Testing Feeds

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Migration to the Alpha and Beta Testing Feeds

The old WebOS Internals Testing Feeds (for applications and kernels) have been replaced by separate Alpha and Beta testing feeds. There are a number of reasons for this change:

  1. We want to separate out bleeding-edge unstable alpha testing packages from generally benign beta testing packages. The old testing feeds did not allow this distinction.
  2. Too many sites have published the raw testing feed URLs without referencing the rules below, which means many people have the old testing feeds enabled without understanding the risks associated with doing so.
  3. There were a number of packages which were caught in the old testing feeds when the TouchPad fire sale happened, and as a result of the publicity surrounding those packages many people have the old testing feeds enabled just for those packages (which have since been promoted to the public feeds) and are not aware of the risks associated with other packages which they may be presented with via those old testing feeds.

Please read the Testing Feeds Q&A for more information about the rationale for this change.

Each of the Alpha and Beta testing feeds has four sub-feeds: Apps, Kernels, Patches & Optware. Each of these sub-feeds can be enabled or disabled independently.

Transition to the new Alpha and Beta testing feeds is now underway. Preware 1.8.x now supports the new Alpha and Beta testing feeds, and instructions on how to enable the new feeds are on this page. When you enable the new Alpha or Beta testing feeds, the old obsolete testing feeds will be automatically removed from your Preware configuration.

Rules that you must agree to before using these feeds

Before you use our testing feeds, please read and agree to the following rules:

Tux with Warning.png
  1. Anyone participating in WebOS Internals alpha or beta testing of any kind must be prepared to fully erase and webOS Doctor their device at a moment's notice without warning and without any regrets or complaints.
  2. They must be prepared to and able to log into the command line on the device and type Linux commands when instructed to do so. Knowing Linux commands ahead of time is preferred, but not required if you are willing to learn them when necessary or can follow instructions without making mistakes.
  3. They must be prepared to go to great and extraordinary lengths to try and reliably reproduce any problems they encounter.
  4. They must give full and detailed bug reports, leaving out no piece of information which could possibly be remotely connected to the problem.
  5. They must read any and all documentation and forums threads (in their entirety) before asking a question.
  6. They must fastidiously follow the forum threads where the alpha testing is being discussed by the authors, and follow precisely any instructions given there.
  7. They will never post the raw testing feed URLs or instructions anywhere, but will always refer others directly to this page using only the URL "http://testing.preware.org/"
  8. When asking for help, they will include the phrase (which may change occasionally) "I've read the rules". Failure to include the phrase will result in the request for help being silently ignored.

If you're not prepared to do *all* the above, and do it all in good spirit, then please wait for the public release of the item.

If you are prepared to do *all* the above, then by all means please participate in the alpha or beta testing.

Note that everything above is a function of attitude, not of skill.

Testing feeds for kernels are at the bottom of this page.

Configuring the WebOS Internals Testing Feeds

Using Preware

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The feeds described by this section are now obsolete and have been replaced by the Alpha and Beta testing feeds described later on this page.

If you are using Preware version 1.8.0 or later, please refer to the Alpha and Beta Feeds section below.

Note that you will need to enable *TWO* feeds below. You need the *ALL* feed and you need the device-specific feed as well (armv7, armv6 or i686).

Target Device: ALL
Name: webos-testing-all
URL: http://ipkg.preware.org/feeds/webos-internals/testing/all


Target Device: Pre/Pre+/Pre2/Veer/TouchPad/Pre3
Name: webos-testing-armv7
URL: http://ipkg.preware.org/feeds/webos-internals/testing/armv7


Target Device: Pixi/Pixi+
Name: webos-testing-armv6
URL: http://ipkg.preware.org/feeds/webos-internals/testing/armv6


Target Device: Palm SDK Emulator
Name: webos-testing-i686
URL: http://ipkg.preware.org/feeds/webos-internals/testing/i686


  1. Open Preware and wait for it to finish loading.
  2. Open the App Menu (tap "Preware" in the top left corner of the screen) and tap Manage feeds.
  3. Scroll to the bottom until you see the New Feed box.
  4. Type or paste a name and corresponding URL from above in the appropriate text boxes. Make sure the URL does *not* have a slash at the end.
  5. Make sure the IS COMPRESSED option is set to YES.
  6. Tap Add Feed and then tap Yes when the alert pops up.
  7. Repeat these steps for each feed you wish to enable.
  8. Gesture swipe back. Preware will alert you that you have added feeds and ask if you want to update them now. Choose YES.


Congratulations, you have just added a custom feed! For adding other feeds, be sure to replace the name and URL in these instructions with the proper name and URL. 

TIP:

shift+tap (and drag) on text to select
gesture+c to copy
gesture+v to paste
Make sure to delete 'http://' before pasting the URL if the URL already contains 'http://'


Using a Computer

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The feeds described by this section are now obsolete and have been replaced by the Alpha and Beta testing feeds described later on this page.

If you are using Preware version 1.8.0 or later, please refer to the Alpha and Beta Feeds section below.

1. Gain access to the shell, either through novaterm/ssh or via the terminal application available through the regular WebOS Internals Feed
2. Execute the following commands: 

cd /media/cryptofs/apps/etc/ipkg
echo "src/gz webosinternals-testing http://ipkg.preware.org/feeds/webos-internals/testing/all" > webos-internals-testing.conf
echo "src/gz webosinternals-testing-armv7 http://ipkg.preware.org/feeds/webos-internals/testing/armv7" >> webos-internals-testing.conf

3. Once Preware is launched, select "Update Feeds" from the Application Menu.

Replace 'armv7' with 'armv6' or 'i686' in the instructions above if you are using a Pixi or the Emulator respectively.


Kernel Testing Feeds

The feeds described by this section are now obsolete and have been replaced by the Alpha and Beta testing feeds described later on this page.

If you are using Preware version 1.8.0 or later, please refer to the Alpha and Beta Feeds section below.

Re-read the rules above before continuing. Also see http://forums.precentral.net/2532084-post3.html for further warnings up to and including your device wiping itself, (literally) melting, and/or eating your kitten.

If you do not want a puddle of molten plastic and silicon where your Pre/Pixi/TouchPad once was, DO NOT CONTINUE.

You have been warned.

And Palm is not going to help you.


  1. Type 'webos-kernels-testing' (without the quotes, and using lower case letters and hyphens only) in the NAME field of the NEW FEED section of the Manage Feeds screen accessible from the Preware application menu. If you make any error in this feed name, the URL below will not be replaced by the real URL when the device is rebooted, and you will not get access to the feeds. MAKE SURE YOU GET THE FEED NAME CORRECT!
  2. Put http://preware.is.awesome.com in the URL field. Note that this is not a real URL - it is a placeholder only. Again, you need to get the feed name correct for the real URL to be replaced correctly when the device is rebooted. Note: the actual URL that you type does not matter since it is placeholder URL.
  3. Leave the IS COMPRESSED toggled on.
  4. Hit "Add Feed" and read the disclaimer carefully. Yes, the things you might find in kernel testing feeds are likely to completely wipe your device without warning. Hit the Ok button only if you are prepared to lose all your data and destroy your device without any regrets or complaints.
  5. Immediately reboot the device by simultaneously pressing the Opt, Sym and R keys on a Pre/Pixi, or by holding the lock/power button on a TouchPad until the option to Reset Device appears and choosing it. If you don't reboot the device, or if you only do a Luna Restart instead of a Device Reboot, then placeholder URL will not be replaced by the real URL and you will not get access to the feeds. MAKE SURE YOU REBOOT THE DEVICE!
  6. Wait for the device to boot. If you got the feed name correct, the placeholder URL will be replaced by the real feed URL automatically.
  7. Open Preware, and hit Update Feeds. Make sure you have a working network connection for this.

Preware will repair the URL field automatically when the device boots. Did I mention that you have to get the feed name precisely correct for this to happen? MAKE SURE YOU GET THE FEED NAME CORRECT AND REBOOT THE DEVICE!

You must be running Preware 1.1.4 or later for this to work (yes, this has been possible for quite some time).

Enabling the Beta Testing Feeds

Beta quality packages have had some end-user testing, but may still delete your data or wipe your device in rare circumstances. You have been warned. Unless you are directly and specifically beta testing a package, you should disable all beta feeds at all times other than when you are explicitly updating or installing a beta package.

Re-read the rules above before continuing.

You must never repost or copy or rewrite these instructions anywhere else, but must always refer others directly to this page using only the URL "http://testing.preware.org/"

To enable the beta testing feeds, you must do the following:

1. Uninstall Preware. Yes, seriously. You must uninstall Preware.

2. Gain access to the Linux command line on your device and run the following two commands. If you do not already know how to do this using novaterm or Xecutah, or cannot find out how to do this using Google, then you should not be beta testing. 

mkdir -p /var/preferences/org.webosinternals.preware
touch /var/preferences/org.webosinternals.preware/enable-beta-feeds

3. Install Preware 1.8.0 or later.

4. Start Preware, open the Manage Feeds screen, and enable *only* those feeds which you wish to use. Before enabling a kernel testing feed, you should read this.

You must never repost or copy or rewrite these instructions anywhere else, but must always refer others directly to this page using only the URL "http://testing.preware.org/"

Enabling the Alpha Testing Feeds

Alpha quality packages have had little or no end-user testing, and are likely to delete your data, wipe your device and profile, and potentially damage your device. Packages in the alpha feed *will* regularly break (perhaps even intentionally). You have been warned. Unless you are directly and specifically alpha testing a package, you should disable all alpha feeds at all times other than when you are explicitly updating or installing an alpha package.

In general, very very very very few users would be expected to enable the Alpha testing feeds. The large majority of users should only ever use the Beta testing feeds.

The Beta testing feeds and the Alpha testing feeds can both be enabled at the same time if desired.

Re-read the rules above before continuing.

You must never repost or copy or rewrite these instructions anywhere else, but must always refer others directly to this page using only the URL "http://testing.preware.org/"

To enable the alpha testing feeds, you must do the following:

1. Uninstall Preware. Yes, seriously. You must uninstall Preware.

2. Gain access to the Linux command line on your device and run the following two commands. If you do not already know how to do this using novaterm or Xecutah, or cannot find out how to do this using Google, then you should not be alpha testing. 

mkdir -p /var/preferences/org.webosinternals.preware
touch /var/preferences/org.webosinternals.preware/enable-alpha-feeds

3. Install Preware 1.8.0 or later.

4. Start Preware, open the Manage Feeds screen, and enable *only* those feeds which you wish to use. Before enabling a kernel testing feed, you should read this.

You must never repost or copy or rewrite these instructions anywhere else, but must always refer others directly to this page using only the URL "http://testing.preware.org/"


Testing Feeds Q&A

Q: Who should use the Alpha testing feeds?

A: If you're asking that question, then you should not be using the Alpha testing feeds. Very very very very very few people should ever enable the Alpha testing feeds. Unless you have a git repository cloned and are editing code, you should not enable the Alpha testing feeds.

Q: Who should use the Beta testing feeds?

A: Anyone is welcome to use the Beta testing feeds, as long as they comply fully with the rules and know exactly why they are using a Beta testing feed (i.e. they are not just blindly following some instructions in some article or forum post somewhere).

Q: Why does enabling the feeds require connecting my device to a computer?

A: When you are enabling testing feeds for the first time, we want to ensure that you are able to connect to your device from a computer to assist in debugging the things you are testing, or to be able to recover your device if something goes wrong.

Q: Why does enabling the feeds require reinstalling Preware?

A: The feeds are actually created when Preware is installed, so you need to reinstall Preware for the feeds to be created on your device.

Q: Why does enabling the feeds require the use of the Linux command line?

A: To be an effective tester, you need to be able to access your device on the Linux command line to provide debugging information. We ensure that you can do that before you are able to access the feeds.

Q: Why can't I just enter in the feed URLs directly?

A: Too many people got the feed names or feed URLs wrong, so we took those things out of the equation.

Q: Why can't I publish the instructions on my blog or website or forum post?

A: Too many people were publishing the URLs without the corresponding rules and warnings. This is now strictly forbidden.

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