This is cool, thanks for sharing. I recently compiled Rust / Slint on a LicheeRV Nano, which is RISC-V 64bit musl[1]. It's a little portable audio player I'm working on, the compile process is done via custom Cross docker image.

Currently I'm evaluating Battery Pal[2], because the TP4057 Module was not stable enough to power USB-C to 3.5mm Adapters reliably. So far it seems to work as expected.

1: https://github.com/nanowave-player/nanowave-ui

2: https://pnlabs.ca/batterypal/

Great article. Hacking old kindles is fun! I encourage everyone to give it a try. The retro feel of eink makes it special for me.

I wrote about my experience in cross compiling zig on an old kindle some time ago.

https://samkhawase.com/blog/zig-kindle-gdb/

the code: https://github.com/sverrejb/slint-kindle-backend

This looks cool, and one of the first posts I've seen on HN in a few months where I genuinely wanted to try it.

This is awesome! How reliable are kindle jailbreaks/avoiding updates, etc?

Have opted for other devices like the xteink (or a boox in the future) due to what seemed like a relatively small ecosystem around “aftermarket” kindle modifications.

The kindle would be a great option if it could be reliably jailbroken and loaded with custom software

One of my biggest regrets is not jailbreaking my kindle before it auto updated last year

Honestly not that big a deal. KOReader runs fine on stock firmware with sideloading on some models, and the jailbreak mainly matters if you want custom screensavers or deep system access.

If you want to make sure to block Amazon, use: https://github.com/Darthagnon/kindle-kual-blockamazon and also one of the Kindle software update blockers here: https://github.com/Darthagnon/BlockKindleOTA

I have a jailbroken Kindle that's connected to Wifi (and theoretically has access to the internet). No problems for three years now

Three years is the number I needed. We've been debating swapping out our Kobo readers for Kindles for a side project and the update paranoia was the main blocker.

We blocked OTA updates via hosts file and it's held for two years. The jailbreak itself is pretty stable once you're on the right firmware version — the tricky part is landing there before an update sneaks through.

I am working on a self-hosted library server for jailbroken kindle and opted for using pure Rust for the KUAL app to sync books and annotations with the server.

It's just running `cargo build --release --target armv7-unknown-linux-musleabihf` with a .cargo/config.toml:

``` [target.armv7-unknown-linux-musleabihf] linker = "rust-lld" rustflags = ["-C", "link-self-contained=yes"]. ```

the downside is I can't use any c-deps. :)

Tangential, how does slint fare compared to Druid/egui(?)

Tangential reply, but Druid has been abandoned. The spirit lives on as Xilem, but that doesn't have much traction either. It's very... exploratory in nature.

I'm partial to iced, which to me is the best GUI library in Rust by far. The Discord is super active if you have questions.

https://iced.rs/

Slint is backed by a company that sponsors its development, in model similar to Qt.

I'm curious as well. My understanding is one notable differencse, exemplified here, is that Slint can work on embedded devices / no-std.

Is there a list somewhere of jailbreak-able kindles? I've been thinking of getting one to toy with for a while, but I don't want to accidentally get one that is more heavily locked down, or that we cant run our own code on for some reason

All can be jailbroken except the newest software updated ones.

Here is the list detailing exactly the software versions supported and device support. This website will have everything you need.

(https://kindlemodding.org/kindle-models.html)

There is also the discord which is very popular.

(https://discord.com/invite/wDbbZTF5QF)

Older Kindles are fine. The K4 jailbreak scene from 2012 was thriving. Paperwhite 1/2 still easiest. Buy used, avoid anything post-2021 firmware. MobileRead forums have the definitive compatibility tables.

Would be so nice to use those previous Paperwhites for something like this as well. Instead I just lose them while travelling. Just lost my last 2019/smth edition. 3rd one with such fate..

I jailbroke my kindle a while back and was super excited to do it, but then didn't really do anything past that. Besides de-amazoning it, I found no real value nor supplemental features that were actually worth while. That being said, I don't regret doing it, just kind of wish there was more.

I installed Syncthing on it to make syncing new books onto it much easier. That's the biggest and primary value I got from it.

Like what?

zig as a cross-compile backend for rust is so good.

Good work! I guess you need to leave it plugged in?

Funny I have a paperwhite too I hate that forced ad thing (on screen wake) which apparently you can pay to get rid of

Amazon sells you the hardware then treats you like you're renting it.