in m5 wiki, Linux->Prepare, point 9
so it’ not work for third part images like armbian, there are totally build with different source code.
If your emmc armbian bootup well, you can erase it with dd command after bootup, otherwise, follow the wiki guide to erase it with android usb download tool.
@August. You are being dishonest if you are basing your whole argument on that the single word “only” from the extensively long wiki.
First of all, the whole wiki is riddled with English language mistakes which most of us have learnt to live with and surpass. For those who actually noted the word “only” ( i was not one of them) I assure you they would have considered it it another English language mistake. Since at least 30 years, all OS on the market have been subject to upgrades from time to time so this is taken as a given.
Even more important, that same wiki talks about installing the Android OS so the wiki is not limited to “only” one particular version of Ubuntu.
You also have many other documents in your web site which talk about ARMBIAN , RASPBIAN and other OS’s. None of these have been retracted.
it appears that the BPI business model is build around providing alternatives of the RPI all of which feature a 40 pin GPIO. I must confess that as far as hardware is concerned your boards appear very robust and the M5 in particular is very good value for money. unfortunately the best hardware in the world is useless without software.
Embedded / IOT world is slightly different. You do get some upgrades (and many on userspace level) but many software solutions are made to support single purpose. You take firmware / OS, use it for certain use case and update applications (your business solution for example). Not OS or kernel/firmware. Android works in similar way - kernel is “polished” to support hardware, Android (user space) gets updates, kernel stays at same version and gets only small patches. SoC / board vendors port HW stack to more recent Kernel versions if there are enough market demands to sell hardware. Most of things here are targeted towards deploying solutions with hardware, not to have perfect most secure publicly maintained Linux. This idea / wish is in common domain which contributes to common mainstream Linux. But takes time and hw usually becomes obsolete before common support is at the same level. And this is again not a final destination or military grade Linux. This is again in the domain of a customer. Whether this is a Linux distribution that takes this further (Armbian a lot further, generic distributions nothing further then kernel.org) or end customer that will use common Linux to develop a solution around.
They sold you HW and promise(!) that it will run Linux and it does run Linux. What kind of Linux? Good enough to start developing your business solution.
just 2c
@Armbian, you are trying to defend an issue which clearly intended for BPI not Armbian. I think you are also making the mistake that most people who use these boards for professional projects. That is in fact not the case. I do one off projects which I do for fun only. Most of my complaints are intended to BPI not Armbian.
Where in my opinion Armbian could have done better is regarding the documention related to the (H)ardware options offer in armbian-config.
Trying to pass you some information so you might be able to understand. Not defending anyone in particuilar as they are all the same.
I never said that. There are many amateurs playing with those boards, many amateurs helps them maintaining and nobody prohibits you to use those boards. Armbian greatly helps you, saves you weeks and months, even you don’t even notice and demands never stops. Amateurs are also important force that milks open source developers in general. Professionals knows, while amateurs are pushing blindly. Pro will stop because he understands how much work is needed that something is done, amateur on the other had have no clue and will keep pushing, constantly repeating million dollars questions 
Many many things could have done and done better, but there is extreme lack of interest to support such project. In one year we don’t collect enough of your donations to finance what you are asking. And we have other costs. Do it for free? Sure, but this is important for you and there are thousands important things for others. Pro bono time is extremely tiny. This is open source. Why don’t you fix this for everyone? Or do something else to relieve people who are sponsoring your hobby?
We keep asking https://docs.armbian.com/Process_Contribute/ and one day, what you are asking, will be done better.
The other day you challenged me with the above question.
Your response to my follow up mail was basically to contribute and perhaps my request may eventually be answered.
OK. Point taken.