I think that if I wanted to really brick my system I would need not only instructions on what to install, I would need to do command-line manipulations as well.

The trouble is that some software never seems to leave extras-devel. And since this includes things like Mplayer, SIB and Knots (I think), it's hard to stay away.

I have disabled the repository, and temporarily activate it once in a while to install what I need, after doing some research.
edit: I reflashed my device once, in six months, and that was because I found my CPU idle too high. In retrospect it may have been because it was charging....


Why is it by the way that e.g. Mplayer doesn't get promoted? Because it's not optified?

Yes, it's the stuff that is in extras-devel apparently forever that forces me to use it -- essential stuff!

Trust me, you can brick a device in the stupidest way. And if you are a new user to this, you can get very unlucky.

But of course, extra-devs is one of the big reasons to have the N900.

since you asked: stay away

I've used plenty of stuff in devel and testing, and have never had to re-flash my device, not even once. (I did it once, a day after I got it, just to make sure I had the setup right and knew how to, but I hadn't even setup the repositories at that point...)

If you're cautious about what you install, and disable it after you get what you want, you'll be pretty safe. Just understand, anything in devel may bust things enough to need a re-flash. Sometimes things may even run fine for a while and suddenly start causing problems (like the Pecan bug recently that only started happening when DST kicked in. )

As for bricking, it's pretty impossible on the N900 from a software perspective if you have a home PC. You can always hook it up to the PC and re-flash the software, since there's a non-erasable copy of the flashing code in the ROM of the device. The only thing that can kill you is hardware failure, like a bad USB port or frying your CPU or some other component due to severe over-clocking. (Which has yet to happen, btw.)

So, make a backup, grab a stable image and flasher tool for your PC and give it a shot. Worst case your device goes 100% south and you re-flash it back to a known state, then restore from backup. Just don't do it when you're on vacation, expecting a call for an interview, or don't have a hour or two to re-flash it IF it breaks.

I am with geneven and Woody### on this. I use it all the time and always keep it enabled. I am 'just an end-user' but devel is where all the action is. What I do to keep 'safe' is never install a new piece of software without reading everything that is posted in this forum about it. If other people are having problems I stay away. I suppose I do run the risk of someone taking an otherwise working program and breaking it in a subsequent devel release. I also keep a close eye on rootfs and never let it get below 25MB, there are plenty of tricks to get space back, just check the Wiki.

Well, I've been at this for four months without needing a reflash (I am not worried about doing one as there are plenty of clear instructions about how to do it and it was routine on my N800). Watch, tonight will be the night...

Fred

i have all repos permently enabled, and never had a problem, obviously i dont just install anything from there without reading about the app first, and im an end user who knows nothing about linux, you bought the device so you have a right to access any repo you want, just dont install something until you know what it is and what it does, the apps section on this forum and the thread comments are a good place to start before installing something, if it looks like others are having an issue with an app just avoid it until its more stable

Because this is an open-source community -- all logistical issues aside (after all, one need not _be_ a developer to sign up as one and recieve the account/key/etc. required to access the dev repo), it simply goes against community values to have a walled-off development environment, and throw only finished apps over the wall to users.

Besides, of course, you're technically right; it isn't they don't want anyone using it, just that they don't want to be in any way responsible for others' use of it, especially for stereotypical end users who don't have a clue how to work around development versions, don't backup to avoid losing important data, and may not know how to reflash.

There is _some_ barrier to entry, such that users can't accidentally add it. But I can't really see how you can add any more barrier than adding the repo yourself without offending huge parts of the community, on both the dev and user sides.

I do run with extras-devel installed all the time. I do look at which repo a new package is coming from, and if I find an unusable version in -devel, I'll downgrade to the original until a newer version shows up. I have only had one or two reboot-loop episodes traceable to -extras stuff (both on Maemo 4.x, FWIW), but as a bit of a mad tinkerer, I find that risk acceptable.

I don't recommend most people run -devel always -- not to sound elitist, but I am pretty good with computers and so likely have a much easier time getting my device back in working order if something goes awry, and more importantly, I willingingly and knowingly accept the risk. Some random person asking "Should I use -devel?" probably doesn't know what they're getting themselves into, and might not understand even if I explained it. So encouraging them with a simple affirmative, or even a brief explanation of the risks could lead to someone getting into serious trouble they didn't realize they were signing up for.

Anyway, most people only want a few apps that only live in -devel, not necessarily unproven updates for all their other apps. So adding -extras, installing what they want, then disabling it, seems like a more responsible recommendation.

Do not add extras-devel to your device.
You don't need to do so, to install apps from -devel.
Just use http://maemo.org/packages/ interface and cherry-pick only wanted apps. (You may install .deb packages by tapping them in browser.)