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by mdoms 2100 days ago
Calibre is one of those pieces of software where you can "feel" the bad code base as an end user. It's obvious in the way that seemingly simple things are never improved, making changes is obviously hard. It is truly one of the jankiest software systems I have used.
4 comments
slightwinder 2100 days ago
As a user I can't "feel" this bad code at all. Sure, it's has It's own philosphy of things and ocaasional bug like every software, but it's still one of the most stable and productive apps I know. there are regular updates, no big deal breakers and faults coming from the project itself. It simply works and grows, despite being so complex and powerful.

So what is this "bad codebase" you seem to feel?

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valvar 2100 days ago
I mean the UX could be better of course, but are there any specific issues that come to mind? I've never felt that way when using Calibre. I always thought of it as a rather smooth piece of software. Unlike some other pieces of libre software, like LibreOffice...
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michaelmrose 2100 days ago
It does a lot of things and it does all of them at least reasonably well. Some parts like reading ebooks has 75 different choices but I don't think anything nor any combination of things does everything it does and any 3 choices to do 75% of what it does would doubtlessly be vastly jankier.

Not liking how something works doesn't make it wrong or broken.

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atoav 2100 days ago
I understand what you mean, but still: it kinda works.

It feels like a vehicle that has been organically modified over the years by a person who only has a welding machine and a cutting torch and a changing taste in what looks good. But hey: it drives.

Of course you have to know the intricate of the machine to make it behave, but isn't that part of it's charms?

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zimpenfish 2100 days ago
> It feels like a vehicle that has been organically modified over the years by a person who only has a welding machine and a cutting torch and a changing taste in what looks good. But hey: it drives.

I have noted this quote and intend to apply it to every large software stack I work on from now on because damn if it isn't true of all of them.

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