Firmware Update Kindle firmware 5.16.4

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Claude_C

Sorry, I'll put my tinfoil hat next time I'll update my devices. You can never be too careful.

There is a reason big organisations or one person businesses have "production" and "test" machines. It's not paranoia. And a "canary" machine is one (windows / android / linux / routers etc) where all updating is set to automatically check and automatically deploy.

I've had automatic notifications, if possible, and manual selection, on anything that allows it for over 25 years. Saved a lot of grief.

So by default I don't have WiFi on, on a Kobo or Kindle, as they don't ask if I want to upgrade. Amazingly Android phones, tablets and my one eink actually ask about system, security and application upgrades.

[NiLuJe]

Originally Posted by hius07

Can you elaborate on this please.
Do otaupd and otav3 exist in /usr/bin?
Can we still block updates by renaming them?

I assume that's simply the new CB01 OTA bundle type; but there may be accompanying changes.

(I haven't looked at any of this myself, and that new bundle type will probably be the extent of what I'll look into if such bundles actually ever show up publically).

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by hius07

Can you elaborate on this please.

There is something new called AppOTA. It is related to the new eKART mentioned earlier by Bluebotlabs.

I have not looked at it enough to be sure but it appears to be a way to update the Kindle application software independently of the full firmware and Kindle OS.

Originally Posted by hius07

Do otaupd and otav3 exist in /usr/bin?

They still exist in the new firmware.

Originally Posted by hius07

Can we still block updates by renaming them?

I don't know whether renaming them will block updates or not.

[bulltricks]

Originally Posted by NiLuJe

I assume that's simply the new CB01 OTA bundle type; but there may be accompanying changes.

(I haven't looked at any of this myself, and that new bundle type will probably be the extent of what I'll look into if such bundles actually ever show up publically).

I linked to one on my thread - it doesn't appear to be individualized, but I can't explain the md5sum value in the URL, so it is possible that it contains values for a throwaway account.

The only way to get them seems to be asking for them with the "softwareupdates.amazon.com/software/inventory2" API.

[deleted2]

Originally Posted by Quoth

There is a reason big organisations or one person businesses have "production" and "test" machines. It's not paranoia. And a "canary" machine is one (windows / android / linux / routers etc) where all updating is set to automatically check and automatically deploy.

I've had automatic notifications, if possible, and manual selection, on anything that allows it for over 25 years. Saved a lot of grief.

So by default I don't have WiFi on, on a Kobo or Kindle, as they don't ask if I want to upgrade. Amazingly Android phones, tablets and my one eink actually ask about system, security and application upgrades.

I had small problems updating when I was on Windows. Had to troubleshoot Windows Update. On Linux, not so much. Most of the time, it was a PPA that was the culprit and on Fedora it was Selinux. So, the problem was not the update itself. But on Kobo or Kindle, no problems. None either on Mac and iOS.

[DNSB]

Since my PaperWhite is not my primary reading device, I'm not that concerned about it updating. If it was my primary reading device, it would only get updates after a long enough delay that any issues would have been reported.

[mt.msla]

Tiered rollout? You think I should I force, or just leave it be?

Thanks,

Andy

[binaryhermit]

I'm pretty sure that's just the tiered rollout, I'd just let it be.

[Ruskie_it]

Originally Posted by innocenat

Unless my memory failed me it has happened to me.

No, it happened to me as well. Screen went blank, then it restarted and started applying updates

[Ruskie_it]

Originally Posted by Claude_C

Sorry, I'll put my tinfoil hat next time I'll update my devices. You can never be too careful.

It feels weird to me to read that you talk about many distros of Linux, because that implies you know IT stuff, but the above sentence also suggests you don't do it "professionally".

If you did, you'd know that there is no such thing as "security and performance improvements" no strings attached, ever.
Any new version of any software solves old issues, and opens new ones. The difference is that the old ones, you know them, and generally have a way to mitigate them or a workaround around them. With the new ones... who knows? Just because they are new, nobody knows how impacting they are and how to solve them.
That's a general rule, that is valid everywhere, always, forever.

Maybe "that" specific update won't cause any problem, or won't take away anything that you need.. but you can never be sure. And since with Kindle you can't go back.. better wait just a little bit.

[deleted2]

Originally Posted by Ruskie_it

It feels weird to me to read that you talk about many distros of Linux, because that implies you know IT stuff, but the above sentence also suggests you don't do it "professionally".

You're right.

Originally Posted by Ruskie_it

Maybe "that" specific update won't cause any problem, or won't take away anything that you need.. but you can never be sure. And since with Kindle you can't go back.. better wait just a little bit.

A valid point.

But for some feature you'd want to keep, you may miss a security patch or a system/device enhancement.

[Ruskie_it]

Originally Posted by Claude_C

A valid point.

But for some feature you'd want to keep, you may miss a security patch or a system/device enhancement.

Except "security patch" of which kind? Expecially for an e-reader. There is nothing that can be "so" dangerous, and I can guarantee you that if really a 0-day security hole was discovered, you would read about it everywhere before you get the chance to install the new fw.
When they say "security patch", etiher they are empty words, or they refer to jb holes patching. There is nothing that is so urgent that you have to patch immediately.

For the rest: you might miss an enhancement... or not. That is precisely the point: they're not telling you "never do the update", they're just explaining why they don't do it immediately - what you couldn't understand: do it, absolutely, but wait a few days to see on other people's kindle what happens, what changes and what not.

[deleted2]

Originally Posted by Ruskie_it

(...) do it, absolutely, but wait a few days to see on other people's kindle what happens, what changes and what not.

Well, it's a dirty job, but someone gotta do it. For the sake of the others.

[Ruskie_it]

Originally Posted by Claude_C

Well, it's a dirty job, but someone gotta do it. For the sake of the others.

Absolutely!
And on behalf of Quoth, J.p.s., kyrilson, me and a many others, thank you for being the guinea pig.

Anyway, mine was just an explanation on your original (implicit) question, when you said you don't understand why people don't apply updates as soon as possible.
There's a very sound reason not to, while the urgency to fix security issues is so low to be practically non-existent (and in case of Kindles, it is factually non-existent as the security fix Lab126 talks about are usually just made up, and more, you can just keep wifi off for a few days).

To be honest, your points are not unworthy in general: they would be valid if you're talking about "not applying updates EVER", but that was not the point of OP.
Do it, but don't rush to do it, or festina lente as Romans said.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Claude_C

Well, it's a dirty job, but someone gotta do it. For the sake of the others.

Fond of cucumber.