Device Prefixes

[knc1]

Well, guess what, we do support 'Fire (whatever)' development here.

At least we have a working prefix for those devices now.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by knc1

Well, guess what, we do support 'Fire (whatever)' development here.

At least we have a working prefix for those devices now.

Wait, what? They have their own forum. Oh, I get it -- as activity here dwindles, two amazon forums will merge into one? But then because fire is android, other android forums can merge as well, in some sort of a forum layout refactoring procedure.

It boggles the mind at the new opportunities for misunderstanding and disagreement such merging will provide. However, to existing forum members, the intruders who act like they own the place will be perceived as hijackers (or worse), for even more exciting "conversations"...

Perhaps it is time for the "old school" generation to step aside as the ground shifts beneath our weary feet, just as I was starting to feel at home after a long journey.

Adding "fire" to our forum is an apt description after all, while our existing content is the fuel source to be "kindled" (i.e. burned from "above the fold" activity) and buried deep beneath unrelated content.

Such mongrelization destroys cultural diversity (yes, even within geek culture like our corner that was set aside to protect and preserve).

[knc1]

Well, the situation is not yet carved in stone.

I (un-intentionally) started this by asking that the post/thread about blocking updates on a Fire TV be moved out of this forum.

Initial response:
If its Kindle-Something and it is development rather than user -
then it belongs here.
Because:
The "Kindle Fire" forum is a use/user oriented forum, not a development oriented forum.

Current:
We have one, general purpose, "Fire" prefix.

If we need other prefixes (and/or prefix changes), now is the time to speak up with specific suggestions.

Note:

We don't have a Kindle Oasis prefix, we don't have the Kindle Oasis in the serial number ID table and I don't think we have more than one or two owners here of a Kindle Oasis.

We also don't have 'nicknames' for any of the Kindle Fire devices that ARE already in the serial number ID table.

But if we want other prefixes, now is the time to speak (post) up.

My position, in case anyone wonders -
Anything operated by Android belongs in the Android forum, regardless of vendor name.

[geekmaster]

No, we have ANDROID developer forums ELSEWHERE that should cover all android development regardless of specific device brand or model name. We do not specialize in android here -- that was never our charter. Whoever said that an android device belongs here took being literal into a strange dimension of technical misunderstanding.

The Nook forms are full of kenel hackers (obviously developers) -- perhaps they should merge the fire over there (renaming the forum suitably). The eink Nook has more in common with the Fire (android) that we do, other than in name only. And even we have more in common with the Nook than we do with the Fire.

We need a K1 prefix. Not a Fire prefix, which will hijack and subsume our corner of this domain.

Android is great, but not here. Not at all.

[eschwartz]

Huh. Very odd.

Because we do linux and E-Ink Kindle development/hacking, therefore people should come here for Android-oriented questions about the Kindle Fire?

There is not one Android hacker that I know of who frequents this forum. They have the wonderful xda-developers for that.

...

And all that will be my advice should anyone attempt to use that prefix.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

- - -
There is not one Android hacker that I know of who frequents this forum. They have the wonderful xda-developers for that.
- - -

I agree,
but getting the "Fire" prefix to automatically re-direct to another web-site might be too much to ask.

Maybe we should just ask that the "Fire" prefix be re-labeled as "Oasis" and otherwise let things alone.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Huh. Very odd.

Because we do linux and E-Ink Kindle development/hacking, therefore people should come here for Android-oriented questions about the Kindle Fire?

There is not one Android hacker that I know of who frequents this forum. They have the wonderful xda-developers for that.

...

And all that will be my advice should anyone attempt to use that prefix.

Maybe a non-geek moderator who has not paid attention to us in any detail is confused by the missing "eInk" in our forum title? Maybe we need eInk in our title instead of Fire in our prefixes (prefixii?)...

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by knc1

I agree,
but getting the "Fire" prefix to automatically re-direct to another web-site might be too much to ask.

Maybe we should just ask that the "Fire" prefix be re-labeled as "Oasis" and otherwise let things alone.

I still want a K1, while they are prefix-futzing... And I thought they needed admin code access for prefixes, in which case why not fix our laundry list of problems we can only talk about in PMs?

[knc1]

Well, we do not have a K1 prefix - -
But until G.M. returned, we didn't have much content about it either.

Change: "Fire" --> "Oasis"
Add: K1

Anything else?

I'll leave that question pending for a few days and see what responses we have here.

= = = =

Any rumors about Amazon doing a new model release late summer / early fall this year?
Perhaps we should wait for that if it is expected.

[geekmaster]

Originally Posted by knc1

Well, we do not have a K1 prefix - -
But until G.M. returned, we didn't have much content about it either.

Actually, all the original dev corner content WAS about the K1, but most of the good stuff points to offsite blogs. It just needs to have K1 prefixes added to it. Just that folks have not added new K1 content because they were US-only and the entire supply sold out in hours, taking many months before they could build another batch to ship. By then the K2 was almost ready to ship. However, I find it a fascinating device because of its similarities and its differences. A real history lesson there, comparing them as I did. And they did not hide things then like they do now, nor protect them. We lived in a simpler world back then... But those $400 devices are now under $30 now and then on ebay. And I really REALLY like that thumbwheel roller, though that silver LCD progress/select panel requires lighting to be "just so" (a poor design, but cool mirror pixels are awesome just the same). A workaround for those mirror pixels on the LCD is do menu selection on the eink too. Perhaps they were worried (unnecessarily) about wearing out that first-gen eink? Anyway, if we get a K1 prefix, we can label all those old threads as K1, like how we helped dreams figure out how to label all the existing posts when she added prefix labels (at our request). Life was easier when we were consulted on such changes to our forum.

[knc1]

Since the day may come when the grayscale devices may be running Android rather than the current, custom O.S. -

(It is not like a well-run business to leave the provision of Android/Grayscale Kindles in the hands of a few Chinese when they could be saving a sh.. load of money supporting only one O.S.)*

Perhaps:

Change: "Fire" --> "Android"
Add: Oasis
Add: K1

Should be our request list of changes.

* Besides, having Android on the Oasis might help ease the 'sticker shock' among potential Oasis customers (it probably isn't an accident that the Oasis looks like a 'phone), while saving Amazon a whole lot of money in custom O.S. development costs.

[irreld]

Originally Posted by knc1

Since the day may come when the grayscale devices may be running Android rather than the current, custom O.S. -

(It is not like a well-run business to leave the provision of Android/Grayscale Kindles in the hands of a few Chinese when they could be saving a sh.. load of money supporting only one O.S.)*

Perhaps:

Change: "Fire" --> "Android"
Add: Oasis
Add: K1

Should be our request list of changes.

* Besides, having Android on the Oasis might help ease the 'sticker shock' among potential Oasis customers (it probably isn't an accident that the Oasis looks like a 'phone), while saving Amazon a whole lot of money in custom O.S. development costs.

No 'Android' prefix here, please. People here all do linux. And we have xda for all sorts of Android devices and their wonderful developers. Also, if Amazon figured out their own Android os for kindle users, what will people discuss? Custom ROM, root, unlock BL? Guess many of off-site links will be pointed to xda.

btw, I don't understand who does 'a few Chinese' refer to.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by irreld

No 'Android' prefix here, please.
- - - -
btw, I don't understand who does 'a few Chinese' refer to.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=268545

[NullNix]

Originally Posted by knc1

Since the day may come when the grayscale devices may be running Android rather than the current, custom O.S. -
[...]
* Besides, having Android on the Oasis might help ease the 'sticker shock' among potential Oasis customers (it probably isn't an accident that the Oasis looks like a 'phone), while saving Amazon a whole lot of money in custom O.S. development costs.

This seems most unlikely to me. The entire raison d'etre of the e-ink Kindle line (at least, as it comes from Amazon, as opposed to what it's like after it's been mobilereaded!) is to get out of your way, not support stuff that is not conducive to reading, and minimize distraction: having Android on it, with its apps etc, seem likely to be disastrous to this goal.

(Can Android even start up with a screen looking even remotely like the current Kindles do, or must you always be faced with a do-this-or-this-or-this home screen that tempts you with dozens of things that are not reading? I've certainly never seen an Android installation that does anything like that.)

(As an Oasis user, I would protest fairly heartily if they tried to turn my nice single-purpose e-reader, a member of only class of device I have ever owned that's well-enough designed for its intended purpose that I have not been tempted to wildly hack the hell out of it within moments of getting it, into yet another sodding tablet. I already have one of those, as, no doubt, do most Oasis owners. I don't need another one.)

[knc1]

I didn't claim it was a good idea, only that they could reduce their costs.

As an Oasis owner - how about you providing the missing information for our device table?

* First six characters of serial number
* Communications option (Wifi or Wifi/3g)
* Country of purchase
* Country of sale