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Question about buidling a ROM

Are there any sites that explain in detail how to build an Andriod ROM, I've googled it, but nothing of any relavence. I want to learn how to build one.

interesting as well. Waiting some BIG guy to give a guide.

It would be nice, Maybe like a complete kitchen ala WM.

Former WinMo ROM builder (Touch Pro) and looking for the same info.

snag JF's 1.51 build environment from here:
http://jf.andblogs.net/2009/05/24/jfv151-images-are-out/
that will at least point you in the right direction.
you can always modify an existing update.zip and resign it using the testsign.jar tool
i'd love to see a step by step guide as well

A guide would be realy helpful, and greatly appreciated! Been experimenting on my own, but I'd love to see a Ion build enviornment.

Wow, so it looks like we are all making an official request for someone to put together a "Roms for Dummies" or similar..... Who's got the pull to make this happen, lol

there's cyanogenized rogers, a very good sample to start with
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=524160

I'm a Herald cook, and I would also love to learn this.
Making ROMs for WM devices is so limited, I'm looking forward to this.

This would be awesome... I know just enough to be dangerous... but would rather have some sort of guide to get things going right.

I would have to agree with everyone above me, having some sort of step-by-step guide with a list of necessary tools would be very handy to have. Especially for someone who's just starting out and no idea what certain things do.

I would appreciate some kind of basic tutorial in this direction, too.
I have just been a little confused about how to resign an update.zip if I want to change any files inside of it, and then rezip.

Well.... Lets see if we can't get a Mod to come up with a cool idea of appointing someone who knows what they are doing (i.e. NOT ME), or themselves to collect everyone's pieces, and put them all together into a newb friendly version, and lead up to an advanced version. Talk about really opening the door to new developers. Eh? Whatya think?

I would love to learn too

Make a poll? Or does it seem as if enough people want it to be definite!

thelamacmdr said:
Make a poll? Or does it seem as if enough people want it to be definite!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems enough people want it done.....What have I done?!

ive asked this same question before.
still waiting for an answer

thelamacmdr said:
Make a poll? Or does it seem as if enough people want it to be definite!
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Click to collapse
Yeah I think it is definite. People want to know how to make their own ROMs.

Check this site out:
http://honeypod.blogspot.com/2007/12/compile-android-kernel-from-source.html

Senorkabob said:
Check this site out:
http://honeypod.blogspot.com/2007/12/compile-android-kernel-from-source.html
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Click to collapse
CRAP that looks like martian talk to me LOL. Well judging from that link we all have to learn some Linux boys. Ive been on windows for years and its all i know, but i do want to learn how to work on ROM's. I''ve heard that Ubuntu is the easiest to learn coming from a windows environment, please steer me in the right direction if im wrong. I guess illl have to dual boot my laptop to night.

I want to start developing ROMs

I've done a quick search and haven't had any luck with where to start up.
I'm no beginner when it comes to rooting and flashing, just one the code side of things. I don't like it when people are sitting there and asking the devs "When will we get this?" or "Why is this taking so long?! XYZ ROM already has it!" So I want to start developing ROMs for myself (and maybe put it up in the future once it gets good enough).
I don't want to be building of any current ROMs, I want to build from AOSP.
I'm not asking for a guide but just where to get started and where to move on from there. I know I need to know Java, but how MUCH exactly? Do I need to know everything thing there is before moving forward? Once I'm comfortable with Java, where do I move on from there? I want some sort of checklist.
I don't need a guide, I'll grab the books and the courses myself. Just a basic path to follow would be fantastic.
Anyone want to help an up and coming ROM developer? :fingers-crossed:

Kandydish said:
I've done a quick search and haven't had any luck with where to start up.
I'm no beginner when it comes to rooting and flashing, just one the code side of things. I don't like it when people are sitting there and asking the devs "When will we get this?" or "Why is this taking so long?! XYZ ROM already has it!" So I want to start developing ROMs for myself (and maybe put it up in the future once it gets good enough).
I don't want to be building of any current ROMs, I want to build from AOSP.
I'm not asking for a guide but just where to get started and where to move on from there. I know I need to know Java, but how MUCH exactly? Do I need to know everything thing there is before moving forward? Once I'm comfortable with Java, where do I move on from there? I want some sort of checklist.
I don't need a guide, I'll grab the books and the courses myself. Just a basic path to follow would be fantastic.
Anyone want to help an up and coming ROM developer? :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In the aosp source, most of it is c++, the framework is java, and kernels are c.
Sent from my One S

where did you learn how to develop?

Hey guys, chances are you've seen me post on forums, because I do... quite alot. In fact one of my earlier posts should be right below this one.
Generally in my posts, I make all sort of grammatical flourishes and pretend to know what I'm talking about (I do have half of an idea).
The problem is though, for the most part... I don't.
So my big question to you guys is... where did you learn how to develop? Be it ROMs, apps, themes, exe's, msi's, tar's, or whatever else you guys can come up with? Because Google searches just leave my mind reeling.
Thank you in advance.
Thebeastglasser

thebeastglasser said:
Hey guys, chances are you've seen me post on forums, because I do... quite alot. In fact one of my earlier posts should be right below this one.
Generally in my posts, I make all sort of grammatical flourishes and pretend to know what I'm talking about (I do have half of an idea).
The problem is though, for the most part... I don't.
So my big question to you guys is... where did you learn how to develop? Be it ROMs, apps, themes, exe's, msi's, tar's, or whatever else you guys can come up with? Because Google searches just leave my mind reeling.
Thank you in advance.
Thebeastglasser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These might be good places to start.
Android Chef Central
Android App Development - From Scratch

you could start off by learning a programming lanuage like VB or even C# its up to you
then when you get better start moving to a mobile programming lanuage C# or java as far as i know.
to make things faster you could get used to a game engine like unreal,unity 3D and others make a few small apps then move to something bigger.
you can google how to learn differant programming lanuages.
what i did was start by makeing small scripts that modded to OS of my computer, CMD, fake CMD virus stuff like that.
you can also find lots of sample projects to look at to see how differant things work

besieger1 said:
what i did was start by makeing small scripts that modded to OS of my computer, CMD, fake CMD virus stuff like that.
you can also find lots of sample projects to look at to see how differant things work
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You wouldn't happen to have any links to those... would you?

http://developer.android.com/index.html is super helpful! Start off by learning the basics. Dont expect to make anything special for awhile...

Looking to Develop Android Applications and Games

Yes, I've already searched the forums. I know there is a guide on here from a developer, but that doesn't leave as much open-endedness as I would like. I'm looking to learn to develop games and applications for the Android OS. I've spent the past week learning Java so that I could learn to develop for Android, but it seems to me that is only the tip of the ice berg. The question I have for you guys is how do I go about learning this stuff? I'm sure most of it is trial and error, but hell what can I try if I don't know where to start?
I know you guys probably get this type of question all the time, but I'm not wanting to take the easy "can you basically code it for me route?". I really want to make the game I have in mind and it's fleshed itself a bit more since I actually learned the backbone of the stuff as well. I've seen The New Boston stuff, but that guy doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. He calls > the less than sign and vice versa. :\

aquaars said:
Yes, I've already searched the forums. I know there is a guide on here from a developer, but that doesn't leave as much open-endedness as I would like. I'm looking to learn to develop games and applications for the Android OS. I've spent the past week learning Java so that I could learn to develop for Android, but it seems to me that is only the tip of the ice berg. The question I have for you guys is how do I go about learning this stuff? I'm sure most of it is trial and error, but hell what can I try if I don't know where to start?
I know you guys probably get this type of question all the time, but I'm not wanting to take the easy "can you basically code it for me route?". I really want to make the game I have in mind and it's fleshed itself a bit more since I actually learned the backbone of the stuff as well. I've seen The New Boston stuff, but that guy doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. He calls > the less than sign and vice versa. :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you are e developer , to learn java (at least the basics) is the step no 1 , and its not so hard
if you have no idea what programming means , then you sould spend time to have some general knowledge about programming.
then you sould try to understand android platform , read general info , read sdk documentation , read about the structure of an android app , and
play a litle with Eclipse. you can find everything on the net. tutorials , code , how to etc.

Start doing tutorials, that's what I'm doing.
Check YouTube for beginning Android programming and stuff like that. Eclipse has some good tutorials as well
Sent from my LG-E739 using xda app-developers app

aquaars said:
Yes, I've already searched the forums. I know there is a guide on here from a developer, but that doesn't leave as much open-endedness as I would like. I'm looking to learn to develop games and applications for the Android OS. I've spent the past week learning Java so that I could learn to develop for Android, but it seems to me that is only the tip of the ice berg. The question I have for you guys is how do I go about learning this stuff? I'm sure most of it is trial and error, but hell what can I try if I don't know where to start?
I know you guys probably get this type of question all the time, but I'm not wanting to take the easy "can you basically code it for me route?". I really want to make the game I have in mind and it's fleshed itself a bit more since I actually learned the backbone of the stuff as well. I've seen The New Boston stuff, but that guy doesn't seem to know what he's talking about. He calls > the less than sign and vice versa. :\
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you are referring to my guide. You say it "doesn't leave as much open-endedness as [you] would like." What do you mean by that?
The guide is first and foremost written for beginners.. if you have suggestions on how I can improve it, let me know
And I wouldn't call learning "trial and error." It's more of practice and understanding.
You are right in saying "What could I possibly try if you don't know where to start?"
Following a structured series of tutorials at first will start you off on a strong foot.

Learning ROM Development - Where to even begin??

So I’ve been a member here since the Droid X days and I’ve learned a lot over the years with each device I’ve had but I never really looked into creating ROMs (I always wanted to learn but never got to it).
I know it’s going to be a learning process that takes some time but I’m looking for help on where I should start. Before anyone posts a whole bunch of random looks I’ll say right now that I am a complete beginner when it comes to this stuff. I’ve looked at a bunch on threads and it’s so overwhelming being completely new so I don’t know what’s relevant and what’s not.
From the research I’ve done today I learned about a program called Android Kitchen which from my understanding was used to create and compile ROMs. From what I found it looks like the original dev stopped updating it back in 2013. In the ChefCentral>Android forum it looks like someone else took over and maintains it for Linux. I also came across a variant there called “Assayyed_Kitchen”. Is this the same program just made by someone else? I don’t know you tell me? lol
I also plan to learn some Java in the coming months and Android App development. I don’t have a huge interest in making apps right now but who knows maybe I will down the road. I just figured learning Java can only help with learning to make ROMs? Do I even need to know any of it for this kind of stuff?
So basically I’m looking for some guidance on where to start as a complete beginner in learning ROM development. Even someone taking the time to type out a few basic steps explains what the whole process even involves from start to finish would help a lot. For example..
1. Download source
2. Open in this program and blah blah
3. Do your magic and customize this and that
4. Do some more magic and pack it back up and flash
Just understanding the steps would make a huge difference because then I know what to research and what to learn. Hoping this thread gets some good info in it and maybe at some point I can create a complete noob friendly guide in the OP to help others like me who don’t know where to begin. To anyone that takes the time to reply and help out.. THANK YOU!

You download the source, edit the code you want to edit, then you compile it.
If you have more questions then that it is because you don't know enough to be able to make a ROM. Where to start? Learn how to code and compile, start compiling other peoples Roms and look at their commits and source code to see what changes they made.
You can't really drag and drop then place your logo on it.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

scryan said:
You download the source, edit the code you want to edit, then you compile it.
If you have more questions then that it is because you don't know enough to be able to make a ROM. Where to start? Learn how to code and compile, start compiling other peoples Roms and look at their commits and source code to see what changes they made.
You can't really drag and drop then place your logo on it.
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Click to collapse
Not sure what the attitude is for I never implied that I could do simple things like drag and drop and use others people's stuff and do it with no programming experience.
Again it's all new to me so I was asking where to start with it all. I am starting to learn Java this week and I'm trying to figure out how it all works.. I'm not interested in making android apps so the android development tutorials all over the internet wouldn't help. Yes they would help with the Java stuff but not with the ROM stuff so that's what I was trying to understand. Imagine being a complete beginner with this stuff. All this talk of compiling and GitHub and commits is all jibberish at first. You gotta start somewhere so I'm trying to get a grasp on everything. My goal is to understand the steps needed to make my own ROM first. Because once I know Step 1: use this program to do this Step 2: do this, etc.. then I know the basic overview and can start the process of actually learning the details involved in doing step 1, 2, etc

If I was teaching someone how to change a tire on a car. They first would have to understand that it involves jacking the car up, loosening lug nuts, take tires off, put new tire on, tighten lug nuts, lower car off jack. Once they get the concept and process of what they are trying to do.. then they can start learning how to jack the car up. Then how to take the lug nuts off.. and so on
If they didn't first understand the general process they might start to learn how to take the lug nuts off first and do that right away

The best place to start is to google , "how to build Android from source." This will help set up your build environment and teach you the basics. The rest is pretty much trial and error.
I started back in 2013 with one of the guides and just started messing with code. I went from not knowing any coding to compiling my first ROM(slimroms) within 2 weeks of starting. I became an official member about 2 months after starting. Here is a link to one of the guides I used to start.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2223690

arcardinal said:
The best place to start is to google , "how to build Android from source." This will help set up your build environment and teach you the basics. The rest is pretty much trial and error.
I started back in 2013 with one of the guides and just started messing with code. I went from not knowing any coding to compiling my first ROM(slimroms) within 2 weeks of starting. I became an official member about 2 months after starting. Here is a link to one of the guides I used to start.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2223690
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link! I've done some searching around also. So I would need Linux correct? Not an issue I can partition one of my PCs just want to make sure it's definitely needed.
I think my s5 is still running slim ROM haha so thank you! Did you have any programming (Java) experience when you started?

aholeinthewor1d said:
Thanks for the link! I've done some searching around also. So I would need Linux correct? Not an issue I can partition one of my PCs just want to make sure it's definitely needed.
I think my s5 is still running slim ROM haha so thank you! Did you have any programming (Java) experience when you started?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had no coding experience at all before starting.
You need Linux. You will also want a decently speced computer. I have an 8-core processor and 24 gbs of RAM and it takes about 20-30 minutes to compile a build. The computer I started on took about 4 hours.

arcardinal said:
I had no coding experience at all before starting.
You need Linux. You will also want a decently speced computer. I have an 8-core processor and 24 gbs of RAM and it takes about 20-30 minutes to compile a build. The computer I started on took about 4 hours.
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Click to collapse
Yikes. I have a PC I built a few years back running Windows 7 currently
-Asus P8Z77 Pro motherboard
-Intel core i5 3570k
-8GB RAM
I know I could use some more RAM but I was considering getting an SSD first. I have an ancient HDD in there now. Not sure on the exact speed but it's slow

If I was you I'd start with kernel compiling before you get into rom developing. That's what I'm doing anyway, seems like getting a rom to compile is more involving.
You would need to read up on 'git' (it's a version control program) learn some C language and also read up on another program called 'make' what it does and how it does it.
Learn about 'toolchains' how they do and which one to use. I think you can get latest toolchains by downloading android-ndk (it should be one of the folders in the zip file).
With that said you need Linux and depending on the distro you use (Ubuntu,Fedora etc) you would need to download extra packages for development and that you would have to google it to find out which ones. Also you would need to know how to navigate within Linux, use that distro's programs or tools (although 95% are the same across all distros) and all of it using only the terminal.
Google is your friend. I know it is mine. Good luck.