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Reviewer: Ian Macdonald-Munro Version: Libra 0.9.2 Date: Mar 5, 2008 Rating: |
Pros. This is an excellent idea and a potentially universally useful "must--have" utility and it's FREE. It looks good and is graphically based, storing images of your books, games, CD's and DVD's not just their data. It automatically adds all the key data, including ISBN numbers, plus a short description where available but only for any item it recognizes. Cons The database appears restricted purely to what Amazon have on offer or can obtain. You cannot auto-search on the whole internet for data on your added items, even when you know it is available. It is not obvious how, or even if, one can search for an item by its ISBN number alone. I have over 2500 books and so manual entry for 50% + of them is not a feasible option. The default skin and the two built-in alternatives on offer have IMO a cheap, tacky, retro, 1950's look. The interface is clunky and not quite intuitive, so that one has to experiment a lot to get things done. There is a support community but its Forum contains far more questions than answers. Conclusion IMO this is an excellent idea that feels as if it was abandoned when only half completed and not really beta-tested with users. With the addition of unrestricted Internet-wide auto-search, especially by ISBN number, this would instantly be an awesome "must-have" tool. It also needs a skinning community, as it uses the visual metaphor of shelving and we all want our virtual interior design to reflect our own taste. One hopes that development taking all these factors into account will continue. |
| Version | Date Released | Status | Release Notes |
| 0.9.2 | Sep 12, 2007 | New Release | |
| 0.9.1 | Sep 6, 2007 | New Release | |
| 0.9.0 | Aug 27, 2007 | New Release | |
| 0.8.5 | Aug 20, 2007 | New Release | |
| 0.8.4 | Aug 13, 2007 | New Release | |
| 0.8.3 | Aug 6, 2007 | New Release | |
| 0.8.2 | Jul 31, 2007 | New Release | |
| 0.8.1 | Jul 26, 2007 | New Release | |
| 0.8.0 | Jul 24, 2007 | New Release |