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The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

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Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#61

Post by eloeffler »

AshamedCaptain wrote: post #33
Enginerrrd wrote: post #6

Let me just say that the Remarkable also runs linux. Not only that, but I've been blown away by the ongoing results from the team at Remarkable. I only have the Remarkable 1 but they continue to ship updates for it, and these updates are often really substantive with sometimes profound new features. Their cloud service is free, no aggravating subscription stuff and even though they have the remarkable 2 now, they con…

Do note that Remarkable is not as rosy as it looks like. Due to the fact that most of the builtin software is proprietary, actually modifying it to run anything other than the stock features requires binary monkey patching the main executable. It's as fragile as it sounds. If they were to add a simple plugin system, that would take them 0 effort with Qml, it would be significantly better.

Actually, it's better than you describe it, I think. Most components are FOSS. The default GUI and the framebuffer driver are proprietary closed source. However, the framebuffer driver has been extracted from the GUI service by github user ddvk and faciliates the development of independent interfaces (look for "launchers") that can launch further independent programs, e.g. harmony https://rmkit.dev/apps/harmony

There is also an opkg-based package manager and repo with many packages: https://toltec-dev.org/

The binary patching that you talk about is only one mod that can be installed to improve the functionality of the original GUI. It is true that it would be awesome if that had plugin support, as you stated, though.

Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#62

Post by lovelyviking »

p_l wrote: post #40
Buttons840 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm scared by that link warning about how easy it is to brick your device. Should I be?

Remarkable 1 is recoverable without many tricks. Remarkable 2 requires a bit of parts and possibly soldering (but not required, just might make things easier if you don't have pogo pins with handles available). Both are fully recoverable unless you do something really impressive.

>Both are fully recoverable unless you do something really impressive.

really impressive like what?

Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#63

Post by marcus_holmes »

zaphar wrote: post #15
Enginerrrd wrote: post #6

Let me just say that the Remarkable also runs linux. Not only that, but I've been blown away by the ongoing results from the team at Remarkable. I only have the Remarkable 1 but they continue to ship updates for it, and these updates are often really substantive with sometimes profound new features. Their cloud service is free, no aggravating subscription stuff and even though they have the remarkable 2 now, they con…

My Remarkable 2 is the best note taking, writing, sketching device I've ever owned. I appreciate the competition in the space and hope it drives more innovation but I don't want to hack on my Remarkable tablet. I just want to write and sketch on it for the moment.

Totally agree. But I've got to the point where I'd like to start hacking on mine.

I have a folder full of startup ideas. I really want a Lean Canvas page template to go with that (and be able to mix page types in a single notebook would be cool, but I'm not sure that's possible yet).

I want to create a "meeting notes" type of notebook, that automatically adds today's date, and lives in a "meeting notes" folder organised by date.

I'd love to be able to sketch in white on a black background.

I keep meaning to get around to learning how to do this stuff... but life has been getting in the way. Doesn't mean I don't want to ;)

Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#64

Post by megous »

TheRealPomax wrote: post #41

And still has zero actual videos of the device in action, which makes it really hard to get excited about it rather than cautiously apprehensive. $400 might be cheap compared to, say, a remarkable2, but not if the display turns out to be flat-out mediocre. Then that's $400 better spent on "saving up for a remarkable2".

https://twitter.com/thepine64

Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#65

Post by thatcherc »

jxdxbx wrote: post #26

I have a Boox Note Air--it runs Android, and can do cool stuff to apps to make them work better on e-ink (mostly tweaking the contrast). It's still kind of slow in practice, like all e-ink. Page turns will take longer than a tablet or of course a book. It comes with a stylus, but the only note-taking app that works well with it is the built-in one, which is not great though at least it can sync your notes off the dev…

I have a Boox Note Pro (small one) and I also find it great for taking big PDFs around for reading outside or while traveling. I recently found out about Onyx's GPL violations, though, which kind of sours me on the company and product. There's a discussion on reddit [0], a discussion about that thread on HN [1], and some other stories here and there about the issue as well [2].

Really cool to see a cheap e-ink android device but bummer that the company isn't compliant with the licenses of the open source software it uses.

[0] - https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/hl09g7/onyx_boox_chi...

[1] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23735962

[2] - https://linustechtips.com/topic/1331748-shortcircuit-showcas...

Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#66

Post by jnorthrop »

jxdxbx wrote: post #26

I have a Boox Note Air--it runs Android, and can do cool stuff to apps to make them work better on e-ink (mostly tweaking the contrast). It's still kind of slow in practice, like all e-ink. Page turns will take longer than a tablet or of course a book. It comes with a stylus, but the only note-taking app that works well with it is the built-in one, which is not great though at least it can sync your notes off the dev…

I also own a Boox Air and I agree with everything you wrote. It is a device built for specific purposes. I get a ton of use from mine. It sits next to me all day for note taking, and I have my Kindle, Instapaper, and Safari Books apps for reading. I don't use it for anything else but that isn't the intent of the device. If you are looking for something all purpose, as you say, look for something other than eink.

Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#67

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

TheRealPomax wrote: post #41

And still has zero actual videos of the device in action, which makes it really hard to get excited about it rather than cautiously apprehensive. $400 might be cheap compared to, say, a remarkable2, but not if the display turns out to be flat-out mediocre. Then that's $400 better spent on "saving up for a remarkable2".

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28355851 ?

Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#68

Post by dreamer7 »

salamandersauce wrote: post #17
Enginerrrd wrote: post #6

Let me just say that the Remarkable also runs linux. Not only that, but I've been blown away by the ongoing results from the team at Remarkable. I only have the Remarkable 1 but they continue to ship updates for it, and these updates are often really substantive with sometimes profound new features. Their cloud service is free, no aggravating subscription stuff and even though they have the remarkable 2 now, they con…

Kobo and Kindle both run Linux too. Kobo still updates every single model they've released except for the first two non-touch models and the 5" mini stretching back a decade. And Amazon is pretty good with updates too. Kobo is pretty similarly hackable to the Remarkables but they are not nearly as open and free as the Pine stuff. I take a look at what remarkable has updated, and they just still haven't gotten ePub su…

I'm not sure I agree about Amazon being good with updates. They removed the ability to change orientation for no good reason!

Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#69

Post by shortformblog »

megous wrote: post #25
shortformblog wrote: post #2

It’s worth noting that this is a bit more powerful than Pine64’s other hardware releases, in part because it’s using the same base chipset as its Quartz64 SBC, released earlier this year: https://wiki.pine64.org/wiki/Quartz64

I wouldn't call this more powerful than pine's rk3399 products. It's a bit less powerful than that. Though I've just started playing with my quartz64.

Good call. Perhaps I should have said newer.

Re: The PineNote is an e-ink notebook that runs Linux

#70

Post by johnday »

TheRealPomax wrote: post #41

And still has zero actual videos of the device in action, which makes it really hard to get excited about it rather than cautiously apprehensive. $400 might be cheap compared to, say, a remarkable2, but not if the display turns out to be flat-out mediocre. Then that's $400 better spent on "saving up for a remarkable2".

> $400 might be cheap compared to, say, a remarkable2

A reMarkable 2 costs $399 brand new, so I'm not sure what you're on about.

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