it!

11-19-2012, 08:37 PM	#1
freespeechuser Member Retired Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2012 Device: iPad	Alternatives to calibre? I share the desire for some alternative to Calibre. I admire the developers, the rate at which they keep the application churning, and the features they've managed to support, but… As OS X applications go, it is without doubt one of the ugliest, most cumbersome interfaces I've ever seen. Bizarre as it is byzantine, there's no getting around the fact that Calibre is just plain hideous.

11-19-2012, 09:05 PM	#2
oj829 Groupie Posts: 191 Karma: 574940 Join Date: Jul 2012 Device: Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo, Kobo Arc(32GB), Kobo Arc 7HD, Kobo Glo HD,NookHD	When I started using Calibre out of necessity, I found it to be a lot of what its detractors say - counterintuitive, ugly, hard to manage. Three things happened, though. 1. KG improved it a LOT (around version 6 or 7?) 2. Necessity. There IS no other game in town for book management. 3. I decided, that, being 40+, I'd adjust to what I could not learn. 4. Third parties wrote awesome, essential plugins. 5. KG went all gui. It became obsolete to worry about python installations and scripts. 6. I use devices that can deal with titles being plopped on their storage from Windows explorer. When I wanna read, I export from calibre into one of my Desktop folders (Books4Kobo, Books4Nook, Books4Archos) Okay, so six things happened. I'm a reader, not a mathematician. What I'm saying is: Give Calibre 0.9x a fresh spin with a fresh mind. Yeah, it had growing pains. So did I. Last edited by oj829; 11-19-2012 at 09:06 PM. Reason: spelling

11-19-2012, 10:51 PM	#4
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 76,423 Karma: 136564696 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I find Calibre to be very good and the interface is not ugly. Besides, you'll just have to get used to it. There is no alternative. Last edited by JSWolf; 11-21-2012 at 04:41 AM. Reason: typo correction

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11-19-2012, 11:39 PM	#5
Ripplinger 350 Hoarder Posts: 3,574 Karma: 8281267 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Midwest USA Device: Sony PRS-350, Kobo Glo & Glo HD, PW2	I'm with JSWolf, I love the Calibre interface, especially the way the book covers flip across the black background, fantastic looking. And the way it organizes my library and sideloads to my reader just can't be beat.

11-20-2012, 08:18 AM	#6
Zetmolm Guru Posts: 614 Karma: 2031728 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: PocketBook Touch (622), PocketBook Touch Lux 2, Pocketbook Touch HD 3	And of course there are lots of options to modify the look and feel. If you don't like it, change it!

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