Patching firmware 4.0.7523

[JSWolf]

This is the thread for patching the new firmware 4.0.7523.

[oren64]

Patches that certainly works:

Spoiler:

libnickel.so.1.0.0.patch

`ePub disable built-in body padding-bottom`

`Block WiFi firmware upgrade`

`Custom footer (page number text)`

`Fix three KePub fullScreenReading bugs`

`Force user line spacing in KePubs`

`Force user line spacing in ePubs (part 1 of 2)`

`ePub fixed font sharpness`

`KePub fixed font sharpness`

`Un-force font-family override p tags (std epubs)`

`Un-Force user font-family in KePubs`

`KePub full justification default`

librmsdk.so.1.0.0.patch

`Fix page breaks bug`

`Default ePub monospace font (Courier)`

`Default ePub sans-serif font (Gill Sans)`

`Force user line spacing in ePubs (Part 2 of 2)`

`Ignore ePub book Adobe XPGT stylesheet (page-template.xpgt)`

`Ignore ePub book CSS and Adobe XPGT stylesheets`

`Ignore ePub TOC navpoints`

The rest need editing by GeoffR (match address), but i suspect some are missing.

[JSWolf]

I'm hoping more of them can be found and added to the list.

[johnnyb]

It amazes me every time when a new Kobo reader comes around that Kobo haven’t implemented some of the fixes themselves...
To the people working on it: Very big thank you!

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by johnnyb

It amazes me every time when a new Kobo reader comes around that Kobo haven’t implemented some of the fixes themselves...
To the people working on it: Very big thank you!

It is not amazing. The amazing thing is that people here seem to think that what they want is actually important and the same as what other people want.

Kobo have developed the software and made decisions about what it does and what it looks like. Those decisions are not random. They will be based on research, testing, user feedback* and executive orders (which might seem random). They can't just come here see that someone things that having a larger right border than left (I have no idea if someone thinks that), and implement that. They have to justify it on a larger basis.

Personally, I use none of these patches. A few of them trigger "Why would anyone want that?" But, overall, I like the Kobo software and the patches don't do enough, or fix the problems I have, to make it worth my time.

* Yes, comments here can be considered user feedback. But, it is not an official support place for Kobo, the feedback is unofficial. If you really want Kobo to take up these ideas, fix the bugs or whatever, tell Kobo directly.

[GeoffR]

The `Disable reading footer` and `Custom reading footer style` patches can no longer be handled by my patch32lsb program, because the CSS strings have been compressed and moved from libnickel.so.1.0.0 to nickel. I suspect the same might apply to oren64's patches.

These patches should still be able to be handled by tshering's kobopatcher or pipcat's patch-nickel-css python tools.

The situation as I understand it is that patch32lsb can't patch compressed strings, kobopatcher can't patch floating point numbers, but patch32lsb together with either one of the other two tools can patch anything, so I think we really need to look at changing the script/batch programs to use different tools for different patches.

[GeoffR]

I haven't got very far yet, but I'll post the patches I've found as I find them so those who want to can do some testing. If anyone else has patches for firmware 4.0.7523 then post them in this thread, and if you test any of them let us know whether they worked or not, and which device you tested on.

Instructions are the same as previous versions, but none of the patches are enabled by default. If you haven't used these patches before then best to wait until others have tested them, I'll create an "Instructions for patching firmware 4.0.7523" thread once most of the commonly-used patches have been found and tested.

These patches have been tested (on some devices):

Spoiler:

libadobe.so.patch:
`Remove PDF map widget shown during panning`
`Preserve PDF pan position across page turns`

libnickel.so.1.0.0.patch:
`My 10 line spacing values`
`My 24 line spacing values`
`Custom left & right margins` (Maybe something wrong with this?)
`Custom font sizes`
`Search in Library by default`
`ePub fixed top/bottom margins`
`ePub disable built-in body padding-bottom`
`Freedom to advanced fonts control` (display issue with dropdown font list, but functions okay.)
`Fix three KePub fullScreenReading bugs`
`Custom footer (page number text)`
`KePub fixed font sharpness`
`Custom page refresh options (1,2,3,...,12)`
`Custom page refresh options (1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128)`
`Always display chapter name on navigation menu`

librmsdk.1.0.0.patch: (These should all work as before, librmsdk has hardly changed.)
`Fix page breaks bug`
`Default ePub monospace font (Courier)`
`Default ePub sans-serif font (Gill Sans)`
`Force user line spacing in ePubs (Part 2 of 2)`
`Ignore ePub book Adobe XPGT stylesheet (page-template.xpgt)`
`Ignore ePub book CSS and Adobe XPGT stylesheets`
`Ignore ePub TOC navpoints`

nickel.patch:
`Disable reading footer`
`Custom reading footer style`

These patches are UNTESTED:

Spoiler:

libnickel.so.1.0.0.patch:
`Allow download all in Browser`
`Custom kepub default margins`
`Block WiFi firmware upgrade`
`Set KePub hyphenation`
`Force user line spacing in KePubs`
`Force user line spacing in ePubs (part 1 of 2)`
`ePub fixed font sharpness`
`Un-force font-family override p tags (std epubs)`
`Un-Force user text-align in div,p tags in KePubs`
`Un-Force user font-family in KePubs`
`KePub full justification default`

These patches are still missing:

Spoiler:

libadobe.so.patch:
`Remove PDF page turn arrows at left and right edges of page`

libnickel.so.1.0.0.patch:
`Brightness fine control`
`ePub adjustable top/bottom margins`
`Custom page refresh options (1,8,32,Chapter -- Aura only)`
`Custom page refresh options (1,32,99,Chapter -- Aura only)`
`Remove system fonts in Reader list`
`Remove non-system fonts in Reader list`
`Cyrillic keyboard`
`Arabic keyboard`
`Hebrew keyboard`
`Turkish keyboard`
`Bulgarian keyboard`
`Customise PinchGestureRecognizer`
`Margins fine tuning`
`Custom Sleep/Power-off timeouts`
`Change dicthtml strings to micthtml`

[Nate the great]

I'll pay $100 to the person who can hack the Aura One firmware and give me complete control over the RGB LEDs.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by Nate the great

I'll pay $100 to the person who can hack the Aura One firmware and give me complete control over the RGB LEDs.

So, you want an "Aura 54"?

(I can't decide if I want lots of people to get that reference or none )

[oren64]

Those patchs moved from libnickel.so.1.0.0 to nickel have been compressed CSS string.

With this tool CSS styles modifications inside nickel, you can change css styles located inside nickel file.
Thanks to pipcat, python 2.

Instructions:

1. Download version v04 CSS modifications nickel, make folder on your PC, and extrat the files to it.
2. Read the file "Read Me" for more understanding how it works.
3. Download the Kobo firmware archive version from here.
4. Extrcat the "nickel" file from the Kobo firmware
   kobo-update-4.x.xxxx.zip\koboroot.tgz\usr\local\kobo\nickel, to the folder.
5. Execute python extract.py (Windows users can use this bat file extract.bat), it will make "nickel-extracted.css" file with streams (in 4.0.7523 you have 142 streams, 101 compressed (zilb), 41 no-compressed (nozilb)).
6. Copy the file the nickel-modified.css (attatch file) to the folder and, detete patches you don't want, and save.
7. Execute python patch.py to create a nickel-modif (Windows users can use this bat file patch.bat), check if you get OK and no errors.
8. Use makepatch program to create a patch (nickel=oldfile, nickel-modif=newfile).

Patches:

Changing the info panel in full size screensaver

Dictionary frame size (there is no need fore the file nickel.patch)

Increase The Books Cover Size In The Library

Increasing The View Details Container


* USE THOSE PATCHES AT YOUR OWN RISK!
* I only have kobo glo so i don't know how it works on other devices specialy on Aura One.
* I didn't try those pathces because i didn't upgrade to FW 4.0.7523.

[freekobo]

Would there be anyway to enable the OverDrive in settings menu on non-Aura One devices using these tools?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by freekobo

Would there be anyway to enable the OverDrive in settings menu on non-Aura One devices using these tools?

Just a personal opinion, but I don't think this would be a good idea. Kobo have deliberately taken the decision to only allow OverDrive on the AuraOne for the time being. If MR publishes ways around this they might start to take a dim view of the current 'patching culture' and try to lock everything down. I don't think we want that do we?

[freekobo]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Just a personal opinion, but I don't think this would be a good idea. Kobo have deliberately taken the decision to only allow OverDrive on the AuraOne for the time being. If MR publishes ways around this they might start to take a dim view of the current 'patching culture' and try to lock everything down. I don't think we want that do we?

True, that is a good point. I was just asking if it was possible for curiosity sakes, I have no need for any publication.

[GeoffR]

I think the minimum and maximum font sizes for firmware 4.0.7523 are:

18 - 194 AuraOne
14 - 150 GloHD
12 - 150 AuraHD, H2O
12 - 122 Glo, Aura, AuraEd2
12 - 90 Touch, Mini

If anyone already running firmware 4.0.7523 wants to check, you can do it by setting the font size to minimum or maximum in a book and then checking the readingFontSize entry in the [Reading] section of the device's configuration file.

It would help if someone could check the maximum font size of the GloHD, and the minimum and maximum font size of either the H2O or the AuraHD, just to confirm that I am following the code correctly.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

I think the minimum and maximum font sizes for firmware 4.0.7523 are:

14 - 150 GloHD

Those are what I am seeing.