Kobo future firmware feature request thread

[ccipri]

Essential:
Lock Zoom and Offset option for pdf files.

I manage to adjust the zoom and a offset, so that not much space on the margins are wasted,
but then I can not switch to the next page just with the normal swipe.
I have to press extra on the margin on the arrow to go to the next page, and the when I'm on the next page, then I have to chage again the Offset, since just the Zoom the reader is memorizing.

Since I'm a c++ developer too, I know this is simple to do, and at the same time it would be a great improvement for reading pdf-files, since most pdf-files have big margins, which are fine on paper, but not on a small device.

[ksiflhjla8]

Fix the backlight timeout. Many times it goes off after 15 seconds or so

[ksiflhjla8]

Originally Posted by ccipri

Lock Zoom and Offset option for pdf files.

Ok if it is an option. Often the page for me is taller than the screen so I would get to the bottom of the next page.

[samhy]

Originally Posted by ksiflhjla8

Fix the backlight timeout. Many times it goes off after 15 seconds or so

Is it happening on the very first page you're reading just after the Kobo woke up?

[ksiflhjla8]

I think mostly it happens after I switched the light on after it went off, before it goes to standby. I have 2 min light off and 5 min standby.

[treadlightly]

Originally Posted by ksiflhjla8

I think mostly it happens after I switched the light on after it went off, before it goes to standby. I have 2 min light off and 5 min standby.

Does it happen right after you open the sleepcover? If so, this is a bug that some people call a feature. You have to touch the screen after you turn the light on again. If it happens after you wake the device with the slider, update the firmware. Also, if you increase your light off and standby times, say to 30 or 45 minutes, it will happen after a great enough length of time that you may not encounter it as frequently.

[jlynton]

My request is for it to be possible to use an ext3 (or ext4) formatted microSD card, mainly to get around the file limitations in the images directory.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by jlynton

My request is for it to be possible to use an ext3 (or ext4) formatted microSD card, mainly to get around the file limitations in the images directory.

Maybe one of the tweakers in the Kobo Developer's Corner could look into this. I have a gut feeling that what is needed is a change to the script used for mounting the SD card.

Originally Posted by \usr\local\Kobo\uDev\sd

DEV="/dev/mmcblk1p1"

if [ "$DEV" == "$DEVNAME" ]; then
	if [ "$ACTION" == "add" ]; then
		dosfsck -a -w $DEVNAME
		mount -r -t vfat -o shortname=mixed $DEVNAME /mnt/sd
		if [ $? != 0 ]; then
#			mount -r $DEVNAME /mnt/sd
#			if [ $? != 0 ]; then
				echo sd mount fail $DEVNAME >> /tmp/nickel-hardware-status &
#			else
#				echo sd $ACTION $DEVNAME >> /tmp/nickel-hardware-status &
#			fi
		else
			echo sd $ACTION $DEVNAME >> /tmp/nickel-hardware-status &
		fi
	fi
fi

It looks like the ability to mount non FAT32 formats was there at one point, and has now been commented out.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by PeterT

I have a gut feeling that what is needed is a change to the script used for mounting the SD card.

If one makes changes there, one might also consider adjusting usr/local/Kobo/udev/usb.

[jlynton]

Originally Posted by tshering

If one makes changes there, one might also consider adjusting usr/local/Kobo/udev/usb.

This looks interesting, is there an easy way to access these files (glo, without removing internal microSD card)?

[tshering]

Originally Posted by jlynton

This looks interesting, is there an easy way to access these files (glo, without removing internal microSD card)?

One way of modifying these files is by using the upgrade mechanism. Unpack the file "KoboRoot.tgz" from the FW update file, which you can find here ,and then unpack its (KoboRoot.tgz's) content. After modifying some files you can pack them again into "KoboRoot.tgz" (you have of course to preserve the path of each modified file, but there is no need to include all the other files). Copy then "KoboRoot.tgz" to the folder ".kobo" of the reader. After unplugging the reader, it will copy the content of "KoboRoot.tgz" to the system partition. Confer the paragraph "The Kobo upgrade mechanism" of "Hacking the Kobo Touch for DUMMIES". This part is valid for Glo too.
Word of caution: Preserve lower and upper case of file and path names (e.g. udev, not uDev).
If you mess things up, you might have to factory reset the reader. If you have a lot of annotations and highlights, you might consider making a back up of .kobo/KoboReader.sqlite.

[jlynton]

Thanks, this looks like something I could try on my day off. I have looked at the two files usr/local/Kobo/udev/usb and usr/local/Kobo/udev/sd, both have the commented out section that PeterT refers to. I assume that one refers to the internal microSD cards FAT32 partition, and the other to the external microSD card, do you know which is which?

[PeterT]

Actually I believe that the sd is used only for the mounting of the external sd card; note that it mounts the card on /mnt/sd. usb is used for when the device is attached to your PC.

/mnt/onboard appears to be used for the partition that is accessible to us normally, and /mnt/sd to the external SD card.

I think that this section

Originally Posted by /usr/local/Kobo/udev/usb

	if [ -e $DEV ]; then
		mount -r -t vfat -o shortname=mixed $DEV /mnt/sd
#		if [ $? != 0 ]; then
#			mount -r $DEV /mnt/sd
#		fi
	fi

should be similar to the code in /usr/local/Kobo/udev/sd

[tshering]

Originally Posted by jlynton

I assume that one refers to the internal microSD cards FAT32 partition, and the other to the external microSD card, do you know which is which?

I think Peter is right. Both scripts refer to the external microSD card.

[PeterT]

I've made a new thread Hacking SD card file system