[APP][2.2+] MiXplorer v6.x Released (fully-featured file manager)

[白い熊]

This, from changelogs?

"v6.60.1_B23021210:
• Disabled Document provider at first run. You can enable it from the settings > Components, if you need it."

Can I enquire as to what is the effect of enabling/disabling this — what is achieved in the two states?

 

[asripath]

This, from changelogs?

"v6.60.1_B23021210:
• Disabled Document provider at first run. You can enable it from the settings > Components, if you need it."

Have similar issue on 6.63.1 B23042510.
Default files app opens but not mixplorer.
Document provider enabled in settings components.
Wish there was a easy way to change default files app like we can for default apps for phone, sms, browser, launcher etc.,

 

[Raj90398]

This, from changelogs?

"v6.60.1_B23021210:
• Disabled Document provider at first run. You can enable it from the settings > Components, if you need it."

Thanks

 

[IronTechmonkey]

Can I enquire as to what is the effect of enabling/disabling this — what is achieved in the two states?

I don't know, I merely remember some recent discussion in the thread about that and noticed that it was in the change log. You might be able to find the previous discussion in the thread, or maybe the developer or other users could explain.

[EDIT] Found in first page of search results for [document provider] in a post by HootanParsa (and such things can also be found by reviewing HootanParsa's recent thread posts). https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...y-featured-file-manager.1523691/post-88422883

 

[IronTechmonkey]

Have similar issue on 6.63.1 B23042510.
Default files app opens but not mixplorer.
Document provider enabled in settings components.
Wish there was a easy way to change default files app like we can for default apps for phone, sms, browser, launcher etc.,

IIRC @Raj90398's report: "mixplorer no longer shown in document provider list" pertains to the presence of MiXplorer specific root storage items in the native file picker when selecting document providers but (rather thanthe default app for files). That seems different from what you are describing: "the default files app opens instead of MiXplorer"... or maybe I've not correctly understood the descriptions.

OT, I don't believe any (commercial) operating system is going allow us to run completely without the native file manager because that would open a wide range of variability requiring support and make security more difficult to manage, and with Google ever increasing restrictions I doubt that Google will be the first to give us that freedom of access. Before Cyanogenmod became Lineage OS and before the advent of Google scoped storage and other restrictions, the Cyanogenmod default "Files" app was arguably one of the most robust default file managers on (rooted) Android devices but that was one of the first things to go as Google locked things down.

 

[marciozomb13]

Have similar issue on 6.63.1 B23042510.
Default files app opens but not mixplorer.
Document provider enabled in settings components.
Wish there was a easy way to change default files app like we can for default apps for phone, sms, browser, launcher etc.,

No, document provider is now part of the os and disable it will break the entire permission system.

 

[Raj90398]

Can I enquire as to what is the effect of enabling/disabling this — what is achieved in the two states?

As for enabling
- to use with other apps which cannot directly have access for example
- to give poweramp access to whole internal storage instead of just one folder at a time.
Disabling - disabe such behaviour

 

[simonbellu]

@HootanParsa

Hi, recently I discovered a weird and very dangerous bug. The recent files bookmark shows among the recent files also the /storage/emulated/0 folder !!
It shows an unknown type icon with 4kb size!!
If you select that file and choose properties from the main menu it shows the correct size of the /storage/emulated/0 (The primary partition).
See pictures.
Please take a look into it and fix it to prevent someone (looking at the 4kb size) from trying to delete it and losing all the data....
I am on Mix Version: 6.63.1-Silver B23042520
Thank you.

 

[J.Michael]

@HootanParsa

Hi, recently I discovered a weird and very dangerous bug. The recent files bookmark shows among the recent files also the /storage/emulated/0 folder !!
It shows an unknown type icon with 4kb size!!
If you select that file and choose properties from the main menu it shows the correct size of the /storage/emulated/0 (The primary partition).
See pictures.
Please take a look into it and fix it to prevent someone (looking at the 4kb size) from trying to delete it and losing all the data....
I am on Mix Version: 6.63.1-Silver B23042520
Thank you.

4K is the size of most directory entries. Anyone who runs around deleting every 4K file he finds is going fo have bigger problems.

I also question whether it will be easy to delete. However, I do not have the courage of my convictions, and will therefore not be the one putting it to the test.

 

[pocketrule]

The recent files bookmark shows among the recent files also the /storage/emulated/0 folder !!

How did you do that? (Edit: On my device) I can only see files in "recent files"

 

[simonbellu]

How did you do that? (Edit: On my device) I can only see files in "recent files"

I am on silver version, I wrote it in my post. Anyway forgot to mention that my device runs android 8.0. Most likely you have a beta version installed.

 

[simonbellu]

4K is the size of most directory entries. Anyone who runs around deleting every 4K file he finds is going fo have bigger problems.

I also question whether it will be easy to delete. However, I do not have the courage of my convictions, and will therefore not be the one putting it to the test.

This is not even showed as directory/folder. This is the reason I wrote a bug report. It is showed as an unknown type file. If you click on it the open as...popup shows up....
In any case should be fixed, never before there was this issue in recent files.
More.... just recently there was an user that deleted all data with an autotask. So better report this. I do not really know if it is a link to the folder (as in Home) or it is really the /storage/emulated/0 folder. I am used to delete files from recent files list and they are deleted as it is supposed to be...so better warning about this

 

[Releece]

As mentioned, the F-Droid server would distribute the very same APKs that are hosted by Hootan on Google Drive, untouched.

Which you'll be easily able to verify, by the way : for sure you already have MiX installed, from the same APKs I'm talking about, i.e. digitally signed by Hootan, which means your device, by secure design, will refuse to install an update that does not carry the same digital signature.

Meanwhile if I maliciously modify the APK, then the signature will be modified as well.

For more info : https://source.android.com/docs/security/features/apksigning

Actually that's not entirely correct as F-Droid will replace the author's key with their own. They use the same key for each and every app in the repo. If you install any app from their repo, and then download an update directly from the original source, Android will refuse to update and you would need to reinstall the app.

Yes, so I can provide users with a feature : automated updates.
Just like building custom ROMs including proprietary manufacturer blobs, to provide users with system updates beyond official support.
Just like modding apps containing too many ads/paywalls/dark patterns, to provide users with a better usage experience.
All of those things may not be legal, but they are legit.
And we're doing this voluntarily.

This discussion doesn't look productive though, so I'm going to stop talking for now.
I'll be be back once I'll be able to deliver what I promised, and eventually then read whatever nonsense (or surprisingly constructive) reply you'll send, if any.

Have a nice day !

It is perfectly possible to get instant updates for MiXplorer (or any other app for that matter) by using Obtainium! It can update your apps from the official (or any other) source directly, such as GitHub/Gitlab/custom F-droid repo's/any HTML page etc.

It will automatically check all available .apks from the configured source and look for the newest version for your architecture. If there is a newer version it will let you know and can update the app. You can even search for any app inside Obtainium and it will automatically search GitHub and then let you pick the right one from a dropdown with results. You only have to do this once per app and then you are set for life.

Obtainium is much faster as you get updates directly from the source and you don't have to wait for e.g. F-droid to sign and put the new version in the repository. Nowadays my updates almost exclusively come from Obtainium and not from Playstore or repo's that always lag behind.

More importantly it is much more secure, and not just because of instantaneous updates. If a third party repo that is distributing multiple self-signed apps gets compromised, so will each one of those apps on your phone, generally giving much wider system access and permissions.


The biggest problem with the F-droid repository is that developers' keys get removed and replaced with F-droid's own key. Thus all apps get signed with the same key. If this ever gets compromised than each single one of the F-droid apps will be. This makes it very attractive for hackers to target such a repository, as they can push updates to millions of users all with the same key.

Downloading from the source avoids this problem as each app will be signed with the developers' own keys, thus even if a malicious actor compromises the source, they would still need the developers' own key or Android will block it. If they only have the key, not control over source, no problem either. There's no single point of failure.

Going after a single developer is much less lucrative, and also harder, because their IP-adress is not publicly linked to the repository (unless self-hosting). Signing happens on a completely different private system, and only the .apk, not the key can be found at the source. In case of F-droid, hackers already know pretty much where they need to penetrate, simply by resolving the URL. The signing happens automatically and continuously on their server as new versions come out.

The app is pretty new, but gaining traction and updates very regularly with new features coming in lightning speed. I haven't had a single app that I couldn't get to work with Obtainium. The only downside is that you'll have to remove any app installed from the F-droid repository and then reinstall with the .apk from the source, as they will have a different key. Removing and reinstalling can be done through Obtainium though.

Upside of using source apk instead of Google Playstore version is that there are no automatically included Google Firebase and other trackers added in without the dev choosing to put it in their build.


Most apps can be found on Github/Gitlab and will be set-up in a few seconds due to their seamless integration(set-up a personal acces token for faster search results). If you're too lazy to confirm / look-up the source for each of your apps you could even import a backup from a user that has already configured all sources (optionally delete any apps from Obtainium that you don't have, and add-in any missing apps).

Of course you can also just add MiXplorer and leave it at that!

 

[Ultramanoid]

Actually that's not entirely correct as F-Droid will replace the author's key with their own. They use the same key for each and every app in the repo. If you install any app from their repo, and then download an update directly from the original source, Android will refuse to update and you would need to reinstall the app.

MiX would have the developer's key and not F-Droid's. F-Droid cannot build MiX, it is not open source and the code is not available. The person setting up the repository also cannot build it for the same reason.

The ( terrible, awful ) idea was that someone ( NOT F-Droid themselves, but the person you quote ) wanted to set up a repository mirroring the developer's drive, copying the builds there ( illegally, since this is proprietary software with a license ) to distribute them.

Edit : And you've just proven one of my points. People will be confused and misled about this whole idea, just as you have. Let it die, stop.

[APP][2.2+] MiXplorer v6.x Released (fully-featured file manager)

[APP][2.2+] MiXplorer (full-featured file manager) Hello everyone! My name is Hootan. I work on XDA in my free time and this file explorer is my favorite Android project! MiXplorer mix of explorers (SD, FTP, Lan, Cloud and other storage...

forum.xda-developers.com

 

[temporarium]

Actually that's not entirely correct as F-Droid will replace the author's key with their own. They use the same key for each and every app in the repo. If you install any app from their repo, and then download an update directly from the original source, Android will refuse to update and you would need to reinstall the app.


It is perfectly possible to get instant updates for MiXplorer (or any other app for that matter) by using Obtainium! It can update your apps from the official (or any other) source directly, such as GitHub/Gitlab/custom F-droid repo's/any HTML page etc.

[...]

Of course you can also just add MiXplorer and leave it at that!

I don't know why you resurrect a comment from over a month ago, but I believe the F-droid repo suggestion was to have automatic updates (on a non-techie's device). Perhaps the F-droid suggestion was for someone who doesn´t have Play Store (and can't auto-update Silver via Google...)

Obtainium doesn´t do automatic updates. What would it add that MiXplorer itself doesn't already do: check for updates and download the latest?

In any case, guys, it's OK to disagree, but there is a rather passionate group-mentality pereceived here sometimes.

 

[Releece]

MiX would have the developer's key and not F-Droid's. F-Droid cannot build MiX, it is not open source and the code is not available. The person setting up the repository also cannot build it for the same reason.

The ( terrible, awful ) idea was that someone ( NOT F-Droid themselves, but the person you quote ) wanted to set up a repository mirroring the developer's drive, copying the builds there ( illegally, since this is proprietary software with a license ) to distribute them.

Edit : And you've just proven one of my points. People will be confused and misled about this whole idea, just as you have. Let it die, stop.

[APP][2.2+] MiXplorer v6.x Released (fully-featured file manager)

[APP][2.2+] MiXplorer (full-featured file manager) Hello everyone! My name is Hootan. I work on XDA in my free time and this file explorer is my favorite Android project! MiXplorer mix of explorers (SD, FTP, Lan, Cloud and other storage...

forum.xda-developers.com

I meant the F-droid repository specifically, not the app. Most other repositories just leave the original .apks as they are, AFAIK, and can be added to the F-droid app if one sets it up this way. In F-droids repository is ofc no MiXplorer as it's not FOSS. But all the apps that are in the repository, being FOSS, are signed with a key belonging to the F-droid devs and not the original devs of the apps.
The hypothetical situation of MiXplorer being added to the official F-droid repo, being signed by the devs keys as untouched apk, doesn't make much sense as it would be the only non-FOSS app and the only app in the repo using another key not belonging to F-droid.

I was just pointing out why using an app such as Obtainium or downloading it from source yourself is more secure and faster than relying on a third party as a source, especially but not exclusively, when this 3rd party resigns all apps with their own keys.

I'm specifically arguing Against this person to set up a third party repo mirroring the source, so I believe we both agree on that, maybe I wasn't clear enough in my writing. This person says they want to do it so the app can be updated automatically, and I was trying to point out that there already is a way to get updates for MiXplorer, by pointing Obtainium directly to the source, such as the devs Google drive, so there isn't even an unmet need that any such repository would solve. There's already a way, and I'm arguing it is even faster and more secure. And then further making the case that using the same method, the Obtainium app, to update any FOSS app is actually faster & more secure than relying on F-droid's own repository for those apps.

 

[Releece]

I don't know why you resurrect a comment from over a month ago, but I believe the F-droid repo suggestion was to have automatic updates (on a non-techie's device). Perhaps the F-droid suggestion was for someone who doesn´t have Play Store (and can't auto-update Silver via Google...)

Obtainium doesn´t do automatic updates. What would it add that MiXplorer itself doesn't already do: check for updates and download the latest?

In any case, guys, it's OK to disagree, but there is a rather passionate group-mentality pereceived here sometimes.

Ah I didn't know the app already updates itself. In that case the idea of a repo makes even less sense. And no Obtainium wouldn't solve a problem, in fact there is no problem to be solved

I guess the only tiny upside of Obtainium in this case is that you have one central location that updates all your apps whenever they are released. I would imagine MiXplorer suddenly launch a pop-up for an update once you start MiXplorer to do something with the app, unless it uses a background service and then sends a notification, so it's usually awkward timing in my experience when apps prompt for their own update.

And no you are right, I'm not about any group or sides, or being right. I was just being enthousiastic about Obtainium and the concept of getting all updates on a phone from source. Then getting a bit in the nitty gritty.

Time for me to stop and do some relaxing!

 

[Ultramanoid]

I meant the F-droid repository specifically, not the app. Most other repositories just leave the original .apks as they are, AFAIK, and can be added to the F-droid app if one sets it up this way. In F-droids repository is ofc no MiXplorer as it's not FOSS. But all the apps that are in the repository, being FOSS, are signed with a key belonging to the F-droid devs and not the original devs of the apps.
The hypothetical situation of MiXplorer being added to the official F-droid repo, being signed by the devs keys as untouched apk, doesn't make much sense as it would be the only non-FOSS app and the only app in the repo using another key not belonging to F-droid.

I was just pointing out why using an app such as Obtainium or downloading it from source yourself is more secure and faster than relying on a third party as a source, especially but not exclusively, when this 3rd party resigns all apps with their own keys.

I'm specifically arguing Against this person to set up a third party repo mirroring the source, so I believe we both agree on that, maybe I wasn't clear enough in my writing. This person says they want to do it so the app can be updated automatically, and I was trying to point out that there already is a way to get updates for MiXplorer, by pointing Obtainium directly to the source, such as the devs Google drive, so there isn't even an unmet need that any such repository would solve. There's already a way, and I'm arguing it is even faster and more secure. And then further making the case that using the same method, the Obtainium app, to update any FOSS app is actually faster & more secure than relying on F-droid's own repository for those apps.

Yes, I know what you say, and I specifically addressed just the setting up of a third-party repository that would be usable from F-Droid's application -- not anything else in your post.

On top of any technical discussion, again, distributing commercial software without the developer's permission is illegal and coming to the developer's own thread here on a developers' forum of all places to comment on it is rather remarkable.

 

[rsngfrce]

evet

Why did you join to post the word "evet" in multiple threads?

 

[IronTechmonkey]

Why did you join to post the word "evet" in multiple threads?

In another thread the same user posted "TEŞEKKÜRLER" which seems to mean "thanks" in Turkish, and "evet" seems to mean "yes" in Turkish. That seems more likely than another possibility, a reference to North American salamanders, eg: newts or red efts.