Quote:
Originally Posted by PeterT
I seriously doubt Google will change how USB devices are shared. If you check any of the long standing bug reports on this the standard answer is it's done that way for security.
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Researching this it's not actually about security on Crostini, as that's deemed to be a development environment. Because the Crostini Debian 12 is in a container, anyway, the normal way of mounting a USB Mass Storage device doesn't apply. Currently from my research and reading Google edicts, it seems only Android USB MTP can be passed through. Tools like Timeshift can see a USB HDD enabled under Linux USB Devices, but can't mount it, unsurprisingly.
Guest Persistence under Linux USB settings needs enabled to remember an MTP Android, and if you add any USB device to Linux you can't easily get it back on ChromeOS & Android by turning off. You need to disable the USB device, then disable and re-enable USB persistence so that the next time the device is plugged in to USB that it's available to External Storage in Settings and Google File Manager.
I've no Kindle MTP to test (and don't want one). Right now for an ereader using USB Mass Storage you should not enable it in Linux but let Google File manager share it. The ext4 format as well as FAT32, exFAT and NTFS work. Then Caja (or whatever) will move rather than copy unless you hold Control when drag & Drop. Linux utilities to mount network shares work and this is preferable to using Google File Manager for Network shares.
So I can't see how Kovid can change the behaviour. The USB Mass Storage ereaders have to be shared from ChromeOS and treated as directories (folders) in Calibre.
There is a possibility of other ways if full developer mode is enabled with expanded crosh features. Doing that erases everything, but you made backups?
There is a way to make USB storage and other devices available in the container. It sort of works in Oracle Vbox, though curiously the Sony program on XP in a VM couldn't access the Sony PRS-350 ereader. Plenty of other stuff on USB works.
Edit:
I installed Chrome Browser ComposeKey extension and it works on ChromeOS, Android and the Crostini Penguin terminal.
There are flags for "virtual keyboard" and QT support for crostini in Chrome Browser, and then the Compose Key worked in Pluma, but not in LO Writer or KATE (lack of IME / ibus likely).