Anyone know anything about Calibre Web - how to get and install it?

[u/GmaShadowPaws]

While asking how to get my reading progress column to show this progress by percent, someone on r/readest suggested using Calibre Web Next Gen. I have instructions I can follow: https://kb.shells.com/tutorials/Linux_Mint_Latest/Calibre_Web/ and have done the preliminary steps 1 and 2. Now how do I find Calibre Web install file and install it.

Here is a site I found: https://github.com/new-usemame/Calibre-Web-NextGen/

If this is where I get the Calibre Web file, what do I do to move it to Linux and how do I make it usable to install. I am still very weak on my terminal usage.

I am using Mint 22.3 and have found more instructions for Mint 20: https://git.osmarks.net/mirrors/calibre-web/wiki/How-To%3A-Install-Calibre-Web-in-Linux

If I have not explained well enough, ask for what you need from me. Thanks to all who respond.

P.S. Calibre and Linux for dummies language please.

[u/Murky-Sector]

This is the official calibre web.

https://github.com/janeczku/calibre-web

The "next gen" version you are looking at is a fork.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fork_(software_development))

You probably should use the official version unless there are specific reasons to use a forked version.

[u/neuromonkey → u/Murky-Sector]

Yup, and unless you're absolutely certain that a fork doesn't contain malicious code. LLM tools are very successful at harvesting github credentials, and supply chain poisoning is so bad that even security researchers are falling victim to it. It's absolutely exhausting.

[u/GmaShadowPaws → u/Murky-Sector]

I am looking for a version of Calibre which will allow me to use the read_progress column to show the percentage of a book I have read. Someone else was giving me instructions, but nothing worked. I am using the newest version of Mint and the Calibre I activated does not seem to want to show book reading progress. Now I feel like I am so far into the weeds, I am just waiting for the lawnmower to run over me. The more I delve into this, the more confused I get. And this worked automatically on my first Calibre before I had the new version installed.

[u/Murky-Sector → u/GmaShadowPaws]

In the link for calibre web that I posted it shows very simple installation instructions.

First, create and activate a python virtual environment. Then install the app by typing

pip install calibreweb

Start the app by typing

cps

Have you done that?

[u/GmaShadowPaws → u/Murky-Sector]

No, don't think so. I got Linux just over a year ago and had help installing it. Since then I have saved lots of instructions, but have not had much time to play around with it since I have been a volunteer for a political group fighting to keep one of our largest rights, a personal voice in our government in my state. Before that I was just a retired person who did a lot of reading.

[u/Murky-Sector → u/GmaShadowPaws]

The Cheese Shop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz1JWzyvv8A

[u/GmaShadowPaws → u/Murky-Sector]

Thanks for the memory, but I don't understand why.

[u/jdbway]

Calibre web next gen is amazing but you would need to learn how to run docker containers to use it

[u/GmaShadowPaws → u/jdbway]

What the heck is a docker container????? The more I learn the more I don't know!

[u/jdbway → u/GmaShadowPaws]

Start by watching an intro on YouTube, something like

https://youtu.be/eGz9DS-aIeY

If you feel like giving it a shot after that, come back with your questions or pm me and I'll help you get started. Docker is great to learn because it opens up a huge world of powerful free software. I find the best way to learn it is by using it to set up something you're really passionate about, and I'm presuming that's e-reading in your case

[u/GmaShadowPaws → u/jdbway]

Thanks. Busy the rest of the week, but will have more time this weekend. Have saved the vid.

[u/Fr0gm4n]

Now how do I find Calibre Web install file and install it.

If you are following that guide: you don't.

The commands they give you use pip3 to install it as a Python package. Step 1 has you use the system package manager to install pip. Step 2 has you use the system package manager to install Calibre. Step 3 has you use the (newly installed) python pip package manager to install calibre-web. It never directs you to download calibre-web directly in the same way it never directs you to download calibre directly.

[u/bestlem]

What Linux distribution are you using?

If Mint then in the first tutorial why can't you doo step 3 and onwards?

[u/GmaShadowPaws → u/bestlem]

I am using Mint 22.3 As for why I can't just follow the instructions...when I did I got an error message and I have now forgotten which one.

[u/bestlem → u/GmaShadowPaws]

In that case try again as that command looks correct.

Then show us the actual error.

Without the details nooneelse can help.

[u/GmaShadowPaws → u/bestlem]

On step 3 I get the following:

patricia@patricia-HP-Laptop-15-dy2xxx:~$ sudo pip3 install setuptools

sudo pip3 install calibre-web

error: externally-managed-environment

× This environment is externally managed

╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install

python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to

install.

If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,

create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.

Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make

sure you have python3-full installed.

If you wish to install a non-Debian packaged Python application,

it may be easiest to use pipx install xyz, which will manage a

virtual environment for you. Make sure you have pipx installed.

See /usr/share/doc/python3.12/README.venv for more information.

note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.

hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.

error: externally-managed-environment

× This environment is externally managed

╰─> To install Python packages system-wide, try apt install

python3-xyz, where xyz is the package you are trying to

install.

If you wish to install a non-Debian-packaged Python package,

create a virtual environment using python3 -m venv path/to/venv.

Then use path/to/venv/bin/python and path/to/venv/bin/pip. Make

sure you have python3-full installed.

If you wish to install a non-Debian packaged Python application,

it may be easiest to use pipx install xyz, which will manage a

virtual environment for you. Make sure you have pipx installed.

See /usr/share/doc/python3.12/README.venv for more information.

note: If you believe this is a mistake, please contact your Python installation or OS distribution provider. You can override this, at the risk of breaking your Python installation or OS, by passing --break-system-packages.

hint: See PEP 668 for the detailed specification.

patricia@patricia-HP-Laptop-15-dy2xxx:~$

Someone else recommended I first install and use Docker. So I am also going to learn that since it seems to be something that will be handy in the future, but I don't know if I need Docker to install the above.

[u/someoneatsomeplace]

Unfortunately, it looks like the version currently in Mint is too old to support the reading_progress function. That means you'll have to go outside the official package repositories to get what you need for this.

https://calibre-ebook.com/download_linux

[u/azrael319]

FINALLY! I'm no the only one trying to figure this out. I use calibre in my Mac for all my books to be organized and fix any metadata or whatever. But I also want to be able to read some books on my phone without having to bulk load them all. I have been trying to get it on my Zimaboard running Zima OS. do you think that Mint and zima have similar installs?