Demo mode as slideshow

[Nemo1984]

Good day,

I have been using Demo Mode as a slideshow viewer. However, on firmwares higher than 4.2.8432, using this resets the settings.

I am looking for the file that controls the demo mode. Haven't been able to spot it yet. If someone could point me in the right direction, that would help immensly. Otherwise, I'll keep searching. If I ever find something, I'll post my results here.

As of now, I'm sticking with 4.2.8432.

Regards


EDIT: I have found some interesting strings in libnickel.so.1.0.0

DemoModeManager12exitDemoModeEvDemoModeManager12ex itDemoModeEv

By digging around this string a bit, I might be able to come up with a patch to keep the settings and all after demo mode off.

[Nemo1984]

Well, I give up. All I find around this string is more strings.

Could I simply copy libnickel.so.1.0.0 over some other firmware?

[frostschutz]

You could stick to old firmware if that has all you need?

[Nemo1984]

Yeah, I guess I could, but I would be missing out on bugfixes.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Nemo1984

Yeah, I guess I could, but I would be missing out on bugfixes.

Copy the libnickel.so.1.0.0 from a different firmware version is going to be an "interesting experience". Not A Good Idea!

[frostschutz]

libnickel is not really a library. Basically it's all in one big file. The largest file in the firmware actually. Maybe if it was split up into topics you could replace some parts but... no. Maybe there are some methods with LD_PRELOAD or whatever to redirect a specific function call to an old libnickel but... it's not as simple as replacing files in any case.

[Nemo1984]

Ok. Thank you! It's a bit unfortunate though.

[Nemo1984]

Know what, I'm going to backup the sd card and try it anyway. It'll probably crash the whole thing, but just for fun.

Like DNSB said, an interesting experiment.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by Nemo1984

Know what, I'm going to backup the sd card and try it anyway. It'll probably crash the whole thing, but just for fun.

Like DNSB said, an interesting experiment.

Certainly, an interesting experiment. However, by the use of an older libnickel.so.1.0.0 you might lose several of the improvements of the newer version. Therefore you could as well stay with the older FW and prevent it from updating. On a side note, I forgot whether the FW version is hardcoded into nickel or libnickel.so.1.0.0. But if it is in libnickel.so.1.0.0, you might be forced to upgrade to the current FW when you sync with the Kobo server, just because you have an older libnickel.so.1.0.0.
Apart from staying with an older FW, you could try modify advboot that it starts the demoloop.sh script without nickel. I have never used the demo mode in nickel, so may be there are some advantages like auto sleep or auto power off. I do not know.

I might also mention that it is possible to have two versions of the reading software installed at the same device. I have currently running 4.3.8842, and 4.2.8110. You would of course use only the newer version, when you connect to the Kobo server.

[Nemo1984]

I never use the kobo server, and the wifi update is blocked. I just wonder if the whole firmware is based on the libnickel.so.1.0.0, or if it calls for other functions from other files as well. I'm expecting not to have a lot of bugfixes since I keep the core, but who knows... Maybe a better battery life than just staying on 4.2.8432? Some fixes with lighting going off when set to 0 then 1% ?

That is if any of this works at all.

[tshering]

Originally Posted by Nemo1984

I never use the kobo server, and the wifi update is blocked. I just wonder if the whole firmware is based on the libnickel.so.1.0.0, or if it calls for other functions from other files as well. I'm expecting not to have a lot of bugfixes since I keep the core, but who knows... Maybe a better battery life than just staying on 4.2.8432? Some fixes with lighting going off when set to 0 then 1% ?

That is if any of this works at all.

libnickel.so.1.0.0 is an important part of course, but there is a dependence on other libraries too.

[boriar]

Originally Posted by tshering

I might also mention that it is possible to have two versions of the reading software installed at the same device. I have currently running 4.3.8842, and 4.2.8110. You would of course use only the newer version, when you connect to the Kobo server.

Hi! Can you explain how do it?
Is it only the render for epubs or kepubs, or even both? Or are you referred to the whole environment (like multirom on android)?

[Nemo1984]

Originally Posted by boriar

Hi! Can you explain how do it?
Is it only the render for epubs or kepubs, or even both? Or are you referred to the whole environment (like multirom on android)?

Like he said?

[tshering]

Originally Posted by boriar

Hi! Can you explain how do it?
Is it only the render for epubs or kepubs, or even both? Or are you referred to the whole environment (like multirom on android)?

The location of nickel and some of the stuff it depends on is /usr/local/Kobo.
The basic idea is to have a version of the Kobo folder of the alternative nickel version, but, of course with a different name, for instances Kob2 (/usr/local/Kob2). When you want to start the alternative nickel version, you would set the variables that contain the path /usr/local/Kobo, so that they contain the path /usr/local/Kob2 (e.g., LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/Kob2); and call /usr/local/Kob2/nickel, instead of /usr/local/Kobo/nickel (I would do this also with pickel [if I would use it at all]).
Before calling the alternative nickel, make a back up of your .kobo folder. Since the alternative version will use the same database and so on as the main version, this easily leads to difficulties. If you want to make the alternative version use its own database you would have to create a .kob2 with the content of .kobo, set NICKEL_HOME=/mnt/onboard/.kob2, and patch several of the libraries in /usr/local/Kob2/, since they contain hard coded path names.
I would not recommend to try this if you do not have a serious reason (for instance insatiable curiosity) for trying it. If you want to do it nevertheless, be aware that the content of /usr/local/Kob2/ consumes some space of the system partition. If you have KSM 08 installed, KSM already uses some space there. And you need to have some remaining free space for the system to work.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by Nemo1984

EDIT: I have found some interesting strings in libnickel.so.1.0.0

DemoModeManager12exitDemoModeEvDemoModeManager12ex itDemoModeEv

That string is (part of) a mangled C++ function name. A disassembler can unmangle the name.

Mangled name: _ZN15DemoModeManager12exitDemoModeEv
Original name: DemoModeManager::exitDemoMode()

It won't do any good to change the name, but you can use it to locate the code for the named function, and it tells you what arguments the function takes (none in this case.)