The Ultimate Zaurus Software: Picsel Browser

[HoloVector]

I am stumbling towards the solution for unmarrying picsel browser from the sd card. If anyone would like to help, can they run this command when the picsel card is inserted, and private message me the result; I will keep the answers in confidence.

cat /proc/driver/mmcsd/00/raw

thanks!
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I would love to help but, I can't find a copy of it to buy.  

I even offered, Picsel, money for a copy and they just blew me off.  There is something wrong with a commercial software oufit that refuses to sell it's product to eager consumers.  

[speculatrix]

I am stumbling towards the solution for unmarrying picsel browser from the sd card. If anyone would like to help, can they run this command when the picsel card is inserted, and private message me the result; I will keep the answers in confidence.

cat /proc/driver/mmcsd/00/raw

thanks!
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=152161\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Someone kindly gave me their hex card id.

I tried a binary patch on the picsel browser to change the file name it reads, and put a file there with the hex in it.

Unfortunately, patching the binary using "sed" caused it to run and crash, and the strace output looks completely different.

Hmmm. Is it possible to change the ID value of a card by writing to this file? Can I destroy an SD card doing so? I've not found much information about the file other than it seems to be an indicator of vendor + card ID.

[Antikx]

I even offered, Picsel, money for a copy and they just blew me off.  There is something wrong with a commercial software oufit that refuses to sell it's product to eager consumers.   
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Sadly it does not seem to be uncommon these days. Quality service is being replaced with the promise of low prices... Don't get me started.  
But I digress.

[HoloVector]

I am stumbling towards the solution for unmarrying picsel browser from the sd card. If anyone would like to help, can they run this command when the picsel card is inserted, and private message me the result; I will keep the answers in confidence.

cat /proc/driver/mmcsd/00/raw

thanks!
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=152161\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Someone kindly gave me their hex card id.

I tried a binary patch on the picsel browser to change the file name it reads, and put a file there with the hex in it.

Unfortunately, patching the binary using "sed" caused it to run and crash, and the strace output looks completely different.

Hmmm. Is it possible to change the ID value of a card by writing to this file? Can I destroy an SD card doing so? I've not found much information about the file other than it seems to be an indicator of vendor + card ID.
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The safest way to test this would be to acquire a Panasonic Normal Speed SD card because all Picsel Browser for Zaurus copies shipped on these cards.  Your safest bet would be to use either a 256MB or 512MB one depending on whether your ID dump came originally from a 256MB or 512MB card.

Matsushita (Panasonic's parent) approached Picsel about bundling their program locked onto SD cards.  It was an experiment for the two to test the market for software locked to SD cards.  The Z was the first platform and others were to have followed (Palm, WinMob, Symbian, etc...) dependent of the market test results.  By the looks of things it appears the experiment failed.  

[HoloVector]

I even offered, Picsel, money for a copy and they just blew me off.  There is something wrong with a commercial software oufit that refuses to sell it's product to eager consumers.  
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=152164\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Sadly it does not seem to be uncommon these days. Quality service is being replaced with the promise of low prices... Don't get me started.  
But I digress.
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Amen, brother.  Amen.  

[speculatrix]

Some interesting developments.

Two people both with the 512MB version of picsel, the cards have different ID (if indeed /proc/driver/mmcsd/00/raw is the card ID (nothing else in the /proc/driver/mmcsd/00 directory looks especially interesting, and this file is read by pic-browser not long before it pops up the insert picsel card message).. the IDs are 60% the same though, the latter half varies.

You can't change the value in /proc/driver/mmcsd/00/raw, and since the Sharp's mmcsd driver is closed source I don't think there's a way to hack the module to allow you to spoof the value (or write to it even if it doesn't actually touch the card).

The binaries, as installed, both have the same md5sum, which I didn't expect.


--edit, fixed typos. seem to be making a lot recently

[HoloVector]

Some interesting developments.

Two people both with the 512MB version of picsel, the cards have different ID (if indeed /proc/driver/mmcsd/00/raw is the card ID (nothing else in the /proc/driver/mmcsd/00 directory looks especially interesting, and this file is read by pic-browser not long before it pops up the insert picsel card message).. the IDs are 60% the same though, the latter half varies.

You can't change the value in /proc/driver/mmcsd/00/raw, and since the Sharp's mmcsd driver is closed source I don't think there's a way to hack the module to allow you to spoof the value (or write to it even if it doesn't actually touch the card).

The binaries, as installed, both have the same md5sum, which I didn't expect.


--edit, fixed typos. seem to be making a lot recently
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That makes alot of sense that the binaries would have the same md5sum.  The updates would would need to be generic so that they could be distributed to the users.  

Panasonic was manufacturing the cards themselves so they would know what the card ids would be on the cards so, it sounds like they basically gave Picsel a list of reserved card ids that would be dedicated for the Picsel product.  Then Picsel would include a look up table of some sort at start up for the card ids in the browser.  Picsel would then issue a new update when a new batch of card ids were sent to them from Panasonic.  The production started on 256MB cards.  When that reserved stock ran out, the 512MB card edition was released and I believe at around the same time the last update was released.

[speculatrix]

That makes alot of sense that the binaries would have the same md5sum.  The updates would would need to be generic so that they could be distributed to the users. 

Panasonic was manufacturing the cards themselves so they would know what the card ids would be on the cards so, it sounds like they basically gave Picsel a list of reserved card ids that would be dedicated for the Picsel product.  Then Picsel would include a look up table of some sort at start up for the card ids in the browser.  Picsel would then issue a new update when a new batch of card ids were sent to them from Panasonic.  The production started on 256MB cards.  When that reserved stock ran out, the 512MB card edition was released and I believe at around the same time the last update was released.
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Well, it would be possible to have unique binaries too {edit - but unlikely, too much administrative burden}. There's a license file on each card, and I will get the md5 hash to compare against.

One owner has suggested that the sd card ID has to match the license file for picbrowser to work... thus copying the files is insufficient. Also, even doing a raw block copy of the whole card didn't work either (i.e. to copy over the dead space on the card) so that's probably not involved.

So, either a patched binary or spoofing the card ID is probably the only solution.

[HoloVector]

Well, it would be possible to have unique binaries too {edit - but unlikely, too much administrative burden}. There's a license file on each card, and I will get the md5 hash to compare against.

One owner has suggested that the sd card ID has to match the license file for picbrowser to work... thus copying the files is insufficient. Also, even doing a raw block copy of the whole card didn't work either (i.e. to copy over the dead space on the card) so that's probably not involved.

So, either a patched binary or spoofing the card ID is probably the only solution.
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It would interesting to find out what are the contents of the license.pli file.  I always wondered if that file is watermarked in some way.  

At one point the SD organization was promoting digital watermarking of MP3 files through the [a href=\"http://www.sdmi.org/]SDMI[/url] (Secure Digital Music Initiative). The algorithym was cracked after a hack challenge was issued by the group.  It is possible that Panasonic could have locked Picsel to the SD using this technology with a few extra lessons learned to make sure it wasn't so easy to crack.

I agree patching the binary is the way to go since, that would give the owners of the cards the most flexibility to use the program as they see fit.