Database Info

EvilHero 2.1.001

Standard disclaimer applies - figured I would put this just in case.
Okay, well first off I am going to start by explaining the thread title. EvilHero is basically what I call my device (evilvoice + hero) and this is a 2.1 Rom, I attached a .001 to let everyone know what stage it is in, which is the first stage. It works in what I set out for it to do. This is not for everyone, and may be only for me, but I am posting it here to get a little help and also to let other people decide for themselves if they want to use it.
This started because of Firerats MTD mod and CM6 and the inability to update my prl or do any ## codes. In using the MTD mod, CM6 RC1 only required around 105MB on system, but most 2.1 roms required a lot more space. While it is not hard to redo the whole MTD mod, it is very time consuming and you run the risk of messing up your phone until you get home, or at the very least, flash the rom you had on it before until you got home to a computer. I did a lot of searching for the smallest 2.1 rom around. This happened to be PureHero 2.1 by Konikub. I did not use any special tool to figure out size, just looked at how large the zip file was and went with the one that was the smallest, there might be smaller Sense 2.1 Roms out there, but thats what I used to select PureHero as my start.
Okay, so on to what I have done. Using PureHero 2.1 as the base, I ripped out everything except the ability to make phone calls, visual voicemail, SU, busybox, contacts, and the ability to use ## codes (including applying a MANUAL PRL update - for some reason, lost the Device Self Service tool in removing too much stuff, but no biggie since I can do a manual prl update). With this, I reduced the /system size to a mere 92.4MB...its even smaller than CM6 (a little misleading here, but I just meant that for the standard install that I was using of CM6, this rom was smaller, not that cm6 cant get smaller than this one). This is with GSD.apk on my system (but since removed in what I will be posting). It is quite stable after a first setup (meaning set your phone settings how you want them, you will probably get FCs and stuff, when done, reboot and you should not get the again except for the ones I am outlining below)
A couple of things to note:
Settings > Accounts & Sync FCs
Settings > Personalize > Default ringtone is the only thing under here that doesnt FC
Settings > Connect to PC even though it is here, it actually does nothing, even though I have the PCSCII.apk file (or whatever its called), it relies on more than just that file. Doesnt matter, I can still mount the sdcard in adb shell.
There is no market, text messaging, browser, email, video player, music player, youtube, email...like I said PHONE, ## codes, and that is PRETTY MUCH IT!
This was created to mainly be something to switch to do a prl update and switch back to CM6. Over my course of testing this rom, I have ditched the switching back to CM6. This is a modular rom - ADD WHAT YOU WANT! To give an idea: I added Opera for browser, Handcent for SMS (no MMS - need help!), K-9 for email, APKTor for market (yea not as great), I did end up adding Youtube back, andLess for music playing, have not decided on a pic viewer yet (havent even looked), Sprint Nav. Im not done adding stuff to mine, this is just what I have so far. None of these are included in the download as this is an "add your apps" rom - these are mine, you have a choice of what yours are. The only things outside of the basic Android system that is coming included is AndroZip, ADW Launcher - cause its damn near perfect, SuperUser by chainsdd, Visual Voicemail (everything but AndroZip was already included, I just updated them).
Some issues I would like help with to resolve
1. No MMS - HUGE ISSUE...maybe its because I took out MMS.apk...actually, I will put that back in and see what happens (for .002 - probably tomorrow night)
2. No market - HUGE...I never realized the benefit to the market until I had no access to it. There is nothing anywhere close to it. AppBrain requires market, so that wasnt going to be a replacement, APKTor was all I could find. My question is this: Can the market be put back in without too many google things being added back? What apk files have to be included for Market to work, I know it requires a google account. If I dont get any help, I guess I will figure it out myself, just wondering if anyone could take a look and help me out.
3. busybox can not be updated for some reason - also, when issuing a parameter on a command, it errors, but when busybox is put before, it works
Code:
df -h does not work
busybox df -h works
4. bash can not be added (or nano, remount) from the kitchen
5. Connect to computer does not work, I kept that stupid file...if its not gonna work, Im pulling the file.
6. Collins battery tweak does not work, I tested a Zen Kernel and still nothing, I guess it does not matter as I have almost everything turned off, the battery lasts a long time. Remember, adding stuff that uses data or GPS will drain the battery the same as any other rom, but this is made to compliment you...This is why I would like to get the battery tweak to work with it, so it will have better life when things get added.
Maybe people can reply with what they have added as their apps (some will be the same as it all depends on what you can find without a Market)
Credits:
Code:
Damageless (for such a great base)
Treve (for assisting D in everyway possible to put out a first class product)
Flipz (for the color sliders)
Darchstar (for AOSP aspects)
sdotcarlisle (for the amazing bootscreen)
gbhil (for his insanely awesome Kernels and overal GREATNESS)
JsChiSurf (for rocking the HERO HOUSE finding all these cool ways to change up things!!)
Avalaunchmods + TrevE (for the audio fix)
VinceOB - (for showing me good stuff)
Konikub (for putting together PureHero)
Most of this was copied from the PureHero post as he thanked them in that post, I feel since I used his as my base, I needed to thank the same people including him - If I did wrong, let me know
Removed Rom links
I am putting both up, I would try the unsigned if you can flash it, for some reason (in my tests) the signed did not work as well as the unsigned. Also, this has MMS.apk added, it is untested, but really should work as I only removed the app. I will be doing my own test on this rom later tonight or tomorrow.
PS. I am not a developer, I just removed things, edited files in notepad++ and tested. If something does not work, please bear with me in finding out what caused it. As I said previously, a lot of stuff is removed, so expect that. The only FC's I experienced is one for putting the power control widget on the launcher (1 time), and the 2 places in settings. Thanks and let me know what you think

Nice concept, would love to see where this goes.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

Gtalk is needed to get the apps to download from the market.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

Macanage said:
Gtalk is needed to get the apps to download from the market.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is actually more stuff needed, but yea, gtalk is def needed. Its funny, someone in the G1 forum posted what it depended on, and besides one framework file, I removed everything else. I really hate the implementation of gtalk. It runs all the time and I dont use it. In the same G1 thread, the poster was talking about editing the package so it wasnt dependent on anything, I may have my programmer buddy take a look at it when he gets a chance to see if he can finish the work. If there was a way for the market to not need googleapps.apk or gtalk/service.apk I would be ecstatic, as it stands now, I dont see me putting the market back.
Also, Rom links have been posted

And actually, just for the sake of argument, I modified cm 6 and gapps to minimize the size on my phone, and I have it at 89 mb but sol full functionality. I even will have maps and nav and voice search and all, but on data partition only. In could shrink a lot more actually, but don't feel the need.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App

cm6 has the ability to get real tiny...if I were to remove the same things, Id say itd be around 50-60mb (maybe im just dreaming here), the issue with cm6 is that fact it does not allow prl updating. I included the newest prl in the zip which gets dumped to your sdcard...j-i-c. Android 2.2 is smaller than 2.1 - there is no way a 2.1 rom will be smaller than 2.2 with the same functionality, it just wont happen, I know that, I just wanted a small 2.1 that did prl ...maybe sprint will release a 2.2 we can use...then I will look into slimming it down like I did this one.
This was never meant to go head to head with cm6...we are talking about 2 different systems - I guess I should have pointed that out...2.2 has the potential to be WAAAY smaller than even this one.

This is a great idea and Im going to watch your progress, Im hoping someday they figure out how to get prl updated on 2.2 Such a pain right now updating it. Thanks for your work!

de-crapify the doubleshot!

I have rooted my phone, MT4GS, and discovered the /system/app with all the things that are installed and some that are not installed on the phone. These include all the CRAP that I will never use. (teleNAV, friend feed, Zino reader, etc.) I have copied off the contents VIA SD and removed about 33MB if files. Most were pretty obvious. I will include a list. I have made the assumption that if I remove select apps and reset (to factory) my phone, the removed apps will not be installed thus de-crapifying my phone. I would like to know from those more knowledgeable on Android that myself if I am correct. Here is a list of files I have selected for removal. As far as I can tell there is nothing too important, just all the apps I don't use and don't want.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
(can provide the rest of the list if needed, i.e. those to be kept)
Bejeweled2_trust5.apk
com.htc.FriendStream3DWidget.apk
com.htc.FriendStream3DWidget.odex
com.htc.TrendsWidget.apk
com.htc.TrendsWidget.odex
com.htc.Twitter3DWidget.apk
com.htc.Twitter3DWidget.odex
com.mobitv.client.tmobiletvhd.apk
desktopPointer-signed-v6.apk
Flickr.apk
Flickr.odex
FriendStream.apk
FriendStream.odex
HtcTwitter.apk
HtcTwitter.odex
Jazz.apk
MobileBackup.apk
MyAccount.apk
MyReportAgent.apk
MyReportAgent.odex
netflix-17-release-android-marketplace-upgrade.apk
qik.apk
slackerradio.apk
TmobileAndroidDeviceCarbon-c42-n123.apk
TMOUS_Navigator.apk
ZinioReader.v2.03.3312.Regular.apk
ZinioSettingsProvider.v2.03.3198.TMobile.Smartphone.apk

If you factory reset using the pdimg59.zip then they'll all be put back on.
Sent from my MT4GS running Bulletproof

Where is that file? I did a search and didn't find anything....

There was also an excellent write-up done in the apps section. It's no longer updated and is kind of buried on page 3 but it's still a great place to start.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1222672

Thanks for the help. I used the bloater apk from the thread. The only thing it would not let me uninstall was Netflix. It's funny also that the MP3 and video trim programs don't show up to be installed, the mysketch, and a few other apk files that are in the app folder.

I will be taking over bloater within the next few days.
Expect it to be updated to include a lot more.
I depreciated the thread siani_8 linked to because of the sticky I have in the developers section.
The sticky hasn't been updated in a while because:
1 - what's there is solid, and useful.
2 - no one else has posted app descriptions.
If other people are willing to post descriptions of what the apps actually do in the thread, i'll update that into the actual reference posts.
I figure that i've set the stage for the rest of the info to be put in, and i've done that much so far. If the community is interested in having descriptions posted, then the community at large will provide them.
The app reference is what inspired Romanbb to write that awesome Bloater app, and what we've all learned since then means more to be added. Bloater is very high on my project list, and it will be included in the new version of Bulletproof just like the last.
Also, that thread that got depreciated is from way back when - right after we first got S-OFF and were able to start deleting useless garbage we were all sick of being stuck with.
Definitely read through it if you are working on this from the ground up, because you'll see how we started to learn what we know today. It's a great exercise, and you'll learn a lot about your phone approaching it by playing along instead of just skipping to the end result.
Any questions feel free to ask, we're all here to help.

I need to add your thread in the compendium too. Its a good write up blue, I can't believe I missed it.
sent from my Agent Orange MT4G Slide using xda premium

I still can't find anything on this pdimg59.zip. Can anyone shed some light on it?

I think what you're referring to is the Stock ROM.
Easy answer:
Think of it like a failsafe for your device. If there is a file by that name on the sdcard, the phone will try to flash it on boot.
It's a more in depth answer then that from a technical perspective, but for just a quick "what is this?" that'll suffice. Someone with more time on their hands will probably come through here to expand on that if you're still curious.

To really decrapify your phone, just delete Rosie and HTCSense from /system/app. Just install another launcher app first.

Blue6IX said:
I think what you're referring to is the Stock ROM.
Easy answer:
Think of it like a failsafe for your device. If there is a file by that name on the sdcard, the phone will try to flash it on boot.
It's a more in depth answer then that from a technical perspective, but for just a quick "what is this?" that'll suffice. Someone with more time on their hands will probably come through here to expand on that if you're still curious.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sent from my Agent Orange MT4G Slide using xda premium

Looking to try CM7 for Infuse? "First Timers", Read this.

I just wanted to note down a few things that I wished I knew before flashing my Infuse.
Substituting your official Samsung build for unofficial ROMs like CyanogenMOD (CM) is a double edged sword. On one hand you get to play with the latest and greatest stuff...but on the other hand you have no guarantees of any kind. I'm not sure but you may be in violation of your warranty. In other words you're on your own.
Now there are forums like the Official CM forums and XDA where you'll get help if you run into issues but the bottom line is: You flashed your phone on your own responsibility. Nobody is liable for that. Nobody has any duty to resolve your issues. You may get a response, you may not. Sometimes the level of solution varies with the technical level of the person trying to help you. I may not be able to fix your problem... My suggestion may even f*** it up worse.
In my opinion, if your phone has critical data that you depend on (contacts, appointments etc)... it would be wise to stick with the OS build your phone came with. It may be old...but it has been tested by qualified engineers. All aspects of the phone are functional. And if you run into an issue, you can always pick up the phone and call somebody. When you flash your phone, there's always a minimal chance that you may lose your data (I'm not saying it always happens...but it can). You also lose the privilege of support provided by your carrier or anybody else.
Secondly, your Infuse ships with OS that has been modified by Samsung to provide you with a better experience. These are things which I'll list down at the end, that you'd lose with a custom build like CM. So you'd gain some features by trying the latest version of android but you'd lose a few features too! Because they were provided by Samsung, not by Google.
Things like:
1. No quick view in Calendar. You have to go to Agenda view in options where all entries of all dates will be visible. You cannot see daily appointments on the default Month view. Also there's no option for persistent alarm for your appointments. In the stock build my alarm for tasks used to ring for 15 minutes...now there just one ring and silence. Its a little thing but I sometimes miss the alarm and the whole purpose is lost.
2. Contacts applications is modified by Samsung. Joining contacts from different sources (facebook, twitter) into a single contact is much easier. You can do that in CM too but I had to search the Internet for that option.
You'd also get alphabets on the side of the screen while scrolling contacts. Tap an alphabet and you quickly jump to contacts that start with that alphabet. That's missing in CM too.
3. There are some widgets provided by Samsung like Running Applications widget which I absolutely loved. It would show number of running applications and a quick option to close them all. CM has a task manager and the market has applications that can replicate that functionality but I haven't found one as nifty as that little widget. Then theres a Dual Clock widget, which was important to me as I have contacts in different timezones. I could easily check their time at a glance. In short there were some gems that I miss... and I can't get with CM.
4. Messaging app was modified by Samsung to allow quick addition of a particular group (e.g. all the contacts in Family group) to senders list.
5. There was a very nice Memo app that you could store notes in for offline use. There are tons of alternatives in the market like Springpad, Evernote etc but I kinda liked that app. It had a very nice yellow legal pad template. Its a minor gripe but hey!
6. There's no swype in CM7! Samsung preloads your Infuse with swype. If you've not used swype, its an awesome way to input text. I found that I could sign up for Swype beta and use it in CM but then again....beta is a beta. It has problems.
7. Bluetooth (currently) doesn't completely work in CM7. You can transfer data but audio pairing is an issue. It doesn't bother me but it may be something you use.
8. Wifi is fine but try using Mobile Data on CM. I still haven't figured how to set up my mobilink GPRS internet. I tried setting up the APN with the same settings as on the stock build but it doesn't seem to work. It worked fine under Samsung. But YMMV. It may be particular to my network and CM build.
9. There's no voice search in google search widget. I had to install an apk from net to get it working. It wouldn't even show up in the market.
10. Also you'll lose all your settings in applications. You'll get your apps back from the market (Even the Paid ones...you won't have to re-purchase) but you'll have to set them up all again just the way you want. That may not be such a big deal for some but it may irk you. Also don't use Titanium Backup to restore you app data. I tried that and every f***ing app would crash every ten minutes. I had to reflash again.
11. Your partitions will show up different in the file manager. For example your internal sd card (as it showed up in stock build) will be mounted under 'emmc'. I had to look online for that. Now that may not be a major thing but it screwed up a lot of app data links.
12. Lastly CM isn't even official for Infuse yet. All you have are volunteers packaging builds for Infuse. Hats off to their hard work! But as a user.... you are the tester! So if you're comfortable running untested beta grade software only then go for CM7 on your infuse. Otherwise stick with the stock build.
I'll keep adding other differences as I remember and discover them. You guys can pitch in too.
This post is by no means an attempt to belittle CM. Its an excellent ROM. It has its own advantages which you can read up on its website. I'm just highlighting some tradeoffs so that new users like myself exactly know what they're giving up.
So if you still want to go ahead and flash your Infuse, full power to you. At least you'll be making an informed decision. Just please backup your critical data. Sync your contacts with Google. Back up your music and videos, messages, downloads etc.
Go here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1400375 for the latest CM7 build for Infuse.
Enjoy the CM awesomeness! Best of Luck

This is what distinguishes the men from the boys...or should I say android from apple....be cause we have options....yea...it voids your warranty..who cares...my dedutibke on my insurance and wait time for warranty repair isn't worth it. First we have options, apple doesn't, so if your scared say your scared and buy an iPhone...and as long as you have a back up you will not lose any critical info.. I flash my phone about 20 times or more a day testing out my rom builds and themes and have bricked a hundred times and all info is intact...if you stay stock on infuse...slow, laggy, bad signal.....this is why us devs work so hard ...so your phone and you don't....happy hollidays
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium

dman3285 said:
This is what distinguishes the men from the boys...or should I say android from apple....be cause we have options....yea...it voids your warranty..who cares...my dedutibke on my insurance and wait time for warranty repair isn't worth it. First we have options, apple doesn't, so if your scared say your scared and buy an iPhone...and as long as you have a back up you will not lose any critical info.. I flash my phone about 20 times or more a day testing out my rom builds and themes and have bricked a hundred times and all info is intact...if you stay stock on infuse...slow, laggy, bad signal.....this is why us devs work so hard ...so your phone and you don't....happy hollidays
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said bro...just came off a semi-hard brick and I'm back in business. And you can believe I'll keep flashing. CM7 isn't the only game in town. We've had a tidal wave of ports and even a couple infuse-based roms (thanks D) that can cater to anyones needs. All you gotta do is read and enjoy all the hard work these devs put in.

sbjaved - Thanks so much for this! i just flashed CM10, and am discovering what i've lost (From the latest samsung gingerbread leak) - and what i've gained! two days in and it's so worth it - The only thing i miss is MHL and quite frankly, it's a small loss.
-Woody

[Q] Noob Here. Will Paypal $20 For Help Getting Started Before 11AM CST

I bought a Samsung Infuse 4G from Wal-Mart a couple weeks ago. There's an annoying Facebook pop-up that keeps coming up asking me to accept their terms of agreement but I do not use any Facebook apps. I went into manage applications and saw a facebook app that I did not uninstall. The only extra apps I have installed on my phone were skype, tango, vibrer and two voice recording apps that sucked so bad I uninstalled them.
I am not new to any kind of coding, just new to android. I am on a limited time schedule because I have work at noon and it's already 9:28AM. I would like to get my phone rooted before I start that's why I'm offering to paypal for help since I won't be able to read all these guides in time. I am using a Windows 7 64-Bit PC. From what short research I was able to do, I have come to this conclusion:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28002718&postcount=8
^^^That's what I think I should do, but I'm not sure.
Option C looks cool but it looks like I might lose my contacts.
My objectives before I go to work.
1. Root phone so I can uninstall that annoying app.
2. Keep my contacts. I don't want to lose them.
3. Be able to use my phone's tethering ability without having to pay AT&T extra for that.
4. Improve battery-life and performance.
5. Be able to use custom apps or modified apps of existing apps...

8thos said:
I bought a Samsung Infuse 4G from Wal-Mart a couple weeks ago. There's an annoying Facebook pop-up that keeps coming up asking me to accept their terms of agreement but I do not use any Facebook apps. I went into manage applications and saw a facebook app that I did not uninstall. The only extra apps I have installed on my phone were skype, tango, vibrer and two voice recording apps that sucked so bad I uninstalled them.
I am not new to any kind of coding, just new to android. I am on a limited time schedule because I have work at noon and it's already 9:28AM. I would like to get my phone rooted before I start that's why I'm offering to paypal for help since I won't be able to read all these guides in time. I am using a Windows 7 64-Bit PC. From what short research I was able to do, I have come to this conclusion:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=28002718&postcount=8
^^^That's what I think I should do, but I'm not sure.
Option C looks cool but it looks like I might lose my contacts.
My objectives before I go to work.
1. Root phone so I can uninstall that annoying app.
2. Keep my contacts. I don't want to lose them.
3. Be able to use my phone's tethering ability without having to pay AT&T extra for that.
4. Improve battery-life and performance.
5. Be able to use custom apps or modified apps of existing apps...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Keep your $$$, it would be a great learning experiance for you XDA is not about making $$$ or looking for a fast fix.... is for someone who wants to learn and make their growth in the learning process....but it may take more time...
> if you want to keep your contacts you can export them to your sd card, options within the contacts. but google keeps them on the sync when you log into google it will populate your contacts to your phone automaticaly.
1. Root phone so I can uninstall that annoying app.
you can one click or odin if you want to keep stock or even load a custom ROM some options:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1629079
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1524081
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27286083#post27286083
2. Keep my contacts. I don't want to lose them.
as meantioned above export within contacts options or let google do it for you.
3. Be able to use my phone's tethering ability without having to pay AT&T extra for that.
I dont use this so no anwser for you...
4. Improve battery-life and performance.
keeping it stock but go with a load that is Rooted, Deodexed, Busybox, Zipaligned. Or load a custom ROM, see my signature for the ISET page for that listing.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1508619
All you need for the Infuse:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1610374
5. Be able to use custom apps or modified apps of existing apps.
Need root for this, not all require to be rooted but it helps. Again you can load with one click and put CWM then load a custom ROM.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1524081
Also again all the Roms:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1610374
Like I started out XDA is about learning not for the quick fix, and being new give yourself time to accomplish what you want to...and no $$ is asked from anyone that worth their weight. But as you see fit you can donate to anyone. But as I said keep your $$ learn.
Here is some good reading:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1700416

bigjoe2675 said:
Keep your $$$, it would be a great learning experiance for you XDA is not about making $$$ or looking for a fast fix.... is for someone who wants to learn and make their growth in the learning process....but it may take more time...
> if you want to keep your contacts you can export them to your sd card, options within the contacts. but google keeps them on the sync when you log into google it will populate your contacts to your phone automaticaly.
1. Root phone so I can uninstall that annoying app.
you can one click or odin if you want to keep stock or even load a custom ROM some options:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1629079
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1524081
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=27286083#post27286083
2. Keep my contacts. I don't want to lose them.
as meantioned above export within contacts options or let google do it for you.
3. Be able to use my phone's tethering ability without having to pay AT&T extra for that.
I dont use this so no anwser for you...
4. Improve battery-life and performance.
keeping it stock but go with a load that is Rooted, Deodexed, Busybox, Zipaligned. Or load a custom ROM, see my signature for the ISET page for that listing.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1508619
All you need for the Infuse:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1610374
5. Be able to use custom apps or modified apps of existing apps.
Need root for this, not all require to be rooted but it helps. Again you can load with one click and put CWM then load a custom ROM.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1524081
Also again all the Roms:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1610374
Like I started out XDA is about learning not for the quick fix, and being new give yourself time to accomplish what you want to...and no $$ is asked from anyone that worth their weight. But as you see fit you can donate to anyone. But as I said keep your $$ learn.
Here is some good reading:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1700416
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Unfortunately I ran out of time so I will have to check this out when I get off work. I really appreciate the help.

8thos said:
Thanks! Unfortunately I ran out of time so I will have to check this out when I get off work. I really appreciate the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the community... Your going to be surprised finding out how friendly and willing to help the people are around here so do not hesitate to ask for help.. All we ask is you try to use the search future before asking.

Just wanted to let you know I chose option c
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1613523
Everything works fine and I'm not interested in doing anything more to it.
All the roms I saw had some kind of drawback or something was not working right from what I read. It's a shame too cause I wanted to try out Ice Cream Sandwhich.
Oh yeah Shelley from www.bbsmiley.com hooked me up with a list of some cool apps: https://plus.google.com/102677509828572193138/posts/NFhjkRV3VoU
I haven't actually seen a list of good apps on here yet. I just gotta search the forum's harder.

8thos said:
Just wanted to let you know I chose option c
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1613523
Everything works fine and I'm not interested in doing anything more to it.
All the roms I saw had some kind of drawback or something was not working right from what I read. It's a shame too cause I wanted to try out Ice Cream Sandwhich.
Oh yeah Shelley from www.bbsmiley.com hooked me up with a list of some cool apps: https://plus.google.com/102677509828572193138/posts/NFhjkRV3VoU
I haven't actually seen a list of good apps on here yet. I just gotta search the forum's harder.
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Glad it worked out for and you save some $$$ and learn a few things...
and that is totally your call on doing anything more, nothing wrong with that....

A little help for an oldschooler excepting the future would be much appreciated

Hats off to everyone on this forum. It's been awhile since I been on here and I am happy to see it still going strong.
I am new to the S8+ and new to modding in 2019. I haven't messed around with this stuff since the "getting the evo to work on boost" days. I am looking for some advise/recommendations on what to choose as far as roms, etc., from the gate from someone who may have had an experience in what I'm trying to achieve rather than going through hundreds of rom post to find the answer I'm looking for. I stepped away from "smart" phones for awhile and came back only when I found out I could lock them down as much as possible using programs like bk disabler (rip). Even root at the time didn't list the "apps in the background" (if you know what I mean) for me to edit or disable them.
I am looking to root (if needed anymore) my device and install an ultra slim/lite rom, no extra apps on it that don't need to be there, especially social media apps. Not sure if roms still come with a separate gaps install option but not having them is fine as well as I will not be signing into any account on my phone and will only want to use youtube as far as the only goog service used, so i wont be able to use any of them anyway besides tube (unless of course there is now a way to use maps and such without signing in?). If theres such a rom out there of course it would need to be stable. I do not want android 9 as none of the apps I actually use (like bk disabler/acr/etc) work with pie from what I have read. Goog wants all the tracking to themselves now I guess, hence why I am looking for a rom that is as slim as possible. I just want to make calls, text, browse the web and use the tube without having all kinds of accounts and sign ups for any of it. I am really tired of big tech but going back to a black and white nokia in 2019 is not an option anymore.
So a few questions I have would be.. Whats the best root process? I see Odin is still a thing so which version should I be using, also which kernel should I be using? Are different roms still based off different kernels, if so which is better? And lastly what rom should I choose or which rom creator is now the person to look out for?
I know I'm oldshool at this point so please bare with me on these questions. Any help in pointing me in the right direction would be very much appreciated. Thanks!