back to article Rooting Kindle Fire bricks videos

Kindle Fire users may have to damp their enthusiasm for rooting their devices: unless they’re prepared to chase up some other fixes and put up with some inconvenience, rooting the device kills video access. The mini-fondleslab was rooted pretty much simultaneously with its launch, with a combination of the Amazon SDK, a …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Surely

    What it shows is that amazon is not taking the breaking of its walled garden lying down? IF they have done this on purpose then it is only a matter of time before they block this method?

    Cant say I blame them, the device is sold at a loss, why should they subsidise people? You want to root and not play nicely in their walled garden, you don't get to use the walled garden? This will likely not be a problem for most people who would consider rooting the device as they presumably, like me have their video collection on a disk

    1. King Jack

      Why should someone sell you something with strings attached? Since when has this become the norm? When you buy something it is yours, not part owned by the person who sold it. No matter at what price they sold it for.

      1. Captain Scarlet Silver badge
        Childcatcher

        Well

        To make money, why else?

      2. securityfiend
        Big Brother

        It has become the norm since the manufacturers have worked out:

        "if a man* buys my device, I eat for a day. If I let him enter my walled garden, I earn an obscene executive bonus."

        * Insert gender of choice

        Icon because, well. They know what you read, watch, who you call, your taste in music, track your movements, who you are having an affair with, when you break the speed limit....

        Maybe a tinfoil icon would be better...?

      3. Jordan 1
        Trollface

        If someone sells me shoes without strings attached I'll be mighty PO'd.

  2. rbryanh

    When Apple pulls this kind of sh*t, half the world rears up on its hind legs, screaming for blood. What is it about droids that makes them so tolerant of fragmentation, the lack of upgrades, and this kind of DRM nonsense?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      What kind is that?

      I really don't get what you're angry about.

      If by fragmentation you mean the support of multiple CPUs, multiple screen sizes by multiple manufacturers, then it's a choice of freedom of choice. There's pros and cons of both approaches, but for some the idea that I can have a phone that suits my needs (eg small and with keyboard).

      Lack of upgrades? I don't know when this trend came through, but get over it. For example, you don't buy a commercial application (eg Word) and expect that all version from then on will be free and will be available for your platform (unless you buy support etc which is a separate issue). You don't buy a car and then expect that the next upgraded models improved engine should go in the car. When I bought my phone, I knew what it could do, what version it was and that's all I can and should expect. Any upgrades (not security patches) are a bonus.

      And as for, the debate will rage on and on. Don't fool yourself into thinking that you "own" a piece of music. For a long time, you were buying the medium for the songs, and the right to play things for personal use only. Just because it was easy to share a song before doesn't mean it was legal. DRM attempts to enforce your license. It's not perfect, and it's annoying, but businesses do have a right to protect their products.

    2. Craigness

      rbryanh

      Apple tried to prevent people from using the hardware they bought in the way they chose, and they got a lot of flack for it. Amazon is not doing that. If Apple prevented people from accessing itunes, icloud etc if they were not using Apple software...oh, they do.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Craigness

        But they are doing that, as the article makes clear. Still never let it be said that a fandroid allowed facts to influence them.

    3. westlake
      Pint

      No one is screaming but the geek.

      >>When Apple pulls this kind of sh*t, half the world rears up on its hind legs, screaming for blood. What is it about droids that makes them so tolerant of fragmentation, the lack of upgrades, and this kind of DRM nonsense<<

      The truth is that the iOS device attracts shoppers comfortable with Apple, the Kindle shoppers comfortable with Amazon and so on.

      The overwhelming majority of buyers aren't interested in "rooting" their expensive high-tech gadgets.

      Their vendor's app store is safe and convenient.

      Most media purchases are ephemeral. You load the disk and movie plays. Tomorow it goes back to the Red Box.

      That the media is DRM'd doesn't enter into your thinking.

    4. Piro Silver badge

      Actually, nobody is tolerant of this shit. It sucks. Nobody thinks that it's OK.

      However, at least there's a work around..

  3. Michael Souris
    Thumb Up

    DRM gesture

    Amazon have to make some gesture towards DRM, or the rights owners would pull their content. It's a sufficiently technical gesture to satisfy the rights owners and put the casual user off rooting the thing, yet easy enough to work around for the enthusiast. Perfect solution, I think.

    1. DarrDarr

      Are you implying that accessing root privileges somehow bypasses DRM restrictions on content?

      1. Craigness

        bypass drm

        I'm no expert, but I wouldn't be surprised if rooting could be a first step. If you have control over the drivers then you can output the sound and video to file. That's probably not the best way, but it could work.

  4. jcurtis01

    Just do what I did. Root and do your business, then unroot. Problem solved and all my android apps are there and Im happy.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Or better still, buy a tablet that isn't a POS in the first place.

  5. DarrDarr

    Are you implying that root privileges somehow bypass DRM restrictions on content?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Freetards...

    ... have their own reality distortion field.

    They'll buy something that doesn't work the way want it to.

    Spend hours effimg about with it so that it does something close to do what they want it to in a clunky way with some software from where? Who?

    Squeal if they're being honest when it's crappy

    Say they're free even when they're chained to the damn thing effing about with it instead of just buying a product that will do what they want it to do in the first place.

    Down votes a plenty any minute now

    1. Kwac
      FAIL

      Reality?

      I REALLY wish you'd use a user name instead of A.C.

      Then it would be easier to ignore your future distorted ravings.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @AC 23:22GMT - As a freetard I would love

      to pay for a product that does what I want. Problem is there are no such products that respect end-user fundamental digital freedoms so we end up buying what we can play with and we're ready to make sacrifices for that. For your information, those countless hours we spend tinkering with those devices are good exercise for our brains and keep Alzheimer's away, compared to sitting on a couch and indiscriminately consuming whatever is being shoved into us.

      Everybody has the right to spend his money the way he chooses so what exactly is your problem here ?

    3. BristolBachelor Gold badge
      FAIL

      Hey AC

      I must be a freetard by your definition then.

      I bought some PCs. It didn't do what I wanted. I spent time changing the settings and installing software (MS Office, Photoshop, LTspice, etc.) to get it do what I want. I bought all of this (except LTspice!) and that meakes me a Freetard?

      Oh and I also asked to MS for help when the MS stuff didn't work, to HP when the hardware broke, and in the case of the MBP to Apple when the Apple software didn't work. That makes me a freetard?

      How about you just STFU?

  7. Thomas 18
    Thumb Up

    But can it run custom ROMs that's the question?

    Im hoping for a rapid port of CM then I'll get one.

  8. Gary Bickford

    I don't know the details, but at first glance it seems that a very simple workaround exists - rename the binary and/or move it to a different directory. I don't know if su checks on its own location and name, so that might be an issue. It doesn't seem likely that the OS is going to take the time to look throughout the system for any binaries with a particular pattern that implies 'su' potential in the file.

  9. Anonymous John

    W H Smiths started selling the very similar Kobo Vox fondleslab yesterday, which should shake up the UK market. I wonder if this will push Amazon into releasing the Kindle Fire over here?

  10. Jason Bloomberg Silver badge
    Facepalm

    Rooting - not a magical panacea

    Some people seem to believe that rooting is some magical technique that simply opens closed doors and that by rooting everything will still work as it did before. The reality is often very different as demonstrated here.

    Amazon may have taken a more laid back approach to rooting, accepted it will happen, but I don't think they promised rooting would work or would be easy to make work. I don't see any real disconnect with what Amazon staff said; it's more a definition or expectation issue of what "rooting" is and achieves.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's electronics!

    Just make what people want! It ain't brain surgery. If people are rooting your device you better scratch you head and figure out why. Perhaps next month you might not be selling any devices.

    Every USB device I have ever been handed since usb first existed, I have pointed either midnight commander or ztree at and started digging to learn, how does it work, what's the dir layout, what kind of executable files keep it going, how are they compiled, how can I tweak the theme, sounds, etc, How can I back up the entire thing for possible Rollback. Because more than likely, I don't like the theme, don't like the sounds, and want to see if there are more things the device is capable of, and I am scared my data might disappear with all the crazy government laws and cruft going on.

    Nothing is stable anymore, one day the book is yours the next day it's deleted. One day your mp3 player works, next day it's bricked, one day the GPS is great, next day it's bricked. Dear manufacturers of electronic devices, MAKE what people want, quit putting so much damn protection and secrecy in. It's NOT healthy.

  12. sideshow
    Facepalm

    Appropriate use of tech jargon

    Video "bricked"?

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