14 DAY TRIAL // Calibre is the best software to manage your ebooks and to convert them from one format into another, but it lacked any real integration with the operating system. This can now be changed with the Unity Calibre Scope, in Ubuntu 13.10.
If you are an avid reader and you are also using Calibre and at least Ubuntu 13.10, then you will need the Unity Calibre Scope.
In case you didn't know, the latest Ubuntu 13.10 (Saucy Salamander) comes with a very nifty feature integrated straight into the operating system. It's also present in older Ubuntu systems, but the new version implemented in 13.10 is quite something.
Beyond the normal online search that you can do in Dash, many other activities that require search can be done with ease. In this case, the Unity Calibre Scope will allow you to browse the books in the Calibre library and to read them.
“If you enjoy reading electric books and use Calibre to manage said books, then this Ubuntu scope may be for you. It allows you to search your Calibre library directly from +buntu Unity's dash, giving easy access to your collection at all times. You can search by author or title and open them to read with Calibre's ebook reader,” said Canonical's Mark Tully on a Google+ post.
You will need to install Calibre and if you don't have it already, the installation is quite simple and only requires you to enter a single command in a terminal:
sudo python -c "import sys; py3 = sys.version_info[0] > 2; u = __import__('urllib.request' if py3 else 'urllib', fromlist=1); exec(u.urlopen('http://status.calibre-ebook.com/linux_installer').read()); main(install_dir='/opt')"
After the installation has been completed and you have set up you Calibre library, it's time to install the scope in Unity. This is done with help of a PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:scopes-packagers/ppa sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install unity-scope-calibre This is it. Enjoy your Unity Calibre Scope.