An odd thing happened on my Kindle2 this morning

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by NormHart

Well it is confirmed, if a file is marked as read only on your computer and copied to the Kindle it will have a "keep" tag.

I tested this by opening the properties for a ebook I had not had on my Kindle and changing it to read only and then copying it to the Kindle. It did have the "keep" tag. I deleted the ebook from the Kindle, removed the read only flag from the ebook on the PC and then renamed the file and copied it to the Kindle again. No "keep" tag. (I renamed the file to insure that there were no lingering records on the Kindle that I didn't know about.)

I am not sure why changing the properties on a ebook already on the Kindle didn't remove the "keep" and an attempt to change an ebook already on the Kindle to read only did not add the "keep". It may when next the Kindle re-indexes. I'll let you know.

So if you would like to have specific ebooks on your Kindle2 marked "keep" you can change them to read only on your PC and transfer them to your Kindle. Not sure how useful this will be.

I wonder if this would "Amazon proof" them -- i.e., make it impossible for them to be removed from your K? Guess it would also depend upon file ownership and permissions too - interesting to think about.

[ebs]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I wonder if this would "Amazon proof" them -- i.e., make it impossible for them to be removed from your K? Guess it would also depend upon file ownership and permissions too - interesting to think about.

No, I've verified that local file attributes don't affect remote deletion. Also, the whole UI runs as a root, so ownership doesn't really matter either.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by ebs

No, I've verified that local file attributes don't affect remote deletion. Also, the whole UI runs as a root, so ownership doesn't really matter either.

Dang - I was afraid that Amazon (and the K software) ran with root powers.

[NormHart]

Ok, so it appears that if you set ebooks to be read only while they are on your Kindle the Kindle does not mark them with a "keep".

If you set ebooks to be read only on you pc and copy them to your Kindle they will be marked with "keep", so long as they are not already on your Kindle. If you want a ebook that is already on your Kindle marked "keep" you will have to delete it and then copy it over from you PC.

Not particularly useful, sure wish they would get around to adopting folders.

grrr.

[daffy4u]

I just downloaded the current mobi guides from MobileRead and Feedbooks. They were downloaded to my computer and transferred to my Kindle via USB. Both have the "keep" tag.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

I just downloaded the current mobi guides from MobileRead and Feedbooks. They were downloaded to my computer and transferred to my Kindle via USB. Both have the "keep" tag.

It's beginning to appear that stuff downloaded from non-Amazon sites is getting tagged "keep" - wonder why/how?
I used the "email to my K" function on Webscriptions a week ago or so, and the downloaded book doesn't have "keep." I may try again today (it's worth the .15 charge to find out).

Well - just checked - books arrived Baen Webscriptions via "email to my K option" without the "keep" tag.

[elmoglick]

Originally Posted by NormHart

I jacked the Kindle into my PC and moved the ebook (prc) and it's [sic] associated mbp file to a backup folder on the Kindle and copied a fresh version of the prc from my PC to the documents folder on the Kindle.

Sure enough the new ebook was marked "keep" but, oddly, the Kindle had remembered where I was in the ebook, which I had thought was a function of the mbp file.

Nothing odd about that at all, actually. The Kindle reads *all* files within the entire directory tree under /documents, regardless of any sub-folders that you may have created. In other words, any items you move from /documents to /documents/backup/ will still be read and show up on your home page. When you moved your original prc and mbp to a sub-directory, it still found and read your original mbp file.

If you want to create an on-Kindle backup (for some reason), just create a new top-level directory.

By the way, did you know that you can put a zip file of jpgs in the /documents folder and the Kindle will create a home page entry with the zip name and display the pics when you select it?

El

[TMark]

By the way, did you know that you can put a zip file of jpgs in the /documents folder and the Kindle will create a home page entry with the zip name and display the pics when you select it?

Very nice tip. Maybe I can try it out soon.