Calibre 9.0, the latest version of the popular open-source ebook management software, has been released, introducing several new features and enhancements that enhance user experience. One of the standout additions is a new Bookshelf view, which presents ebooks in a visually appealing manner, showing their spines. This makes browsing through one’s library more intuitive and aesthetically pleasing.
The update also includes an “Edit book” button within the viewer controls, allowing users to directly edit ebooks in editable formats such as EPUB, AZW3, or KEPUB. Another significant feature is the improved scrolling experience on Linux systems. Users with high-resolution scrolling devices, like touchpads, will now benefit from momentum-based scrolling for the ebook list, making navigation faster and smoother.
Additionally, Calibre 9.0 introduces a feature that allows users to replace images with their alt text when exporting to TXT format. Support has also been expanded for reading cover images from certain non-standard EPUB files produced by Japanese publishers. Users will now be able to type a page number directly in the E-book viewer to jump to that section, a useful addition that streamlines the reading process.
The update also aims to improve overall performance. The shutdown time for Calibre has been reduced, and support for the latest Kobo firmware has been added. Metadata handling for EPUB3 has been enhanced to accommodate identifiers using HTTP URLs without the url: prefix.
In terms of interface updates, Calibre’s search bar will only show the Sort button if the user has not added any custom Sort By actions, and GPU acceleration for the Qt WebEngine is disabled by default to mitigate crashes on older systems.
The “Edit Book” feature received improvements as well, fixing previous warnings related to SMIL media overlay audio files. For those who rely on news sources, support has been improved for several, including the Times Literary Supplement and New Yorker.
For more detailed information about updates and functionalities, users can check out the release notes and download Calibre 9.0 from the official website for various platforms including Linux, macOS, and Windows.