PRS-500 Mountable Sony Reader Filesystem - Page 5

scotty1024 · 03-30-2007, 04:22 PM

Here is 0.5, it corrects the corruption issue.

I've picked up a sponsor for readerfs and you can expect some exciting Sony Reader developments from them soon.

The collection directory code is nearly complete. While I still haven't cracked how one renames files via USB, it supports moving books between collections and renaming collections. This makes organizing your books a bit easier.

NatCh · 04-02-2007, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty1024

I've picked up a sponsor for readerfs and you can expect some exciting Sony Reader developments from them soon.

Is that why you've been so quiet lately, scotty1024? Would you care to elaborate any?

TadW · 04-03-2007, 11:01 AM

You go, Scotty!

scotty1024 · 04-04-2007, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

Is that why you've been so quiet lately, scotty1024? Would you care to elaborate any?

Not much more I can say at this point but I think there will be more than a few people that will find their tool handy when it hits the market RSN.

I've been busy on several different projects that have chewed up time. My favorite has been the Apple Lisa Emulator. I spent many an hour using a Lisa in my youth... would have been fun to port it to the iLiad, but ain't no future for that vase full of dead flowers.

NatCh · 04-04-2007, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty1024

Not much more I can say at this point but I think there will be more than a few people that will find their tool handy when it hits the market RSN.

Okay, I understand. And I know you know where to come for beta testers.

pwalker8 · 04-07-2007, 08:05 AM

Color me impressed! I just used your tool to copy my books off my eReader and it worked like a charm. Finder was a bit sluggish, but copying from the command line was reasonably quick. I needed to copy the files because I was rebuilding my pc with connect on it and couldn't find three of the twenty odd books that I had purchased from Sony. Your tool was a life saver (well, maybe not life, but it did save me $20)
thanks
pww

scotty1024 · 04-07-2007, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Color me impressed!
...
Finder was a bit sluggish, but copying from the command line was reasonably quick.

I'm glad it worked for you. The Sony Reader is only a USB 1.1 device, USB 1.1 is 40 times slower than USB 2.0. I've generally only ever seen it produce around 500,000 bytes per second. Which sounds like alot until you start slinging around 41MB ebooks like Princess Ai.

The Finder slows down things by constantly looking for the resource fork file (the file that begins with "._") for each file it touches. So each time it opens a file it is actually opening two files. Each time it displays a filename it did two file lookups e.g. it's doing double work.

The commercial application I've been mentioning comes with a graphical browser tool that speeds things up. They say that tool will be made available under GPL.

pwalker8 · 04-07-2007, 12:50 PM

I hope that I didn't sound like I was complaining. You have done a heck of a job with this.

Amadeus · 04-10-2007, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty1024

There is no Windows version, but heck: you've got Sony's CONNECT software on Windows right, you don't need this.

Is there any chance of your doing a Windows version, or if not, perhaps you'd like to share the source - I'd be willing to have a shot at creating a suitable device driver.

It's just that the Sony Connect software stinks, and apart from that I'd like the ability to just connect the reader to any old computer and copy over files which I've downloaded. Presently I cannot do this at work, because the office network does not let us install the Connect software.

IMO it's stupid that Sony have not made this device pop-up as an external USB drive.

kovidgoyal · 04-10-2007, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amadeus

Is there any chance of your doing a Windows version, or if not, perhaps you'd like to share the source - I'd be willing to have a shot at creating a suitable device driver.

https://libprs500.kovidgoyal.net

Amadeus · 04-10-2007, 12:34 PM

Thanks Kovid - I'll have a play with your stuff and see where I get. . .

scotty1024 · 04-10-2007, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amadeus

Is there any chance of your doing a Windows version, or if not, perhaps you'd like to share the source - I'd be willing to have a shot at creating a suitable device driver.

...

IMO it's stupid that Sony have not made this device pop-up as an external USB drive.

The device does not provide block level access to the storage devices, so this isn't a matter of whipping up a USB storage device driver. Rather one must implement a full filesystem for it.

I've written a Windows NT Filesystem before and it's no picnic. In this case it would be even less of a picnic since the Sony Reader exports a VFS style RPC-over-USB model and that is about 180 degrees out of phase with Windows.

Also, as a memory card reader/writer the Sony Reader makes a pretty poor one since it only supports USB 1.1 and manages to slow that down to about 1/3rd performance. If you need to copy many books, MP3's, pictures onto a memory card for the Sony you'll get much more done quickly via a good quality USB 2.0 memory card device.

Demand for this filesystem has been very low on the Mac, nearly non-existent for Linux and I'd have to think even lower than that for Windows.

Personally I appreciate the Sony Reader not supporting the USB Mass Storage Profile. In Fortune 500 environments UMSP is rapidly becoming Public Enemy Number One and I'd rather have my Sony with me than checked with security at the front desk (or out baking in the car.)

Xenophon · 04-10-2007, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty1024

Also, as a memory card reader/writer the Sony Reader makes a pretty poor one since it only supports USB 1.1 and manages to slow that down to about 1/3rd performance. If you need to copy many books, MP3's, pictures onto a memory card for the Sony you'll get much more done quickly via a good quality USB 2.0 memory card device.

Demand for this filesystem has been very low on the Mac, nearly non-existent for Linux and I'd have to think even lower than that for Windows.

Scotty:

I'd make more use of it if I could do a couple more things via the Finder:

Create collections by making a new folder in the Collections structure
Transparently move content from card to internal memory, and vice versa
Set document attributes in the GetInfo window for the document (or somewhere)
Ummm.... I had some more in mind when I started writing this list, but I got interrupted and forgot 'em...

scotty1024 · 04-10-2007, 03:35 PM

The commercial outfit informed me yesterday that they will be releasing their GPL GUI tool this week.

There is some hope for this tool to fix some of the issues you raise.

I have newer code working that does the collections trick and implements renaming/moving files around via manipulation of the XML files. I'm still working to stabilize its thread safety in between slugging away at the LRS->LRF compiler project.

NatCh · 04-10-2007, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scotty1024

The commercial outfit informed me yesterday that they will be releasing their GPL GUI tool this week.

That'll be a frontpage worthy event.

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04-03-2007, 11:01 AM	#63
TadW Uebermensch Posts: 2,583 Karma: 1094606 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Italy Device: Kindle	You go, Scotty!

04-07-2007, 08:05 AM	#66
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	Color me impressed! I just used your tool to copy my books off my eReader and it worked like a charm. Finder was a bit sluggish, but copying from the command line was reasonably quick. I needed to copy the files because I was rebuilding my pc with connect on it and couldn't find three of the twenty odd books that I had purchased from Sony. Your tool was a life saver (well, maybe not life, but it did save me $20) thanks pww

04-07-2007, 12:50 PM	#68
pwalker8 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,196 Karma: 70314280 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Device: iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kobo Aura, Amazon paperwhite, Sony PRS-T2	I hope that I didn't sound like I was complaining. You have done a heck of a job with this.

04-10-2007, 12:34 PM	#71
Amadeus Member Posts: 23 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2007 Device: Sony PRS-500 Reader	Thanks Kovid - I'll have a play with your stuff and see where I get. . .

04-10-2007, 03:35 PM	#74
scotty1024 Banned Posts: 1,300 Karma: 1479 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Peoples Republic of Washington Device: Reader / iPhone / Librie / Kindle	The commercial outfit informed me yesterday that they will be releasing their GPL GUI tool this week. There is some hope for this tool to fix some of the issues you raise. I have newer code working that does the collections trick and implements renaming/moving files around via manipulation of the XML files. I'm still working to stabilize its thread safety in between slugging away at the LRS->LRF compiler project.

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