Gen3 New Firmware build 796 available for CyBook Gen3 - Page 6

HarryT · 09-09-2008, 04:44 AM

I'm basing it really on the previous firmware version. If you recall, they initially released a firmware 708 "updater" which was (IIRC) about 6MB in size, and then later, when there was a requirement for people to completely reflash the internal partition, they released a "full" version (with "fmt" on the end of the filename) which was 16MB or so in size.

Given that this new version is:

1. Small in size.
2. Doesn't reflash the internal partition.

I'm guessing that it's just an "updater" rather than a "total" reflasher.

delphidb96 · 09-09-2008, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Nothing strange with that. Adding compression or stripping binaries will have that effect easily.

The readme file did not say that the firmware (kernel and other things on internal partition) was not complete. The comment about just updating sections I am pretty sure refer to the fact that it does not erase you books or your configurations like some previous updated did.

The "full update" firmware zip files run to 9MB or larger. The last one I received was, zipped, at 15MB.

Derek

Sharone · 09-10-2008, 07:14 AM

has anyone attempted to update straight from build 538 to the 796?

tompe · 09-10-2008, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sharone

has anyone attempted to update straight from build 538 to the 796?

Yes. It worked without any problems.

tompe · 09-10-2008, 02:02 PM

I upgraded 11 o'clock Sunday with fully charged battery and now the indicator shows 20% without any reading done. That is not so good. Any other observations?

Manichean · 09-11-2008, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

I upgraded 11 o'clock Sunday with fully charged battery and now the indicator shows 20% without any reading done. That is not so good. Any other observations?

I didn't measure anything, but I got the impression that the battery went faster than before. Then again, I've switched on and off really frequently these past few days, so that might be a factor too. I can't really tell how long it really lasts until the battery is completely empty, since I avoid letting it run dry- that seemed to be the cause of some problems I had, as noted in some thread I lost track of...

By the way, bootup time seems to have improved, did anyone measure this?

Manichean · 09-11-2008, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delphidb96

The "full update" firmware zip files run to 9MB or larger. The last one I received was, zipped, at 15MB.
Derek

Just out of curiosity, is there a 796fmt available like the 708fmt of the last update? This could come in handy, should the new version totally crap out on someone like the last one seemed prone to doing.

Cito · 09-11-2008, 07:22 AM

One thing I'd really like to see improved in the PDF reader is the ability to automatically remove white margin and zoom the PDF larger instead. It does not make sense on a small PDF reader to waste space on the display with showing empty space. You can remove margins with Acrobat Pro, but that's an additional step, you need additional software and it does not work with protected PDFs.

Manichean · 09-11-2008, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cito

One thing I'd really like to see improved in the PDF reader is the ability to automatically remove white margin and zoom the PDF larger instead. It does not make sense on a small PDF reader to waste space on the display with showing empty space. You can remove margins with Acrobat Pro, but that's an additional step, you need additional software and it does not work with protected PDFs.

I believe this is on the same level as PDF reflow as to complexity, so it might not happen. Would be a nice feature though. By the way, anyone know of a (windows-based) opensource or freeware solution for removing the margins, preferably automatically (as in, run a command like "stripmargin whatever.pdf" and get the corrected output)? A toolchain would also work, I should be able to hack the single command I'd like together myself.

tompe · 09-11-2008, 08:08 AM

I find the zoom in pdf viewing totally useless so maybe I am misunderstanding something. The problem is that the zoom is not centered in the middle of the document so zooming in to something so that it become readable will lead to big white margins to the left and I have to scroll sidewise. So why do people think this is useful?

Also the pdf viewer crashed on a lot of the pdf files I tested with (one file caused a reboot).

Manichean · 09-11-2008, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

I find the zoom in pdf viewing totally useless so maybe I am misunderstanding something. The problem is that the zoom is not centered in the middle of the document so zooming in to something so that it become readable will lead to big white margins to the left and I have to scroll sidewise. So why do people think this is useful?

Because people do what you just described: zoom in and scroll to the right. Works fine for me, e.g. for one set of lecture notes I'm currently using I set the zoom to 60% and scroll one step to the right. Oh, and I usually read PDF documents in flipped landscape mode, which is very convenient for a right-handed persion. But, obviously, getting rid of the margins would be even better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Also the pdf viewer crashed on a lot of the pdf files I tested with (one file caused a reboot).

I've had no problems so far, what type of files did you test this on? I've used some scientific PDFs, some of them quite large, and, out of curiosity, tested a PDF that only contained embedded images as pages. Every one of them worked flawlessly.

tompe · 09-11-2008, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manichean

Because people do what you just described: zoom in and scroll to the right. Works fine for me, e.g. for one set of lecture notes I'm currently using I set the zoom to 60% and scroll one step to the right. Oh, and I usually read PDF documents in flipped landscape mode, which is very convenient for a right-handed persion. But, obviously, getting rid of the margins would be even better.

Maybe that works for lecture notes but I tried to read a book and then this method is not an alternative you want to use.

Manichean · 09-11-2008, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Maybe that works for lecture notes but I tried to read a book and then this method is not an alternative you want to use.

Maybe, but then again reading books as a PDF is not an alternative you want to use. Mobipocket Creator actually does a decent job of converting PDFs with no formulas or images. Though you might have to use some other software, I seem to remember you using some kind of unixoid operating system.

tompe · 09-11-2008, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manichean

Maybe, but then again reading books as a PDF is not an alternative you want to use. Mobipocket Creator actually does a decent job of converting PDFs with no formulas or images. Though you might have to use some other software, I seem to remember you using some kind of unixoid operating system.

Sure, I agree. I just saw people claiming that it was useful. A more correct claim is that it is useful if panning is acceptable.

Manichean · 09-11-2008, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Sure, I agree. I just saw people claiming that it was useful. A more correct claim is that it is useful if panning is acceptable.

... and conversion is impractical.

But, if I may ask: You obviously are computer savvy and very outspoken on open source software and freedom of information. You've created the finest tools for converting stuff to mobipocket that I know of. Given that background, why do you read your books as PDF?

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09-09-2008, 04:44 AM	#76
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'm basing it really on the previous firmware version. If you recall, they initially released a firmware 708 "updater" which was (IIRC) about 6MB in size, and then later, when there was a requirement for people to completely reflash the internal partition, they released a "full" version (with "fmt" on the end of the filename) which was 16MB or so in size. Given that this new version is: 1. Small in size. 2. Doesn't reflash the internal partition. I'm guessing that it's just an "updater" rather than a "total" reflasher.

09-10-2008, 07:14 AM	#78
Sharone Enthusiast Posts: 42 Karma: 498109 Join Date: Mar 2008 Device: Cybook Gen3, Kindle (3) Keyboard	has anyone attempted to update straight from build 538 to the 796?

09-10-2008, 02:02 PM	#80
tompe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,452 Karma: 7185064 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Linköpng, Sweden Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW	I upgraded 11 o'clock Sunday with fully charged battery and now the indicator shows 20% without any reading done. That is not so good. Any other observations?

09-11-2008, 07:22 AM	#83
Cito Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2008 Device: Cybook Gen 3	One thing I'd really like to see improved in the PDF reader is the ability to automatically remove white margin and zoom the PDF larger instead. It does not make sense on a small PDF reader to waste space on the display with showing empty space. You can remove margins with Acrobat Pro, but that's an additional step, you need additional software and it does not work with protected PDFs.

09-11-2008, 08:08 AM	#85
tompe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,452 Karma: 7185064 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Linköpng, Sweden Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW	I find the zoom in pdf viewing totally useless so maybe I am misunderstanding something. The problem is that the zoom is not centered in the middle of the document so zooming in to something so that it become readable will lead to big white margins to the left and I have to scroll sidewise. So why do people think this is useful? Also the pdf viewer crashed on a lot of the pdf files I tested with (one file caused a reboot).

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