Firmware Update Kindle firmware 5.16.3

[RuggedPineapple]

Originally Posted by Quoth

MS Zune release November 14, 2006
MS Vista release November 8, 2006

Of course Vista had the new MTP built in, and oddly Zune didn't support Plays For Sure

MTP was never really 'new', it's just a set of extensions to PTP. PTP dates back to 2000 and only handled photos (picture transfer protocol). It was created by the industry association for digital camera makers. Microsoft's contribution was more or less just extensions that make it agnostic to the type of media being transferred instead of all about pictures.

[tomsem]

It looks like there is a tool to manage content via CLI over MTP (Linux and macOS):

https://github.com/whoozle/android-f.../master/FAQ.md

It has GUI interface as well.

Installed it

brew install --cask whole-android-file-transfer

and while I cannot get the GUI to work (yet) the CLI does seem to work.

[Quoth]

Interesting.
I might look at it but gvfs-mtp works well on Linux Mint with Mate desktop.
It will need to be not running for Calibre to connect. Also it won't work on Linux that has caja file manager or similar without disabling/stopping (not Kill) "gvfs-mtp-volume-monitor", so likely on Mac if you install MTP for Finder it (or Finder) won't work as you can only have one MTP connection process. No multiplexing.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Interesting.
I might look at it but gvfs-mtp works well on Linux Mint with Mate desktop.
It will need to be not running for Calibre to connect. Also it won't work on Linux that has caja file manager or similar without disabling/stopping (not Kill) "gvfs-mtp-volume-monitor", so likely on Mac if you install MTP for Finder it (or Finder) won't work as you can only have one MTP connection process. No multiplexing.

It is same with Android File Transfer & calibre ('one MTP client at a time'). So yes, have to shut down one or the other.

Somehow Windows can have Calibre and Windows Explorer both looking at Scribe Internal Storage. It's all PnP: just plug in, both connect, unplug, both disconnect.

I thought I'd solved the issue with AFTL by removing the brew install and using dmg install. It does launch after a fresh boot, but if you quit and launch again, it hangs. The CLI is the same way: one time use then it says 'device is already used by another process' (but I can still start and connect with calibre). I've restored the brew install as it adds CLI to path, and maybe I'll figure out how to reset it without reboot. Maybe it works perfectly on Linux (I have been meaning to install it on my old MacBook Pro but haven't gotten around to it).

OpenMTP seems to be a straight up replacement for Android File Transfer, with a number of features AFT doesn't have (PnP, ability to rename files/folders on the device, Split View, drag and drop, better performance). But no command line interface, it's some sort of web app (wonder if you can automate with something like WebDriver?). I've uninstalled Android File Transfer in favor if it.

https://github.com/ganeshrvel/openmtp

It also seems feasible to build a Python CLI tool by looking at Kovid's code, and that might work on Windows as well.

[nabsltd]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I bet a lot of people neglect to Eject before unplugging USB devices (I forget to do it all too frequently myself).

For a FAT32 device, there is no need to eject using OS tools. Windows and Mac both write to a removable FAT32 volume in such a way that only unplugging during a write would be an issue.

Also, are there really that many people who plug their Kindle into their computer to sideload books? The answer for people reading this post is "yes", but for the vast majority of people...I'd say "no". So, it's quite obvious this is not about convenience or safety, but rather another way to lock the Kindle down.

[johnnyb]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Or could be a step toward only using an Amazon program on desktop to communicate. Likely only current Windows and Mac OS.

Copying Apple (iPod, iPhone, iPad etc) and Sony (Minidisc and Digital Paper Tablets) in the past.

I won't update my PW3 models any further.

Incidentally, Amazon announced a new Kindle for Mac app today (which cannot be downloaded yet at least where I am at, Europe) to replace the current version.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by nabsltd

For a FAT32 device, there is no need to eject using OS tools. Windows and Mac both write to a removable FAT32 volume in such a way that only unplugging during a write would be an issue.

Also, are there really that many people who plug their Kindle into their computer to sideload books? The answer for people reading this post is "yes", but for the vast majority of people...I'd say "no". So, it's quite obvious this is not about convenience or safety, but rather another way to lock the Kindle down.

Some times Windows is caching / delayed writes. Or may mark a volume as mounted (NTFS only?).

But everything you say is basically true. If a FAT32 or exFAT USB Mass Storage device isn't being written too, or was a while ago, unplugging without eject is usually fine.

I'm also sure this is about control, not safety.

[Frogm4n]

Originally Posted by nabsltd

Also, are there really that many people who plug their Kindle into their computer to sideload books? The answer for people reading this post is "yes", but for the vast majority of people...I'd say "no". So, it's quite obvious this is not about convenience or safety, but rather another way to lock the Kindle down.

Sideloading is something Amazon describes explicitly how to do in their User Guides. A lot of people do it, even if they aren't vocal about posting that they do on the internet.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

Incidentally, Amazon announced a new Kindle for Mac app today (which cannot be downloaded yet at least where I am at, Europe) to replace the current version.

I have been running the beta for about 7 months on my MacBook Air. It's almost exactly like the iOS app so it is using Catalyst. Cloud collections, immersion reading, scrolling, view Notebooks.

The beta runs on Apple Silicon Mac only. Given this, it is not clear the release version will run on Intel Mac. The announcement doesn't mention anything about it. No technical reason it can't but if it does it hasn't had benefit of beta testing.

The announcement says 'available from App Store' so it sounds like you will not be able to download a DMG from Amazon as in the past (it looks like you already cannot do this). I think they can just flip a switch and iOS and macOS apps will be updated together.

It also supports visionOS.

Hmm I wonder if you can side load anything. I will try it.

[tomsem]

In case anyone is interested, I did some file transfer benchmarks on my Mac.

I did 2 tests for each device: a single 340 MB file, and 2 files of about that size 'simultaneously' (drag and drop to destination)

(macOS, 2020 iMac 27" using USB-C port out)

Scribe (MTP): 17s and 35s
PW5 (USB drive): 16s and 48s
PW4 ("): 44s and 2m 20s

Scribe and PW5 have USB-C, PW4 is microUSB or whatever.

For MTP client I used calibre, and also OpenMTP. They were the same speed. Finder for the other transfers.

Windows 10 (really old HP EliteBook):
Scribe: 19s and 35s
PW5: 60s and 1m 54s
PW4: 2m 4s and 4m 8s

Despite the claim that MTP is slower, it's clearly not. It's much much faster on Windows, which is what I assume most people use.

[nabsltd]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Some times Windows is caching / delayed writes.

Unless you explicitly enable it on the Kindle volume, the default of "fast removal" (which means that writes do not return until they are really written to disk) is in place.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by nabsltd

Unless you explicitly enable it on the Kindle volume, the default of "fast removal" (which means that writes do not return until they are really written to disk) is in place.

Depends on version of windows. That didn't used to be default, good that it is now.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Quoth

I'm also sure this is about control, not safety.

Border control is a given with Kindle. This is a minuscule increment to that.

But also safety, convenience, and on Windows, much faster transfers. These are all improvements, albeit tiny ones.

I would not underestimate safety. If it prevents data corruption, that alone justifies it. A Kindle with corrupt data is not happy, may not even function.

And no macOS turds left behind.

I miss command line access, but where there is a will, there's a way.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by tomsem

But also safety, convenience, and on Windows, much faster transfers. These are all improvements, albeit tiny ones..

Time directory listings and two Scribes with and without MTP (tricky!).
Directory listings are slower with MTP.
File transfer is a more complex issue. I see a massive speed difference between different MTP devices, and a massive difference between diff Mass Storage devices; the PW3 is staggeringly slow compared to a Sage.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Time directory listings and two Scribes with and without MTP (tricky!).
Directory listings are slower with MTP.
File transfer is a more complex issue. I see a massive speed difference between different MTP devices, and a massive difference between diff Mass Storage devices; the PW3 is staggeringly slow compared to a Sage.

Directory refresh of MTP is fast, not noticeably different than file system. This is with USB-C devices only, I have not tried anything else.

I have 2 10th gen Kindles and they are both much slower. Then a Kindle Touch. I should compare that one.