Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Bookeen have licenced the MobiPocket Reader from Mobi, and that copyrighted code is a part of the Gen's firmware. If someone has copied that code onto a different platform, they are in breach of Mobi's copyright, and Mobi have shown in the past (eg with people who've copied the Java version of the reader from the iLiad) that they'll come down on you like the proverbial "ton of bricks". I don't want to see the original poster getting into trouble. This has nothing to go with GPL.
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Harry,
The Mobipocket software in the firmware was not modified at all. And the platform - in the sense of different hardware - is not different enough to require substantive modification of the OS or Boo Reader. (From what I understand, the "patched" firmware was merely modified to NOT look for the pre-existence of the Boo Reader on the target device.) IOW, for those who've bought the original Cybook (and the newer version, except the RAM has been boosted to 512MB), the hardware is IDENTICAL to a Netronix EB-100.
There IS the question of porting the specific copy of the update_firmware to a specific EB-100. However, that is best addressed by Bookeen, not by Mobipocket as doing so does NOT deprive Mobipocket of Cybook customer sales, rather it ADDS EB-100 owners (and quite possibly owners of Explay, Orsio and STAReBOOK) to that pool. Clearly a win-win for Mobipocket.
Further, this test was done, if I understand correctly, to determine, when the time comes that the OpenInkpot OS design is ported over from the Hanlin to the Cybook, if much further modification of OI would be required to port to these other devices in the Netronix/Bookeen family. I seriously doubt the average customer would be willing to go through the trouble of buying a Cybook Gen3, registering it in order to gain access to the latest firmware build, modifying said build (Remember, Bookeen is constantly working to improve the firmware.), and then installing said patch over the Netronix device. This is NOT a trivial exercise!
Hopefully, once OI is completed, it will be set up in such a way as to allow it to boot (and only run - not install itself) from the SD card. That would allow any device purchaser to keep their firmware install on the device while still retaining the option to boot into OI and run whichever reader app they want.
Derek