flashing vs. apt-getting

[vees]

Hi.

I have a new N800 which needs to be flashed with the new version of the 2007 OS. However, it appears that flashing the unit will delete all the applications I have added to it from various repos and the backup tool does not allow to backup user applications.

So I wonder, could I not simply "apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade" instead of flashing the unit?

Since the N800 s Debian based, flashing it each time a new version of the OS comes out and loossing all the applications added (not to mention all the configuration) just does not seem right. But then it also appears that the N800 is not downward compatible with the applications for the N770 - another thing which would not happen with Debian GNU/Linux.

What am I missing here? Must I really flash the unit?

Thanks,

VS

[SeRi@lDiE]

So I wonder, could I not simply "apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade" instead of flashing the unit?

No to your question and Yes you need to reflash.


(not to mention all the configuration)

Wrong. there is several ways to back up your config files search the forum.


the N800 is not downward compatible with the applications for the N770

Wrong Again. Applications from the N770 are compattible with the N800.

[vees]

Yes you need to reflash

why is that?

[Milhouse]

why is that?

Bacause the OS isn't currently in a state that allows in-place upgrades and also the necessary repositories and packages aren't available online.

In-place OS upgrades is on the roadmap so that when using the App Manager GUI you should be able to upgrade from one version to the next, but there is no estimate yet when it will be available. One thing is for sure, in order to get this functionality you'll need to flash your device at least one more time! :)

Most 770 (or strictly speaking, OS 2006) applications will work on the N800 (OS 2007). There are some that don't (broken dependencies) but many do.

[vees]

Thanks a lot Milhouse - I appreciate your taking the time to explain this to me.

Kind regards,

VS

[TA-t3]

Use the built-in backup application to make a backup before you flash-upgrade. The upgrade will find the backup and offer to install it. After that you'll have most of your settings, including the list of repositories. The apps you installed will be gone (there are ways to keep the list, but maybe not worth the hassle), but just do an update from the application manager and then you can install them one by one from there. If you have some apps that were installed from .debs then keep those files in a directory on an SD card and use the application manager to re-install them from there. All in all I think the whole upgrade (flashing plus the above re-install) took less than 15 minutes for me.

The backup won't keep 3party stuff like e.g. maemo-mapper maps (if you keep them in the /home/user/ directory) and its configs, or other 3party app. configs, so what I did in addition to the backup was to make a 'tar' backup of my /home/user directory to a tar file on the SD card. After the reflash I hand-picked some stuff from the tar file (NB: IIRC the simplistic built-in busybox version of 'tar' had some trouble with the handpicking, I think I either copied the tar file off the N800 to my desktop and hand-picked from there, or I used the much better GNU tar installed on the N800. Which reminds me -- I also had some locally installed stuff in /usr/local/, so I made a tar backup of /usr/local too.)

[vees]

Hi TA-t3,

Thanks for the pointers. I will follow your advice and backup before flashing.

Cheers,

VS