MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - What would you like in the next gen Cybook (Gen4)

Ramen · 05-20-2008, 04:05 PM

Given the news item, I thought I'd add my wishes as well.

Note: I do not own a Cybook (mainly for monitary reasons[€->SFr + shipping])

What I'd like to see in any such a device, is:

COM port/RS-232 as has been mentioned on the previous page. There are several ways to make this discrete and without using too much space. It's a developer interface, so you can hide it just about anywhere or require external adapters, leaving just a tiny connector on the actual device (under a hood for instance or on the back-side, not the edge). Even custom interfaces are fine if proper documentation and usability is ensured.
Full (and usable) documentation of the hardware. Examples are welcome.
Linux sources with some documentation.
Backup BIOS (such as every modern mainboard has) to help you recover in case of a bad flash.

The above is meant to make developing for the Cybook Gen 4 as easy as possible. Typical excuses are "trade secrets" and the like but those are usually bullshit excuses (ref: Adaptec and VIA).
Without proper developer support, your stuck with current problems (PDF support, bugs, etc).

05-20-2008, 04:05 PM	#26
Ramen Connoisseur Posts: 87 Karma: 800 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Switzerland Device: Kindle 3, BeBook	Given the news item, I thought I'd add my wishes as well. Note: I do not own a Cybook (mainly for monitary reasons[€->SFr + shipping]) What I'd like to see in any such a device, is: COM port/RS-232 as has been mentioned on the previous page. There are several ways to make this discrete and without using too much space. It's a developer interface, so you can hide it just about anywhere or require external adapters, leaving just a tiny connector on the actual device (under a hood for instance or on the back-side, not the edge). Even custom interfaces are fine if proper documentation and usability is ensured. Full (and usable) documentation of the hardware. Examples are welcome. Linux sources with some documentation. Backup BIOS (such as every modern mainboard has) to help you recover in case of a bad flash. The above is meant to make developing for the Cybook Gen 4 as easy as possible. Typical excuses are "trade secrets" and the like but those are usually bullshit excuses (ref: Adaptec and VIA). Without proper developer support, your stuck with current problems (PDF support, bugs, etc).