Forum list

Follow Linux.org

Bluesky

Twitter/X

Staff online

• 

  Brickwizard

  Super Moderator

Members online

Latest posts

• 

  Help page black screen?

  • Latest: Condobloke
  • 21 minutes ago

  Getting Started
• 

  New computer, Windows 7 won't show in Linux GRUB menu

  • Latest: f33dm3bits
  • 30 minutes ago

  General Linux Topics
• R

  Unexpected log out behavior, Mint mate

  • Latest: ray5450
  • Today at 3:49 AM

  Mint
• 

  Solved To Comment Out or Not in the Sources.list

  • Latest: Alexzee
  • Today at 3:29 AM

  Debian and derivatives
• 

  does using a GNU/Linux based OS (doesn't matter which one) make me stick out like a sore thumb?

  • Latest: CataclysmicGentleman
  • Today at 3:14 AM

  Linux Security

Trending content

• 

  Thread 'Best Lightweight Linux Distros for Old PCs?'

  • markcopper
  • Mar 2, 2025

  Replies: 26
• 

  Thread 'My Linux ISO images keep getting fiddled and its just getting really annoying.'

  • Iamgeese
  • Feb 19, 2026

  Replies: 20
• 

  Thread 'Post a screenshot of your Desktop'

  • JasKinasis
  • Apr 27, 2017

  Replies: 2K
• 

  Thread 'How to install Wine in Ubuntu 24.04?'

  • lymphor
  • Jul 23, 2024

  Replies: 21
• D

  Thread 'Linux on Android'

  • Deleted member 155466
  • Feb 6, 2024

  Replies: 20
• M

  Thread 'External Monitor'

  • MoMentum
  • Saturday at 2:17 AM

  Replies: 20
• P

  Thread 'I urgently need help - Ich brauche dringend hilfe'

  • Petra01a
  • Friday at 7:42 AM

  Replies: 20

Forum statistics

Latest profile posts

kibasnowpaw

I should probably not have started making AI album art for my audiobook series cards… because now it turned out so good that I feel like I have to do it for all of them

But honestly, the default “series cover” for audiobooks is usually just Book 1 reused, and it doesn’t always look that great when you’re trying to build a clean overview.

So this is probably what I’ll do:
slowly, series by series, I’ll make custom album art for them over time.

The nice part is that my homemade BookLibConnect setup now gives me a much better overview anyway:

• Read
• Own/in Album
• Goodreads Review

So even before everything gets custom art, it already works way better for tracking progress.

It’s one of those “I made the system better… and now I accidentally created more work for myself” moments
But honestly, I like how it looks now.

Also, I own almost all of Daniel Schinhofen’s books. I thought I was only missing 2 series, but I didn’t notice he had started a new one, so I’m actually missing 3 series now.

I’m also missing the last book in Aether’s Revival, because it came out shortly after I finished the series, so I never got around to it. I still need to buy it and listen to it.

But yeah I’m really close to having finished almost all of his books by now.

Yesterday at 7:16 PM •••

kibasnowpaw

Been up since 4 AM and still going.

Worked more on BookLibConnect today, and it’s starting to come together in a way I can actually use.

A few things I’m really happy with now:

• R = Read (so R3/14 means I’ve read/listened to 3 out of 14)
• 14/14 = how many tracks/files are there out of how many I own/expect for that album
• The metadata box is more or less done now
• The artist view shows progress too:
  
  • one number = how many completed
  • the other number = how many I have total

That kind of visual overview is exactly what I wanted. I don’t want to dig through menus every time just to see what’s finished and what’s missing.

It’s still a lot of testing, rescanning, checking metadata, fixing UI stuff, and doing small adjustments over and over, but that’s the part that makes it usable instead of just “it runs.”

Been a long day already, but this is the kind of progress that feels worth it.

Tuesday at 11:19 AM •••

kibasnowpaw

BookLibConnect – Development Progress (PySide6 / Wayland / Metadata Handling)

Quick dev update on BookLibConnect.

Stack:

• Python 3
• PySide6 (Qt 6)
• mutagen for audio metadata
• Native Linux target (Wayland-first, X11 fallback)
• Flatpak packaging in progress

What’s currently stable:

• Album view with cover detection (folder + per-track sidecar fallback)
• Embedded cover writing
• Metadata editing (title, artist, album, album artist, year, genre, track #)
• Track progress tracking (14/14 indicator)
• Auto-rename on save (optional)
• Selection model behavior mostly normalized

Recent fixes:

• QTableWidget selection signal loop causing metadata pane desync
• First-item selection not loading metadata unless re-selected
• Signal blocking cleanup with QSignalBlocker
• Wayland rendering alignment inconsistencies
• Horizontal scroll + dynamic column width behavior

Still refining:

• Edge-case selection state after rescan
• Metadata reload consistency vs. in-memory state
• Model/view refactor consideration (may migrate away from QTableWidget)
• Performance under large libraries
• Better separation between UI state and file state

The goal isn’t to build “another media player.”
It’s a Linux-native metadata control tool for audiobook libraries that doesn’t fight the filesystem.

No Electron. No cloud dependency. No subscription model. Just files, metadata, and control.

Closer than it was last month. Not done yet.

Sunday at 7:15 PM •••

kibasnowpaw

I’m getting there… slowly.

I’ve been rebuilding my old audiobook tool into a proper Flatpak desktop app (BookLibConnect), and honestly: so far it’s been easier to work on than my old “Flask + Python web app” setup. No weird web UI juggling, no constant “why did this break now” feeling. There haven’t been any real problems yet it’s just slow progress, one piece at a time.

Right now the app is still early, but the basics are starting to come together. Set library root, rescan, and it pulls in my library structure and shows the author view (see screenshot). It’s not feature-complete, not polished, and definitely not ready for anyone to depend on… but it’s moving in the right direction.

If this works out the way I want, I might actually share it later. I like the idea of having a clean, installable Linux app instead of a pile of scripts and a browser page.

So far it’s only tested and built on KDE Wayland (Qt: wayland). I know that doesn’t mean much until it’s tested on other desktops/distros, but one thing at a time.

Saturday at 8:10 PM •••

kibasnowpaw

Title: From my old Flask/Python web app to a real Flatpak desktop app (BookLibConnect) PT1

I’ve been running an audiobook manager/tracker as a Python + Flask web app for a while, and honestly… I’m tired of it being “a pile of scripts + a web UI” that I constantly have to babysit.

The old project was very “me” in style. I built a full theme system with CSS variables, instant theme switching (no reload), and I went a bit crazy with it:

• Dark Mode for night listening (my default)
• Winter Mode with a colder look, frosted-glass UI, and a subtle snow overlay/particles
• Cover-focused browsing, track lists, metadata workflow ideas, the whole “this is my personal library hub” vibe

It looked great, and the theme engine was fun to build… but maintaining it as a Flask web tool is just annoying long-term. Dependencies, browser weirdness, “is this running on the server / is it local / what broke this time”, and it always ends up feeling like a project held together with duct tape.

So I’m rebuilding it as an actual desktop app, packaged as a Flatpak.

New app name: BookLibConnect.
Goal: a clean local library manager that doesn’t need a browser, doesn’t need random setup steps, and can be installed like a normal app.

Current status (PT1):

• Set Library Root
• Rescan library
• Shows author/book + cover art
• Track list with file name, size, and modified date

So far I’ve only tested this on KDE Wayland (Qt: wayland). It’s early, it’s rough, and it’s nowhere near what my Flask app grew into, but it’s finally going in a direction that feels sustainable.

PT1 screenshot is attached.

If anyone here has practical Flatpak advice (Qt + Python, file access/portals, “don’t do it like this” warnings), I’m all ears.

Friday at 6:17 PM •••

Share this page