New FC host tools release

[Mychaela Falconia]

Hello FC community,

I have just put out a new release of FreeCalypso host tools:

ftp://ftp.freecalypso.org/pub/GSM/FreeCalypso/fc-host-tools-r6.tar.bz2
ftp://ftp.freecalypso.org/pub/GSM/FreeCalypso/fc-host-tools-r6-ap.tar.bz2

The regular fc-host-tools-r6.tar.bz2 package is for installing FC host
tools on general-purpose computers (PCs and laptops) and for operating
on all of the supported target devices (our own FCDEV3B, Openmoko
GTA0x, Mot C1xx and Pirelli DP-L10) via appropriate serial or USB
cables, whereas the fc-host-tools-r6-ap.tar.bz2 version is for running
on the application processor of a GTA02.

For FreeRunner (GTA02) users who don't like using the "service shop"
method of updating the modem fw and manipulating its FFS (the method
based around NOR U-Boot, a USB-to-headset-jack cable and an external
PC or laptop) and instead prefer the internal-to-the-phone method
popularized by our community contributor David, the new
fc-host-tools-r6-ap release is intended to replace the really ancient
loadtools-r2 and ffs-edit-kit-r1 tools which are currently used in
David's howtos.

The problem with the ancient loadtools-r2 version is that it lacks two
new features of relevance to the GTA02 application:

* New with fc-host-tools-r3: the flash programming command flash
  program-bin automatically performs a CRC-32 verification after
  programming, thus ensuring that the image has been flashed
  correctly.

* New with fc-host-tools-r6: there is a new batch operation mode in
  fc-loadtool that executes a supplied command script and exits
  without manual interaction.

The problem with the ancient ffs-edit-kit-r1 is that it contains a
very early version of our rvinterf tools, and the latter have evolved
quite a bit since then.  Back in the days of ffs-edit-kit-r1 the
set-imeisv, set-pcm-string and set-rfcap commands were in fc-tmsh, and
that original version of set-rfcap was not practically usable.  In our
current FC host tools these commands have moved from fc-tmsh to
fc-fsio (which did not exist back in the days of ffs-edit-kit-r1), and
the set-rfcap command works in a different way that is actually usable.

Therefore, I would like to migrate the internal-to-the-phone GTA02
modem tinkerers from these ancient loadtools-r2 and ffs-edit-kit-r1
tools to the new fc-host-tools-r6-ap, which supercedes both of those.

To David: do you think you could produce a QtMoko deb package of the
new fc-host-tools-r6-ap that could be used in the place of your
earlier ones for loadtools-r2 and ffs-edit-kit-r1?

When it comes to updating the howto pages, I propose the following
sequence:

1. David produces a QtMoko deb package of fc-host-tools-r6-ap, but no
   updates to howto pages yet.

2. I advance moko13 from -beta1 to production state, and the notes
   included in the official moko13 release tarball will include
   installation instructions for both ways: the service shop method
   that uses an external host and a cable, but absolutely no software
   on the AP of the GTA02 except NOR U-Boot, and the QtMoko internal
   method using the new deb package of fc-host-tools-r6-ap from the
   previous step.  I will have David review these notes for
   correctness before I put out the immutable official release tarball
   with these notes in it.

3. After moko13-official is out, David can update his howto pages to
   call for its installation instead of leo2moko-r1/moko12.

To David: is my proposal acceptable?

Hasta la Victoria, Siempre,
Mychaela aka The Mother