10-26-2006, 03:10 PM | #1 |
Addict
Posts: 219
Karma: 368
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: UK
Device: PRS500, Looking at 700
|
Bounty for Mac sync/library management.
It's a project I kinda wanted to do myself but then it occurred to me that I hadn't written a line of code in 10 years and never written one on the Mac. So in the spirit of "If at first you don't succeed, pay some one else to do it". I'm offering a bounty for an application to mimic the Sony Connect software for Windows.
Definition: Primary Goals: Should be able to manage a sizable library of titles in differing formats. Should be able to sync to the reader Secondary wish list: Import option to allow conversion to either BBeB or RTF of non-supported file types such as HTML or .lit Would be nice to have: Cover art browser like iTunes or delicious library. My initial bounty offering is not huge but hopefully other Mac users out there will be willing to join in my request and up the ante. So I'm offering £100 in the currency of your choice ( as long as paypal works in it. ) for a working product. Thanks, Last edited by ultim8fury; 10-27-2006 at 02:01 AM. |
10-27-2006, 01:53 AM | #2 |
Addict
Posts: 364
Karma: 1035291
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Redmond, WA
Device: iPad Mini,Kindle Paperwhite
|
What about using Parallels or Virtual PC?
|
Advert | |
|
10-27-2006, 01:59 AM | #3 |
Addict
Posts: 219
Karma: 368
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: UK
Device: PRS500, Looking at 700
|
Parallels reportedly works with the connect software, bootcamp definitely does. TBH I'd rather have a native app. I so rarely boot Windows that it's barely worth me having the partition, if it wasn't for my Harmony remote control and the Reader I would in all likelihood not bother with it.
|
10-27-2006, 08:22 AM | #4 | |
Enthusiast
Posts: 27
Karma: 10
Join Date: Oct 2006
Device: Sony Reader
|
Quote:
Bounty... pirates... Maybe. Maybe Sony will publish the needed information. |
|
10-28-2006, 12:29 PM | #5 |
Uebermensch
Posts: 2,583
Karma: 1094606
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Italy
Device: Kindle
|
£100 is huge for a bounty by a single person.
Perhaps we should set something up where everyone interested (i.e. us Mac users...) can contribute something to the bounty. gseryakov is right, this could lead to legal problems. But would it really? Sure you may have to disassmble the code and run it through IDA, but at least in some countries it's allowed to disassemble binaries. And I don't see how Sony would be harmed by someone writing a universal USB code for the Reader. |
Advert | |
|
10-28-2006, 01:12 PM | #6 |
Addict
Posts: 219
Karma: 368
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: UK
Device: PRS500, Looking at 700
|
The import/ library management functionality is of far more use to me than the syncing. Sure it'd be nice to sync to the reader but it doesn't need to be the primary focus. Importing from a variety of un-encrypted sources to BBeB or RTF with correct formatting would be a huge thing on it's own.
The applescript utility in the other thread is very good but I really want a GUI with options and library management. As iTunes like as possible listing details like when I last read something my rating etc. Syncing can always be added on later. Until then there is always SD card transfer. Have the App recognise a Reader Ready SD card like iPhoto does with a camera card. The presence of a Sony Reader folder on the card should trigger the app to start. £100 is a fair bit to put up but considering the work that needs to take place on a project like this I can't help feeling it's not really enough. |
10-28-2006, 01:30 PM | #7 | |
Evangelist
Posts: 458
Karma: 293
Join Date: May 2006
|
Quote:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...ghlight=itunes |
|
10-28-2006, 01:54 PM | #8 |
Addict
Posts: 219
Karma: 368
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: UK
Device: PRS500, Looking at 700
|
I had no idea that itunes was capable of that.
The reader doesn't show up at all in OSX it doesn't conform to USB mass storage. |
10-30-2006, 01:23 AM | #9 |
Zealot
Posts: 107
Karma: 35
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Greensboro, NC
Device: Sony Librie / Sony Clie / Sony Reader
|
The people at Mark/Space, who make The Missing Sync for many devices, would be my best bet for having the skillset to make such a utility.
As for USB properties, when I look in the Apple System Profiler, it lists the Sony Reader as "Sony Portable Reader System" with a product ID of 667. So, the Mac can talk to it over USB, and recognize it, but nothing else. When I plug in my Librie, I get similar results: it comes up as "Sony E-book Reader", with a product ID of 344, but no USB mass storage. I think the internal memory of both readers (as well as any installed memory sticks) are not connected to the USB port. The readers are computers, so they probably have to be running to talk to the internal storage. -William |
11-01-2006, 12:37 PM | #10 |
Addict
Posts: 270
Karma: 298
Join Date: Mar 2005
|
But you could write to an SD card using an SD card reader and not have to connect directly to the Sony reader at all. It looks like the data catalog is an xml file.
I put a few documents onto an SD card using the Connect Software connected to the reader, then popped the card out and plugged it into a card reader. The files and directory structure are pretty straight-forward, and the xml structure of the catalog only has a few weird elements in it. |
11-01-2006, 01:00 PM | #11 |
creator of calibre
Posts: 44,327
Karma: 23661992
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Mumbai, India
Device: Various
|
|
11-01-2006, 01:53 PM | #12 |
Addict
Posts: 219
Karma: 368
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: UK
Device: PRS500, Looking at 700
|
I've been following your work on the usb protocol with some interest. I'm intrigued to see if anyone wants to take on my bounty challenge or whether I can learn Objective-C and Cocoa programming and write an app before someone beats me to it.
|
11-01-2006, 05:21 PM | #13 |
Addict
Posts: 270
Karma: 298
Join Date: Mar 2005
|
I'm thinking about pursuing that line of thought, but coding in Java instead of Objective-C because a) I already know some Java, and b) it would then be portable to Linux and Windows as well. I've been looking around for an excuse to play with Eclipse anyway.
|
11-02-2006, 12:34 AM | #14 |
creator of calibre
Posts: 44,327
Karma: 23661992
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Mumbai, India
Device: Various
|
Well I should be done with the reverse engineering in a couple of weeks (work permitting). There are tons of opensource apps that do library management (An example I use http://periapsis.org/tellico/). As for import from formats, the only major format for which there is no good import mechanism is pdf. Frankly I dont think there will ever be one. The remaining task is simply combining these apps into one for the GUI inclined.
|
11-03-2006, 06:38 AM | #15 |
Zealot
Posts: 107
Karma: 35
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Greensboro, NC
Device: Sony Librie / Sony Clie / Sony Reader
|
If anyone writes a Unix command-line app that does what's needed, I'd be willing to create a GUI wrapper for it in OS X. I did that with MakeLRF last year, so I'm familiar with the process.
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Is there a reason Reader library wont sync to my 300 on my mac? It did before. | King Antonius | Sony Reader | 3 | 01-13-2010 06:27 AM |
PRS-300 Reader Library (Mac) Sync Issues | ajosh21 | Sony Reader | 9 | 01-02-2010 05:00 PM |
Automatic Sony Read Sync Script for Mac and Mekentosj Papers Sync | smash0190 | Sony Reader | 1 | 03-12-2009 06:41 PM |
What library management software/sync software to use with 505? (No DRM files) | techie_007 | Sony Reader | 4 | 02-21-2009 08:22 AM |
Mac- Just made the switch, any advice? Library management etc. | Luke_Y | Sony Reader | 18 | 05-01-2008 01:37 PM |