diff --git a/NOTES b/NOTES index da1b4ad..42b8156 100644 --- a/NOTES +++ b/NOTES @@ -393,3 +393,41 @@ Then we might even want a UI way to delete authorized_keys, perhaps even as a replacement for the current awkward UI. +November 19, 2016. + +I got a user request to update for security. I looked at dropbear and +didn't see any relevant security issues, so I'm gonna hold off for a +while, but it should be on my radar. + +I also got a user request for writing to external SD card. He gave +this link: + + http://stackoverflow.com/questions/33162152/storage-permission-error-in-marshmallow + +It gives me a really strong deja vu, I think I tried that a few months +ago when a nearly identical request came in, and it didn't work. I wish +I had kept notes for that experiment! + +I think there are two separate issues. I think Android 6+ push you to +use requestPermission() to explicitly enable the WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE +permission, but if targetSdkVersion is low enough then you are +grandfathered in, so we don't care. The second issue is that Android 5+ +require use of a special API to access a removable SD card (which is +different from /sdcard, which is typically internal storage protected by +WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE on new phones?). That second issue is what is +biting people. + +I don't know any way around that. If Google doesn't back down, then I +guess the only plausible way around it would be something like an +LD_PRELOAD that intercepts open/lseek/read/write/close to external SD, +and replaces them with connection to a local daemon process that is +running in a typical Android context and is able to use the awful API. + +Seems like a lot of work and complication. I might go through with it if +I happened to use external SD myself, but I'm of the personal opinion +that removable storage is obsolete now that even relatively cheap phones +like the base Moto G4 come with 16GB... 640kB ought to be enough for +anybody. + +I told the most recent guy to try SuperSU. I don't have any idea if that +will really work, to be honest.