Glo Kobo Software Update 2.5.2

[icallaci]

Originally Posted by PeterT

FYI. Kobo do read these forums and are aware of the discussions. However, they choose not to reply here in the main due to a lot of the negativity that is displayed.

Which is why, in my opinion from past experience, a respectful email directly to the company will do far more to focus their attention on the issue than the pesky buzzing of people who complain to everyone but those who can fix it.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by PeterT

FYI. Kobo do read these forums and are aware of the discussions. However, they choose not to reply here in the main due to a lot of the negativity that is displayed.

Hmm... I think there would be a lot less negativity if people got some reactions to their complaints, some explanations for decisions, infos if a problem is addressed or if a suggestion is even considered to be implemented in a future firmware or not.

[FJames]

I think Kobo should provide a setting to enable/disable auto-firmware-updates, like most other programs and devices that offer auto updates have. Calibre doesn't force me to update. My iPhone doesn't force me to update. My Samsung video devices don't force me to update. They just notify me when an update is available, what's new in the update, and leave it up to me to decide (usually after I hear the feedback from the early adopters).

It's not that Kobo is doing a bad job on the updates - I think most people seem to like having frequent updates and new features, even if you can't please everyone - but it's also pretty standard to allow the end user to disable updates these days. There are times when you just don't want to fool around with problematic new features or changes, for example when downloading a few new books to read before leaving on a trip.

[taming]

Originally Posted by FJames

I think Kobo should provide a setting to enable/disable auto-firmware-updates, like most other programs and devices that offer auto updates have.

I agree. I have been around long enough to see folks want to sit out an update or two (or all of them). I have also seen folks change their minds later on. Both should be possible.

[Quexos]

All the more reason for Kobo to give as much optional choices as possible, it's the closest way towards contenting most people (as opposed to forcing some changes without options and then naively expecting no negativity)

Originally Posted by PeterT

FYI. Kobo do read these forums and are aware of the discussions. However, they choose not to reply here in the main due to a lot of the negativity that is displayed.

[ottdmk]

Bear in mind that more choices also equals more complexity. More complexity means greater support costs.

Now, it can be argued that Kobo has not yet hit the right balance between amount of choice and amount of complexity. But "as many optional choices as possible" is not likely to be that.

Also, keep in mind that we are not "most people." We are a fringe element of a much greater population. Placating us does not equal placating the majority. We are not representative of the majority.

[david_e]

Originally Posted by Jaden

Hmm... I think there would be a lot less negativity if people got some reactions to their complaints, some explanations for decisions, infos if a problem is addressed or if a suggestion is even considered to be implemented in a future firmware or not.

I don't know of any company that comes remotely close to doing anything like what you've suggested, especially discussing how the decision making process works and anything that might be seen in any kind of future firmware release, exception given for press events / releases.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by david_e

I don't know of any company that comes remotely close to doing anything like what you've suggested, especially discussing how the decision making process works and anything that might be seen in any kind of future firmware release, exception given for press events / releases.

Me neither. And I don't expect that to happen, though I would like it, at least to some extent.

Of course they couldn't discuss the whole decision making process, but they could give reasons for some decisions, tell people what they intended to accomplish with what they did.

Also some feedback on suggestions would be nice. Though, as I said, I don't expect that to happen.

So it's not really a suggestion, rather some kind of wishful thinking.

[Breid]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

It is not epub vs kepub, or Aura vs Glo, or even Aura vs Sony that matters, but Aura vs Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo's main competitor. If I was the Aura product manager, I would be worried. "What do you mean, our flagship reader, with the biggest screen yet, shows less text than the Kindle?" Fortunately for Kobo this is a software problem and not a hardware problem. The hardware is great, the software is...improving and can be made better than the Kindle.

I agree with you on this. I have a KPW - got a good one with no lighting issues. I have compared my Aura to my Glo and prefer the light on the Aura (Glo is too blue) and I get 4 more lines of text on the Aura than on the Glo. I am happy with that, my eyesight is not good enough to allow me to max out the available text per page). But I have not compared the Aura with my KPW. I will have to give that a try. I would hope to get more than 1 extra line of text.

Originally Posted by ShellShock

Regarding paragraph spacing (white space between paragraphs). I prefer to remove this myself (using Sigil), and would not trust code (Calibre, Kobo firmware etc) to do it. It is simple enough to set margin-top and margin-bottom to 0 on p elements, but this affects all paragraphs, not just the main body text. You end up with scrunched up table of contents, headings, title pages etc, which does not look pretty.

I like the some white space between paragraphs because it makes it easier for me to read, but I don't want that spacing to too big. So it's good to be able to adjust it to suit.

Reading through this thread reminds me why I chose a Kobo when I wanted to replace my Sony PRS650. I wanted an ereader that supported the epub format, allowed me to buy from any store I chose, and gave me lots of options for customisation of fonts, margins etc. While the recent changes to Kobo's rendering of epubs is not a major issue for me, I can understand why it annoys other folk. Those of us who are not bothered by/like the book title header have enough options to keep us happy. However, I think Kobo needs to rethink its most recent changes. If they want to market their offering as a more open platform, with more freedom of choice than their competitors, then they really should make the title bar on epubs an opt in/out feature that users can choose for themselves.

[Ripplinger]

Originally Posted by Breid

... I like the some white space between paragraphs because it makes it easier for me to read, but I don't want that spacing to too big. So it's good to be able to adjust it to suit. ...

I wouldn't mind an optional setting for this either. I hate when there's a big gap between paragraphs, but experimenting with it for one book, I made a .css page for my Sony for a .5em spacing between paragraphs and I'll admit that was pretty nice. I don't use it often, but I can see how it does make reading easier.

If you like reading that way, it's very simple to do with Sigil, the way others delete the spacing, you can add a bit of spacing. Even using Calibre to do it will work if you prefer that.

If Kobo added a setting for this, it needs to have a scale that really starts at the low end so it's not always a full space, not like the 1.3 limit for line-height spacing.

[Breid]

Originally Posted by Ripplinger

If you like reading that way, it's very simple to do with Sigil, the way others delete the spacing, you can add a bit of spacing. Even using Calibre to do it will work if you prefer that.

If Kobo added a setting for this, it needs to have a scale that really starts at the low end so it's not always a full space, not like the 1.3 limit for line-height spacing.

Thank you, Riplinger, for this suggestion. I have not used Sigil, but I think it is time for me to give it a try

[FJames]

Originally Posted by Skydog

Method "b" has been mentioned by others here and involves opening the version file and editing the current version number to something higher. I do remember reading a post from someone who tried this on the Aura and reported that the edit subsequently would not stay edited and reverted to its previous state.

I tried method a), deleting the firmware update before disconnecting.

I can confirm that this method still works to prevent a firmware update with the Aura running 2.5.1, and that it does successfully update the dictionaries even though the firmware update is deleted.

I carefully compared the files before and after running Kobo Desktop, and the only files I had to delete were:

.kobo\KoboRoot.tgz
.kobo\manifest.md5sum
.kobo\upgrade (sub-folder containing bin files)

[Ripplinger]

I did the same as FJames did but on the Kobo Glo. When I copied over older files to correct a corrupt database, I forget to set the "version" file to 2.5.2 and my Glo downloaded the update. Fortunately it at least asked me if I wanted to install the update now or later, and I selected later. Then I deleted the same 2 files and directory as FJames did and avoided the update.

And then I went back and changed my "version" file to 2.5.2 to avoid the download again.

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by FJames

I carefully compared the files before and after running Kobo Desktop, and the only files I had to delete were:

.kobo\KoboRoot.tgz
.kobo\manifest.md5sum
.kobo\upgrade (sub-folder containing bin files)

Correct; those are the files. If you look in the Direct Links to Kobo Firmware thread you will see links to zip files. These files, when unzipped contain the KoboRoot.tgz, manifest.md5sum files and the upgrade folder, and these are what an upgrade, either via WiFi or Desktop place in the .kobo directory.

[samhy]

Originally Posted by aceflor

I too went back from calibre 0.9.30 to 0.9.29 a few days ago already, due to 0.9.30 not working with the kobo plugin, and 0.9.29 played nicely with 2.5.1. But now, with 2.5.2, calibre (0.9.29) does not want to "speak" with my Aura. I don't think it's a plugin problem this time. I'm dead tired so I won't play too much with it tonight, but I will try to clear this tomorrow.

I have tried yesterday and the Aura (2.5.2) connected flawlessly with Calibre (0.9.30) so I was able to send books to the device. But since it's an out-of-the-box one, the database is in a pristine state. I hope Today's Calibre release will solved everything for you.

If memory serves, the previous Calibre version wasn't fully compatible with the Aura because Kovid was away for a week when the first Aura ereaders arrived. There was a two-week gap between Calibre's general update, David's plugin update and people starting to use the Aura.