Yes, very good advices of what I should be aware in the future and what not to do. Just waiting is there some member who is as curious as I am to know what happened and broke appdownloader and knows how to get to see it. I maybe can't give step by step log of what I did but that doesn't mean nothing could be made of from the differences of my system compared to a working one.

It is nigh impossible to say from afar without having the device with me what exactly is wrong. The only advice anyone could give is the way one would debug it having access to the device;

• check all logs and dmesg
• take a listing of all installed packages and compare existance and version to a known good device
• check relevant init and config files
• start the appliction under trace and see what calls fail
• etc. etc...

There are many ways to check what is going wrong but it all depends... you are the only one who can do it, unless you allow remote shell access for somebody to check it.

I can save you a ton of waiting for someone else to come and say it...
as far as appdownloader goes...
If you are wondering what borked it.
Naturally it will be the cat issues ..and .conflicts springing from using apt while devel or other cats are enabled...or multiple cats are enabled...

And the result is a given.

There isn't anything starkly remarkable or unique about your situation or results...Maemish...

All the symptoms are characteristic of enabled cats that shouldn't have been...and use of apt to "force install" and "fix missing"...thereby drawing on cats stuff that shouldn't have been ...
And purging stuff that shouldn't have been purged...
Leaving you with a snarly mess I wouldn't even try to untangle ..
I am sure your issues are systemic....deep and far reaching.
Couldn't pay me to undo such a mess.

Nothing unique about the situation though...

Best is to reflash ...and document everything you do from that moment....

@juiceme: Now we are talking. I will now ask some guidance unless these couple of screenshots from dmesg tell enough.

Endsormeans mentioned about scizophrenic device. For me what dmesg shows makes to think my device does not know what it wants to do. I just don't know at all what I should look from here. And the output was so long that I could not scroll it to the beginning in console cause it shows always in console only the last part of the output when it is long enough/too long. Don't know how to see the rest of it.

But you also mentioned checking logs. Which, where and how? With some command probably? I don't know this stuff but learning as I write or as you answer. Never debugged anything.

You also mentioned to use trace when opening app. This seems like a good suggestion which could give some info. How it is used? Do I just go sudo gainroot and then write "trace appdownloader"? And have to ask: without cssu appdownloader I can download apps. Is that called something else than appdownloader, like application manager or something? Just wanting to be sure what to trace when I get to know how to trace. EDIT: tried 'trace appdownloader'. Result: /bin/sh: trace: not found EDIT: installed strace and tried 'trace appdownloader' but not found. I must do something wrong. And now the application manager installed appdownloader without errors but it still crashes. There drops the processor out first and after a short moment it crashes. What repos should I have on?

After these I may ask more.

@juiceme: You mentioned to check relevant init and config files. Sounds good idea. How to do it and which are relevant? And this word 'relevant' is the word I like. If someone knows what is relevant to check and in thia kind of a problem with appdownloader. But if something clearly tells that device is so messed that no point to use time to check more - I will reflash. Just would first like to get some real information that this case is that bad.

Yes, the correct command is strace. Now you need to figure ot what is the binary for "appdownloader" to trace it.

By relevant I meant whatever this "appdownloader" of yours is using; possibly something apt-related.
But in your case reflash is the easiest way to go unless you want to dig in the matter for purely educational reasons.

My motivations are curiosity, will to learn, not wanting to give up but to learn to fix. But I have this problem: something is preventing me from starting to learn linux from the start (I have linux guides but just can't read them). And because I don't have any basic knowledge (not knowing what are apt proc var lib bin etc. and what is their place in the system, what for they are) I don't understand any information for help unless it is in the form

"First open xterm. Write sudo gainroot (was so annoyed before when with different systems people just say "go root" without telling how), write this line which does this. Then go to another directory this way and write this line which makes this to happen."

So this is my situation. I understand that this may be really annoying for everyone else - except for the one guy who is in flames if he gets the opportunity to teach linux to a newbie! So I have asked now help in hope there would be that kind of a person who genuinely is in flames if he gets to help and explain things to a guy who don't know basic knowledge.

I don't expect anyone else to help me the way I need. Why? Because it takes time and if explaining linux stuff to someone who don't understand easily is not your thing - the thing you want to spend your time, maybe even hunt for these situations - you will be annoyed with me and that I don't want.

I wait for a while if there would be this kind of a person. Others do not bother. If there isn't I just reflash which is fine.

If someone wonders why I think there could be this kind of guy I described, it is because I am that guy on another field of information and also with linux as far as I have learned to use it: ready to use time to explain in detail cause my main goal is to get the other person to really understand what I mean and why and how something works. But not hoping anyone who is not that kind of a person to try to be. It will not be of any fun for either side.

Maemish...
First you have to understand a couple of things...
The folks you are frustrated at for telling you to "go root"...
Are primarily saying this because if you are using linux ...even as a newbie...
Terminal is a given ....they are expecting you know the most basic of basics.
Especially how to do the most basic first thing.
How to enable administrative privileges...in terminal so you can execute the most basic commands you may know.
As well the same folks telling you "go root"...
Are being helpful without confusing you.
There are many many versions of linux.
Not everyone uses the same distro.
They are being helpful in not misinforming you with information that isn't valid for your distro.
With some distros ...the command to get those administrative privileges is "sudo su" (the "su" standing for "super user")...some it is a variation of that ..
Some are vastly different...
It just happens that for maemo...it is "sudo gainroot".
The folks offering their help in part expect you to know the basic of basics...considering the level of sophistication and complexity of the issues, problems and tasks you are openly sharing ...
They figure you must know the most fundamental basic as getting superuser privileges ..
this is their faultless assumption from info you have given...
That you are far more advanced than you really are.
And if asking someone else's help outside of maemo community....(I don't know if you have or not...but if you have...) then they are being equally polite and informative by saying "go root" ...and so not confuse you with their particular distro's method of gaining superuser privileges ...that is not your distro's method.

As far as help goes..
You are frustrated with the linux books you have that I am sure seem dry, overwhelming with all the stuff you do not instantly need to know right away..and is too much to absorb ...and so forgotten by the time you have read through a book.
Also flipping through books hunting for references you know you just read...is also time consuming..and can be frustrating ..

Also from your response...as well... you are frustrated with the help folks have offered honestly...
And you are frustrated at future help and responses from others ...
And warn folks of their potential to become equally frustrated as you...
Such as it is gleaned from your last statement.

Specifically for you...
The 2 best folks who , for sure can give you exactly the help and advice you need ...
As you require it ...when you require it ...who never get frustrated ...and are always happy to help....with no judgement..and always explain things in the easiest way possible.....that meets with all your requirements..
One goes by the name of "Google"
And the other "Youtube"

It may seem I am joking or being sarcastic.
But really I am not.
Considering all you have said in your last post.
The best method of learning for you ...
Is googling exactly what commands or output you are having difficulty understanding. Likewise googling things like what is var?
What is a lib? What is a dir? How do they function? Will get you answers in whatever format works for you...verbose and lengthy with explanations and examples...to short and sweet.
As far as youtube goes ...it also is a good teacher ...there are tons of folks who have done excellent tutorial videos.

There are other places on the web...not as famous ...that can help as well...but google and youtube are likely to help you the most.

I said it a long time ago to you Maemish...
Take your time...
Stop trying to take an elevator from the ground floor to the penthouse ...without first going room by room ...floor by floor and taking the stairs first...
So you know the entire layout of the building ...

You got far far ahead of yourself.
I am not saying you are not capable ...or are not smart.
Another parallel would be..
...that everyone wants to know immediately how to turn on a light switch....and when shown...becomes frustrated at the fact they don't understand how the light switch works...

So you want to know...
And with a list of personal requirements, and expectations from others to boot.
Google and Youtube ...
The best possible teachers, are just waiting for you...and ready to give you all you want at the speed and level of sophistication you can handle...day or night...at your beck and call.

I have used them both...
Still do...often...for complex issues and problems I need help with...that elude me...and so need help from someone who specialized in just that particular problem...

One of the best things about those 2 sources is that....
If one person explaining something...just doesn't make sense to you....there are hundreds more with articles ...suggestions and viddeos ...explaining the exact same thing ...in a way that will make sense to you.

So there is my best help for you Maemish.

Very well said Endso! And I hear you.

What comes to me being frustrated with the root stuff with different distros is valid though at least from a new user point of view. Many mature users on forums do not want to tell how to go root because of people like me - because then we break something and start to disturb with uneducated and silly questions and being pain in the ***.

And about the answers I get here from people with just hinting that this odd named location in the system could help (without telling where to find it or what to do there) I have now accepted to be a normal and acceptable way of helping. One (me) is supposed to know more if one mess around as much as I do. And just because I have accepted the way people help and asnwer I described what kind of help I need and from what kind of a person, just in case there would be that kind of a person here. I have bothered Juiceme a lot and he has been that guy in some cases which I really appreciate but he has obviously a lot in life and work so not execting or thinking he is the guy. I have also got this kind of help from you through your excellent videos for N810. And some have reeaally tried to help me with kali .chroot img or telegram-cli but with those I haven't succeeded yet (kali I dropped out cause I think it would be bad for me, telegram-cli needed packages which application manager said are unsuited with my distribution, some conflict for some reason).

But as I said because I myself like to explain in detail things for a newbie (as I have tried with my instructions I shared here concerning chromium 57 and whatsappweb) I believe it is possible there is another like me here. As well as accept there isn't.

Of using google and youtube - they are use a lot, but working with N900 with outdated kernel and some specific other stuff like cssu - to find easily understandable instructions is a burden. And so it is also to find from the forum (because people here speak the same language maemodebianisharmelic which I'm yet just learning.

So for me asking questions here - there is a good and valid reasons. For people not wanting to spent time helping me if I have done something everybody has told to be stupid - that is very understandable and acceptable. So not blaming anyone here, not expecting anything more than given, still believing a possibility to find a kin to myself, some who shares my way of thinking and doing and wanting to share.

I will soon reflash unless this mirror image of myself makes himself present here. And will give everybody go in peace untill the next time.