4 ms·

Considering that it's free and open source, and that I use Calibre for a fraction of a percent of the time that I do actually reading the books on my Kindle tha

Considering that it's free and open source, and that I use Calibre for a fraction of a percent of the time that I do actually reading the books on my Kindle that I loaded using Calibre, I would rather that the creator of Calibre focused on the technical details, such as making sure that the file conversion/transmission is working correctly.

chipotle_coyote 12y ago
While that's absolutely desirable in terms of priority, calibre's UI has been not merely ugly for its entire six-year history, it's been a jet-powered unicycle ride to Crazytown for its entire six-year history. We're talking about things like just following generally accepted conventions for how to structure GUI menus. I don't think this is a matter of calibre de-prioritizing fixing the UI. I'm pretty sure it's a conscious choice. They know their UI backward and forward and it works for them, therefore anyone who complains about the UI Just Doesn't Get It. That unicycle is BEAUTIFUL, dammit.
- johnm1019 12y ago
  upvote for describing a UI experience as "a jet-powered unicycle ride to Crazytown"
- keithpeter 12y ago
  "...a jet-powered unicycle ride to Crazytown..." I'd like to see a few more jet-powered unicycles rides. They sound fun. Functionality, especially in niche software, is sometimes more important than some kind of idealised smooth workflow. The nearest physical analogue I can conjure up is to contrast a 'sound system' as used in dances in church halls and community centres round here (wardrobe sized speaker cabinets with 18" paper cone speakers, horn tweeters, all patched into a rack based preamplifier that only the constructor and a few close associates know how to navigate) and a domestic hifi by (say) Denon. Both have their place.
  - unfamiliar 12y ago
    >Functionality, especially in niche software, is sometimes more important than some kind of idealised smooth workflow. I buy this argument for professional GIS software, database management software, etc. But come one, Calibre basically has 3 purposes: keep a library of ebooks, convert them between formats, transfer to devices. It shouldn't be so complicated. Every time I go open it I have to relearn how it works.
    - w1ntermute 12y ago
      > Every time I go open it I have to relearn how it works. Then you must be doing something wrong. I use Calibre very infrequently, and yet I've never had any trouble remembering how to convert a book and load it onto my Kindle.
  - chipotle_coyote 12y ago
    I don't disagree with your position -- I disagree with the implicit contention that calibre's non-standard UI improves its functionality. It is, at its heart, a file management and viewing application. What advantage does it get by spurning the notion of File and View menus? How is it made better by having a toolbar full of non-standard icons that literally duplicate the menu bar? Is it merely UX idealism that would lead one to argue that menus that have items twenty words long is needlessly suboptimal? There are GUI conventions which at this point have been with us for three decades, and no matter what operating system you're using the vast majority of programs you use follow them. I would never argue that it's impossible for a program to be improved by deliberately flouting those conventions -- but I'd argue that you need a defensible rationale for doing so. A sound system for a large space has different tradeoffs and design considerations than a home theatre system does, but it's actually following a different set of well-considered conventions, right? I don't think calibre's UX design is well-considered at all; I think it was put together by someone who doesn't know much about UX design, isn't willing to learn, and whose reaction to even gentle criticism is to dig in his heels.
  - dredmorbius 12y ago
    "Fun" and "conducive to a long and prosperous life" would appear to be at odds in this specific case. I don't find the characterization complimentary.
- michaelmrose 12y ago
  Whine much please provide an example of a) an application like calibre with a better ui and similar features or b) how the ui should work.
dredmorbius 12y ago
For file conversions, I find myself relying almost entirely on pandoc. Commandline tools rock. Calibre has done a few conversions, but given the typical use-case I've found is for trying to get PDFs into anything else vaguely usable, it's almost always a complete wash. Going to Markdown or LaTeX and from that to the format(s) I want is almost always the preferable route.

chipotle_coyote 12y ago

While that's absolutely desirable in terms of priority, calibre's UI has been not merely ugly for its entire six-year history, it's been a jet-powered unicycle ride to Crazytown for its entire six-year history. We're talking about things like just following generally accepted conventions for how to structure GUI menus. I don't think this is a matter of calibre de-prioritizing fixing the UI. I'm pretty sure it's a conscious choice. They know their UI backward and forward and it works for them, therefore anyone who complains about the UI Just Doesn't Get It. That unicycle is BEAUTIFUL, dammit.

johnm1019 12y ago
upvote for describing a UI experience as "a jet-powered unicycle ride to Crazytown"
keithpeter 12y ago
"...a jet-powered unicycle ride to Crazytown..." I'd like to see a few more jet-powered unicycles rides. They sound fun. Functionality, especially in niche software, is sometimes more important than some kind of idealised smooth workflow. The nearest physical analogue I can conjure up is to contrast a 'sound system' as used in dances in church halls and community centres round here (wardrobe sized speaker cabinets with 18" paper cone speakers, horn tweeters, all patched into a rack based preamplifier that only the constructor and a few close associates know how to navigate) and a domestic hifi by (say) Denon. Both have their place.
- unfamiliar 12y ago
  >Functionality, especially in niche software, is sometimes more important than some kind of idealised smooth workflow. I buy this argument for professional GIS software, database management software, etc. But come one, Calibre basically has 3 purposes: keep a library of ebooks, convert them between formats, transfer to devices. It shouldn't be so complicated. Every time I go open it I have to relearn how it works.
  - w1ntermute 12y ago
    > Every time I go open it I have to relearn how it works. Then you must be doing something wrong. I use Calibre very infrequently, and yet I've never had any trouble remembering how to convert a book and load it onto my Kindle.
- chipotle_coyote 12y ago
  I don't disagree with your position -- I disagree with the implicit contention that calibre's non-standard UI improves its functionality. It is, at its heart, a file management and viewing application. What advantage does it get by spurning the notion of File and View menus? How is it made better by having a toolbar full of non-standard icons that literally duplicate the menu bar? Is it merely UX idealism that would lead one to argue that menus that have items twenty words long is needlessly suboptimal? There are GUI conventions which at this point have been with us for three decades, and no matter what operating system you're using the vast majority of programs you use follow them. I would never argue that it's impossible for a program to be improved by deliberately flouting those conventions -- but I'd argue that you need a defensible rationale for doing so. A sound system for a large space has different tradeoffs and design considerations than a home theatre system does, but it's actually following a different set of well-considered conventions, right? I don't think calibre's UX design is well-considered at all; I think it was put together by someone who doesn't know much about UX design, isn't willing to learn, and whose reaction to even gentle criticism is to dig in his heels.
- dredmorbius 12y ago
  "Fun" and "conducive to a long and prosperous life" would appear to be at odds in this specific case. I don't find the characterization complimentary.
michaelmrose 12y ago
Whine much please provide an example of a) an application like calibre with a better ui and similar features or b) how the ui should work.

dredmorbius 12y ago

For file conversions, I find myself relying almost entirely on pandoc. Commandline tools rock. Calibre has done a few conversions, but given the typical use-case I've found is for trying to get PDFs into anything else vaguely usable, it's almost always a complete wash. Going to Markdown or LaTeX and from that to the format(s) I want is almost always the preferable route.