Resolution for App Catalog install limit (and proposal)

xorg · 11:45 PM

Support and install instructions for the release version is here...
http://forums.precentral.net/webos-i...nk-method.html

This thread is in the Development forum and is therefore for discussing test versions of mvapp in development. Please use the thread above for support of the release version that was acquired through PreWare or homebrew installers. Chat in this thread about test versions or features you'd like to see.

_____________

Overview

This solution involves creating a (hidden) directory in the /media/internal area (the USB media drive), moving selected applications to the newly created directory, and then creating a symbolic link in the /var/usr/palm/applications directory pointing to the new location. This frees up the disk space from the relatively limited /var volume to the larger /media/internal, allowing more apps to be installed from the App Catalog. The included script (which must be created) will move the files and create the appropriate link. It will also provide information on the size of the applications stored in the /var/usr/palm/applications directory.

xorg

xorg · 01:05 PM

Wiki page is up...

Check here for more features that others may have added. This is the main page, so check here for the latest.

Solution to App Catalog Installation Limit - WebOS Internals

awrnsmn · 09/29/2009, 10:49 AM

I am going to be doing this tomorrow. Thanks xorg, I will report back.

NOLApre · 09/29/2009, 10:51 AM

please work on this people. this is going to be a major issue soon if Palm doesn't fix this on the quick.

egaudet · 09/29/2009, 11:57 AM

All png images from apps would show up in the photo viewer if the apps are moved to /media/internal/

SirWill · 09/29/2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emoney_33

All png images from apps would show up in the photo viewer if the apps are moved to /media/internal/

OK, so then can we tweak the Photo App to exclude images in a specific directory such as /media/internal/apps ?

egaudet · 09/29/2009, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SirWill

OK, so then can we tweak the Photo App to exclude images in a specific directory such as /media/internal/apps ?

or we could copy the apps to hidden directories in /media/internal which will prevent the images from being seen in photo viewer.

so like /var/usr/palm/applications/myapp -> /media/internal/apps/.myapp

xorg · 09/29/2009, 07:28 PM

^I've tried moving all to .apps and it appeared to work, hiding the pictures. I only did a quick test and need to test more to make sure, but it seemed to do the trick. Gonna go ahead and change the script to .app as it wont hurt.

Brain_ReCall · 09/29/2009, 08:48 PM

This does not appear to resolve the issue of /media/internal being unmounted when put into media sync mode. Palm's USB driver appears to be going directly through /dev instead of doing a pass-through to the mounted partition.

xorg · 09/29/2009, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brain_ReCall

This does not appear to resolve the issue of /media/internal being unmounted when put into media sync mode. Palm's USB driver appears to be going directly through /dev instead of doing a pass-through to the mounted partition.

I ran a few apps linked to /media/internal and then mounted USB while they were running. When finished, unmounted USB and the apps resumed normally. I did the same with apps on /var and didn't notice any difference.

This is probably more of an issue with linux based background services than with most user apps.

Is why I don't recommend linking all apps, just apps that test successfully.

xorg · 09/29/2009, 09:28 PM

I just tested this with Pandora moved and linked to /media/internal/.apps. While playing, I mounted the USB drive. Still played. Of course that app probably didn't need to do any access to the filesystem. Apps that do access their home app directory while in USB mode may of course run into an issue.

hparsons · 09/30/2009, 12:54 PM

I want to start this off with a couple of warnings:

This is not something for the total noob. I don't think you'll hose your machine, but you could very easily end up burning a lot of space not only on the /media/internal area (the USB disk space area), but also in the /var partition, which is limited enough as it is (which is the root of the problem). I'd say this is for an intermediate level user, and it does require root access.
I'll also warn that I have not tested every aspect of the script. Use all of this information at your own risk, and please double check stuff, as it does very much appear to be a "work in progress".

All that said, here's the basics:

This workaround has you create a hidden directory - .apps - (please note the "." before "apps", that's what makes it hidden) in the /media/internal directory on your Pre. This is basically the USB drive, and has a lot more space than the /var partition (where apps are normally stored). You then copy some apps to that directory, and create a symbolic link to the new directory. Every program I've tested this with works, so far. This has cleared up a lot of additional space for me.

Please look over the information provided in a the link, move slowly, and double-check what you've done; however, I think some of you will find this useful until Palm does something about the size of the /var partition.

Solution to App Catalog Installation Limit - WebOS Internals

xorg · 09/30/2009, 09:34 PM

I've updated the script in original post to have more robust testing. Anyone try this yet? Has been working with every app I've tested so far, though I have avoided moving patches from webosinternals.

Jason Robitaille · 09/30/2009, 09:52 PM

xorg,

Just wanted to mention, a future version of WebOSQuickInstall will be including the experimental memory resizing or /var/ (though in the process would wipe /media/internal/ so ppl would need to backup those files first). People have reported success, though I have been told by Chuq that it's very possible a future update would cause issues (leading me to believe Palm is taking this issue more seriously now that the app catalog is growing more.

xorg · 09/30/2009, 09:58 PM

Yea, resizing /var would be a good solution, though inconvenient for some to wipe out /media/internal. A bit riskier to toy with all of var, but definitely worth pursuing.

What I'm proposing is a little less risky for the time being since you only move apps that could always be easily reinstalled back on /var if it doesn't work correctly as a link.

More options in the works is good though. Any consideration for adding this option in Quick Install as well?

rposa · 09/30/2009, 10:07 PM

Why not just
1) Make a .hidden directory in the /media/internal
2) remount /media/internal/.hidden as /var/usr/palm/applications

hparsons · 09/30/2009, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xorg

I've updated the script in original post to have more robust testing. Anyone try this yet? Has been working with every app I've tested so far, though I have avoided moving patches from webosinternals.

I'm not 100% sure (but pretty close), but looking at your script, I believe:

Code:

APP=$1

should be

Code:

APP=/var/usr/palm/applications/$1

I changed the code on WebOS-Internals as well.

hparsons · 09/30/2009, 10:17 PM

Mods might want to merge this thread with http://forums.precentral.net/showthread.php?p=1936501

astrobill · 09/30/2009, 10:25 PM

Um...nice, but are you guys serious? I mean....this helps the 0.00000001% of Pre users who are willing to learn Unix shell programming and Linux to fix their Pre's with their own customized scripts...LOL.

This is great for developers or programmers who want to learn how to program this thing, but come on...really.

astrobill · 09/30/2009, 10:25 PM

Um...nice, but are you guys serious? I mean....this helps the 0.00000001% of Pre users who are willing to learn Unix shell programming and Linux to fix their Pre's with their own customized scripts...LOL.

This is great for developers or programmers who want to learn how to program this thing, but come on...really.

09/28/2009, 11:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
xorg Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: kansas city, mo Posts: 633 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 85 Thanked 303 Times in 146 Posts	Resolution for App Catalog install limit (and proposal) Support and install instructions for the release version is here... http://forums.precentral.net/webos-i...nk-method.html This thread is in the Development forum and is therefore for discussing test versions of mvapp in development. Please use the thread above for support of the release version that was acquired through PreWare or homebrew installers. Chat in this thread about test versions or features you'd like to see. _____________ Overview This solution involves creating a (hidden) directory in the /media/internal area (the USB media drive), moving selected applications to the newly created directory, and then creating a symbolic link in the /var/usr/palm/applications directory pointing to the new location. This frees up the disk space from the relatively limited /var volume to the larger /media/internal, allowing more apps to be installed from the App Catalog. The included script (which must be created) will move the files and create the appropriate link. It will also provide information on the size of the applications stored in the /var/usr/palm/applications directory. xorg Last edited by xorg; 11/15/2009 at 11:45 PM.
	Liked by Thanked by a2thejay23, Abyssul, alpinejag, blessedkdg, bliip1234, chodaboy, connuh, creatorbri, Darknight, daventx, Dr.Grace, hparsons, leucus, liv2surf, mamouton, odontastic, Tag234, Twosted, Tyndall, Veritas06, Visualfx, volcom45, wwjd4pk

09/29/2009, 09:47 AM	#2 (permalink)
xorg Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: kansas city, mo Posts: 633 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 85 Thanked 303 Times in 146 Posts	Wiki page is up... Check here for more features that others may have added. This is the main page, so check here for the latest. Solution to App Catalog Installation Limit - WebOS Internals Last edited by xorg; 10/07/2009 at 01:05 PM.
	Liked by

09/29/2009, 10:49 AM	#3 (permalink)
awrnsmn Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Olathe, Ks. Posts: 676 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 203 Thanked 76 Times in 59 Posts	I am going to be doing this tomorrow. Thanks xorg, I will report back.
	Liked by Thanked By: xorg

09/29/2009, 10:51 AM	#4 (permalink)
NOLApre Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: New Orleans, LA Posts: 142 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 4 Thanked 23 Times in 14 Posts	please work on this people. this is going to be a major issue soon if Palm doesn't fix this on the quick.
	Liked by

09/29/2009, 11:57 AM	#5 (permalink)
egaudet Developer Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 1,400 Likes Received: 3 Thanks: 17 Thanked 1,540 Times in 376 Posts	All png images from apps would show up in the photo viewer if the apps are moved to /media/internal/
	Liked by

09/29/2009, 07:28 PM	#8 (permalink)
xorg Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: kansas city, mo Posts: 633 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 85 Thanked 303 Times in 146 Posts	^I've tried moving all to .apps and it appeared to work, hiding the pictures. I only did a quick test and need to test more to make sure, but it seemed to do the trick. Gonna go ahead and change the script to .app as it wont hurt.
	Liked by

09/29/2009, 09:28 PM	#11 (permalink)
xorg Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: kansas city, mo Posts: 633 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 85 Thanked 303 Times in 146 Posts	I just tested this with Pandora moved and linked to /media/internal/.apps. While playing, I mounted the USB drive. Still played. Of course that app probably didn't need to do any access to the filesystem. Apps that do access their home app directory while in USB mode may of course run into an issue.
	Liked by

09/30/2009, 12:54 PM	#12 (permalink)
hparsons Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 8,357 Likes Received: 316 Thanks: 2,130 Thanked 1,765 Times in 1,131 Posts	Additonal Space for Application Installs - A Workaround I want to start this off with a couple of warnings: This is not something for the total noob. I don't think you'll hose your machine, but you could very easily end up burning a lot of space not only on the /media/internal area (the USB disk space area), but also in the /var partition, which is limited enough as it is (which is the root of the problem). I'd say this is for an intermediate level user, and it does require root access. I'll also warn that I have not tested every aspect of the script. Use all of this information at your own risk, and please double check stuff, as it does very much appear to be a "work in progress". All that said, here's the basics: This workaround has you create a hidden directory - .apps - (please note the "." before "apps", that's what makes it hidden) in the /media/internal directory on your Pre. This is basically the USB drive, and has a lot more space than the /var partition (where apps are normally stored). You then copy some apps to that directory, and create a symbolic link to the new directory. Every program I've tested this with works, so far. This has cleared up a lot of additional space for me. Please look over the information provided in a the link, move slowly, and double-check what you've done; however, I think some of you will find this useful until Palm does something about the size of the /var partition. Solution to App Catalog Installation Limit - WebOS Internals
	Liked by

09/30/2009, 09:34 PM	#13 (permalink)
xorg Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: kansas city, mo Posts: 633 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 85 Thanked 303 Times in 146 Posts	I've updated the script in original post to have more robust testing. Anyone try this yet? Has been working with every app I've tested so far, though I have avoided moving patches from webosinternals.
	Liked by

09/30/2009, 09:52 PM	#14 (permalink)
Jason Robitaille Legend Join Date: May 2005 Location: Winnipeg, MB, Canada Posts: 3,883 Likes Received: 496 Thanks: 801 Thanked 12,956 Times in 1,495 Posts	xorg, Just wanted to mention, a future version of WebOSQuickInstall will be including the experimental memory resizing or /var/ (though in the process would wipe /media/internal/ so ppl would need to backup those files first). People have reported success, though I have been told by Chuq that it's very possible a future update would cause issues (leading me to believe Palm is taking this issue more seriously now that the app catalog is growing more.
	Liked by

09/30/2009, 09:58 PM	#15 (permalink)
xorg Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: kansas city, mo Posts: 633 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 85 Thanked 303 Times in 146 Posts	Yea, resizing /var would be a good solution, though inconvenient for some to wipe out /media/internal. A bit riskier to toy with all of var, but definitely worth pursuing. What I'm proposing is a little less risky for the time being since you only move apps that could always be easily reinstalled back on /var if it doesn't work correctly as a link. More options in the works is good though. Any consideration for adding this option in Quick Install as well?
	Liked by

09/30/2009, 10:07 PM	#16 (permalink)
rposa Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 266 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 15 Thanked 26 Times in 19 Posts	Why not just 1) Make a .hidden directory in the /media/internal 2) remount /media/internal/.hidden as /var/usr/palm/applications
	Liked by

09/30/2009, 10:17 PM	#18 (permalink)
hparsons Member Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 8,357 Likes Received: 316 Thanks: 2,130 Thanked 1,765 Times in 1,131 Posts	Mods might want to merge this thread with http://forums.precentral.net/showthread.php?p=1936501
	Liked by Thanked By: Delgarth

09/30/2009, 10:25 PM	#19 (permalink)
astrobill Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 15 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Um...nice, but are you guys serious? I mean....this helps the 0.00000001% of Pre users who are willing to learn Unix shell programming and Linux to fix their Pre's with their own customized scripts...LOL. This is great for developers or programmers who want to learn how to program this thing, but come on...really.
	Liked by Thanked By: diabolical

09/30/2009, 10:25 PM	#20 (permalink)
astrobill Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 15 Likes Received: 0 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 4 Posts	Um...nice, but are you guys serious? I mean....this helps the 0.00000001% of Pre users who are willing to learn Unix shell programming and Linux to fix their Pre's with their own customized scripts...LOL. This is great for developers or programmers who want to learn how to program this thing, but come on...really.
	Liked by Thanked by diabolical, luke.ascended

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