MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - PRS-700 MetaData a great disappointment

dda · 06-26-2009, 04:16 AM

I've been using my PRS-700 for about a months now, and I have had to conclude that (sadly) all "metadata" is so volatile (perhaps "flaky" is better), that I might as well give up using it.

By metadata I mean "annotations" and "collections". My experience has been that these get completely WIPED so often, that it is just pure frustration to keep re-building them!!!!

I should point out that unlike some other forum users, I am a very "good boy". I use no third-party software. I use only the SONY-supplied eBookLibrary software to communicate with the PRS-700. I NEVER pull the SD chip out and connect it directly to the PC.

Yet..... time and time again I get some minor error or timeout and..... POP..... all my annotations and collections are gone!!!!

This is very sad for me because:

• Collections are really necessary for file organisation once you move beyond (say) 100 books.

• Annotations were one of my reasons for buying an eBooks at all.

I wonder if all of that XML in the "database" is part of the problem.

If SONY used:

• A FileSystem.... then collections would not be so crucial.

• One annotation file PER BOOK, then damaging one XML file would not blow away ALL annotations !!!!!

§------§

I think that is the crux of the matter..... all this metadata is kept in a very few XML files. One bad write, and you lose the lot!!!!!!

dda

06-26-2009, 04:16 AM	#1
dda Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2009 Device: PRS-700	PRS-700 MetaData a great disappointment I've been using my PRS-700 for about a months now, and I have had to conclude that (sadly) all "metadata" is so volatile (perhaps "flaky" is better), that I might as well give up using it. By metadata I mean "annotations" and "collections". My experience has been that these get completely WIPED so often, that it is just pure frustration to keep re-building them!!!! I should point out that unlike some other forum users, I am a very "good boy". I use no third-party software. I use only the SONY-supplied eBookLibrary software to communicate with the PRS-700. I NEVER pull the SD chip out and connect it directly to the PC. Yet..... time and time again I get some minor error or timeout and..... POP..... all my annotations and collections are gone!!!! This is very sad for me because: • Collections are really necessary for file organisation once you move beyond (say) 100 books. • Annotations were one of my reasons for buying an eBooks at all. I wonder if all of that XML in the "database" is part of the problem. If SONY used: • A FileSystem.... then collections would not be so crucial. • One annotation file PER BOOK, then damaging one XML file would not blow away ALL annotations !!!!! §------§ I think that is the crux of the matter..... all this metadata is kept in a very few XML files. One bad write, and you lose the lot!!!!!! dda