Quote:
Originally Posted by h2g2
Generally speaking, why does Pocketbook dump useful features on new products and firmwares? They may look for new customer profiles, less power users and more "Apple users", that is "we do not offer choice because we know what is good for you". But I do not believe offering extra features can make the product less attractive.
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The software for the first model PB301 was designed with input from users at the Russian speaking forum the-ebook.org . Even the CEO of the company took part under the nick The Old man. The PB 301 was a generic device made by Netronix that was also sold by other OEM sellers with different firmware. The case and form of PB 360 was designed with the input from Ukrainian and Russian e-book lovers and it still remains one of best-designed e-ink readers in the world.
So, somebody wrote a software specification - all the features that would be included in a finished software. In the specification there were fantastic things with deep and lasting design impact, like the directory \system\bin where you could place a binary [understand executable program] compiled for the PocketBook 301 or 360 and it would be used instead of the built-in binary. So they made the internal $PATH variable so that the directory you can access as \system\bin when you connect the device to PC is in the first place in the $PATH. So, if you want to replace any program as used by the device, you do not need to hack anything. Just copy it into a directory and you are all set. It was the same with the configuration files. You make a mistake and program doesn't work as desired, simply connect the reader to PC and delete the binary. And they released the Software Development Kit so the community could make interesting things, such as much improved version of FBReader, or even games and Linux terminal emulator. And the PocketBook company even sponsored a competition for the best software.
There was configuration file extensions.cfg you could change and assign different programs to open certain file formats and use that to make the reader to use third-party programs to open your books. And you could choose which program is used to open the individual book. This is partly broken nowadays in the 5.xy firmware.
They are still building on that old system, but the priorities have changed, and I *think* that the old generation of programmers that made legendary firmware for the PB 360 is long gone. And the hardware itself is not manufactured by Netronix manufacturer any longer.
So the company changed their priorities, moved headquarters from Ukraine to Switzerland and the new versions of firmware are more and more different from the "good old system" programmed by a team we used to call "Guys From Kiev".
Please note, that I have no inside knowledge of the company. I am just a veteran e-book user that loved his PB 360 and got engaged a lot in hacking effort with the old generation of devices.