Yeah, but they don't use every feature every day (can you say printers?), so I feel I need to be hyper-aware for a while, and be sure I'm not doing anything the day before their deadlines.
Only update on a new release. That means (at the moment): 1 or 2 times per year. How much effort in a new "maintenance system" should we invest for only a few times per year. (This is separate from new-install, easy-wizard type of stuff).
This is the right question. My criteria: I would be completely content if we could guarantee that "keep settings" and installing (updated) packages would restore my router to its previous operating state after flashing a new image.
@richb-hanover, you should at least try installing and using the build system once. You spend a lot of time here on the forum (probably even more behind the scenes), so I think you should see its not the rabbit hole you think it is
Nope. Not gonna do it (You don't understand how that could throw me into a full anal-compulsive, gotta-understand-everything loss of a week or two of productive effort on important projects. I realize that there are Docker images, VMs, etc. all crafted and ready to make an image. I still am choosing not to do it.)
As for asking help: you could choose to build the release version, and not a snapshot with X,Y, Z package.
The testing part, I actually don't know who is doing that, other than "all of us here". We test drive snapshots and release versions I think? The build-bot is just "some cloud computer" building images for "all" targets in my mind. A lot will not be tested at all I can imagine until some user has that actual device. Our devs may have a lot of devices between them, but for sure not every single device that we can build for.
I sort of see this as herd immunity. I just use released images - it's an efficient
use of my time, and makes sure that someone tests releases (for my bog-standard Archer C7 & WNDR3800's)
So as far as "maintaining" goes: if we create a "generic" image with most-wanted features (and maybe some wizard), the "keep settings" should do a good job in allowing "novice users" to update their device without any problems.
First time installation is beyond the scope of this thread, and we will continue that in the other one.
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Exactly. I'm thinking of naming my goal the Essential Secure Router It does "all the router kinds of things" that people want (and we can debate which packages belong).
And for the Maintenance side of things, we need the "Keep settings" update process to be smooth as silk.