Make your Kindle do dog tricks!

[thatworkshop]

This would be a thread for tips and tricks, making unconventional stuff for Kindle etc. and I hope it can be updated occasionally when anyone finds/implements something interesting.

Eventually, maybe we'll find a way into the Wiki too.

The resources are really endless, with achievements made possible by people like knc1, geekmaster, twobob, NiLuJe, hawhill, ixtab, etc.
Modules in KUAL system etc

EDIT: It can also be a bookmark of links so we don't forget them!

[thatworkshop]

An interesting read about shared libraries: http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/notes/rpath.html

I used LD_LIBRARY_PATH a lot in the past, we'll see.

[knc1]

Originally Posted by idoit

An interesting read about shared libraries: http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/notes/rpath.html

I used LD_LIBRARY_PATH a lot in the past, we'll see.

As implied in that text, using LD_LIBRARY_PATH to get the intended results when using more than one set of system libraries is difficult to impossible (when an application uses both system libraries).

[thatworkshop]

Originally Posted by knc1

As implied in that text, using LD_LIBRARY_PATH to get the intended results when using more than one set of system libraries is difficult to impossible (when an application uses both system libraries).

Yup. That's why I found it good to read for me and some others who might not have known.

Now, I use /usr/local/lib for my shared libraries symlinked to /mnt/us/applications/lib. And it's very neat.

[thatworkshop]

So I'm playing with init.d danger zone and you might already know Kindles are extremely fragile. As we don't have SSH access in the diags of DX(G), I thought of this. For scripts I want in /etc/init.d/, I just make a symlink to /mnt/us/ so that if a stupidity happens in my script, I still would have a chance to go to diag > mount usb > and comment the offending lines in the init.d script... Do you think, it is a good idea / safe?

I thought it's a clever idea, till we get Diag+SSH, eh?

For instance:

ln -s /mnt/base-us/applications/etc/init.d/myinitscript /etc/init.d/myinitscript

[knc1]

Originally Posted by idoit

So I'm playing with init.d danger zone and you might already know Kindles are extremely fragile. As we don't have SSH access in the diags of DX(G), I thought of this. For scripts I want in /etc/init.d/, I just make a symlink to /mnt/us/ so that if a stupidity happens in my script, I still would have a chance to go to diag > mount usb > and comment the offending lines in the init.d script... Do you think, it is a good idea / safe?

I thought it's a clever idea, till we get Diag+SSH, eh?

For instance:

ln -s /mnt/base-us/applications/etc/init.d/myinitscript /etc/init.d/myinitscript

Perhaps a variation on that -

/etc/init.d/rc.local is run very early in the initialization process and at every runlevel change.

Of course, that was from the mainstream init docs and the Kindles use the Busybox init - -
But if Busybox init still acts that way (about running an rc.local) - -
then linking it to: /mnt/base-us/esys/etc/init.d/rc.local should put it into user storage.

- - - -

Note:
What you read here:
https://bitbucket.org/twobob/kual-sy...92e6?at=master

Had a directory tree change:
From: /mnt/base-us/extensions/system
To: /mnt/base-us/esys
(Paths where getting too long for the ELF headers with the old naming plan.)

I should have (did have) owner/admin status on that repo - but am having trouble getting back in as admin.
That problem is on my todo list of things I need to fix or clone that repo somewhere else.

[thatworkshop]

[Applicable only for DX/K2 devices]
Or if one has DX(G) v2.5.8, by doing step 1 of KindleUpdater to v3.2.1, it flashes a kernel with which diags will expose all MMC partition in USB mode. Briliant. But still having 2 brick safe strategies is better than one.

From its readme txt:

Spoiler:

The Kindle prepare process will take from anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. In this time, it will first generate rootfs.img to use on the host (and also for manual recovery), update_restore-os.bin for restoring back to the client's original software version, and flash a custom kernel that allows unsigned recovery packages and no-password MMC export.

[NiLuJe]

Can we actually create symlinks to a vfat partition?

[knc1]

Originally Posted by knc1

- - - -
I should have (did have) owner/admin status on that repo - but am having trouble getting back in as admin.
That problem is on my todo list of things I need to fix or clone that repo somewhere else.

It gets worse:
**ALL** of our (twobob and I) Kindle repositories on bitbucket are without any owner.

And to add insult to injury, github has even forgotten my account.

Hmm...
And my private server is down to its last Tetrabyte of storage.
Ah, well, I suppose I had better clone all of them to my server just to be safe.
(Those repos on bitbucket include all of the "mainframe on Kindle" files.)

- - - -

Information post number 8,008 -
Guess we could call it: I8008
(I missed the opportunity @ post 4004 and 4040)

[thatworkshop]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

Can we actually create symlinks to a vfat partition?

Yup! I'm doing it.

@knc1: That doesn't sound good!

[thatworkshop]

Let's see if this is possible:

In Windows, Virtual Desktop + Displaying only that desktop (reflecting - transferring screen on to) Kindle

With this you'll be able to code on laptop and read on your eBook reader in the following scenario: Open a PDF on laptop (maybe in a second virtual desktop?!) and the eReader when connecting via VNC over USB only sees this screen or a client-server program nahte wrote for DXG. One can then go back to first/main desktop and do all stuff and still kindle is showing what is on the second screen (which is PDF file).

How can I do this? I have tried VirtuaWin, Dexpot, and the app called Desktops from Windows itself, to no avail.

This is somewhat similar to what Linux does with its screen:1 or screen:2 or ...

Or if you are familiar with NX technology, you know client can connect to server independently... which is its difference with VNC.

One might think this is stupid idea, but here is another use-case (a bit different from above): I'd like to open a PDF in my laptop (Adobe Acrobat), forget about LCD of my laptop and just enjoy reading off of my Kindle screen... When I need to annotate or highlight (using powerful Adobe on the laptop) I just do it so. With this, I don't have to deal with exporting highlights from my PDF and do some magic to incorporate my notes and highlights back to the PDF for archival purposes.

[thatworkshop]

Ok, there might be hope for USBnet in diags/recovery mode for DX(G) by somehow making use of /test/bin/usbnetwork in there. Also see here.

[knc1]

How about a nice remote terminal on your DXG for your Windows (and other) box?
http://remmina.sourceforge.net/features.shtml

(I know twobob did an RD terminal for the touch devices.)

[thatworkshop]

Originally Posted by knc1

How about a nice remote terminal on your DXG for your Windows (and other) box?
http://remmina.sourceforge.net/features.shtml

(I know twobob did an RD terminal for the touch devices.)

Oh, it's GTK based, might be a bit heavy-lifting for DXG!

[thatworkshop]

I know I have mentioned this trick as a brick-proof way to play with init.d scripts... Little project I had in my mind was to bring JBPatch working on DX(G), and I'm quite sure, it is 100% doable, but TBH I'm a bit scared because of all the $$$ involved...

Also, Goddamnit, we should make a debricking method for DX(G)... I want to play with this and a hundred other stuff.