What's in JBL v.16 Firmware?

Ron46 · 07-07-2010, 01:35 PM

I see v.16 firmware is released (no longer beta). Has anyone that has had their JBL for a while evaluated it enough to tell us how it is different? Ectaco's "General bug fixes" description is a little vague, to say the least.

mitchwah · 07-07-2010, 01:43 PM

Just want to tell y'all that I've edited the sticky with the new link. Didn't try it yet though. Tnx.

Ken Maltby · 07-07-2010, 05:50 PM

The main thing is the correction of the loss of page position after battery replacement
or return to the first/main menu, that was introduced in the 0.15g. Also the change of
font size, under the same conditions. The rest appear to be the "bug fixes" that aren't
very noticable. The 0.16 appears to be quite stable and a good one to run for now.

Luck;
Ken

Ron46 · 07-08-2010, 01:54 AM

Thanks, Ken. I was hoping for a few more fonts or a lookup function to a comprehensive dictionary I'd be willing to buy or something else that's good.

Looks like there's no compelling reason to upgrade from 15D-B, which I trust after running it for 3 months or more.

Ken Maltby · 07-08-2010, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron46

Thanks, Ken. I was hoping for a few more fonts or a lookup function to a comprehensive dictionary I'd be willing to buy or something else that's good.

Looks like there's no compelling reason to upgrade from 15D-B, which I trust after running it for 3 months or more.

Probably not, you are most likely not effected by any of the things that were
addressed by the "General bug fixes" that 0.15g addressed. So you don't
need 0.16 to address the bugs 0.15g introduced.

Now to some that might seem to indicate some poor programming practices,
but they would be very much mistaken. This is often the sequence of events
for software development, with a beta program running you should expect to
see this, as various parts of a complex program get adjusted and some
unexpected results pop out of what was perfectly good code before. What
this kind of quick fix often means is that they may be rapidly approaching a
more stable platform to base further enhancements upon.

Luck;
Ken

steven522 · 07-08-2010, 01:44 PM

If you check the main jetbook site, the 0.16 release is the "official" update for download.

Ron46 · 07-08-2010, 04:03 PM

Yep. And so was 15G a released version, it was not a beta version, and it took me only a few hours to notice that it was losing the last read page in all books and dropping the font selection. Just because they move it out of beta to release status does not indicate to me that it is necessarily good.

The only thing that concerns me is that Jerry at Ectaco has had a technician tell him that you can no longer flash back to a previous version. That could be a problem. But when I told Jerry I flashed back to 15D after finding the bug in G, he seemed surprised and actually wants more info from the community on whether flashing back is successful.

I don't want to stall at v.15D if any of the many, many feature improvements that were requested early in the year are to be added later, but this red type warning on Ectaco's website about not being able to flash back is a bit of a concern when they now have a history of releasing a new version that contains a brand new bug (15G). Also there are other behaviors that come about from a firmware upgrade that are not always immediately obvious, and the ability to flash back should always be an option.

I can give you specifics/ref to a prior thread on that issue, regarding the JBL nullifying intentional formatting done to .txt files. I recently found a book that is not displaying like it was (and as intended), and I am not sure which firmware upgrade altered the behavior.

Ken Maltby · 07-08-2010, 05:48 PM

At this point the change in Ectaco's firmware release program that make it more
like a more established "Beta" testing program is in the inclusion of "Release Notes",
and their interest in the user's reaction/opinion/critique. They haven't yet gotten
to the point where there is a great deal of difference between a "Beta" release and
an "Official" release.

This is as much a factor of the nature of the type of user who wants to try any
release that might be interesting and will likely jump on any new firmware that they
can find, "released" or not; as it is to any intent of Ectaco's. I think it is a good
thing if they are now doing more of what is necessary to take advantage of these
more adventurous early adopters and providing both the releases and the release
notes to support such an effort. Getting the labeling of the releases so that the
more stable releases are the "Official" ones, and the rest as "Beta Releases", will
take some time I guess. (Personally, I think the 0.16 may prove stable enough
to rate an "Official Release", in any such program. I hope it is stable enough to
form a good base for adding the features they have been working towards.)

Luck;
Ken

heffe2001 · 07-08-2010, 06:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron46

Yep. And so was 15G a released version, it was not a beta version, and it took me only a few hours to notice that it was losing the last read page in all books and dropping the font selection. Just because they move it out of beta to release status does not indicate to me that it is necessarily good.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but 15G WAS a beta version, was specifically stated as being one in the email that they sent out about it:

Quote:

The version should support ePub DRM books, but this is beta version which has not been officially released. Meanwhile it must work properly.
Please, contact me if You have any questions.

Best Regards,
Phil - technical support
Ectaco INC,
Phone: (718)728-3605
Fax (718)728-4023
mailto Phil@ectaco.com
www.ectaco.com
Follow Us On Twitter! http://twitter.com/Ectaco

The release email for .16 didn't have any mention of being beta or otherwise, so I took that as being 'official/stable', not a beta release.

Ken Maltby · 07-08-2010, 11:34 PM

For those with a concern, you can flash to the 0.15d-b JBL firmware when you are
running the 0.16 firmware. I just did it to mine with no problem. I didn't even have
to do it twice, as you might if the boot/update for 0.16 had contained a version check.
( I also posted this at the Ectaco forum.)

Luck;
Ken

Ron46 · 07-09-2010, 04:42 PM

heffe- I stand corrected if 15G was beta. I found it on their normal update site and if it had text stating it was beta, I missed it.

Ken- Thanks for that. Now I feel safe trying 16.

07-07-2010, 01:35 PM	#1
Ron46 Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 110 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Massachusetts Device: JetbookLite, EB-1150, PalmIIIXE	What's in JBL v.16 Firmware? I see v.16 firmware is released (no longer beta). Has anyone that has had their JBL for a while evaluated it enough to tell us how it is different? Ectaco's "General bug fixes" description is a little vague, to say the least.

07-08-2010, 04:03 PM	#7
Ron46 Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 110 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Massachusetts Device: JetbookLite, EB-1150, PalmIIIXE	Yep. And so was 15G a released version, it was not a beta version, and it took me only a few hours to notice that it was losing the last read page in all books and dropping the font selection. Just because they move it out of beta to release status does not indicate to me that it is necessarily good. The only thing that concerns me is that Jerry at Ectaco has had a technician tell him that you can no longer flash back to a previous version. That could be a problem. But when I told Jerry I flashed back to 15D after finding the bug in G, he seemed surprised and actually wants more info from the community on whether flashing back is successful. I don't want to stall at v.15D if any of the many, many feature improvements that were requested early in the year are to be added later, but this red type warning on Ectaco's website about not being able to flash back is a bit of a concern when they now have a history of releasing a new version that contains a brand new bug (15G). Also there are other behaviors that come about from a firmware upgrade that are not always immediately obvious, and the ability to flash back should always be an option. I can give you specifics/ref to a prior thread on that issue, regarding the JBL nullifying intentional formatting done to .txt files. I recently found a book that is not displaying like it was (and as intended), and I am not sure which firmware upgrade altered the behavior. Last edited by Ron46; 07-08-2010 at 04:14 PM. Reason: addition

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07-07-2010, 01:43 PM	#2
mitchwah Connoisseur Posts: 61 Karma: 66 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: Jetbook Lite, Ematic 7" eReader	Just want to tell y'all that I've edited the sticky with the new link. Didn't try it yet though. Tnx.

07-07-2010, 05:50 PM	#3
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,465 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	The main thing is the correction of the loss of page position after battery replacement or return to the first/main menu, that was introduced in the 0.15g. Also the change of font size, under the same conditions. The rest appear to be the "bug fixes" that aren't very noticable. The 0.16 appears to be quite stable and a good one to run for now. Luck; Ken

07-08-2010, 01:54 AM	#4
Ron46 Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 110 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Massachusetts Device: JetbookLite, EB-1150, PalmIIIXE	Thanks, Ken. I was hoping for a few more fonts or a lookup function to a comprehensive dictionary I'd be willing to buy or something else that's good. Looks like there's no compelling reason to upgrade from 15D-B, which I trust after running it for 3 months or more.

07-08-2010, 01:44 PM	#6
steven522 binomial: homo legentem Posts: 1,061 Karma: 25222222 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Alabama, USA Device: iriver Story HD; Archos 80 G9	If you check the main jetbook site, the 0.16 release is the "official" update for download.

07-08-2010, 05:48 PM	#8
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,465 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	At this point the change in Ectaco's firmware release program that make it more like a more established "Beta" testing program is in the inclusion of "Release Notes", and their interest in the user's reaction/opinion/critique. They haven't yet gotten to the point where there is a great deal of difference between a "Beta" release and an "Official" release. This is as much a factor of the nature of the type of user who wants to try any release that might be interesting and will likely jump on any new firmware that they can find, "released" or not; as it is to any intent of Ectaco's. I think it is a good thing if they are now doing more of what is necessary to take advantage of these more adventurous early adopters and providing both the releases and the release notes to support such an effort. Getting the labeling of the releases so that the more stable releases are the "Official" ones, and the rest as "Beta Releases", will take some time I guess. (Personally, I think the 0.16 may prove stable enough to rate an "Official Release", in any such program. I hope it is stable enough to form a good base for adding the features they have been working towards.) Luck; Ken

07-08-2010, 11:34 PM	#10
Ken Maltby Wizard Posts: 4,465 Karma: 6900052 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: The Heart of Texas Device: Boox Note2, AuraHD, PDA,	For those with a concern, you can flash to the 0.15d-b JBL firmware when you are running the 0.16 firmware. I just did it to mine with no problem. I didn't even have to do it twice, as you might if the boot/update for 0.16 had contained a version check. ( I also posted this at the Ectaco forum.) Luck; Ken

07-09-2010, 04:42 PM	#11
Ron46 Zealot Posts: 103 Karma: 110 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Massachusetts Device: JetbookLite, EB-1150, PalmIIIXE	heffe- I stand corrected if 15G was beta. I found it on their normal update site and if it had text stating it was beta, I missed it. Ken- Thanks for that. Now I feel safe trying 16.

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