Easiest way of deploying custom applications

[kitomer]

Hello!

I am developing a small application for the Kindle 3 that will be using the native "eips" command to render the UI to the display and use the "waitforkey" to handle all keyboard events during the runtime of the application.

Now I am looking for a simple way of launching this application. Ideally this would be done in the form of a .azw2 file that the user just copies to his/her documents folder, plus copy the application directory (contains the applications startup-shell-script and actual program) and then can click on the kindle (this should launch the shell script which will launch the actual program).

For now I found this procedure: install jailbreak, install mkk, install KUAL, install small extension for KUAL that launches the application.

Is there a simpler way? Such as: Here is a generic azw2 that will start a custom shell script in the documents folder?

Thank You!

[encol]

You can look at the KUAL Kindlet source code.
It (creates and) starts a custom m script
OR
you can simply write a your KUAL extension which launchs your custom script

[kitomer]

Thank You, encol!
Is it possible to modify the KUAL binary azw2 directly to change the title, author and what script is started when the azw2 is loaded?

[knc1]

Originally Posted by kitomer

Thank You, encol!
Is it possible to modify the KUAL binary azw2 directly to change the title, author and what script is started when the azw2 is loaded?

Have you read the source code of KUAL yet, as was suggested above?

The source code of nearly everything here is in public repositories.
The only closed source we deal with here is Amazon's.

Which includes your application for the K3.
Where is the source code available at?
What license is it under?

If your application is closed source, you will not get much help from this forum.

[kitomer]

Thank You, knc1, for the remarks!
The application is currently in development but when finished will be open-sourced.

My last question was geared towards finding a way to _avoid_ creating my own local Kindlet compilation setup. I would rather prefer changing a few strings here and there inside the KUAL kindlet resulting in the desired appearence and behaviour.

To answer your other questions: no public repo is (yet) available. License will be LGPL.

[kitomer]

Maybe there is even a way to disable the signature check of azw2 files alltogether making it as easy as: install jailbreak + signature-disabler and put unsigned Kindlets onto the Kindle which are executable right away.

[knc1]

You are trying to support a very old device and that limits your choices.

Given the list of things that you need to support your application,
about the best you can do is simplify or shorten the install process.

You can't run KUAL without its prerequisites -
In fact, you can't run anything that modifies the system from within the Kindlet jail.
I.E: A Kindlet can not be the vehicle for installing the device jailbreak and the kindlet jailbreak.

I honestly do not recall if the installation steps can be combined for the K3 (some of them can be for the 5-series devices, but we don't to simplify support of each).

Installing KUAL is just an un-archive to the top of visible USB storage.
That might be combined with some other required step(s).

KUAL (IIRC) installs a working, minimum menu tree.
You could add or substitute your install / control / un-install scripts for those standard pieces.
That is: A specialized, minimum, menu tree.

If you have to add or modify anything outside of visible USB storage, you really need to package the application as an update_*.bin file.
KindleTool is the utility for that purpose (it also opens both Amazon's and our packages in that format).
The update_*.bin format file has provisions for running custom scripts during the installation process.

= = = =

Translation of all of the above:
It will be difficult to shorten or simplify the current set of install steps that you listed.

PS: The K3 has been out for, what? five years?, the process would have been simplified long ago if it where possible.

= = = =

It is not possible to install unsigned packages in the Kindle system.
That is what our 'device jailbreak' does, install our own signature certificate to Amazon's key pool.
And similarly for the 'kindlet jailbreak', it installs the common developer's keys to the Java key pool.

Also, we have never supported the OTA version of Kindle updates.
Both for technical reasons and so that anything that gets installed requires user interaction.
I.E: If something nasty gets installed, it can only be because the user decided to do it their self.

[kitomer]

That was very helpful information, knc1, Thank You!

I support the Kindle 3 keyboard, because, well, the keyboard is really useful for the application I am writing (a text editor with calendar/task-planning functions).

Another idea I had:
Do you know of a way to modify the Kindle's main menu to change/insert a new item that triggers a shell script? That would be super useful: one would just modify the jailbreak binary in order to change its behaviour (add the menu item) and off you go: item launches application (app folder is in mounted USB folder at /mnt/us)

[kitomer]

Well, I did try to recompile the jailbreak but somehow the resulting .bin file is not recognized as a valid update file, maybe recompiling under Linux will yield better results.

If recompilation works, I will try to modify the jailbreak's install.sh to install some global keyboard shortcut that will start my application (previously copied to a folder inside /mnt/us).

Btw: I could not find the actual _sources_ of KUAL. I did find a .zx file that included the two azw files and the install .bin file but not the actual stuff needed for recompilation of KUAL.

Any hints on these matters would be really appreaciated:
- installing a global system keyboard shortcut on the kindle (waitforkey is not an option here)
- actual sources of KUAL for recompile

Thank You all for the input so far!

[encol]

Originally Posted by kitomer

...
- actual sources of KUAL for recompile

https://bitbucket.org/ixtab/kindlelauncher