[HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

I think we need a thread for flashing new kernels / OS releases for Jolla too :D

So, I'll open this:

1. Where to get flasher tool (for linux of course)?
2. Is it possible to flash kernel in situ?
3. What support binaries are needed, like FIASCO images?
4. Where to get kernel build tree and toolchains?

Re: [HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

OnTwitter, they replied that information on kernel development, craeting images and flashing, will be available via merproject.org.
So, lets see ....

Re: [HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

1. Currently there is no flasher tool available for general public. Flashing is only possible on care centers (or by Jolla employees). This means that you need to be carefull out there when beeing in developer mode, if you brick your device it can take some time to get device to care for reflashing (and on worst case you may have void your warranty for example if you have overclocked and fried the cpu with custom kernel module while beeing in developer mode). However we are working on possible flashing solution to be available for developers during 2014, but there is no decisions nor ETA defined yet.

4. Most likely by sending source code request to address which is stated in about device settings page.

Re: [HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

Thanks for the details Rainisto.

I really hope that flasher will come out, and not only for developpers. That's a big part of what made the N900 and N9 what they are. Plus it should lower the need for asking Jolla Care to fix things that could be fixed by users.

I think Nokia haven't received more devices to unbrick because users messed up with the flasher, than they would have received devices to unbrick because users couldn't unbrick them by themselves. People who use the flasher do this at their own risk anyway, and are usually involved in the community (otherwise they wouldn't even be aware a flasher exists), so they know it'll be faster to *not* send the device for service, but rather find how to properly use the flasher by asking the community.

Re: [HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

Wow, this really surprises me. That is one thing that should be there from the beginning, at least that's what I think many expect.

Re: [HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

Then there have been few cases where Nokia Care says that phone cant be fixed and community has helped to fix it.

Re: [HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

Is this going to change in the future? It doesn't sound too good. How can one for example flash Nemo there, without being able to make a hw adaptation (which includes the kernel)? Since kernel has to be published anyway as per GPL, why can't Jolla just put out the sources and .ks build instructions somewhere which can be updated in the timely fashion? That old practice of Nokia with sending the sources on DVDs instead of just hosting the whole thing on-line somewhere always looked pretty bizarre. I hope Jolla will avoid doing such stuff.

Re: [HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

Requested and received. I've merged the Jolla kernel source release (kernel-adaptation-sbj-3.4.0.20131115.2) on top of tagged Qualcomm (Android) kernel release so that it's possible to view all Jolla specific changes. Only really major change I noticed in my first quick glance through it, was that they've backported btrfs (from linux-stable 3.5.7). Other than that, their changes are mostly hardware enablement related (display, touchscreen, camera, sensor, etc drivers). Stuff you'd see in any kernel source for any e.g. Android device. Vast majority of their (or their ODM's) changes are even commented (who, when, what) which is great compared to some other stuff I've seen. In general quite clean, though I (literally :P) see red when I see all those whitespaces.

I've pushed the source to my GitHub. Happy forking. :)
https://github.com/KonstaT/sailfisho..._jolla_msm8930

I can write some instructions if someone is interested in building/booting custom kernels. It should be pretty basic stuff for anyone familiar with e.g. Android development (and the necessary tools are the same). From a brief chat I had with a Jolla engineer, flashing/booting a custom kernel image will result a permanent unlocked status (in bootloader?) and it will most likely void your warranty!

Edit. Stskeeps has cleared the situation in this post:
http://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?p...8&postcount=40

Flashing/booting a kernel image using fastboot is not possible without 'fastboot oem unlock', which will most likely void your warranty. Flashing a kernel image using root/developer mode is possible. Flashing kernel images to recovery partition instead should be more suitable for any possible experiments at least for now (until actual Jolla system recovery is added in a future update).

Re: [HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

Why software changes can void hardware warranty? That was always puzzling to me. Can something actually break in the device from such thing?

Re: [HOWTO] Comprehensive Firmware Flashing Guide for Jolla
 

Yes, you can for example compile kernel module that overclocks and fries the cpu.