Calibre: E-book management

[radky]

@JusGellin wrote:
Am I the only one having problems with the install of Calibre using Synaptic and also making the menu work for it?

@JusGellin

As noted in prior forum discussions, calibre will fail to run as root without the --no-sandbox parameter.

To run calibre with the --no-sandbox parameter, see the following forum post:

https://forum.puppylinux.com/viewtopic. ... 387b#p8678

@666philb suggests creating a new file in /etc/profile.d and added the following contents:

export QTWEBENGINE_CHROMIUM_FLAGS="--no-sandbox"

However, if the --no-sandbox parameter does not work properly for you, please try the following:

Install Calibre in BookwormPup64 as restricted user (spot):

1 - Install the libxcb-cursor0 dependency (run the following in a terminal)

apt update && apt install libxcb-cursor0

2 - Download/install calibre from calibre-ebook.com (run the following in a terminal)

wget -nv -O- https://download.calibre-ebook.com/linux-installer.sh | sh /dev/stdin install_dir=/opt

3 - Install the attached (updated) calibre-run-as-spot-1.1.pet which converts the default calibre flatpak menu items to a Puppy-compatible format.

[JusGellin]

@radky
I'm not fully clear on why to use spot. I understand this for browsing. But why would it be good for running Calibre?

I appreciate your insight.
Thanks

[JusGellin]

When I install and run Calibre as root, it first gives the error - --no-sandbox when running the viewer.

I try correcting it by making a file at /etc/profile.d (I named it calibre-nosandbox) with export QTWEBENGINE_CHROMIUM_FLAGS="--no-sandbox" in it.

If I try running the viewer in Calibre again after making the file, it still fails.
Even running fixmenus and jwm -restart doesn't make it work.

But if I do a complete reboot back in, it then works with no error.

[radky]

@JusGellin

In a typical calibre installation, the user can launch successfully by following @666philb's recommendation above to run calibre with the --no-sandbox option. In this scenario, after you make the new file in /etc/profile.d, please reboot to properly set the --no-sandbox option.

However, if you install directly from calibre-ebook.com the flatpak format can be problematic. In multiple posts in other threads you were having considerable difficulty installing calibre in BW64 for various reasons, such as calibre's refusal to run as root and failed launching of the main calibre menu option.

As an alternate (and simple) method of installation, the run-as-spot option will run calibre in restricted-user status which will satisfy calbre's refusal to run as root, and the supplemental calbre-run-as-spot pet also converts the calibre-ebook.com flatpak menu structure into a format that will launch and run properly from the BW64 menu.

For those who already have calbre running properly by using @666philb's recommended --no-sandbox option then all is well and there is no reason to go further. However, for those who have difficulty installing directly from calibre-ebook.com, the proposed run-as-spot option is simply another way to install and run calibre successfully in the BW64 environment.

[bigpup]

All radky is telling you is if one way to get it to run does not work, try this other way.

Most Linux OS's are setup to not run as user root.

They are setup to have you make yourself a none root user when you boot the OS.
So you are not root when operating programs.
you are a restricted user that does not have all the abilities of root user.
These OS's are setup to work using multiple users, with them not being root user.

Puppy does not do this.
Puppy boots and is setup to only be the root user running the OS. Single user operation.

A lot of Linux software is now being designed to not work with root user operating it.

It is designed to run by a user other than root.

In Puppy Linux.
Running a program as spot will make the program think it is not root user running it.
That is what run-as-spot does.
But because spot in Puppy is not completely 100% a different user this alone may not work.

Programs are now also being coded to run in a sandbox and to do this you need to be a non-root user.

So to run the program as root user you have to not have it run in a sandbox.
That is why as root user it needs --no-sandbox command used to run the program.

Keep in mind about Puppy.
Some things that get changed, may or may not be implemented, until they are used during a boot up.
So doing a reboot, will make sure the change is stored in the Puppy save, and does get used, when it needs to.

[JusGellin]

@radky
Thanks for the information. I appreciate learning about these things. Whew! I have a lot to learn but I want to know more so I can work my way out of problems I usually cause for myself.

I followed the procedure for running as spot. It all works. But if I have a folder of books I want to include, now it gives me permission errors and rejects my request.

I don't know how to overcome the permissions when using spot. How could I do that?

Thanks

[bigpup]

Is the folder of books in the spot directory in root directory ~/spot? (~ is symbol for root directory when it is open in Rox file manager)
If no.
Try making a directory(folder) there to put the books in.
So books are in spots full access directory.

[JusGellin]

@bigpup
That works great and is so simple when you know how.

Thanks

[JusGellin]

@bigpup
I didn't realize your first post as I was posting at about the same time.
Thanks for the more explanation.

All of you are such great help when I want help or just want to know something about PuppyLinux.

I know all of you are very busy doing your life things besides. I really feel at ease asking about stuff. I always seem to get help and it directs me to think more to try figuring out some things myself.

Thanks again to all of you. It is very much appreciated!

[radky]

@martinnotharris

Thanks for your comments about running Calibre in BW64.

However, in your post above, the last paragraph of the quoted block of text is incorrectly attributed to me.

That final paragraph is not my text and it does not appear in other posts of this thread.

When replying to other posts, please make sure you do not include your comments in the quoted text attributed to other forum members.

Thanks !

[tosim]

Hey Y'all-Please be advised that there is an APPIMAGE availble foe Calibre. However, I've not as yet had a chance to see if
it runs in various Puppies