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Reviving a four year old reMarkable 2
- graceful6800 2mo agoThere's a project called codexctl that can help you run an offline update to the latest firmware https://github.com/Jayy001/codexctl https://github.com/Jayy001/codexctl
- rvz 2mo agoreManager is far better for this use-case [0] instead of these fragile scripts. [0] https://github.com/rmitchellscott/reManager https://github.com/rmitchellscott/reManager
- haskman 2mo agoI second the recommendation to use reManager!
- oskrim 2mo agoSomeone on Reddit also pointed out there is a support page for the clock issue https://support.remarkable.com/s/article/Unable-to-update-reMarkable-Paper-Tablet https://support.remarkable.com/s/article/Unable-to-update-re...
- mfcl 2mo agoIs part of the article missing? It ends abruptly.
- essive 2mo agoAs did the reMarkable support for that device...
- reticulated 2mo agoBad take. The rM2 is still receiving software updates and likely to for the next 3-4 years. All that happened is they stopped selling it. Source: https://remarkable.com/products/remarkable-2 https://remarkable.com/products/remarkable-2
- essive 2mo agoIt was a joke, son
- oskrim 2mo agoI think you're right, the ending is a bit abrupt. Added a closing paragraph to the last section, thanks for pointing that out.
- deleted 2mo ago[deleted]
- doublerabbit 2mo agoMaybe this will restore my faith in digital tablets. I made notes, saved them. Only for the next morning to find my device out of battery and the notes missing. I don't get it, feels like I was zapped by some evil overlord that didn't want me recalling what I had written for the next part of my cartoon. Now just use good ole paper and pen.
- tiagod 2mo agoThe tablet stopped being able to update just from sitting unused for a few years. That really decreases my faith, at least in reMarkable.
- arjie 2mo agoEasy to end up like this. Takes a lot of work to preserve. I had an Arch Linux desktop. Put it in storage to move to a different country and came back in a year. Booted fine, couldn’t upgrade. No feasible resolution. Reimaged it after a couple of hours (this was pre AI so you had to manually figure things out).
- fsflover 2mo agoIf you had Debian, the update would go with no problems.
- arjie 2mo agoIndeed that is the case. I’ve been a Debian/Ubuntu user since Ubuntu came out. The Arch desktop was an experiment. Back to la salle de bian once again. But it is perhaps one of the few distribution (families) where this is true.
- tatjam 2mo agoI'm running my remarkable on some ancient software version, and honestly for my use case (reading textbooks and occasional note taking) the old version is perfectly fine. I don't connect it to the internet, just use the awesome RCU software (paid, but distributed with source code) to move stuff between it and my computer. I presume if I were to try to update it, I'll find the same fate! About exporting, the notebook format is relatively simple, I wrote a very bare-bones software that's able to convert the notebooks to PDF in a few hundred lines of Nim, or you could just use the integrated web UI.
- jacknews 2mo agowoah 4 years is considered obsolete? My kids still using thinkpad 430 from 2013
- jorams 2mo ago> woah 4 years is considered obsolete? No, this device was only discontinued this year, you can still buy accessories and it still receives software updates. It just turns out their software has flaws that break the update process after a few years of sitting unused. Not great, but luckily there are workarounds, as this article walks you through.
- rwmj 2mo agoNext up, "reviving my paper notes from 40 years ago". Oh wait, there's nothing that I need to do, they still all work fine.
- 8note 2mo agoidk about that, there was water damage from that year everything flooded, and theyre scattered across 50-100 boxes
- rwmj 2mo agoLuckily electronics is completely unaffected by water.
- defrost 2mo agoThe big problem there is they keep wanting to float up to the surface. ~ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-30/nt-world-record-darwin-underwater-drive/102665924 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-30/nt-world-record-darwi... I dream of a day when you don't have to fill the tyres of your EV with water just to cross the harbour.
- essive 2mo agoLOL - agreed. I was a bit shocked by the title being the type that gets bonded with my devices. I still use my Windows laptop from 2017 and my M1 Macbook Pro from 2021 daily. Additionally, my Kindles are from 2010.
- onesandofgrain 2mo agoWhy not use paper and pencil?
- emil-lp 2mo agoWhy didn't you write that comment on a piece of paper instead?
- onesandofgrain 2mo agoThis a social platform. Not a note-taking app. Besides why are you so triggered by my question?
- emil-lp 2mo agoI'm not particularly triggered, I didn't downvote you, if that's what you think. This is a platform to discuss all things related to tech. The suggestion that the OP discards their old tablet seems not in the true hacker spirit. But, that's only my 5 cents.
- swasheck 2mo agoi’ll address this as if it was a genuine question. my handwriting is awful, not to mention that my physical notebook management is awful. i’ve considered a supernote nomad as a way to streamline some of those issues. theyre just so expensive that i cant really justify a $500 experiment.
- onesandofgrain 2mo agoIsnt a remarkable 500$ too?
- rwmj 2mo agoI'm confused. Your physical notebook management is awful, ie. I guess you have live in a house without shelves or something. But spending time troubleshooting an electronic device from only 2022 is easier?
- greatgib 2mo agoReally sad the official lack of proper support for using it as a general purpose device for the ones that would like time because otherwise the hardware is really great. I like mine very much except the limitation that I can't do too much with it.
- carlosjobim 2mo agoWhat exactly is a "general purpose device"? An eInk tablet is pretty far away from being "general purpose" as far as I can tell. Should I buy a Ford Ranger and demand that the company makes it easy to convert it to a lawn mover?
- kstrauser 2mo agoExamples: it sucks as an ereader, even though the hardware is super capable of it. It doesn’t have a built-in dictionary to look up words or check spelling. You can’t make links between documents or to different pages in the current document. Their hardware is top notch, but I found the software to be so hamstrung that I returned mine after a few weeks. Basically, if you want to have exactly a physical paper notebook experience but with a computer, it’s great. If you’d like to transcend the limitations of a paper notebook and take advantage of the nice hardware to organize your work, or do literally anything but write or draw, you’ll be sorely disappointed.
- reticulated 2mo agoPlease point to the marketing page where it's primary purpose is declared as an ereader. My car has four wheels, that doesn't make it a good ice-cream van
- kstrauser 2mo agoI’ve heard this excuse for it plenty of times, and it rings hollow and/or Stockholm syndrome. People (rightfully) made fun of Apple for not including a calculator on iPadOS for the longest time. Imagine Apple claiming “we never advertised it as a calculator!”, which is technically true, but clearly silly because it’s an obvious use case that everyday users would want. Well, same here: a Remarkable tablet is nearly identical to a Kobo or Kindle in form factor and basic capabilities. It even includes an ereader app. But the app, frankly, sucks. They could swapped in KOreader and called it a day. But instead of that, they — or rather, their supporters — give the laughable excuse that “it’s not an ereader”. Well, an iPad’s also not a calculator, and yet… If your car has four wheels, room to walk around inside, and built in refrigerators that are mounted upside down for some reason, maybe the factory would say that they didn’t sell you an ice cream truck, but everyone else looking at it is going to wonder why they didn’t make it possible to stock popsicles while they were at it.
- GCUMstlyHarmls 2mo agoThis is pretty refreshing to read. "Its just linux", seems to ship with SSH/root terminal enabled (over USB at least, with a simple way to enable networked access), built in webserver, just uses systemd for service control, etc. They even list it in the user guide https://remarkable.guide/guide/access/ssh.html https://remarkable.guide/guide/access/ssh.html along with an "developing software" guide https://remarkable.guide/devel/index.html https://remarkable.guide/devel/index.html. Maybe other tablets are like that too, to be honest I'm too poor to swing the 700-1000$ for what I can cover with an paper note pad (with the bonus of being able to comfortably sit my coffee cup on it, use any pen or pencil, rip pages out, drop it, forget it somewhere, etc etc) to buy one but at least it seems like a product I would support.
- thepoet 2mo agoI have a Kobo that was kept unused in a similar state for a few years until I decide to build an SDK platform to develop and deploy apps on it. My Kobo does not support apps on its Linux platform. I have been using it to read HN, as an RSS reader over my news and blog sources, generate audiobooks on topics I want to understand with ElevenLabs, Exa and OpenAI and listen via connecting its bluetooth to my speakers and even as a remote Claude Code & Codex approval sidekick. It is amazing that a $100 device with a single core and 512mb RAM can do so much and run for so long. Here is the open-sourced platform https://github.com/BandarLabs/Cobalt https://github.com/BandarLabs/Cobalt
- dismalaf 2mo ago> It is amazing that a $100 device with a single core and 512mb RAM can do so much and run for so long. Not to sound like certain influencers but computers are pretty fast and the state of modern software is incredibly wasteful.
- jvdvegt 2mo agoThere is also NickelMenu: https://pgaskin.net/NickelMenu/ https://pgaskin.net/NickelMenu/
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- bossyTeacher 2mo agoThis is the achilles heel of modern tech. Devices are just so brittle and if it is not online 24/7 on returning back online, you need to perform incantations to get things working. Long shell life is a taboo in the tech world where 5 years is a long time.
- steveBK123 2mo agoYeah it's kind of comical the framing is that a device needs to be "revived" after four years. As SWEs we should probably all be a bit embarrassed for our trade, even in the alleged golden era of LLM induced productivity. I have all sorts of offline digital&analog mechanical/optical devices which just work decades and decades later. The weak point in any of my old tech is when theres a software component that needs to be reverse engineered and ported across multiple generations of CPU architecture / OS / API deprecations. I have 60 year old records, 35 year old CDs, 25 year old minidiscs that all still work fine. Properly developed film negatives are still fine decades later. Despite all the warnings about media impermanence and lifespans, it's always the software that screws it up first. I've lost more content from digital / streaming services because it simply vanishes than because a piece of physical media failed.
- oskrim 2mo agoThat was my initial reaction as well, when I first found the device not being able to update. But look what was the saving grace: SSH/USB/HTTP/Unix with root access, instead of closed systems, hardware that you own 100%. As software is increasingly "solved" by AI I think this is what will become most important
- hartator 2mo agoSeveral of my notes got lost in the ReMarkable cloud. I don’t think you are missing much.
- davisr 2mo agoThe reMarkable cloud is crap and has been since the beginning. I wrote a free/libre offline management tool called reMarkable Connection Utility (RCU) that is decently popular, used by several thousand people. Beyond backup/restore of editable notebook data, it has a lot of unique features the manufacturer can't/won't support (like exporting with native PDF highlight annotations). [1]: https://www.davisr.me/projects/rcu/ https://www.davisr.me/projects/rcu/
- reticulated 2mo ago> The reMarkable cloud is crap and has been since the beginning Citation needed On the contrary, reMarkable's cloud and associated sync functionality is praised regularly in the unofficial subreddit, as is the access Support has when people accidentally overwrite or otherwise delete notes. I fully understand why some people would prefer to self-host their documents, but to link your own work whilst labelling reMarkable's as "crap" is somewhat disingenuous
- davisr 2mo agoI've been a big name in that "unofficial" subreddit for the past 8 years (u/rmhack), and I check it daily. I put unofficial in quotes because the moderators communicate and coordinate with reMarkable AS, so it's not really quite unofficial anymore. I don't think it's disingenuous to link to my own work, when that work was directly inspired by reMarkable's own awful software. I would call that "relevance". I don't think it's fair to praise reMarkable's support for restoring access to files they mistakenly deleted in the first place. And secondly, their support is doing this FAR less than they used to. Some people in the subreddit report they don't do it any longer, since about 2 years ago. https://www.reddit.com/r/RemarkableTablet/comments/1caeble/bug_in_software_deleted_a_months_worth_of_notes/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RemarkableTablet/comments/1caeble/b... https://www.reddit.com/r/RemarkableTablet/comments/1nzwt9c/deleted_file_recovery/ https://www.reddit.com/r/RemarkableTablet/comments/1nzwt9c/d... Another defect of theirs is erroneously RESTORING files that were previously deleted. They do not have sync or cloud figured out. https://www.google.com/search?q=remarkable+support+restore+deleted+files+site%3Areddit.com https://www.google.com/search?q=remarkable+support+restore+d...
- som 2mo agoI'm still using my remarkable from 2020. Has been receiving updates since AFAIK. Happy customer.
- reticulated 2mo agoManually updating a config file to enable the web server was a wholly unnecessary step as that's just a toggle in the "Storage" section of settings. reMarkable software has its faults, but I keep coming back to them for the best-in-class hardware, developer-friendly platform, which itself spawned an active developer community. Could it be an easier platform to develop on? Sure. But that hasn't stopped a huge number of supported mods being made available
- oskrim 2mo agoThere is indeed a "USB web interface" toggle under Storage. I've added a note in the final section, thanks.
- bravura 2mo agoI still have my remarkable 1 and love it. RM 2 didn’t have a backlight so there was no upgrade reason. I actually like that the RM 1 is plastic, it feels durable and light.
- ncr100 2mo agoThe "pro" adds conveniences, is faster, and somehow is still distraction free. The color features are a subtle joy, although a bit underwhelming and dim. I've had all, too. I do like the light weight of the first... I'm less scared to toss it around too.
- j2kun 2mo agoWhat a dismal idea that a four-year-old device is non-functional and in need of "reviving."
- malfist 2mo agoAny device that powers off fully functional should be able to power on fully functional barring hardware failure. That these steps were nessecary is a stunning indictment of remarkable, even if your tech geek can ssh in and fix it. After all, my notebooks are perfectly readable four years later
- loughnane 2mo agoFWIW my RM2 is still running well after 4y, and that includes plenty of abuse. I use it for notes at work, keeping track of little league lineups (and so tossing it in the grass many times), and its still a daily driver for me.
- malfist 2mo agoAnd if you leave it unpowered for a few years? I have a journal from two decades ago. Still readable.
- ezfe 2mo agoThe cloud sync is the thing that breaks here, not the device. I'll also point out that Macs at least have the exact same issues. When the clocks get out of sync the certificates start rejecting. Some versions of macOS cannot be installed anymore either because their certificates are misconfigured and expired already.
- haskman 2mo agoI bought a Remarkable 2 tablet a while back. I quickly realised two things - 1. Remarkable's own software is a steaming pile of poo. Their inbuilt web server for uploading files is extremely buggy and unusable. It's dog slow. You can't try to drag many files in one go, or it crashes. You can't try to upload a large file, or it crashes. There is also a hard limit on the file size you can upload (something like 100MB) which makes it unusable for some heavy PDF files I have. They push you towards paying for their cloud service subscription, which I will never do, just to be able to sync files. There is also no way to just ssh files over because their pdf reader will refuse to read them. All I want is to connect the remarkable every day for a few minutes to my computer and have it sync my files, and there is no way to do that. 2. Most of the "hacks" online are written assuming that you can install toolchains like Toltec on the device, and they are NOT updated for the newer firmware. My remarkable came with 3.15 and while there are some instructions on how to downgrade the firmware before installing the toolchain, they never worked for me. So I stuck with the subpar software and reading experience... ... until I discovered [ReManager](https://github.com/rmitchellscott/reManager https://github.com/rmitchellscott/reManager). It just worked out of the box, did not require a firmware update, and I was able to install KoReader and other goodies (such as some launcher improvements). It can also transfer large files easily. What's ironic is that KoReader can read djvu files, which removes my need to use large PDFs in the first place. Equivalent djvu files are much much smaller. Thanks to everyone in the remarkable community who contributed to ReManager and other assorted remarkable hacking! EDIT: Also must point out a cool thing that I discovered recently - ReManager comes with a one click installer for the Zig toolchain on the Remarkable 2! It is slow, but I was able to compile and run zig programs on the tablet.
- tomduncalf 2mo agoRe: the software, I do think the on device software is good, if somewhat minimal, and the core writing experience is great
- haskman 2mo agoRight, my rant was more about the options for syncing. The reading and writing experience is fine otherwise (if a tad slow).
- Tarsul 2mo agoI did not update my ReMarkable 2 for years either and had probably the same clock issue. There was an article on the FAQ website from remarkable, if I remember correctly, that took me to a step-by-step process by which I could update it. Don't remember exactly how (I think I had to use the cable and connect to PC; which normally is not needed) but let's just say even if at first it seems like it doesn't work anymore and you have to hack it yourself, it is not actually needed. Nonetheless, this hackabality is the main reason I got mine (although I don't hack it, the optionality and thus probable longevity made the difference in my buying decision. I do not regret.).
- oskrim 2mo agoYes, added a link to the article you are likely referring to https://support.remarkable.com/s/article/Unable-to-update-reMarkable-Paper-Tablet https://support.remarkable.com/s/article/Unable-to-update-re...
- nextlevelwizard 2mo agoIsn't it insane that we have to "revive" 4 year old devices? How is it unthinkable that even 10 year old device would just work out of the box even if it hasn't seen light of day since it was purchased?
- leoedin 2mo agoYeah, it does seem crazy. My newest laptop is 5 years old, and almost every other computing device I have is older. This does seem to be caused by a badly set up Linux system though. The clock loses sync and the system can’t recover.
- kingkongjaffa 2mo agoYeah, immediate thought was why should a 4 year old device be in need of any revival? Specifically a writing tablet, I assume it just works still. But after reading the article the scourge of 'always online' devices seems to have bitten. You need the time in sync for updates and cloud sync to work seemingly. Why these things are not more robust I don't know. It should have shipped day 1 with management software (that itself still works without updates) and a simple plug-device-into computer and drag files into it update mechanism as a method of last resort and direct PC / using PC internet connection update source.
- JohnKemeny 2mo agoYou don't have to "revive" the device in order to use it. The problem was: out-of-sync device clock prevented software updates which in turn prevented cloud syncing. You don't need software updates or cloud syncing for the device to work. The fix is to set the clock and do the software updates.
- nextlevelwizard 2mo agoAnd why is time such a hard thing to handle in 2026?
- 0x6c6f6c 2mo agoTime can be an issue connecting to Wi-Fi. Devices who've lost track of time often can't properly negotiate access to then get NTP updates to their time. Perhaps this could be solved, but it's a common problem for devices left for the batteries to go dry. It is a bit sensationalist to say this is reviving it though, which makes this sound like some wild issue.
- yitchelle 2mo agoI always thought that the reMarkable ecosystem was tightly locked in, forcing your to have an ongoing subscription to do anything useful with it. It seems not to be. Has anyone setup an ecosystem that is not tied to a reMarkable subscription? The hardware itself is super cool.
- vinceguidry 2mo agoYou got lucky, mine didn't even start up, even after overnight charging, batteries have such short lives these days.