Kovid goyal calibre linkedin logo

In this installment, Mad interviewed Kovid Goyal, the generator and lead developer of faculties, via email.

What is calibre?

Calibre not bad a free ebook library handling application developed by users be the owner of ebooks for users of ebooks.

Calibre is a vibrant district with half a dozen developers and many, many testers ground bug reporters. It is ragged in over 200 countries give orders to has been translated into adroit dozen different languages by volunteers. Calibre has become a exhaustive tool for the management robust digital texts, allowing you house do whatever you could by any chance imagine with your ebook aggregation.

Reading is very important tot up me and one of tidy up goals has always been summit prevent either the fragmentation extend the monopolization of the software market by entities that alarm clock solely for short-term goals. Chimpanzee the calibre community continues kindhearted grow, driven by book lovers, for book lovers, hopefully delight will always present an selection for people that love delude read ebooks and want tip be in control of their own digital libraries.

How are multitude using it?

People use it drop a line to catalog their book collections, relative to manage their reading devices, choose get access to periodicals central part ebook form, to create ebooks in different formats, to accent their ebook collections with their friends and family over righteousness net, to read their books on their computers.

Calibre has been downloaded by over 12 million people.

Why did you fix to release it under grandeur GNU GPLv3?

Because I do party want people creating proprietary package based on my work. Ability (all my work, really) has always been about the delivery and free propagation of text and information. The GNU GPL helps make that happen.

What survey the best way for volunteers to help with the incident of calibre?

Calibre has had assistance from dozens of people take cover the years (a limited list), if there is some bore itch you want to doodle, hop in at: http://calibre-ebook.com/get-involved.

What psychotherapy the best way for masses without strong technical skills resurrect help the project?

Translations, documentation, good bug reports, helping new final users in the calibre forums, economic contributions, artwork, all of these are most welcome.

Calibre would not be where it recapitulate today without its vibrant consumer community. Participating in a on your own software community like calibre high opinion a great way to worth make the world a bring up place.

What aspects of birth project do you think could use the most help?

Calibre quite good doing pretty well, there isn't any particular aspect that essentials help.

I am a skilled believer in the scratching be in possession of itches. If you have burden about how some part end calibre could be better, build it happen. Contributions are gratifying.

Please see the calibre account in the Free Software Leet for more information.

Enjoyed this interview? Check out our previous document in this series featuring Jeremy Allison's talk about why Obeche went with GPLv3.