Early Omate development

[Lokifish Marz]

No longer a needed tread and has been locked.


This thread is for discussing early development for the Omate TrueSmart. The current and most pressing is if Omate does not receive Google's OK for Gapps and play store. How to get this installed on a device using something your grandmother could figure out. Lets assume that Omate will commit installing CWM on all devices. So the set up would then be

Unrooted
CWM recovery

What's needed know- Can your script a device to reboot into CWM and flash a file then reboot normally without root?

How it implement- Have an app dl a "fixme.zip" and run the flash script with minimal interaction from the user.

(I know this is a mess but it's 5am and I have slept yet)

 

[Neuer_User]

Recovery first

First question to answer:

TWRP or CWM as custom recovery?

We want Omate to ship the device unrooted, but with a custom recovery. The recovery can then be used to easily do the following tasks:

• Install official updates from Omate (OTA)
• Install unofficial updates from the community
• Root the device
• Install Google apps (in case there is no official support when the devices are shipping)

The recovery should allow instaling updates AUTOMATICALLY, that means SCRIPTED.

TWRP support OpenRecoveryScripting. Does CWM support scripting?

How much work is it to compile TWRP and CWM? Anybody experience with that?

---------- Post added at 02:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:14 PM ----------

Here's a link about OpenRecoveryScripting:
http://www.teamw.in/OpenRecoveryScript

---------- Post added at 02:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:23 PM ----------

Just one more idea:
What about a pre-installed app for installing "official" and "unofficial" apps?

The app could, e.g. look at a list of servers and retrieve potential updates. Similar to the updater of CM.

In the settings, we could specify what servers to use, so the watch as shipped would only look on Omate server. But you could tick an option like "Community updates" and the app would also check goo.im (or similar). That way, we could provide an "unofficial" update to install Google Apps.
If the user decides to install the update, the update should work completely automatically, if possible. So, just one click, then download, reboot to recovery, install and reboot again.

Anybody experience with the CM updater? Source code is open source, I guess?

 

[Lokifish Marz]

Seeing that cwm is already built going with twrp should be a last resort. We would most likely need access to Omate's files to compile twpr and have anything we could even submit to them for testing.

 

[Neuer_User]

From this link http://www.teamw.in/OpenRecoveryScript I got the impression that CWM also supports at least a subpart of OpenRecoveryScripting.

 

[chrisvor]

Did anyone see this? http://www.xda-developers.com/android/effortlessly-download-gapps-packages-with-easygapps/ ??
Can it be given to Omate to INCLUDE in the standard pre-installed apps?
WIll it work?

 

[Neuer_User]

Did anyone see this? http://www.xda-developers.com/android/effortlessly-download-gapps-packages-with-easygapps/ ??
Can it be given to Omate to INCLUDE in the standard pre-installed apps?
WIll it work?

Very nice one. But Omate probably cannot include that into the pre-installed apps.

But the Updater app we are talking about could work very, very similar. Maybe we can get the dev involved in this project?

 

[iraqigeek]

We would most likely need access to Omate's files to compile twpr and have anything we could even submit to them for testing.

The porting "kit" would most probably come from mediaTek and be covered by an NDA. That is assuming Omate did the port themselves and didn't just receive the whole kernel ported and compiled from MediaTek. In both cases, given that MediaTek doesn't publish much info on their site its most probably covered by a NDA.

 

[Lokifish Marz]

Very nice one. But Omate probably cannot include that into the pre-installed apps.

But the Updater app we are talking about could work very, very similar. Maybe we can get the dev involved in this project?

I'm going to look into itanyways. Think, dl this apk, put on device and open it up in the file browser. This would trigger package manager and install it. Simply mention it and giving a link to the thread / apk would go a long ways. Hopefully root is not needed or regular folks will be boned.

Omate still needs to remove the play store included statement until they get an official answer from google or it will continue to cause problems.

The porting "kit" would most probably come from mediaTek and be covered by an NDA. That is assuming Omate did the port themselves and didn't just receive the whole kernel ported and compiled from MediaTek. In both cases, given that MediaTek doesn't publish much info on their site its most probably covered by a NDA.

"
Solution. Pick some firmware devs and make them "subcontractors". I'm already under an NDA with Omate as it stands. It would just need to be amended.

 

[iraqigeek]

Solution. Pick some firmware devs and make them "subcontractors". I'm already under an NDA with Omate as it stands. It would just need to be amended.

If the work was commissioned by Omate. If not, wouldn't that also count as a breach of NDA?

My understanding is that the dev edition already comes with CWM, I recall reading a comment by Omate that they were already using it internally. If so, its simply a matter of extending CWM installation to all production units instead of dev only.

 

[Neuer_User]

Updater code

Here is the code of the old CM updater app:
http://code.google.com/p/cyanogen-updater/

Lots of code, but maybe, if the original dev would be interested in the Omate, too, he might go and adapt his code?

 

[Lokifish Marz]

If the work was commissioned by Omate. If not, wouldn't that also count as a breach of NDA?

My understanding is that the dev edition already comes with CWM, I recall reading a comment by Omate that they were already using it internally. If so, its simply a matter of extending CWM installation to all production units instead of dev only.

There's a couple different ways it can be approached. I don't know what Omate's agreement is with MediaTek or Umeox regarding the firmware.

Even if CWM came preinstalled on all versions, flashing a gapps.zip is still not noob friendly. That's what I want to resolve. Something as simple as "visit this page and install this app" at the least and a preinstalled "one click" solution at best.

The other side of getting hands on the firmware ahead of time. Think of all those edits and tweaks being factory vs having to flash a custom rom. Oppo does this and has gained a a ton of attention as a result.

 

[Neuer_User]

Even if CWM came preinstalled on all versions, flashing a gapps.zip is still not noob friendly. That's what I want to resolve. Something as simple as "visit this page and install this app" at the least and a preinstalled "one click" solution at best.

That's why I thought about the CM updater app.

The point is: In order to get CWM to do a scripted install the scripts need to be saved to /cache/recovery/openrecoveryscript
I'm pretty sure you can do that only with root rights. So, it would be best, if the updater would be bundled with the firmware. If you need to side-load the app, you would need to assign root rights etc. Not that easy for the average user.

A pre-bundeled Updater app could be the easiest way. Omate claims to have OTA updates. So the mechanism is already there. We only need to have a UI for the user to choose to install an "unofficial" Gapps update from a community server (goo.im) instead of only the official updates from Omate.

We really need an Omate guy here you understands this and the way they currently plan OTA updates!!

 

[Lokifish Marz]

That's why I thought about the CM updater app.

The point is: In order to get CWM to do a scripted install the scripts need to be saved to /cache/recovery/openrecoveryscript
I'm pretty sure you can do that only with root rights. So, it would be best, if the updater would be bundled with the firmware. If you need to side-load the app, you would need to assign root rights etc. Not that easy for the average user.

A pre-bundeled Updater app could be the easiest way. Omate claims to have OTA updates. So the mechanism is already there. We only need to have a UI for the user to choose to install an "unofficial" Gapps update from a community server (goo.im) instead of only the official updates from Omate.

We really need an Omate guy here you understands this and the way they currently plan OTA updates!!

Unless something has dramatically changed in the past week or so, you do not need root to side load most apps. I side load diagnostics apps all the time on tons of phones. If the gapps installer that was linked a couple of posts back does not need root to run then the "visit this page and install this app" is resolved.

 

[Neuer_User]

Unless something has dramatically changed in the past week or so, you do not need root to side load most apps. I side load diagnostics apps all the time on tons of phones. If the gapps installer that was linked a couple of posts back does not need root to run then the "visit this page and install this app" is resolved.

You misunderstood me.
Sure, you don't need root to side-load apps.
But I believe you need root to script CWM. The script must be put into /cache/recovery/openrecoveryscript and that is, I think, only accessible as root.

If you want to install Gapps, then this needs to fgo through CWM. If it goes through CWM, you don't want the user to manually go though CWM, but to do the installation automatically. And therefore you need a script telling CWM what to do ("install /sdcard/updates/Gapps.zip", "reboot"). And to save this script you need root. Also, to automatically reboot into recovery, you would need to have root.

So the app downloading the update would need to have root. And that is best, if it is already pre-installed.

 

[Lokifish Marz]

I'm goign to try some thing and get back to you. It may take me a little bit as I don't have a singled unrooted device in my house.

 

[Neuer_User]

Well, anyway. I want a definite commitment from omate to support any development we do. Otherwise, I won't invest time into this.

Let's hope some omate firmware guy will join this discussion here soon.

 

[iraqigeek]

Well, anyway. I want a definite commitment from omate to support any development we do. Otherwise, I won't invest time into this.

Let's hope some omate firmware guy will join this discussion here soon.

At least publicly, they're pretending that business is as usual and nothing happened. Instead of posting an update explaining what is what, they posted about the Clockface contest.

Speaking of Clockfaces, shouldn't those too be something devs can make through their SDK? Seems those too will be restricted to a few predefined ones :\

 

[Lokifish Marz]

At least publicly, they're pretending that business is as usual and nothing happened. Instead of posting an update explaining what is what, they posted about the Clockface contest.

Speaking of Clockfaces, shouldn't those too be something devs can make through their SDK? Seems those too will be restricted to a few predefined ones :\

Their failure to edit the kickstart page is a really bad idea. I will not go into details on this.

They should but we don't even know what the app is even capable of at this point. I posted my concept InfoCenter Clock just in case the clockface app has those functions. If it doesn't, it won't stay on my Omate for long.

 

[iraqigeek]

Their failure to edit the kickstart page is a really bad idea. I will not go into details on this.

That's what is also worrying me. The Kickstarter FAQ doesn't say anything about removing promised features, let alone doing so a few days before the campaign ends. I'm worried Omate will try to resolve this with Google until the last moment, then abruptly change the project to remove the play feature and jeopardize the whole campaign.

 

[Lokifish Marz]

Ok. here's where I'm at with this. There was a workaround app "Google Installer" but it no longer works. What it did was install Play Store and services as regular apps from a remote server. I found an updated replacement that is in Chinese ONLY but it requires root and it's permissions are suspect. Also, forget any scripting while booted normally without root. It's a no go.

I need to take a break from this as I've been digging through poorly translated Chinese and Russian forums and the regular sources for hours trying to see if I missed something. My head and eyes are killing me.