Kickstarter

My apologies for spamming those who didn't fund at the Early Adopter tier, I can't limit updates to backers of specific funding tiers.

For those getting a beta isostick, here's a few things to be aware of:

• Please send any bug reports or support requests to support [at] isostick [dot] com.
  Our bug tracker is watching this address and will automatically open a ticket for incoming mail. This helps me keep track of what's going on.
• To "insert" a disc into the optical drive, you will need to create a folder named "config" on the card, and within that a file named "iso_filename.txt"
  Put the path to the file in there, such as "memtest86.iso" or "/isos/linux/debian.iso" - then save the file. The ISOs can be anywhere on the card.
• Any time iso_filename.txt is modfiied, the disc in the drive is changed to match. Please note that, for safety, isostick waits until your OS clears the volume's "dirty bit," indicating it is done writing to it. This may take around a minute on some OSes, so please be patient.
• At present, isosel does not update iso_filename.txt -- it instead stores your choice in internal flash (not the microSD!). This is what allows isostick to remember your choice even if the read-only switch is engaged.
  Note however that things work as you may expect -- saving iso_filename.txt, even if the contents have not changed, will switch to the iso file it names.
• The LED brightness is not presently configurable.
• In order for isosel to work, you must place isosel.bin ( http://isostick.com/isosel.bin ) in the "config" folder.
• Both iso_filename.txt and isosel.bin must be on a FAT32 partition on the card. The cards have been pre-formatted as FAT32.

Software will be released very soon to eliminate the need to edit iso_filename.txt by hand. It allows you to manage which isos are on your card, and which is in the optical drive. It will work on Linux, Windows, and MacOS X and will not require installation. 

A firmware update is planned for about one week from now. It will:

• Fix as many discovered bugs as possible
• Enable configuring LED brightness
• Misc. internal and compatibility enhancements
• If possible in the timeframe, I will also have isosel write the chosen filename to iso_filename.txt if the card is not read-only, to minimize confusion.

Part of my time over the next couple weeks will also be spent getting a website up at http://isostick.com and a proper website for http://elegantinvention.com

Phew, long update! I am looking forward to everyone's feedback about their isosticks, and I can't wait for the beta to finish so I can ship out the rest. Thanks again for all your patience and support!