Calibre 2 is out

[Cuffy]

http://lifehacker.com/calibre-2-0-adds-an-editor-book-comparison-and-more-1625722164

Big improvements 

[rgdot]

Older versions have always been slow for me, extremely so. On various OS and processors. Might try new one, thanks for the update.

[40hz]

Just downloaded and installed under Mint 17 (HP-i5 w/6Gb RAM)

Looks to be a nice upgrade. Seems plenty fast with 50 titles loaded as a test. Be interesting to see how it behaves with a few thousand should I "go production" with it. In the past it seemed to bog once you had several hundred titles under the roof - or opened a very large (and often poorly compiled) PDF. Especially under Windows 7. (Never tried it under Win8.) Hoping those issues have gotten better this time out.

That new editor feature intrigues me too. Can't wait to play with that a bit.

---------------------------------------

@moderator(s) - might this thread be better placed under General Software Discussion rather than Found Deals?

[Cuffy]

I think you are right.
Move it if you like 

[cthorpe]

So far it seems more responsive than the last version under Win 7 with 654 books (pdf and epubs).

[Curt]

but it still won't convert this DRM-protected book of mine :-(

The book (classics.prc) is at least 6 years old by now, but still I need Mobipocket Reader, to read it. This annoys me, because the book's content is 219MB text only, which really should be divided into a hundred booklets. Furthermore,  Mobi seems to never be updated.

How can I convert this dinosaur?

[40hz]

How can I convert this dinosaur?

There's an article here that may be helpful. Read the page for info but DON'T use the suggested download link. It grabs one of those dodgey DRM removal products (Epubor) which are always caveat emptor.

Just for kicks, I downloaded the suggested software from the author's site and scanned it. It contained a trojan (yet another Packer.GEN variant) as is to be expected when you go shopping for DRM crackers.

Suggestion: if your file is just a large collection of classics, as the title seems to suggest, why not just download the individual titles you actually want to read from Project Gutenberg or other free sources? That should be a lot easier than cracking the DRM, converting 200+ megabytes to something else, and then re-chunking it into individual titles.

[Scott_Y]

but it still won't convert this DRM-protected book of mine :-( ... How can I convert this dinosaur?

I don't know if the DRM is preventing Calibre from converting it, but you might try removing the DRM with a third-party plugin.
http://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/calibre-plugins-the-simplest-option-for-removing-most-ebook-drm/

The large size of the ebook might be part of the problem. I like Curt's suggestion of getting the individual books or stories from Gutenberg or elsewhere.

[40hz]

I don't know if the DRM is preventing Calibre from converting it

It is. Per the User Manual:

Most purchased EPUB books have DRM. This prevents calibre from opening them.

Unless you crack the DRM with an outside program, you're out of luck. Be aware that circumventing DRM (or sometimes even attempting to do so) may be illegal where you live - even if you purchased the title in question. So be discreet.

[Curt]

-sorry, I should of course have made it clear that "classics.prc" means "classics = more than 80 years old" => no copyright.

----------------------

... third-party plugin http://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/calibre-plugins-the-simplest-option-for-removing-most-ebook-drm/

The link (http://bayfiles.net/file/1iXSZ/Nweufd/tools_v6.0.9.zip) leads to an 440KB exe! Is it a downloader of the real thing, or will it destroy my pc and leave me bankrupted? Or does one really have to pay for a Premium account, in order to download the money-saving anti-drm extension? The problem could maybe be my browser not allowing some important popup telling me what I should have done.

Here is what my safety program thinks of the exe file:


-------------
modified:
The epubor ebook converter is a whopping $46 - it will need a huge discount, before I would jump that wagon!

further modified:
The "buy"-link inside the converter gave these prices: 1 year: $36. Lifetime: $55





--------------
Unfortunately I was quick acting, but not quick thinking. At first launch, the epubor converter said something about having found some drm protected files, and asked me something. I couldn't imagine it was asking if I wanted to convert some of them for free, so my finger clicked Yes before I had understood the question - and the converter immediately converted two files. But because I not yet had understood anything, it was the "wrong" two files, the first, small files, not the big one! How stupid I feel right now.

[Curt]

oh, I didn't see this post at first, before posting my above answer.

why not just download the individual titles you actually want to read from Project Gutenberg or other free sources?

-may very well be necessary, but then a hundred will be reduced to a handful...

[Curt]

Calibre version 2 has only been able to convert my small books, not any of my larger but still normal sized books, before failing, due to memory error.

tedious error message

calibre, version 2.0.0 (win32, isfrozen: True)
converting error: Convert book 1 of 1 (The New Oxford American Dictionary)

Convert book 1 of 1 (The New Oxford American Dictionary)
Resolved conversion options
calibre version: 2.0.0
{'asciiize': False,
'author_sort': None,
'authors': None,
'base_font_size': 0.0,
'book_producer': None,
'change_justification': u'original',
'chapter': u"//*[((name()='h1' or name()='h2') and re:test(., '\\s*((chapter|book|section|part)\\s+)|((prolog|prologue|epilogue)(\\s+|$))', 'i')) or @class = 'chapter']",
'chapter_mark': u'pagebreak',
'comments': None,
'cover': u'C:\\Users\\Curt\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\calibre_ljvy6b\\ccdenr.jpeg',
'debug_pipeline': None,
'dehyphenate': True,
'delete_blank_paragraphs': True,
'disable_font_rescaling': False,
'dont_split_on_page_breaks': False,
'duplicate_links_in_toc': False,
'embed_all_fonts': False,
'embed_font_family': None,
'enable_heuristics': False,
'epub_flatten': False,
'epub_inline_toc': False,
'epub_toc_at_end': False,
'expand_css': False,
'extra_css': None,
'extract_to': None,
'filter_css': u'',
'fix_indents': True,
'flow_size': 260,
'font_size_mapping': None,
'format_scene_breaks': True,
'html_unwrap_factor': 0.4,
'input_encoding': None,
'input_profile': <calibre.customize.profiles.InputProfile object at 0x03C99890>,
'insert_blank_line': False,
'insert_blank_line_size': 0.5,
'insert_metadata': False,
'isbn': None,
'italicize_common_cases': True,
'keep_ligatures': False,
'language': None,
'level1_toc': None,
'level2_toc': None,
'level3_toc': None,
'line_height': 0.0,
'linearize_tables': False,
'margin_bottom': 5.0,
'margin_left': 5.0,
'margin_right': 5.0,
'margin_top': 5.0,
'markup_chapter_headings': True,
'max_toc_links': 50,
'minimum_line_height': 120.0,
'no_chapters_in_toc': False,
'no_default_epub_cover': False,
'no_inline_navbars': False,
'no_svg_cover': False,
'output_profile': <calibre.customize.profiles.GenericEink object at 0x03C99A90>,
'page_breaks_before': u"//*[name()='h1' or name()='h2']",
'prefer_metadata_cover': False,
'preserve_cover_aspect_ratio': False,
'pretty_print': True,
'pubdate': None,
'publisher': None,
'rating': None,
'read_metadata_from_opf': u'C:\\Users\\Curt\\AppData\\Local\\Temp\\calibre_ljvy6b\\dlgoit.opf',
'remove_fake_margins': True,
'remove_first_image': False,
'remove_paragraph_spacing': False,
'remove_paragraph_spacing_indent_size': 1.5,
'renumber_headings': True,
'replace_scene_breaks': u'',
'search_replace': '[]',
'series': None,
'series_index': None,
'smarten_punctuation': False,
'sr1_replace': None,
'sr1_search': None,
'sr2_replace': None,
'sr2_search': None,
'sr3_replace': None,
'sr3_search': None,
'start_reading_at': None,
'subset_embedded_fonts': False,
'tags': None,
'timestamp': None,
'title': None,
'title_sort': None,
'toc_filter': None,
'toc_threshold': 6,
'toc_title': None,
'unsmarten_punctuation': False,
'unwrap_lines': True,
'use_auto_toc': False,
'verbose': 2}
InputFormatPlugin: MOBI Input running
on C:\Users\Curt\AppData\Local\Temp\calibre_ljvy6b\xgxk1e.azw
Extracting text...
Adding anchors...
Extracting text...
Adding anchors...
Python function terminated unexpectedly
  (Error Code: 1)
Traceback (most recent call last):
 File "site.py", line 132, in main
 File "site.py", line 109, in run_entry_point
 File "site-packages\calibre\utils\ipc\worker.py", line 195, in main
 File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\convert\gui_conversion.py", line 31, in gui_convert_override
 File "site-packages\calibre\gui2\convert\gui_conversion.py", line 25, in gui_convert
 File "site-packages\calibre\ebooks\conversion\plumber.py", line 1041, in run
 File "site-packages\calibre\customize\conversion.py", line 241, in __call__
 File "site-packages\calibre\ebooks\conversion\plugins\mobi_input.py", line 35, in convert
 File "site-packages\calibre\ebooks\mobi\reader\mobi6.py", line 170, in extract_content
 File "re.py", line 151, in sub
MemoryError

[Cuffy]

Curt, Take a look here. There may be a clue 

http://freekindlebooks.org/

[Curt]

-thank you, Cuffy, what an excellent link!    

-----------

I re-installed epubor, and successfully removed the DRM-protection!  

But I have not yet been able to convert the same, huge .prc file. The ebook converters epubor and Calibre are both using too much RAM in an unpatiently way...; they freeze to death before there is enough memory available. I guess 225MB is quite a job. Do I really have to buy a new computer, in order to convert this ebook into a more useful format?

modified:
At http://ebook.online-convert.com/ I can convert the file for a mere $5. Cheaper than a new PC.

[Cuffy]

But I have not yet been able to convert the same, huge .prc file. The ebook converters epubor and Calibre are both using too much RAM in an unpatiently way...; they freeze to death before there is enough memory available. I guess 225MB is quite a job. Do I really have to buy a new computer, in order to convert this ebook into a more useful format?

modified:
At http://ebook.online-convert.com/ I can convert the file for a mere $5. Cheaper than a new PC.

A file over 100mb  
The largest file for online conversion is usually limited to 100mb

Go for it!  

[Scott_Y]

The link (http://bayfiles.net/file/1iXSZ/Nweufd/tools_v6.0.9.zip) leads to an 440KB exe! Is it a downloader of the real thing, or will it destroy my pc and leave me bankrupted? Or does one really have to pay for a Premium account, in order to download the money-saving anti-drm extension? The problem could maybe be my browser not allowing some important popup telling me what I should have done.

Curt, I'm sorry for your trouble trying to get the plugin for Calibre. The download page is very confusing; I even had trouble with it myself since my reply to you.

The BIG <Download> button is a decoy which leads to the executable file you got. The Calibre plugin is obtained via the SMALL <Premium download> button (which, as it turns out, does not require payment despite the misleading label). I regret that I did not know that when I posted my reply.

Having said that, note that the link describes how to install the plugin in Calibre, which would have alerted you to the fact that you had downloaded something different.

So to clarify for anyone interested in the DeDRM plugin for Calibre:
 1. Instructions are at http://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/calibre-plugins-the-simplest-option-for-removing-most-ebook-drm/

 2. The instructions say "The DRM removal plugin (DeDRM_plugin.zip) can be found in the tools archive linked from the most recent post in this blog."

 3. Go to the most recent post in the "Posts" panel on the right. Currently that is "Tools v6.0.9 posted".

 4. The current tools collection is "Tools_v6.0.9.zip", which contains several different tools for removing DRM. Among them is the Calibre plugin, found in its own folder in the archive.

 5. The plugin is FREE. If you have to pay for your download, you got the wrong thing. See here http://apprenticealf.wordpress.com/2012/09/10/drm-removal-tools-for-ebooks/

I agree that this is an unnecessarily complicated way to obtain the plugin, and the hosted download page is intentionally deceiving. However, the plugin does work well once you finally find and install it. [EDIT: The download page is hosted, so not the direct responsibility of the authors of the plugin. Nevertheless, it is nasty to their users.]

Again, my apologies for the difficulties you experienced. I last downloaded it a year ago, and the layout changed since then.

[Cuffy]

I've got troubles 
With this new Calibre 2 release I decided to upgrade my book library and move it to A Win8.1 machine from it's old spot on Win7/32 where it was housed in Calibre1.
I started discovering DRMed books in Calibre2 and I didn't think I had any encrypted books in the library 
Seeing the post from Scott regarding DeDRM I started playing around with that idea and discovered that the books in Calibre2 that are DRMed are not DRMed in Calibre1 on the Win7 machine. Some of these recents entries in the DRMed category are the old classics that have been in the public domain for years 

How can a book not DRMed in Calibre1 on Win7 become DRMed in Calibre2 on Win8 
There's a whole helluva lot they didn't tell me when I signed on 

Does anyone understand this or have the same problem? 

[Cuffy]

[How can a book not DRMed in Calibre1 on Win7 become DRMed in Calibre2 on Win8  huh huh huh/quote]

Apparently anything that Calibre 2 can't open it marks DRM 

I'm beginning to wonder why I installed Calibre 

[Scott_Y]

Apparently anything that Calibre 2 can't open it marks DRM

Strange, really strange. I never used Calibre 1, so I can't verify your experience one way or the other.

I wonder which direction it is going in: Calibre thinks the file is DRMed so it doesn't open it, or it can't open it, so it marks it DRM? Because it supposedly can open most anything, and could open them in Calibre 1, and the file types didn't change in your library, I think the second possibility is not likely.

[Curt]

-apologies accepted, of course.
----------------------------------
Here is another way of answering:

"Here you are: [attachurl=#]"

Installation
------------
Do NOT select "Get plugins to enhance calibre" as this is reserved for 'official' calibre plugins, instead select "Change calibre behavior" to go to Calibre's Preferences page.  Under "Advanced" click on the Plugins button. Use the "Load plugin from file" button to select the plugin's zip file (DeDRM_plugin.zip) and click the "Add" button. Click "Yes" in the the "Are you sure?" dialog. Click OK in the "Success" dialog.

Calibre 2.1 is out. Changes: http://calibre-ebook.com/whats-new

[Cuffy]

The book (classics.prc) is at least 6 years old by now, but still I need Mobipocket Reader, to read it.

Curt, I just opened a .prc file in "Kindle for  PC", a freebie, and a good source of free books from Amazon 

This is on Win8.1/64  w/4gb mem 

Why not download Kindle for PC and import your single .prc file, stand back, and PULL the trigger 

[Cuffy]

I wonder which direction it is going in: Calibre thinks the file is DRMed so it doesn't open it, or it can't open it, so it marks it DRM? Because it supposedly can open most anything, and could open them in Calibre 1, and the file types didn't change in your library, I think the second possibility is not likely.

I seemed to have my problem solved 

I removed all the Kindle files that I had copied from Calibre1/Win7 32 to Calibre2 on Win8.1 64 and then replaced them from the Kindle content folder on Win7. I also re-downloaded some files from Project Gutenburg to recheck that there was no DRM source there.
Long story short, the new load of files from Kindle content all worked fine with one exception, and when I reloaded that file from two different sources into Calibre2, one file was DRM, the other was not 
Files had a different byte count 
Maybe my problem developed when I tried to copy files from Calibre1 to Calibre2 or from a 32 bit to a 64 bit machine, but in any case "file corruption is the root of all evil" 

[Curt]

I seemed to have my problem solved 

-good!
---------

My problem was the DRM protection, not the format:

[attachimg=#]

I no longer has such problem.

[Cuffy]

I'm a little lost..............

Once you removed the DRM lock did Calibre open the file 

My point was that Kindle for PC may require less memory than Calibre and with only a single file in the Kindle reader it may open the prc file.
If you got the file open I'll go back to my nap 

[Curt]

The epubor ebook converter is a whopping $46 - it will need a huge discount, before I would jump that wagon!

^ and such a discount is available just today. Because of FREE offer on Bits du Jour, they also offer a so-called lifetime key for a mere $20.

Today: 100% off. Please note: This includes free 1-year license.
But here you can also get special discount price just $19.99 (60% OFF on $49.99) to upgrade to a lifetime license!
http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/ultimate-ebook-converter-3-0-4/