ubuntu-phone team mailing list archive

[Dmitrijs Ledkovs <xnox@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On 27 November 2013 20:41, David Marceau <uticdmarceau2007@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> adb shell
> touch /userdata/.writable_image
> reboot
>
> apt-get update
> apt-get install aptitude
> aptitude
> shift-U
> g
> g
>
> It downloaded everything.  Installed everything, but I got this error
> along the way.
>
> Processing triggers for initramfs-tools ...
> update-initramfs: Generating /boot/initrd.img-touch
> dpkg: warning: version 'touch' has bad syntax: version number does not
> start with digit
> grep: /boot/config-touch: No such file or directory
> WARNING: missing /lib/modules/touch
> Device driver support needs thus be built-in linux image!
> FATAL: touch: not absolute path.
> ERROR: could not open directory
> /tmp/mkinitramfs_lWoWIN/lib/modules/3.4.0-3-mako: No such file or directory
> FATAL: could not search modules: No such file or directory
> reading ramdisk from /boot/initrd.img-touch
> Writing Boot Image /dev/disk/by-name/boot
> Press Return to continue.
>
> I rebooted and now I'm stuck on the Google boot with the little unlock
> icon at the bottom of the screen..
>
> I bricked it.  It's official.
>
> I managed to get it into fastboot mode so I need to reflash everything
> from scratch again. android 4.2.2/supersu/multirommanager/ubuntu
> touch(was stable now devel channel).
>
> What should I not update in order to prevent this from happening again?
>  I would have liked to update the system and install a few other things.
> i.e. emacs-nox, poppler, document viewer...
> How does everyone else update their phone stuff?
>

if you enable RW mode, and it breaks you get to keep both pieces =)

install click packages only

you should be able to boot into recovery. Once it's in recovery you
can reflash a full system image, while preserving your userdata.
if your tablet still works (e.g. at least fatboot mode) it isn't
actually bricked =) sure ubuntu fails to boot but that's hardly the
end of the universe.

if you want a playground to install / update packages i'd recommend
using a chroot / container. There is lxc or debootstrap that can
create container/chroot which you can keep in a writable location.
That way when you are in the terminal app, you can enter the
container/chroot dist-upgrade it and install any packages, yet keeping
the actual phone read-only & with system updates enabled.
Best of both - always working phone, yet all command-line tools etc.

I'm not sure what you mena by popple / document viewer. There is no X
runnning, so you cannot execute any X.org applications.

Everyone updates their phone stuff, with system image updates. (phone
in read only mode). You can check/apply updates from the system
settings app.

Regards,

Dmitrijs.