Through the IT forum jungle: an example with an Android smartphone

Daring upgrading an Android-based smartphone even if your carrier left you alone? Let's try, it is really worthy.

Firstly, if it is not automatically detected, you will need this step so that your Linux box can read the SD card as any other USB connected storage device.
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Udev#HTC_All_Models

Secondly, you will need to install the android SDK and JRE. For that, go to
http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html and download a tgz for Linux

from http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html

Thirdly, you will need to configure a graphical downloader typing android in the tools folder created in the second step above mentioned.

Fourthly, if Java is still not installed, you can download it from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

Let's take now, as an example our good old friend HTC Tattoo/Click:

http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/HTC_Tattoo:_Full_Update_Guide
is a good guide but with some inaccuracies that will take extra time to overcome, here you are some tips:

- We encountered a showstopper, and we found that we were not the only ones having the same experience
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1060516

- However, after some time trying to implement the solution they propose, we realised that there was an easier way, using lateral thinking ;-)

If we cannot exit from ADB, then let's not exit and use two different ADB sessions, one using adb push to inject the required files and the other session adb shell where we reach the # prompt, i.e. we are root

Morale of the story: sometimes with the elements you have and your experience, you can solve a showstopper quicker than going deeper through confusing pages and pages of experiences from different users in IT forums.

As extra tips, try to make an application backup, as a possibility you can use http://www.androidpit.de/de/android/market/apps/app/com.metago.astro/ASTRO-File-Manager
or
http://www.androidpit.de/de/android/tests/test/391622/Titanium-Backup-root-wirklich-alle-Apps-sichern

For some versions of android 1.6 the universal androoter app is an option to root the device
http://www.androidpit.de/de/android/market/apps/app/com.uabeta/Universal-Androot

Little piece of advice, don't try both rooting possibilities simultaneously
they interfere between each other

And finally, two last hiccups

- One of the flashing files was too updated to work with an android 1.6 and we found the way forward in the following link (from the foum site of cyanogenmod themselves!)
http://forum.cyanogenmod.com/topic/33100-rooting-stock-tattoo-su-permission-denied/

- We were not able to find the sdcard root folder, the previous page also solves that, we need to connect the device in a non-USB mode so that the sdcard folder is mounted.

Finally, a tip from a colleague of mine, do not forget this app ;-) (thanks!)
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.googlecode.droidwall.free

Happy June labs!

Update your machine before it goes to a museum