KOReader v2022.06 PB Era crash

[tomsem]

I'm getting a crash report frequently after I run the app. As v2022.06 does not support the Era (PB700), the only change I've made is to update the PocketBook device.lua with the current version on GitHub.

The error is:

...
WARN Terminal: can not open /dev/ptmx: Permission denied
WART Error when loading plugins/terminal.koplugin/main.lua

Functionally, there doesn't seem to be any impact, but it is annoying to have to clean up afterwards.

Also, I have been unable to download any dictionaries. Even when WiFi is already on, I get asked if I want to turn it on, and then it either fails to proceed, or warns that Dictionary filesize is %1 (nil bytes). If I proceed with download it creates a zero byte file (the name of the uncompressed archive file).

For now, I've been going to dictionaries.lua and using those urls to download to my computer, unpacking, and copying them over manually.

As this is my first experience with KOReader, I don't know how many of these issues are shared by other users.

[pazos]

That's not an error.

The terminal plugin does a runtime check and fails on all pocketbooks. Then it disables itself and thus is not available for you to use.

You can disable that specific plugin if you want to get rid of those specific lines on your crash.log.

Which leads me to the next implicit Q/A:

"crash.log" is a file that's ALWAYS created by KO. It can contain crashes or not, but the name is what it is. I assume you enabled "all file associations" in KO. That includes log files and that's why you get a new document on your home after each KO run. That's not going to change unless you disable the association of log files. Please do that.

About wifi issues. Please try to reproduce on last nightly. Stable releases are just frozen nightlies at a point of time where no big code changes happened recently. You're safe installing a nightly on your device.

If you can reproduce on latest nightly please open a bug on github following the bug template. There's a contributor there doing an awesome job maintaining the PB platform. We can ping him there easily and keep track of the ticket, so other users can follow up and/or help resolving.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by pazos

That's not an error.

The terminal plugin does a runtime check and fails on all pocketbooks. Then it disables itself and thus is not available for you to use.

You can disable that specific plugin if you want to get rid of those specific lines on your crash.log.

Which leads me to the next implicit Q/A:

"crash.log" is a file that's ALWAYS created by KO. It can contain crashes or not, but the name is what it is. I assume you enabled "all file associations" in KO. That includes log files and that's why you get a new document on your home after each KO run. That's not going to change unless you disable the association of log files. Please do that.

About wifi issues. Please try to reproduce on last nightly. Stable releases are just frozen nightlies at a point of time where no big code changes happened recently. You're safe installing a nightly on your device.

If you can reproduce on latest nightly please open a bug on github following the bug template. There's a contributor there doing an awesome job maintaining the PB platform. We can ping him there easily and keep track of the ticket, so other users can follow up and/or help resolving.

Thanks.

As for terminal plugin, it is not listed as such in Plugin management. Apart from that, I don't see a way to disable it.

FWIW, it is not a good first impression. Why not have terminal plugin disabled by default for PB, since evidently it's expected that it will not work, and likewise, don't associate log files on PB unless user explicitly does so.

I've already worked around my dict issue, but I'll try again with the next release (which should be soon, right?).

[pazos]

You're welcome

Originally Posted by tomsem

As for terminal plugin, it is not listed as such in Plugin management. Apart from that, I don't see a way to disable it.

Ups . Makes sense.

Originally Posted by tomsem

FWIW, it is not a good first impression.

¯\_(ツ )_/¯

Originally Posted by tomsem

don't associate log files on PB unless user explicitly does so.

It is already that way. Improvements on the install instructions are welcome.

https://github.com/koreader/koreader...etBook-devices

Last improvement related to your issue was: https://github.com/koreader/koreader...841b0ffc7f5815, that cames after the ticket https://github.com/koreader/koreader/issues/9030

Originally Posted by tomsem

Why not have terminal plugin disabled by default for PB, since evidently it's expected that it will not work.

Nobody cares about two lines on a log file, I guess. Patches welcome, I think.

[mergen3107]

PB Era initial support has been added into nightlies around a week ago. Install currenlt nightly from here: http://build.koreader.rocks/download...07_2022-07-28/

It should behave better with the screen and lights, as far as I understood: https://github.com/koreader/koreader/discussions/9347

[tomsem]

I fixed the file associations so that crash.log no longer shows up in the PB UI.

I updated to 2022.07. I tried dictionary download, and again got the 'nil bytes' issue 2 or 3 times. I started to create an Issue on GitHub, but when I reviewed the steps one more time on my Era, it worked as expected. I didn't see anything in crash.log that had any details for the failures.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by pazos

Y

It is already that way. Improvements on the install instructions are welcome.

https://github.com/koreader/koreader...etBook-devices

Yes, but the Note is several lines down, and pretty meaningless on first encounter. I think it should be step iv., so it would be harder to miss. And the step and/or Note would be unnecessary if Enable all function (at least for PocketBook) did not enable SVG and LOG in the first place.

(I did fix a typo there, 'associate' was mis-spelled)

Thanks

[pazos]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Yes, but the Note is several lines down, and pretty meaningless on first encounter. I think it should be step iv., so it would be harder to miss. And the step and/or Note would be unnecessary if Enable all function (at least for PocketBook) did not enable SVG and LOG in the first place.

(I did fix a typo there, 'associate' was mis-spelled)

Thanks

Feel free to edit install instructions the way you see them fit. Actually step 4 is no longer needed since https://github.com/koreader/koreader...91bb993ec93bee

I agree: probably svg and log files are not very useful to be opened in KO, but that's kind of offtopic here. The real issue (as mentioned in the ticket linked in my previous comment) is that platform instructions recommend to "enable all" when it is pointless. Users should enable only the file extensions they really want to open in KO.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by pazos

Feel free to edit install instructions the way you see them fit. Actually step 4 is no longer needed since https://github.com/koreader/koreader...91bb993ec93bee

I agree: probably svg and log files are not very useful to be opened in KO, but that's kind of offtopic here. The real issue (as mentioned in the ticket linked in my previous comment) is that platform instructions recommend to "enable all" when it is pointless. Users should enable only the file extensions they really want to open in KO.

Good suggestions. So 2.iii. becomes 'Device->Associate file extensions, choose file extensions you want to open in KOReader', 2.iv. and the Note can go away.

Another thing that's missing: how to 'Run koreader app', exactly, so you can enable file extensions?

I knew enough to look on the Apps screen, but was only guessing that tapping on @koreader would do the trick. I'm not sure how I discovered that (once in KOReader Home) you have to tap on KOReader to get to the menus with the gear icon. For some reason, for me, tapping @koreader lands me in Folder shortcuts rather than KOReader Home. And this is happening after clean Exit, clearing cache, etc. Surely that's not as designed?

[... why is there also @_koreader (tapping on that just returns to Home Screen) and the ungrammatical USER'S section heading (I am guessing the latter is PB's fault)?]

And it seems Step 3. is not needed, as dictionaries are just a wireless download, and besides, it doesn't bother to say where to get them from.

[pazos]

Ufffs. Lots of noise.

I've ended editing the instructions. Please review they're still correct and understandable: https://github.com/koreader/koreader...etBook-devices

Thanks!

Originally Posted by tomsem

Another thing that's missing: how to 'Run koreader app'

Not really, this is not computers 101. Let's assume that people that install the app on platforms where apps are expected to be installed are able to figure out this by themselves.

Originally Posted by tomsem

For some reason, for me, tapping @koreader lands me in Folder shortcuts rather than KOReader Home. And this is happening after clean Exit, clearing cache, etc. Surely that's not as designed?

PEBKAC. You enabled that yourself in FM settings -> start with. Defaults is start with file manager.

Originally Posted by tomsem

[... why is there also @_koreader (tapping on that just returns to Home Screen) and the ungrammatical USER'S section heading (I am guessing the latter is PB's fault)?]

I have no idea what you're talking about
But I barely touched a Pocketbook. I will try to answer the best I can:

We have no control over app name, app icon, app placement inside PB menus and frankly almost everything that happens outside KO beyond file associations.

[tomsem]

Much better, thanks. Less is more, and compared to the Kobo and Kindle instructions, even elegant.

At the risk of belaboring my point, look at these screen captures.

Yes, it is probably obvious that you're supposed to tap on one of those items to launch KOReader. But it looks pretty weird, yes? It would be reassuring to say 'Tap on @koreader to launch KOReader'.

You can only get to KOReader settings by opening the menu somehow. But where is the visual cue that KOReader is actually a button? There isn't one.

On my first look at this, I tapped the Home icon, which does nothing (why is it even there?). I don't know who designed this UI, and I'm not a UX person, but I would propose changing that Home icon to a 'hamburger' menu icon, and have that open the menus.

In lieu of this, it might be helpful to say 'Tap on KOReader to open the menus'.

[pazos]

RTFM: https://koreader.rocks/koreader-user-guide.pdf

Also the ._koreader icon looks like another PEBKAC. You should have only one unless something very very fishy was introduced in a FW update

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pazos

RTFM: https://koreader.rocks/koreader-user-guide.pdf

Also the ._koreader icon looks like another PEBKAC. You should have only one unless something very very fishy was introduced in a FW update

That is a very nice looking manual.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by tomsem

the ungrammatical USER'S section heading (I am guessing the latter is PB's fault)?].

Since the additional app(s) is/are installed by the user's choice and at the user's discretion because it/they suit(s) the user's needs, apps in that section are of and from the user, so there is nothing ungrammatical at all about the use of the possessive apostrophe as shown.

[NiLuJe]

Originally Posted by pazos

Also the ._koreader icon looks like another PEBKAC. You should have only one unless something very very fishy was introduced in a FW update

That looks like a mac resource fork.

(i.e., that drive was mounted from a macOS device, and the icon was transferred from said system, and the system got its grubby little hands on it ;p).

(And, of course, they're not filtered out by PB's software).