Firmware 2.8.1 ?

[TechniSol]

I think people are just tired of the overall pattern of one step forward, two steps back that seems so prevalent with Kobo firmware upgrades. My opinion is that more time should be spent on what we called Systems Analysis and Design 101 back in the day.

They seem to waste a lot of time trying one thing and then reversing themselves in the next update rather than spending a little time getting their bearings or presenting alternatives to a focus group for feedback prior to implementing full blown versions and then having to back peddle because they blew it. I guess this can't be viewed as anything but critical, but it's not said in a negative way. I'd like to see them do better, and think they really could if properly lead or allowed to do their jobs. I often wonder just what the stumbling blocks are at Kobo? They're obviously skilled enough to roll out entire new basic interfaces, why can't they figure out the details before committing resources foolishly and having to endlessly back peddle and tweak?

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by TechniSol

I think people are just tired of the overall pattern of one step forward, two steps back that seems so prevalent with Kobo firmware upgrades. My opinion is that more time should be spent on what we called Systems Analysis and Design 101 back in the day.

They seem to waste a lot of time trying one thing and then reversing themselves in the next update rather than spending a little time getting their bearings or presenting alternatives to a focus group for feedback prior to implementing full blown versions and then having to back peddle because they blew it. I guess this can't be viewed as anything but critical, but it's not said in a negative way. I'd like to see them do better, and think they really could if properly lead or allowed to do their jobs. I often wonder just what the stumbling blocks are at Kobo? They're obviously skilled enough to roll out entire new basic interfaces, why can't they figure out the details before committing resources foolishly and having to endlessly back peddle and tweak?

My opinion is that they are afraid to start over. Someone posted that the last update was to get rid of unused code segments. This can be quite a task if you not the only programmer working on a project and have not worked on all parts. Even worse if several people are doing it at once. Not easy even if it is all your code.

This is a point where one competent person should be allocated the task of starting over one step at a time. Don't just grab chunks that you think might be working and copy and paste and link them together. Don't assume that every library routine is perfect. Keep it nice and keep it simple. A person once taught me a lot about programming and soldering and circuit board design. For all three his motto was "If it looks good, it usually is good, make it neat and shiny"

Helen

[Willa]

Originally Posted by roycymru

Thanks. Just updated via Wi-Fi (North Somerset)

Heeeeeeee - not too far from me!

[jgoguen]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

My opinion is that they are afraid to start over.

Sounds like a good sign that starting over is an essential next step

[0x55]

Originally Posted by kaufman

If we go absolutely bonkers on every change that we don't like, then we just start looking silly.

Agreed in principle, but Kobo seems to treat their user base as beta testers -- rolling updates with silly problems like built-in fonts misbehaving and broken PNGs.

Originally Posted by TechniSol

I think people are just tired of the overall pattern of one step forward, two steps back that seems so prevalent with Kobo firmware upgrades.

Yeah. Haven't even had my Glo a year yet, but it feels like I've had three different Glos.


On one hand, it's great that Kobo actively supports their products. On the other, I'm tired of re-learning the UI every few months.

And while I like the device a lot, if it wasn't for trying to support an indie I wouldn't even buy kepubs. As it is, I strip/convert my Kobo purchases to epub and sideload everything, just to get books to look and act one consistent way.

Gripes aside, I've tried the Nook STG and Kindle PW and I'd buy another Glo over a free Nook or Kindle. Hopefully the break X to fix Y days are behind us.

[TechniSol]

I'd still buy the Kobo first too, they have features I just plain like. I wonder that they just don't get the chance to sit down and flesh out the overall look and feel and kick it around long enough for everyone to take potshots and force the design failings to get addressed up front, or something like that. I've always taken every opportunity to seek feedback before committing further resources to a design. There is nothing more beneficial than letting others take a shot at kicking your design in the teeth. It builds character and forces you to be critical of your own work. There is also nothing like the feeling of getting it right when you throw it out on the sacrificial altar and it's bulletproof because you busted your hiney and ran every problem down yourself.

As far as cleaning up code, it should be the responsibility of each module's coder, IMHO. If the original specs for I/O are properly envisioned and the purpose for sections clearly understood, and don't need to be redefined on a minute to minute basis because of feature creep it's not unmanageable and likely easiest for the original author of the code. But then it's easier for me to say that as I've always done each step from system analysis and design down through coding and testing myself, usually while building hardware prototypes and often laying out PC boards, so in fairness any changes ripple through me as easily as changing hats from one aspect of the job to the next.

Frankly, it's usually hardest for me to stop working, and start again as I have to take a little while to reconstruct the whole gestalt of the project in my head each time and how each change or addition will affect all other parts of a design and then narrow my scope to the particular task I'm performing.

Obviously harder to do for a larger shop, and when you must deal with others, etc. I've been blessed to have good help and good guidance when I've needed it. Not everyone can say that. I've been lucky to work with people that I could hand tasks off to and expect they'd either complete them properly on their own or or be sensible enough to ask for clarification or help. I think you have to get people into the mindset that ego is not important and that all that matters is the task at hand. No one likes to make mistakes, but if you can foster a sense of teamwork and the idea that you will all laugh together or not at all and help each other it goes a long way. Either the team succeeds or the team fails, but they do it together. Only the guy at the top of the pyramid gets to have an ego, and he knows how to keep it in check because he is only afterall a member of the team.

[byblo]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

I just tried this and it doesn't happen on my Glo. Closing the book's details page returns the view to the same position in the library I was before I opened the details page.

Oh sorry. Still can't figure how I gave such bad and wrong description of the problem...

I'll retry to explain it (not a bug but more an annoying lack of ergonomy):

When you open the shelves lists, then you go for instance at the page 3, enter into one of the shelves, then click the inverted arrow to go back (just below the house icon on the top left corner), it will bring you back to the page 1 of your shelves list instead of the previously selected: page 3

Can be very annoying if you are browsing your shelves and have to go again from page 1 to page 10 of 20 each time you return from a shelve to your shelve list...


Something else: noticed a bug on the shelves sorting, when sorting them by number of books. It seems it is sorting them using like they were words, instead of numbers...
So if you have a shelve with 21 books and one with 3 books for instance, the shelve with 3 books will be considered containing more books than the one with 21 books.

For instance :
A 3 books
B 21 books
C 2 books
D 1 book

I don't want to be rude, but that kind of problem makes me wonder how they working at Kobo... They don't have beta testers around to give them some feedbacks ?


Also, I see there is still the option to create a shelve when being already inside an existing shelve, and even if now it creates it on the shelves root, its giving me the hope that we may be able to create sub shelves in the future. But its just a (false?) impression.


This said, even if it seems that I'm only complaining about bugs and limitations of the firmware, I need to say also that I love my Kobo, and enjoying it a lot, including the firmware part

[kevenv]

I love reading books on my Kobo Glo. I haven't found anything that annoys me to the point I feel compelled to use words like "no excuse" or "absolute rubbish". If Kobo made EVERY feature or option configurable my Glo setup would be worse than my cell phone and take longer lol. I'm just happy to have a simple reader to read with.

[imsoawesome]

I still haven't gotten this update. I've tried syncing a few times. Anyone else have this problem? How long do these roll outs usually take to get to everyone?

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by imsoawesome

I still haven't gotten this update. I've tried syncing a few times. Anyone else have this problem? How long do these roll outs usually take to get to everyone?

I usually don't get the update for a few weeks after it's been posted about here.

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by TechniSol

I think people are just tired of the overall pattern of one step forward, two steps back that seems so prevalent with Kobo firmware upgrades. My opinion is that more time should be spent on what we called Systems Analysis and Design 101 back in the day.

They seem to waste a lot of time trying one thing and then reversing themselves in the next update rather than spending a little time getting their bearings or presenting alternatives to a focus group for feedback prior to implementing full blown versions and then having to back peddle because they blew it. I guess this can't be viewed as anything but critical, but it's not said in a negative way. I'd like to see them do better, and think they really could if properly lead or allowed to do their jobs. I often wonder just what the stumbling blocks are at Kobo? They're obviously skilled enough to roll out entire new basic interfaces, why can't they figure out the details before committing resources foolishly and having to endlessly back peddle and tweak?

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

My opinion is that they are afraid to start over. Someone posted that the last update was to get rid of unused code segments. This can be quite a task if you not the only programmer working on a project and have not worked on all parts. Even worse if several people are doing it at once. Not easy even if it is all your code.

This is a point where one competent person should be allocated the task of starting over one step at a time. Don't just grab chunks that you think might be working and copy and paste and link them together. Don't assume that every library routine is perfect. Keep it nice and keep it simple. A person once taught me a lot about programming and soldering and circuit board design. For all three his motto was "If it looks good, it usually is good, make it neat and shiny"

Helen

I could not agree more.

I have now abandoned, at least for the summer, the Aura I bought, and am only using my mini. I was seriously considering getting a Glo, because I too, like TechniSol, just plain like some of their features, and am right now in a country where they are available, but am too scared that they would in one of their update take some of those features away as they already did on the Aura, and I'd be left with a device I would not enjoy using anymore.

[samhy]

Originally Posted by aceflor

I was seriously considering getting a Glo, because I too, like TechniSol, just plain like some of their features, and am right now in a country where they are available, but am too scared that they would in one of their update take some of those features away as they already did on the Aura, and I'd be left with a device I would not enjoy using anymore.

My advice would be to wait (even though you've stated you're not willing to buy one because of unknown updates )
The Glo was never discounted here (expect maybe a bundle with a cover or some additional points that can be used to buy something else later, but I'm not sure). This is the flagship Kobo ereader after all. However, if the rumours of the impending release of a new lighted 6" ereader are true, the Glo's price will have to drop (at about the Touch current price would make sense). Then it will be more safe for you to buy it.

[jackastor]

Originally Posted by aceflor

I could not agree more.

I have now abandoned, at least for the summer, the Aura I bought, and am only using my mini. I was seriously considering getting a Glo, because I too, like TechniSol, just plain like some of their features, and am right now in a country where they are available, but am too scared that they would in one of their update take some of those features away as they already did on the Aura, and I'd be left with a device I would not enjoy using anymore.

What features did they take away on the Aura?

regards

Jack

[aceflor]

Originally Posted by jackastor

What features did they take away on the Aura?

regards

Jack

"the feature that cannot be named" . "Just" the display real estate, which was a main reason for me to get the Aura (more display space but not a much bigger device) and was fine for a few weeks for me until the famous update came. I will not discuss this again here since it has been discussed ad nauseam already, but it was a mighty disappointment for me.

I am now reading during the day on a Kobo Mini, and in the evening I am back on my KPW (with Duokan), which I am really happy now not to have given away when I bought the Aura, and quite happy so far.

[Ripplinger]

Aceflor, just don't let the Glo update if you decide to get one, and for that matter, go back to the firmware you liked for the Aura (which is probably 2.5.1, the one I'm using and will continue to use until they release an update without bugs and without adding things I really dislike).

This thread has links to all the previous firmware versions to download. That way you can enjoy your Aura again and not just have it sitting around hoping for an update that doesn't take away something you enjoyed.

Edit: Yes, I fully realize that criteria may keep me from ever updating the firmware again on my Glo...