[Android Apps and Games] tliebeck:
FX 0.108 is now available on the market. This release adds a few aesthetic updates, fixes issues opening FX from the market after installing, and most importantly adds support for root operations.

If you DO NOT install the root module, the 0.108 release is simply an improvement to previous versions of FX.

Please read the following before installing or using the Root Test APK:

THIS IS THE

FIRST

PUBLIC TEST RELEASE OF THE FX ROOT MODULE.

The Root Test APK will only work during the beta period. After FX is released, root will be a paid module.

DO NOT USE the root module on a phone which you rely upon for critical communication, e.g., emergency services.

DO NOT USE the root module if you do not have the capability to reflash your device's firmware (e.g., fastboot).

DO THE RECOMMENDED TESTS before doing any work with the root module.

Ensure your Superuser App is up-to-date.

FX may try to put a "friendlier face" on root access and may have more warnings than other products in this space. But if you tell it to delete critical system files on your phone, it will oblige, and then neither your phone's firmware install nor your FX install will ever do anything again.

Please be careful and try the tests below before really using the root access feature. This is the initial public release. We've only tested on nine different rooted devices out of the 1,022 that the Android market indicates are supported by FX. Make sure important personal data is backed up and that you know how to reflash your phone/device. If you're in any way uncomfortable, just don't download it...wait for a later, more publicly tested release.

PLEASE READ THE ABOVE BEFORE INSTALLING THIS APK.

APK Download Link: http://android.nextapp.com/fx/FXRootTest.apk

This module will only work during the beta period, it will expire and be a paid feature afterward.

You will need to download FX 0.108 from the market for this to work. After installing, tap the "Home" icon in the upper left corner of FX if you don't see the root access catalog immediately.

Initial Root Module Testing

Please test this first release of the FX root module before performing any significant operations with it. For example, don't remount your "/" or "/system" filesystems as read-write and do work until you've verified the product's performance on your device.

NOTE: DO NOT do this test if your /data partition doesn't have enough space to hold a copy of the “/system” partition. This will be a common problem on devices more than one year old. You might instead try checksumming and copying the “/system/bin” directory if your device has limited space.

Ensure your / and /system partitions are mounted READ-ONLY. There should be no RED warning text below the "System (Root Access)" catalog on the FX home screen.

Navigate to the root directory "/" of your device in the root access catalog. Long press on the "system" folder and tap "Details".

Tap the "Calculate" button next to the "Hash/Checksum" item. Wait for the checksum to be calculated. Write down the checksums and total file size (or take a screenshot).

Close the checksum and details activity such that you're back at the root filesystem.

Long press on the "system" folder and tap "Copy" to place it on the clipboard.

Navigate to the /data folder.

Create a folder called "FXTEST" inside of it. Go into this folder.

Tap the clipboard and select Paste. You should see ABSOLUTELY NO WARNINGS about overwriting files. (Beware there is a /system/data directory, DO NOT overwrite it or merge files with it).

When the file transfer has finished, run a checksum calculation on the new copy of the "system" folder. Ensure that the composite checksums and total file sizes match the original version.

Additional Suggested Tests

(These assume you have a /data/FXTEST directory created from the previous test.)

Try creating new folders and files in your /data/FXTEST directory.

Try changing the permissions and ownership of files in the /data/FXTEST directory.

Try deleting files and folders within the /data/FXTEST directory.

Try renaming files and folders within the /data/FXTEST directory.

Try creating a new text file in /data/FXTEST and editing it with the FX text editor. Use the "Save As" feature to save it in another location within /data/FXTest.

Please don't remount your /system or / partitions until you are comfortable with the performance of the FX root module on the above tests.

Notable Missing Features

Symlink creation

Recursive permissions/ownership changes. (Interested in whether people actually want such a feature. Even well-implemented with excessive warnings, I can see this being a brick-maker)

Root-specific help

Capability to disable warning messages