Calibre e-Book manager, a good one to stay away from.
John Corliss
.rtf or .txt, and ran across Calibre ebook management:
After downloading the setup file, I set a System Restore Point, and then
started the last freeware version of Total Uninstall (2.35 I think) to
monitor the installation. I installed Calibre and then finished off the
TU monitoring
After the installation, I started up Calibre to give the program a try:
1. It took forever to start.
2. It tried to call out (and I blocked it with my firewall).
3. The interface is very non-standard.
4. It doesn't have an easy to access help file, but does come with a
documentation file.
5. After spending a lot of time trying to figure out the process, I
tried to convert an .epub file to .rtf and it either failed to do so,
hid it somewhere or else I got something wrong.
6. I shut the program down and it took a long time to do *that*.
I decided the program wasn't what I was looking for and decided to
remove it:
1. I first used the Add or Remove Programs Control Panel module to
uninstall the program (I could just as easily have used Revo
Uninstaller, but oh well.) This took a REALLY long time. Almost as long
as removing MS Visual Basic 2005 SE a few months ago.
2. A more thorough removal with TU followed (to remove any leftovers),
and that took about 10 full minutes. As it did the removal, I noticed
just how many files Calibre had installed -literally hundreds- and how
many registry entries it had either created, removed or altered
-literally thousands. In fact, the only other time I've ever seen that
many registry entries was (again) when I gave MS Visual Basic 2005 SE
3. After TU finished, I rebooted and then used System Restore to go back
to the Restore Point I had created.
Finally, I *erased* the Calibre setup file (as opposed to simply
deleting it.)
Overall, I have to say this was a most unpleasant experience and I won't
be looking at this program again in the near future. Perhaps the reason
it was so bad is that the program was apparently ported from a version
for some other OS, I don't know.
I think it's just as important for us to mention programs that we have
problems with just as much as it is to mention good stuff.
Regarding Calibre though, of course YMMV. In case it doesn't however,
you have at least been warned.
--
John Corliss BS206. I block all Google Groups posts due to Googlespam,
and as many posts from anonymous remailers (like x-privat.org for eg.)
as possible due to forgeries posted through them.
No ad, CD, commercial, cripple, demo, nag, share, spy, time-limited,
trial or web wares OR warez for me, please. Adobe Flash sucks, DivX rules.
HLE
Just in time - I was looking at it because some titles I need are in
epub and I need the material in txt.
In fact, your odyssey/procedure is now a personal "sticky" in my files.
Thanks, o guru
Recluseman35
Thanks, John, for taking time to share your experience with this program
>I was looking for something that would convert an .epub file to either
>.rtf or .txt, and ran across Calibre ebook management:
>
> http://calibre-ebook.com
my initial interest was in converting epub, also
>1. It took forever to start.
yes, here too - 8 sec for 1st start during a Windows session
>2. It tried to call out (and I blocked it with my firewall).
haven't monitored, but it defaulted to auto-checking for updates and
book meta-data
>3. The interface is very non-standard.
no problems with it, though a bit different
>4. It doesn't have an easy to access help file, but does come with a
>documentation file.
ok
>5. After spending a lot of time trying to figure out the process, I
>tried to convert an .epub file to .rtf and it either failed to do so,
>hid it somewhere or else I got something wrong.
my experience is different - converting formats works great
>6. I shut the program down and it took a long time to do *that*.
shuts down normally here
>I decided the program wasn't what I was looking for and decided to
>remove it:
I don't need its cataloging, viewing, or device synching - but its
format conversions have convinced me to keep it around
>I noticed just how many files Calibre had installed -literally
>hundreds- and how many registry entries it had either created, removed
>or altered
I don't doubt you and I don't like the bloat
>Regarding Calibre though, of course YMMV. In case it doesn't however,
>you have at least been warned.
program is only at version 0.6x - is being actively updated - maybe the
install sprawl can be reduced and the startup code optimized
y'all enjoy your freeware
John Corliss
LOL. I'm hardly that. Just been down the road a bit.
By the way, an .epub file is really just an HTML file with supporting
images and .css files compressed into a .zip file. You can simply change
the extension on the file from .epub to .zip, then unzip the file to a
folder and open the HTML file in your browser. From there you can
convert it to a text file.
Unfortunately, the file I looked at didn't have any paragraph breaks so
I gave up and discarded it. It was a Mickey Spillane novel.
sno
the directories created will have the book in multi html
format...convert to whatever you require....
hope helps...have fun.....sno
--
Correct Scientific Terminology:
Hypothesis - a guess as to why or how something occurs
Theory - a hypothesis that has been checked by enough experiments
to be generally assumed to be true.
Law - a hypothesis that has been checked by enough experiments
in enough different ways that it is assumed to be truer then a theory.
Note: nothing is proven in science, things are assumed to be true.
John Corliss
> John Corliss wrote:
>
>>> Thanks, o guru
>
>> LOL. I'm hardly that.
>
> Pope. ;-)
Well, I just tried sitting in the Lotus Position and I think I broke my hip.
--
John "ouch" Corliss BS206. I block all Google Groups posts due to
John Corliss
>
> (clipped)
> To convert epub.....change the .epub to .zip......unzip file...one of
> the directories created will have the book in multi html
> format...convert to whatever you require....
>
> hope helps...have fun.....sno
Thanks sno, but I already found that technique and posted about it in
MID <BP2dnQrE_7WuOirW...@posted.ccountrynet>
Probably should have mentioned it in the OP, but hey, I'm only human. 80)>
In fact, I knew about it before I tried out Calibre. As I also said in
that message, the file I wanted to convert didn't seem to have any
paragraph breaks. This was apparent when I extracted the html file and
viewed it in Firefox. I had hoped that somehow, Calibre might be able to
recover any formatting that I had somehow caused to be lost using the
method you describe. Unless Calibre's undesirable qualities I mentioned
in the OP get fixed, I'll never know though.
John Corliss
> Thanks, John, for taking time to share your experience with this program
>
>> I was looking for something that would convert an .epub file to either
>> .rtf or .txt, and ran across Calibre ebook management:
>>
>> http://calibre-ebook.com
>
> my initial interest was in converting epub, also
>
>> 1. It took forever to start.
> yes, here too - 8 sec for 1st start during a Windows session
LOL I think you must have a newer system than I do. I actually got up
and left the desk when I was starting it one time (I started it a total
of four times.)
>> 2. It tried to call out (and I blocked it with my firewall).
>
> haven't monitored, but it defaulted to auto-checking for updates and
> book meta-data
Yes, you're correct and it was the second call out that I objected to.
But like I said, it was an easy thing to block the program with my firewall.
>> 3. The interface is very non-standard.
>
> no problems with it, though a bit different
>
>> 4. It doesn't have an easy to access help file, but does come with a
>> documentation file.
>
> ok
>
>> 5. After spending a lot of time trying to figure out the process, I
>> tried to convert an .epub file to .rtf and it either failed to do so,
>> hid it somewhere or else I got something wrong.
> my experience is different - converting formats works great
Then it probably was the third possibility I mentioned.
>> 6. I shut the program down and it took a long time to do *that*.
>
> shuts down normally here
Strange. Maybe I remembered incorrectly in this case. My bad I guess.
>> I decided the program wasn't what I was looking for and decided to
>> remove it:
>
> I don't need its cataloging, viewing, or device synching - but its
> format conversions have convinced me to keep it around
I agree in that the program is definitely overkill for my needs.
However, I Googled for a freeware .epub converter and didn't see
anything else.
Normally, I look to Amber ABC converters:
for such a thing, but the .epub converter they have is $ware (30 day
trialware._
>> I noticed just how many files Calibre had installed -literally
>> hundreds- and how many registry entries it had either created, removed
>> or altered
>
> I don't doubt you and I don't like the bloat
It's why it took so long to remove the program.
>> Regarding Calibre though, of course YMMV. In case it doesn't however,
>> you have at least been warned.
>
> program is only at version 0.6x - is being actively updated - maybe the
> install sprawl can be reduced and the startup code optimized
Well to be fair, this still might happen. Maybe the program bears
keeping an eye on, since e-books seem to be a happening thing.
Recluseman35
news:G4KdnbCPduNRGiXW...@posted.ccountrynet:
>
> Well to be fair, this still might happen. Maybe the program bears
> keeping an eye on, since e-books seem to be a happening thing.
Yeah, my kids all run around with older Sony Clie and PocketPC pda(s) - for
e-book reading. Guess who gets to find, convert, and archive the e-books.
Old Dad. Find myself coverting between txt, rtf, html, lit, epub, and pdb -
Calibre has done a good job with all these formats.
Good freeware hunting to you.