Should I update? If so, what to?

[Mikkail]

Hi all. Relative noob... However...
I have a Kindle Voyage I rooted in 2017 as I really wanted my own screensaver pictures. It is running 5.8.8, Serial # B013 .... etc, and I used the "update.bin.tmp.partial" folder to successfully block updates. (The option "Update Your Kindle" is greyed out.)
Everything is fine, wi-fi send-to-kindle and whispersync work with no problems.
Then I got an email from Amazon about epub support, so I came back to the forums to see what was happening, only to run into horror stories about a new intrusive interface which sounds like something I definitely do not want.
So my questions are - by staying with 5.8.8, what am I missing out on? If I update, do I need to re-root? The ability to use my own screensaver pictures is a non-negotiable for me.
Thanks for any advice!
My other Kindle is a DXG, also rooted so I can run my own screensaver pics. It has version 2.5.8, which I think is the most recent available.

[Gaqs]

Hello Mikkail, I can't comment on whether or not you should update or what you're losing on, but the epub support people are talking about isn't ACTUAL epub support, it's the ability to send epubs with the mail to kindle feature, the epubs you send get converted to azw3 by Amazon before they get sent to your kindle. I've tested it and in my opinion it's still better to just use calibre to convert your epubs to azw3 and send them through usb. Also the feature is still broken, covers don't show up and a lot of different things and characters get converted to garbled text, so it's also still better to convert your epubs to mobi with calibre if you really want to send them by mail.

But I can say that I can use my own screensaver pics with the KUAL extension on 5.14.2 using the WatchThis jailbreak.

[jhowell]

The support for EPUB is only through email and the send-to-kindle app (coming in August.) Amazon converts to KF8 (azw3) and delivers that to your kindle. No update is need from your current version to support that.

(Ninja’d)

[Mikkail]

Originally Posted by Gaqs

I've tested it and in my opinion it's still better to just use calibre to convert your epubs to azw3 and send them through usb. Also the feature is still broken, covers don't show up and a lot of different things and characters get converted to garbled text, so it's also still better to convert your epubs to mobi with calibre if you really want to send them by mail.

But I can say that I can use my own screensaver pics with the KUAL extension on 5.14.2 using the WatchThis jailbreak.

Thanks. I suspected that would be the case. Currently, I get most of my books from my public library in epub, then convert to mobi using Calibre and use Send-to-Kindle. On the Voyage, they show up with the covers intact and whispersync works just fine; on the DXG they get emailed to my computer with instructions to side-load using USB.

[Mikkail]

Originally Posted by jhowell

The support for EPUB is only through email and the send-to-kindle app (coming in August.) Amazon converts to KF8 (azw3) and delivers that to your kindle. No update is need from your current version to support that.

(Ninja’d)

Thanks. I'll probably stick with what I've got - it ain't broke yet!