That's not the clearest batch of instructions I've ever seen... Nothing to do with Linux though.

Back when I first became aware of the possibility of running E2 (at that time, a version for a different brand of receiver that was apparently the same hardware) on the Anaconda and Gekko, the instructions that I found involved using a loader program like this to upgrade the receiver's boot code over the serial port. When the "official" E2 files for those receivers appeared on this board, however, the instructions claimed that they could be upgraded via USB.

Now, these instructions for the Raptor DO confuse me. They're saying that you need to run a program to upgrade it over the serial port, but they're also saying to put the new boot code on a USB stick! Not having a Raptor, I can only wonder if perhaps the Raptor needs to be told via a serial loader program to look for new code on the USB stick, whereas the Anaconda/Gecko will do if if you hold down a button at boot time.

Then again, it could just be a case of poor documentation writing / translation...