Preserving installed apps though OS upgrade

[mmstw]

Is it possible to upgrade the operating system on the tablet without doing a complete rootfs flash? That way previously installed applications would still be there after the upgrade.

[fanoush]

No, 'operating system' lives in rootfs too, together with things installed later by you. 'operating system' is just major subset of packages already preinstalled.

But incidentally it looks like old rootfs works with newer kernel and initfs from 2.2006.39 so it theory it is possible to reflash just the kernel and initfs from newer firmware and keep old rootfs. But this may be even more unstable than both old and new systems. But maybe not :-)

That way you may get some improvements caused by newer bluetooth and wi-fi firmware (which lives in initfs) and still keep older main system in rootfs if you feel it is more stable.

But of course this is completely unsupported :-)

[mmstw]

Well, it is possible to upgrade the kernel and everything else (not just the initfs) in a "normal" PC linux distribution without wiping out the entire hard drive each time. That means that it should also be possible with the 770.

[fanoush]

well it is unlikely linux install on PC will update also your BIOS (which is similar to what n770 firmware does) Also updating PC with 250mhz cpu, 64mb and 128mb slow harddisk with on the fly compression might take ages. Also when something goes wrong with installation on PC you can just boot from floppy or cd or move disk to other machine and fix it. it may be much harder with your previous tablet and new paperweight :-)

[cAPSLOCK]

Since Noka chooses to do installs of the OS by essentially using a disc image it (as has been said here) zaps / and everything in it.

There are several solutions to this, but all are tricky due to hardware.

They could mount the OS in a partition and use another for /home and create lib bin etc links and a script run from home ... ... ... etc... but the flasher would have to be more sphisticated.

As it would be were it to patch in place.

The 770 culd d/l andpatvh (CAN actually). But this is fraught with pitfalls and cou requite memory and speed we don't have.

The image way is the most bulletproof.

cAPS

[Hedgecore]

Exactly, and judging by out posts demanding the world when they never promised it in the first place, we're not the most accomodating bunch :)

[mmstw]

In case someone else is also interested in this subject, a thread with actually useful discussion about this can be found at http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/maemo/developers/12002

I guess this was just the wrong forum.