fatalsaint, thanks for the info and your great earlier post. ok remember I am new to linux...

ok I get (or think I get) that
easy debian is debian specially made for the processor running the n900 which is called arm. what I am confused about is regarding apps and repos for easy debian. are the repos just the regular stock debian repos, or are the repos specially made easy debian repos with all the packages made to run on the arm processor?

if the former, I guess I understand why upgrading or installing onto the chroot debian might now work, but if the latter, why would updating and installing be frowned upon.

the reason I am beating this into the ground is that getting this phone would be a considerable financial decision for me right now, and the thing that entices me most is having access to a full and real linux environment in my pocket. in my limited linux experience, installing and upgrading software be it from tgz or rpm/deb packages is a significant part of really learning how to use a modern linux system.

so if you just install the debian instance and then leave it as is (package wise) that would be a strike (though not a deal breaker) against the phone for me. I mean, do you even get to choose the installed apps in that case? really I don't see that much of a point in getting a full linux system on there that must remain static....