AZW3 support in Calibre is not in beta anymore?

[avid01]

I could have asked this in my other thread; if it weren't closed.

So, default is MOBI, but AZW3 support is full, not in beta? That is the simple question; thank you.

[Advantages of AZW3 (such as with EPUB): hi-res pictures, diagrams are possible; not with MOBI]

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by avid01

I could have asked this in my other thread; if it weren't closed.

So, default is MOBI, but AZW3 support is full, not in beta? That is the simple question; thank you.

[Advantages of AZW3 (such as with EPUB): hi-res pictures, diagrams are possible; not with MOBI]

Hasn't been in beta for years now. Much better to use AZW3 than Mobi (unless you want to email books to your Kindle).

The other thread is not closed, by the way. What made you think that it was?

[avid01]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Hasn't been in beta for years now. Much better to use AZW3 than Mobi (unless you want to email books to your Kindle).

The other thread is not closed, by the way. What made you think that it was?

Thanks; as I am logged into my account, it says that thread is closed to me, personally. Strange. Maybe the same glitch which does not allow me to add Karma to you.

[eschwartz]

There is an old thread warning there, but it isn't closed?

And yes, as I think was resolved in the other thread AZW3 is fully supported, however, the default is still MOBI since a minority of people have older device+firmware combinations which do not support AZW3.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

There is an old thread warning there, but it isn't closed?

And yes, as I think was resolved in the other thread AZW3 is fully supported, however, the default is still MOBI since a minority of people have older device+firmware combinations which do not support AZW3.

Which does beg the question on why the 'Original Default' has not been reordered for new Calibre users. (the settings do not change for 'Existing installations'

[eschwartz]

Huh? I didn't know the defaults have changed...

In fact, looking at the relevant lines of the driver code...

src/calibre/devices/kindle/driver.py -- line 289

    FORMATS     = ['azw', 'mobi', 'azw3', 'prc', 'azw1', 'tpz', 'azw4', 'pobi', 'pdf', 'txt']

Sure looks like MOBI is prioritized over AZW3 to me... actually, I am surprised AZW3 is listed at all, if that means it will be sent to the Kindle 2/3/4/Touch/Paperwhite/Voyage.

EDIT: This is entirely deliberate, see https://github.com/kovidgoyal/calibr...e692bce5bab7c6 (dated September 2012)
"Kindle driver: Prioritize sending MOBI over azw3 on e-ink devices so that people with older models can convert AZW3 to MOBI and just click send to device"

This change has not been reverted.

[avid01]

OK. I might be the majority of Kindle/Calibre users, whose device in fact supports AZW3 (for ages).

I still have no idea how to set the now fully supported AZW3 output (file format with better features, such as nicer images) as default. Anyone could give me a hand?

@Kovild, I truly appreciate your work, but how about thinking a little like Apple in a way that if 90% of your users already have devices supporting the newer, better file format such as AZW3, then why punish them by defaulting them to a legacy format may be less than 10% use. Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand. (Not to mention with firmware update many of those older Kindle devices also support AZW3)

With respect.

[eschwartz]

Maybe Kovid disagrees with Apple's policy of dropping support for anything more than a year old.

[avid01]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Maybe Kovid disagrees with Apple's policy of dropping support for anything more than a year old.

You are exaggerating;
in Apple's case in one direction, in the Kidle's case in the other. I don't know, why.

You sent a screen shot - I guess to help. Thanks! First question: how to get there in the first place? I don't recognize it. Bottom line: I just want Calibre (or any other ebook converter software, for the matter - I love a little, healthy competition!) in 2016 to default to AZW3. What's the easiest way to do that, step by step?

[eschwartz]

I didn't send you a screenshot -- I sent you two.

The first screenshot (how to configure your currently-connected ereader) shows you how to find the second screenshot (configuring your ereader to accept specific formats and which ones take priority).

It does assume your ereader is plugged in and recognized by calibre -- because if calibre doesn't see your ereader, how can you send either AZW3 or MOBI to it?

[avid01]

OK, maybe I'm a caveman, I simply use Calibre to convert my files, and I move the already converted files between the reader and the PC with a file manager, separately.

[eschwartz]

Then I don't understand your problem.

If you send a book using calibre, calibre will auto-convert the book to the most preferred supported format. (Usually, Kindle owners use this to create their books when sending to the device).
If you convert the book manually, you must manually set your desired output format.

Since you are manually copying your books using the File Browser, well, I don't know why you want to do that, but anyway I presume you also know how to manually set your conversion options to create a MOBI!!!
The solution is simple, and I am not sure why it needs to be spelled out for you -- start setting the output format to AZW3 instead... it literally is that simple, and you could not have gotten as far as to create the old MOBI if you don't know how to do so...

[shalym]

Originally Posted by avid01

You are exaggerating;
in Apple's case in one direction, in the Kidle's case in the other. I don't know, why.

You sent a screen shot - I guess to help. Thanks! First question: how to get there in the first place? I don't recognize it. Bottom line: I just want Calibre (or any other ebook converter software, for the matter - I love a little, healthy competition!) in 2016 to default to AZW3. What's the easiest way to do that, step by step?

On the toolbar, click on Preferences, then Behavior, and you should see an option for "Preferred output format" Choose AZW3, then click Apply.

Shari

[avid01]

Originally Posted by shalym

On the toolbar, click on Preferences, then Behavior, and you should see an option for "Preferred output format" Choose AZW3, then click Apply.

This one did the trick.

[avid01]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Since you are manually copying your books using the File Browser, well, I don't know why you want to do that, but anyway

Why do I do that? Simple: I use the Kindle as a to read device, not a to store all my reading device.

Kovid, if you are reading this: when one first starts up Calibre, it offers a setup screen, asks for my device type. My device, according to what's available on the setup screen, fits the Kindle 1-4 category. I understand you may want to offer support for default MOBI output for the very minority of Kindle users who are still on a device which does not AZW3 at all (well less than 5% of Kindle users in late 2016 I guess, the battery of my Kindle 4, which supported AZW3 from day one, not only through a software update, starts dying by now), so, perhaps on the setup screen you may distinguish between Kindle 1-4 (whichever of them can or cannot display AZW3), offering readers an easy one-click setup for best format, me, the 95% not having to ask for it on an obscured tech forum, where even not all the tech savvy nerds understood what I was trying to accomplish.

Thanks for your work!