> For a single software update? This isn't a software update, it's a firmware update. I don't expect updating firmware to be painless; and I'd rather it not be

> For a single software update? This isn't a software update, it's a firmware update. I don't expect updating firmware to be painless; and I'd rather it not be painless. Updating a PROM is a messy process fraught with peril, I want as many checks & balances between my clumsy fingers and that flash as possible. > With whatever else a normal human has going on in life? There's no way. Many vendors don't ship ELF binaries update their firmware at all, and yet I still manage to flash their devices. I've lost count of how many times I have to throw FreeDOS a USB drive to flash the RAID controllers I use. Putting Ubuntu on a flash drive to install a firmware update is hardly any more complicated than that. (At a minimum: at least you'll have a reasonably competent shell and functional networking w/ an Ubuntu live image.)