Related
I have been scouring all over this Forum for a while now.
Anyway, I have a proposal.
Why dont all the Customized WM6 ROM creators work together and build SINGLE ROM for all?
Maybe they can create a few additions such as Multimedia, Business or Ultimate edition. Can try identifying key areas and programs and make them work flawlessly in this single ROM.
Just an idea.
The reason there are so many is because they do this for themselves in most cases, so you will find things they wanted to include, not for the great unwashed masses.
You will find one or two that work together, and they solve issues that have been a problem for them, but this is as a learning experience so they can overcome an issue, not to benefit mankind.
You could also ask why don't all of the world governments work together to get world peace, since they all claim to want it.
It's possible to built a vanilla ROM and make several Extended ROMs with flavors for every taste...
In the other hand it's good to have some "competition" between developers.
AlanJC said:
You could also ask why don't all of the world governments work together to get world peace, since they all claim to want it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehehe.... well said...
Also, this was done recently(or something quite like it...) by Leo and Beast, to create the new ROM, hopefully bug-free...
I noticed that this thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=437576) was closed recently and to be honest I didn't think it was entirely fair.
Yes, it's true that we should all read the guidance, and yes, it's also true that individual preferences will determine which might be the 'best' ROM.
However, there are 2 reasons why I think that closing the thread was unfair.
First of all, there is too much information, and a lot of it is simply too technical. I want to update my 6.0 ROM because I am using one of sleuth's old ROMs from January. I'm not sure whether to go for a 6.0 or 6.1 ROM. I haven't seen any post which summarises what the strengths and weaknesses are. My understanding is that the benefits of improved usability and battery life are offset by greater instability and slower response, one of the big drawbacks of WM6. So for me, I want usbility, stability, speed, speed and more speed. I don't want to wait a while after pressing a button and I don't want to have to use the stylus. What is the point of having all this cool hardware if it's painfully slow and awkward to use?
For me this is more important than free RAM, video dialling and YouTube. I have no idea which are the fastest ROMs, or whether a WM6.1 ROM can be as fast as a WM6.0 ROM. Also, how bad is the instability? Does this mean crashes every day, couple of days, every week?
There is a lot of mention of Hyperdragon and Manila but I have no idea what this is. Actually I think that Manila is some form of accelerated 2d driver. But what is 'a 2d driver' and how does it differ from 'a 3d driver'?
You can get lots of detailed technical information, but the more basic issues don't seem to be documented. There are so many ROMs, how is a newbie supposed to choose? Flashing the phone and reinstalling/reconfiguring everything is not an instant process and it can take quite a while to get your phone configured just right. Even if you read all the detail, I suspect that newbies will still be somewhat in the dark. Most of us don't have time to try out 3 or 4 ROMs before we settle on the right one.
Finally, the original poster specified (some of) his particular preferences or selection criteria if you like. It should have been possible for people to make recommendations based on this. If some think the question is a bit lame, they will say so. More enlightened users might post links to some information that is genuinely useful, instead of posting something like. "Search the forum, the information is there". Yup, sure, but the phone will probably be obsolete before you find it. Leaving the thread open will allow the debate.
I understand how you might not want lots of posts about the same thing, but if that is the case, then it indicates that the information is not as accessible as it could be. I think it would be useful if for each ROM posted, the chefs could summarise the main points and benefits. For example is the OS 6.0 or 6.1, how fast it is compared the standard. Is there a benchmarking tool? What are the unique benefits? What are the known issues? Some ROMs posted have really excellent documentation, some not, but it doesn't give me any basis for comparison in relation to the things that are important to me - and others I suspect.
This kind of debate is interesting and relevant to me and I suspect some other too.
So if anyone would care to comment on their views on ROM choices, particularly in relation to speed and stability, I would be really grateful.
bigstick said:
This kind of debate is interesting and relevant to me and I suspect some other too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be me.
So if anyone would care to comment on their views on ROM choices, particularly in relation to speed and stability, I would be really grateful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
... And Battery life please
im not trying to come down on you but i think your missing the whole point of this site. lets go with battery life for a second. if you had read (and this isnt that technical) the battery does have some to do with the rom but more to do with the radio and what you use the phone for. speed is also dependent on what programs your running. the problem is like has been stated before this site is about not being a spoon fed prossess and trying each rom yourself. if you want to compare them the do just that..let us know what you think bu post in the correct rom. not realy all that difficult
Checkout Windows Mobile 6.0 vs Windows Mobile 6.1 thread
bigstick said:
So if anyone would care to comment on their views on ROM choices, particularly in relation to speed and stability, I would be really grateful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already commented on my ROM choice over at the Windows Mobile 6.0 vs Windows Mobile 6.1 thread here (only one day old since the last post). I see you posted in it too.
To summarise, for me the HTC official WM 6.0 ROM is miles ahead of their latest WWE WM 6.1 version in terms of general reliability, speed of GPS functioning and reception strength and even simplicity (including WMP program related files not being dumped into my microSD cards music folder). As for customised ROMs, there are posts about that in the same thread.
The site is meant to be how it is. If you never read and do the research yourself you will never figure out how to do this on your own. Yeah, it may be hard to start, I think my first flash took several hours, reading and re-reading the directions, but now I can flash + get all my apps and settings right in less than a half hour. And about how fast the ROMs are, there is really no way to judge that, because they are all updated very frequently and most people re-flash, new bugs show up, things slow down, things speed up, it would just be too hard to keep track of it all in one spot, and it is alot easier to just read. You really need to use a ROM for a few days to get a feel for it, and you can use something like PIM backup so you won't actually lose anything between flashes. Battery life can't be judged good either, because it seems that radios perform differently in different areas, so everyone is always searching for that perfect radio, which is ever-elusive, some get a GPS fix in 10 seconds, but eat 30% of the battery doing it. Some take 3 minutes but you can talk for 324 hours before the battery dies (exaggerations) There are just too many options and too many combinations of radio/ROM/SPL/location that it would be some form of retarded to track it all, and on top of that, all of these people here do this on there own time and dime. Sure there are donations, but no one can pay the rent with the donations received here, why ask them to take more of their time to test and keep detailed statistics (BTW, just because they cooked a ROM dosent mean they magically know if you will like it or not). Last thing, do you buy pants based on online reviews? No? Thats because your ass is different from mine, my ROM might not tickle your fancy, just like when you try on some pants that don't work or fit, what do you do with a ROM? Try a different one. Not meaning to bust your balls, but this is not a simple process, and you've got to do some reading. Yeah, it sucks, but so does not being able to take a pill and instantly know calculus.
Actually, this sort of response is exactly what I was hoping to get.
Sure, different people have different preferences, and posting opinions and justifying their choices is something us novices can learn from. It gives us a starting point to research the ROMs which look most promising.
Regarding the battery life and radio thing - I know, but the thread on V6.0 vs v6.1 specifically mentioned different battery life. I'm sure most of you guys are using suitable radios, I mean you aren't going to choose one for crappy performance are you? So this indicates that the OS version (or the radios available for them) have different performance.
I've already done a lot of reading, but the sad fact is, I still don't have the answers to some basic questions. I do believe (from what I have read here) that a WM6.0 ROM will be faster and more stable than a V6.1 ROM, but I don't know to what extent. Is the difference noticeable? Do the latest Hyperdragon and Manila ROMs make the kaiser the zippy usable phone we wanted when we chose it?
So, even if people just post what ROMs they currently use, why they chose them, how they compare with others they may have used, and give us the benefit of their views and expertise, I think some of us could learn a huge amount.
So, I'm really not trying to be a whiny pain in the butt, just learn a lot more to help me with research.
I actually have an idea, if the MODs would let it fly and possibly sticky it: A comprehensive, detailed ROM review thread. I could make a post for each ROM a user submits a review to me for, and then take the ones that actually have decent content and recommendations and aren't like "Yeah I really enjoy this rom, great rom" and edit the posts accordingly, or have one giant post, or perhaps a wiki page if one doesn't already exist for that purpose.
I'm not much on programming or that great with technical skills to cook, but an up to date review thread could definitely be my way of being able to give back to the community.
i guess you didnt search first
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=409867&highlight=rom+comparison
yeah, figured someone probably got the idea before now. I've never seen that tick through the threads though, guess that's why. When he starts updating again the mods oughta sticky it. My bad on an unoriginal idea.
For starters, if you have an issue with a MOD closing a thread, please PM them. Do not call them out in public.
Second: The previously mentioned thread was closed because there are rules against "best ROM threads" because as Jimmy said, ROMs are very subjective, and there is no definitive answer to suit everyone.
Third: This thread is now being closed as well. As it has already been said, you need to do your research on the different ROMs available. It only takes a few minutes to read up on any given ROM because the chef usually updates one of the first few posts with reported issues and their fixes.
If you require any further clarification, please refer to the announcement at the top of the Kaiser forums.
I've been a regular reader of these forums since researching my first Android purchase. Over this time I have seem many new ROM projects born. I would like to argue that many of these projects are so similar that they are pointless.
I'm calling out anyone whoever made a new Hero/HTC-Sense ROM. Seriously. When you saw the 10 other Hero guys out there, what made you think it was better to release your own flavour instead trying to participate in an existing project?
I've taken a look, and as far as I can tell, there should only be 3 non-factory ROM projects:
- CyanogenMod, because of the effort Steve goes to stay 100% legal and teeter on the bleeding edge of Google's source code
- 1 Hero/Sense UI ROM, because we actually only need 1, why don't you guys work together, sheesh
- 1 Blur rip-off ROM, because goodness knows there are going to be people who actually think it's a great idea
Just because Android is based on Linux, doesn't mean we have to make all the same mistakes that has dogged and doomed Linux from the beginning. We don't need to splinter into a billion different distributions, at least not yet. Looking at the feature lists for many of these similar ROMs, the only thing that is different is additional locales or small bug fixes, hardly worth the effort of repackaging. /sigh
*end nerd rage*
i doubt they end. its their project, they build it how they like it and they share it. people do not have to download it. there are many reasons why they release their own, they have more freedom to do what they want. in past rom devs work together then they split up due to differences. working together is all fine and good but this isnt a utopian world haha, people have different opinions on how to move forward with a project.
just because you dont want to download and try different builds dont mean they should stop
jokeyrhyme said:
I've been a regular reader of these forums since researching my first Android purchase. Over this time I have seem many new ROM projects born. I would like to argue that many of these projects are so similar that they are pointless.
I'm calling out anyone whoever made a new Hero/HTC-Sense ROM. Seriously. When you saw the 10 other Hero guys out there, what made you think it was better to release your own flavour instead trying to participate in an existing project?
I've taken a look, and as far as I can tell, there should only be 3 non-factory ROM projects:
- CyanogenMod, because of the effort Steve goes to stay 100% legal and teeter on the bleeding edge of Google's source code
- 1 Hero/Sense UI ROM, because we actually only need 1, why don't you guys work together, sheesh
- 1 Blur rip-off ROM, because goodness knows there are going to be people who actually think it's a great idea
Just because Android is based on Linux, doesn't mean we have to make all the same mistakes that has dogged and doomed Linux from the beginning. We don't need to splinter into a billion different distributions, at least not yet. Looking at the feature lists for many of these similar ROMs, the only thing that is different is additional locales or small bug fixes, hardly worth the effort of repackaging. /sigh
*end nerd rage*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand how you feel, but isn't that what this site is for? If we only had those three ROM's, then this would be a very boring site. I personally like when people take other ROM's and tweak it to their liking. I don't have a clue on how to cook ROM's, but others do, and they might make one that fits my needs. Just my opinion though....
jokeyrhyme said:
I've been a regular reader of these forums since researching my first Android purchase. Over this time I have seem many new ROM projects born. I would like to argue that many of these projects are so similar that they are pointless.
I'm calling out anyone whoever made a new Hero/HTC-Sense ROM. Seriously. When you saw the 10 other Hero guys out there, what made you think it was better to release your own flavour instead trying to participate in an existing project?
I've taken a look, and as far as I can tell, there should only be 3 non-factory ROM projects:
- CyanogenMod, because of the effort Steve goes to stay 100% legal and teeter on the bleeding edge of Google's source code
- 1 Hero/Sense UI ROM, because we actually only need 1, why don't you guys work together, sheesh
- 1 Blur rip-off ROM, because goodness knows there are going to be people who actually think it's a great idea
Just because Android is based on Linux, doesn't mean we have to make all the same mistakes that has dogged and doomed Linux from the beginning. We don't need to splinter into a billion different distributions, at least not yet. Looking at the feature lists for many of these similar ROMs, the only thing that is different is additional locales or small bug fixes, hardly worth the effort of repackaging. /sigh
*end nerd rage*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a regular reader you should know that there are about 5 different versions of Hero floating around to base off of. There are 2 different versions of blur. There is also pulse, donut, cupcake, and variations on them.
Hero includes: Tattoo (a specialized mix of donut and sense), the sense ui merged with magic, the official release Hero, the non-official beta Hero, and the Sprint Hero. (And if you ever read the threads, we do all work together) There are also multiple opinions on BFS and a2sd, which allows for variations.
Blur has both a Hero and a Cyanogen based version, depending on which way they decided to go to get the supporting files for the main system.
The rest are obvious, and I don't feel like going into that much detail.
If we all followed your beleif, updates would take twice as long and not have nearly as many features. Rather than Drizzy, JustAnotherCrowd, Cyrowski, and myself all waiting for the one day we all have 2 hours to meet on google talk, share files, and build an update... JAC relelases an update, Cyrowski writes a new boot image, I restructure the way a2sd operates, and Drizzy comes along and adds in some new apps he restructured to work on that build. Some people choose to stop somewhere along the path and stick to that ROM, others go all the way down the road. If there were only one update, most Devs would spend half the day just telling people how to disable, remove, or add the feature they integrated.
I just dont see how less is more in this case. If you don't like all the updates, do what I do. I have the ones I actually read followed, and I only ever take a quick glance at the first page of posts before checking those. If I miss anything important, it is only ever by a day. If it's that important, it inevitably gets bumped to the first page long before it becomes so old that I surely learned it somewhere else.
*end informed response*
twistedumbrella said:
*end informed response*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe.
Okay, I get that there's a matrix of every possible version of Android against every different sort of UI (ie Hero+Donut, Blur+Cupcake, etc). My shortlist is obviously too short. But it's difficult to pick out, for example, the best Hero ROM. And I can see the same thing happening with Blur as it becomes more and more in vogue.
Watching 3 different Hero versions, you might decide that ROM A almost perfectly suits your needs except for the bug that only got fixed in ROM B. And ROM C has both the features and the bug fix, but has an ugly custom UI somewhere. So then you think to yourself "why don't I just make package D?". The only way you'll know anything for sure is to spend time trying out however many different ROMs knowing very well that there's a chance you'll be forced to compromise. The only differences between many of these ROMs seems to be the Android version, pre-installed applications and custom kernels.
I know I came off fairly irate and impetuous in my original post. But when you can see all these talented developers producing so many different forks and reproducing so much effort, it can be very frustrating for an enthusiastic end user.
twistedumbrella said:
As a regular reader you should know that there are about 5 different versions of Hero floating around to base off of. There are 2 different versions of blur. There is also pulse, donut, cupcake, and variations on them.
Hero includes: Tattoo (a specialized mix of donut and sense), the sense ui merged with magic, the official release Hero, the non-official beta Hero, and the Sprint Hero. (And if you ever read the threads, we do all work together) There are also multiple opinions on BFS and a2sd, which allows for variations.
Blur has both a Hero and a Cyanogen based version, depending on which way they decided to go to get the supporting files for the main system.
The rest are obvious, and I don't feel like going into that much detail.
If we all followed your beleif, updates would take twice as long and not have nearly as many features. Rather than Drizzy, JustAnotherCrowd, Cyrowski, and myself all waiting for the one day we all have 2 hours to meet on google talk, share files, and build an update... JAC relelases an update, Cyrowski writes a new boot image, I restructure the way a2sd operates, and Drizzy comes along and adds in some new apps he restructured to work on that build. Some people choose to stop somewhere along the path and stick to that ROM, others go all the way down the road. If there were only one update, most Devs would spend half the day just telling people how to disable, remove, or add the feature they integrated.
I just dont see how less is more in this case. If you don't like all the updates, do what I do. I have the ones I actually read followed, and I only ever take a quick glance at the first page of posts before checking those. If I miss anything important, it is only ever by a day. If it's that important, it inevitably gets bumped to the first page long before it becomes so old that I surely learned it somewhere else.
*end informed response*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
twisted your roms are always the most polished and daily functionable
i appreciate your input on these forums as well as drizzys and jac's
im glad there are multiple possibilities so i can see which one runs the best for my intended uses
party a may use their phone for internet texting and facebook
when party b may use their phone for calls email and business
party A is using XXXHerorom that runs his needed functions the quickest and most efficient way possible
party b is using XXXherorom that runs his needed functions the quickest and most efficient way possible
jokeyrhyme said:
I've been a regular reader of these forums since researching my first Android purchase. Over this time I have seem many new ROM projects born. I would like to argue that many of these projects are so similar that they are pointless.
I'm calling out anyone whoever made a new Hero/HTC-Sense ROM. Seriously. When you saw the 10 other Hero guys out there, what made you think it was better to release your own flavour instead trying to participate in an existing project?
I've taken a look, and as far as I can tell, there should only be 3 non-factory ROM projects:
- CyanogenMod, because of the effort Steve goes to stay 100% legal and teeter on the bleeding edge of Google's source code
- 1 Hero/Sense UI ROM, because we actually only need 1, why don't you guys work together, sheesh
- 1 Blur rip-off ROM, because goodness knows there are going to be people who actually think it's a great idea
Just because Android is based on Linux, doesn't mean we have to make all the same mistakes that has dogged and doomed Linux from the beginning. We don't need to splinter into a billion different distributions, at least not yet. Looking at the feature lists for many of these similar ROMs, the only thing that is different is additional locales or small bug fixes, hardly worth the effort of repackaging. /sigh
*end nerd rage*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't agree and don't understand your frustration. You use what you want to use, let other people make their own decisions.
I happen to prefer Enomther's roms because they are more customizable in terms of what is included on the rom through the expansion pack and expension pack setup. I don't like arbitrary modifications as I prefer to have my phone close to vanilla Android but have performance improvements added. But going by your opinion it should not exist. Who are you to determine which rom's are pointless? I really don't understand the fuss. Different people have different preferences. If you prefer limited/no choice get an iPhone.
Unfortunately each Rom runs differently on each phone. My friend has the blurry screen problem while I dont. He can only run a few selected roms some of which doesn't do what he wants to do. I have gone though about 30 different roms before settling on one and quite frankly I think its pretty fun. I am on the bleeding edge of. techology.
I wish I would make a Rom. I have so many ideas for one.
The concern about multiple builds makes sense, but other folks have mentioned that different builds fix different things.
I've tried many of the Hero flavors, but sadly (unless I simply missed it) none of them have fully gotten bluetooth to work. I prefer using bluetooth for calling, and so far only Cyanogenmod's roms seemed to be able to nail this on the head. It's what I've been using for quite some time, and has proven to be the quickest and most stable.
It would be great if they all worked on just one version of the Hero rom, but it won't happen. Just imagine how many more are going to pop up when the official SenseUI shows up for the Saphire.
Eh
I completely disagree with the OP. Everyones needs are different and having a build thats just right for you is a luxury that you wouldn't get on most other types of phones. I really don't see an issue with having multiple builds even if they are fairly similar. Its not like we are wasting development time, there is no downside. Some may argue it makes it harder for users to find a good rom, but the bottom line is anyone who is flashing their android phone has an interest in technology and is going to enjoy trying out different builds. And once you've tried a few builds you get a pretty good idea of what your looking for in your ideal build making it much easier to choose. Using your Linux example, between work and home I use 3 different distributions everyday, the reason being each has strengths that make it ideal for specific applications, its not a problem or a mistake, its simply not everyones needs are the same.
Even for the novice like me it is not too hard to make sense out of what is available. I never liked when people do not read full thread before posting a question. Is it a problem of impatient generation or just a simple laziness? IDK.
Also, it has been a exiting jorney for me to learn everything about my phone and tremendous possibilities. Fear of bricking and yet the desire to try new stuff.
There are useful bits and pieces in almost every thread except yours, sorry to say that. There is nothing that can replace user's feedback and their own disoveries that are not necessarily coming from devs or people remotely in the field of android development.
Cease the proliferation of similar ROMs!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also disagree with this thread. More choice is better for everyone!
Also if there are 2 similar roms, as a user rather than a dev you can still take the bits you like from both and make it your own.
jokeyrhyme really? have you made any roms or customized anything for your personal use? if so did you like it? if not, how come you didnt make one custom rom? is it because you dont know how or just rely on others to do it for you? there are soooooo many ppl with different "styles, perceptions and ideals" that one extra rom might be their next rom of choice!! whats wrong with a larger amount of variety? who gives you the right to try and call everyone out when they are the ones spending the time to learn, make and fix all the bugs for everyone when it started off for them selves?!?!? this thread is a joke and is taking up space in development. request for it to be moved to the trash or general. which ever is easiest.
WTF?
Ok at this point i'm kinda getting sick of this whole android forum. Way to much fighting, ignorance, complaints like damn who gives a **** (sorry just vex) who does what or doesnt do what or makes what or doesnt make what. If you dont like something...move onto the next. I mean those who alert the devs/cookers (whatever you choose to call them ) to issues with the rom only for the betterment of the rom are in the right. But when i see dumb **** like "this person's rom does this and that" i get pissed..just reflash that rom sit down shut up and think about that little life of yours that obviously is worthless since you can spend time downing people's work and yet you can make a rom or troubleshoot a rom on your own. Y'all need to relax yourselves find **** that works for you and stick wit hit. If it aint what you want..move on silently. dont fault the creator just move the hell on. Dont post dumb threads like this and most off DONT SAY ****!!! it's these very same forums dedicated to development of our devices that make our devices that much more amazing so dont flood the forum with dumb ****!!!. Show respect to our developers, give em props for taking time out of their lives to make our android experience benificial and super amazing.
I also disagree with OP's sentiment. I'd rather there be as many ROMs as possible than to have my choice restricted to a handful.
And daeshawn you're right, some people are so rude and unappreciative. I just ignore the douchebags and try to contribute as positively as I can.
I completely understand what you're saying. These forums can be really overwhelming at first. But honestly, I enjoy switching between different builds of Android just to see what they're like. Some people want APPS2SD, some don't. Some people want to split FAT32/EXT3/Swap, some don't. There are simply too many combinations for a small set of ROMs to handle.
sigh..... guess well never find the middle of the tootie pop
If a middle ground were to exist it could go something like this:
Everyone can do whatever they want as far as their ROMs go. Perhaps, for new people who might otherwise be overwhelmed with choices, the Q&A (if it doesn't already) could link to a few long-running, stable ROMs that typically accomplish the very basics. And once people get a chance to try those, figuring out what you want becomes a little simpler and the tons of threads start making some coherent sense.
It's like "which is better, Cyanogen's rendition or Enom's" and the answer, for a lot of people, is that it depends. There might be similarities and both ROMs ultimately accomplish a lot of the same things (root, A2SD, compcache, linux swap, etc.) but preferences remain. I like one, you like another. There's no reason both developers, each of whom presumably likes their own, can't go on making what they want to make and offering it out there. More over, the experienced users are already aware of the alternatives.
It's really newbies that might find the choices overwhelming.
As for reinventing the wheel with every ROM, many threads already provide credit to a variety of developers, so clearly the work gets around. Just because they all do it at their own leisure and in the order of their choosing doesn't mean the developers are living in closed bubbles. Maybe the colab work that needs to be done is already being done even if it's not obvious. More over, even if two ROM cookers decide to both implement similar changes apart from each other, the choice to do so is totally in their court. Their time and their money and their brains.
There is kind of, for me, a question of stability. I have a fair confidence, for example, that Cyanogen is not going to drop Android development entirely any time soon and his ROMs will continue to exist with updates and bug fixes. Other developers share this sense of stability, but it's not an all around type of thing. There are ROMs out there now that are interesting because they are cool and new, but will they still be maintained a year from now is another question entirely. And I think that's a legitimate concern and reason for wanting at least a few long-lasting ROMs. Because, essentially, if 5 devs work on something and one gets bored, there's still 4 left. Conversely, if there's only one dev and he/she decides they're done, now what?
Just my $.02
I've no issue with the number of roms.
however, what is missing is a simple resource that lists them and a summary of features.
trying to wade through all the post to see what does what is a total ball ache. I think this is more the problem than the number of roms.
An up to date one pager that showed the current status of what was available would be perfect.
Well, I totally deserve all the hate this thread has brought my way.
*bows head in shame*
I agree that if there was ever a place to test out dozens of difference features, then this is that place. So it's totally appropriate to have as many different ROMs as there are demands for different features and such.
I do think more could be done to draw new users towards stable and long-term projects, as has been suggested by sleepykit and moa77. Maybe that's really the solution I was after. An update to the listing or something perhaps?
Sorry about being a poohead, I'll be good now.
*hugs all round*
PS. I changed the topic title to be less evil and more open.
Hi Everyone,
My names Martin and I work for Packt Publishing in the UK.
Im currently looking at a book on Android Rooting, ROMS, themeing etc.
I just wanted input from you on what should be included in the book as the only similar title on amazon has terrible reviews!
If you have any ideas on any other android titles you think would be useful let me know here.
We would also be looking for an author if this book gets through our commitment process as well as technical reviewers. They would most likely come from these forums.
Thanks,
M
This would be very difficult. The reason being, the android rooting and romming game is very fluid. What works one day, may not hold true the next due to software updates. Even rooting exploits are ever evolving. Then add the variance of many many different devices, all with thier own quirks and such. Just saying.
Thanks for the reply.
Understandably given the ever changing releases of android teh subject is a minefield.
I think it is definitely a market for such a book its just finding the right angle.
hmm bro its very dificult
How did you get into Roms, Themes etc???
What resources did you use?
Mart_Packt said:
How did you get into Roms, Themes etc???
What resources did you use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of the folks mainly this forum. And google ofcourse.
Cause its device specific, in most cases. At least in terms of rooting.
For theming, flashing etc its mainly similar.
But I would say, stuff I've mentioned are the top of the iceberg.
Anyhow, good luck!
Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk 2
Hi.
I don't post much, I know, but I've been a lurker for quite a while. Anyway, long story short, I had a SGS for a while and by then (when it was new and shiny and the best thing of the world) every (or almost every) custom rom had something that distinguished it from the others (even with all the locked and closed source stuff). Either a new launcher, supercharged scripts, themes... you probably know what I mean. Fast-forward to 2014 and here I am with a brand new Nexus 5 with readily available source and binaries... I mean it's the or one of the most open phones in the world.
But, every custom ROM, be it stock or CM based, looks the same to me. Sure, names differ a lot (Dark UI, Black Carbon Fibers or whatever it is) but the overall functionality is the same. Innovation (or Imagination?) is near null values.
Apart from a few (SlimKat comes to mind even tho it has much of the functionality of the others, it's quite small in size compared) every rom looks the same. Not to mention there is quite less roms available for the device than for others.
Note that by saying this I mean no disrespect to the cookers or kitchen teams. Their work is highly appreciated.
Is it just me? Am I missing something?
Because every dev is building their ROMs using the same source.
Xeon3D said:
Hi.
I don't post much, I know, but I've been a lurker for quite a while. Anyway, long story short, I had a SGS for a while and by then (when it was new and shiny and the best thing of the world) every (or almost every) custom rom had something that distinguished it from the others (even with all the locked and closed source stuff). Either a new launcher, supercharged scripts, themes... you probably know what I mean. Fast-forward to 2014 and here I am with a brand new Nexus 5 with readily available source and binaries... I mean it's the or one of the most open phones in the world.
But, every custom ROM, be it stock or CM based, looks the same to me. Sure, names differ a lot (Dark UI, Black Carbon Fibers or whatever it is) but the overall functionality is the same. Innovation (or Imagination?) is near null values.
Apart from a few (SlimKat comes to mind even tho it has much of the functionality of the others, it's quite small in size compared) every rom looks the same. Not to mention there is quite less roms available for the device than for others.
Note that by saying this I mean no disrespect to the cookers or kitchen teams. Their work is highly appreciated.
Is it just me? Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
by look the same, you mean theming? you can do your own theming. nexus devices are lucky, they have access to source and the binaries, the other devices dont. from what i see, most other devices try to get aosp working on them, but dont fully or in a non hacky way. so they try other stuff with their roms, like more theming. people mostly buy nexus devices because they lack all the oem thrown in stuff and run pure android. the developers buy nexus devices for the same reason. generally, there isnt much demand for theming a nexus rom. nexus people like the basic android ui, as well as the developers. plus, id say that the over all age of nexus users is a little older than other android phones, and theming is more prefered by children and teenagers.
oh, and btw, nexus developers only use open source code, as its illegal to publish anything public using closed sourced code. anyways, nexus is all ooen source code, except for the binaries.
While all my examples were about theming, I didn't want to focus just on theming. I don't see roms using custom launchers or even a custom theme or kernel.. Nor do they integrate apps from other devices or from the market/devs here on XDA. Every cm11 based rom is pretty much the same functionality wise and I don't even want to talk about the stock based ones.
I thought that nexus owners being them users or developers bought the devices because it would be easier to use or create custom roms for them due to the openness of the system.
Also if it is illegal to post stuff with closed source code (and I know it is) why do all the other devices have a ****load of roms with proprietary stuff in them?? They're still pretty much available here (I'm thinking of the live with Walkman forum)..
Most roms there have stuff from newer and better devices which do actually work and that phone is really poor on terms of hardware specs.
It seems to me that most cookers for the nexus 5 are cooking the same dish but calling it different names because they might plate it In a different way.
It's a bit late now for me now, but I guess sooner or later I'm going to create a deviation of the rom list available as a Google document here and try every rom and compare them feature wise. So I can know for sure if I'm right with what I say here or if it's just a product of my imagination.
Xeon3D said:
While all my examples were about theming, I didn't want to focus just on theming. I don't see roms using custom launchers or even a custom theme or kernel.. Nor do they integrate apps from other devices or from the market/devs here on XDA. Every cm11 based rom is pretty much the same functionality wise and I don't even want to talk about the stock based ones.
I thought that nexus owners being them users or developers bought the devices because it would be easier to use or create custom roms for them due to the openness of the system.
Also if it is illegal to post stuff with closed source code (and I know it is) why do all the other devices have a ****load of roms with proprietary stuff in them?? They're still pretty much available here (I'm thinking of the live with Walkman forum)..
Most roms there have stuff from newer and better devices which do actually work and that phone is really poor on terms of hardware specs.
It seems to me that most cookers for the nexus 5 are cooking the same dish but calling it different names because they might plate it In a different way.
It's a bit late now for me now, but I guess sooner or later I'm going to create a deviation of the rom list available as a Google document here and try every rom and compare them feature wise. So I can know for sure if I'm right with what I say here or if it's just a product of my imagination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, then nexus romming wont be right for you.
on second thought, the nexus 5 is definitely not right for you.
there are many roms that include custom kernels. and, there is a large number of custom kernels that you yourself can CHOOSE to flash on your own.
and the thing about nexus devices, all of them, is that they dont include bloat. which is another reason people buy them. the far majority of people here dont want roms to add more apps. again, you can do that on your own. it gives you choice of what you want, and you dont. many here like roms debloated.
and you talk about cm as its something big. cm isnt big for the nexus 5, its aosp. thats what people want. they want the pureness. not the over-hacked bloated of a rom. and again, thats what people buy nexus devices. we have full source. no over hackery needed, its clean and pure.
the proprietary stuff comes with the phones already, so people that buy those phones have a right to it. anyways, people that arent part of open source steal it. sometimes they get in trouble, sometimes they dont. legally, they can get in trouble if they distribute it. people that are part of open source respect others rights, and adhere to the rules and practices.
and there are two kinds of developer forums here, if you haven't noticed. android development and original development. in original development, they create an original piece of work. in android development, they take whats already out there, and do what they want with it.
it also seems as you think of the same and original works are about features. well, they are not. most of it is going to be inside the rom itself. like things that add speed, smoothness, and efficiency. most of the features are just added into the roms later, what its users like.
there are so many ways that you can make a rom your own, original. there are multitudes of ways you can mod what you are running. be creative, set it up as you personally like. make it yours.
Xeon3D said:
I'm going to create a deviation of the rom list available as a Google document here and try every rom and compare them feature wise. So I can know for sure if I'm right with what I say here or if it's just a product of my imagination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't post it here. It will be against the rules.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Whatever you say we all love our Nexus 5 and what it offers..
shadowdevil said:
Whatever you say we all love our Nexus 5 and what it offers..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do love mine as well.
rootSU said:
Don't post it here. It will be against the rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? There's one already available here (even tho it's outdated), that I found out in the OP of this Stickied Thread
simms22 said:
well, then nexus romming wont be right for you.
on second thought, the nexus 5 is definitely not right for you.
there are many roms that include custom kernels. and, there is a large number of custom kernels that you yourself can CHOOSE to flash on your own.
and the thing about nexus devices, all of them, is that they dont include bloat. which is another reason people buy them. the far majority of people here dont want roms to add more apps. again, you can do that on your own. it gives you choice of what you want, and you dont. many here like roms debloated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I never meant to say that I wanted bloated roms. I understand the Nexus thing with AOSP, I really do. But while I agree that it having AOSP with full source and absolutely no bloat is its greater selling point (and one of the reasons I bought it), I'd think that if people with "closed devices" are tinkering with their devices in order to make them faster/nicer/prettier/<insert adjective here>, that a device for which there is full source and binary blobs compatible with every android version released after the device's released date, people would be more inclined to make custom roms that differ a bit more/offer more functionaly than AOSP. One of the things with open-source is freedom of choice, and sure, if you want pureness by all means go AOSP, but what if you don't? While AOSP is pure, it's lacking quite some features we've come to love on other phones...
simms22 said:
and you talk about cm as its something big. cm isnt big for the nexus 5, its aosp. thats what people want. they want the pureness. not the over-hacked bloated of a rom. and again, thats what people buy nexus devices. we have full source. no over hackery needed, its clean and pure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, see my previous point. If we have full source, we should have less issues while creating something more functional, prettier than people with closed devices.
simms22 said:
the proprietary stuff comes with the phones already, so people that buy those phones have a right to it. anyways, people that arent part of open source steal it. sometimes they get in trouble, sometimes they dont. legally, they can get in trouble if they distribute it. people that are part of open source respect others rights, and adhere to the rules and practices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure they have rights to it, as long as it is from the same device. Having a Xperia Z1 or T lockscreen or system UI on a LWW rom tho? I know it's illegal (on most countries) yet it is "accepted" here. I don't want stuff from another phone in my Nexus, but in the market there are so many good alternatives to AOSP/CM defaults that I find it strange that everyone is using either the AOSP Launcher (which has almost nil features and settings) or Launcher3 (or whatever it's called, which has like 1 or 2 more features than the AOSP launcher) and this is just a simple example.
Xeon3D said:
Really? There's one already available here (even tho it's outdated), that I found out in the OP of this Stickied Thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a list of roms, kernels and mods. It just gives people links. It does not seek to compare. Its comparison that is not allowed
rootSU said:
Thats a list of roms, kernels and mods. It just gives people links. It does not seek to compare. Its comparison that is not allowed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he's talking about the google excel spreadsheet that compares the features. its a link in the thread.
Zepius said:
he's talking about the google excel spreadsheet that compares the features. its a link in the thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it's been missed by the moderators then as any comparison is against the rules.
rootSU said:
I guess it's been missed by the moderators then as any comparison is against the rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this an xda-wide rule? I've seen posts such as this one for quite a while now.
source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-s/general/war-obscurity-enter-risk-t2551028
Xeon3D said:
If we have full source, we should have less issues while creating something more functional, prettier than people with closed devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean you expect devs here to build a rom that is quite similar to touchwiz, sense, and miui?
Xeon3D said:
Again, see my previous point. If we have full source, we should have less issues while creating something more functional, prettier than people with closed devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
prettier.. you do realized pretty is in the eye of the beholder? whats pretty to you is ugly as sin to me.
anyways, about creating something new and more functional.. the devs here work for free, on their own time. they have full time jobs, families, kids, and so on. they dont get paid for their efforts, or otberwise rewarded. where are they supposed to get the time for it? by the time they cteate something new, a new version of android will come out, and what they made will be looked past, among other things. maybe if we had full time xda devs.
what you need to do is create a rom yourself, or "shut up". as what you are posting is very disrespectful to the developers that we do have here.
rootSU said:
I guess it's been missed by the moderators then as any comparison is against the rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The forum rules don't say anything about this. The only thing that seems similar is the "no best rom threads," but there's nothing about not being allowed to create a comparison thread.
Anyway, I think there are a few reasons for what the OP is saying.
The SGS ran a custom manufacturer skin, so you would have an assortment of TouchWiz ROMs and AOSP ROMs that would seem to lead to more variety.
Although it has always been possible to run a custom launcher, Google has made it much easier/more seamlessly integrated with the addition of the Home settings. There's no real reason to integrate a custom launcher unless you're building your own, which CM does still include.
With the Theme Engine you don't see too many ROMs integrating their own themes. SlimKat does still have TRDS which is basically a custom theme.
raptir said:
The forum rules don't say anything about this. The only thing that seems similar is the "no best rom threads," but there's nothing about not being allowed to create a comparison thread.
]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's right up there in the general forum. It's a STICKIE! I don't know how you missed it.
Anyways here's the thread made by a moderator where it's clearly written that any kind of comparison threads aren't allowed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/message-moderators-users-please-read-t2500184
---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 PM ----------
ej8989 said:
Is this an xda-wide rule?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is. Comparison threads are frowned upon everywhere.
vin4yak said:
It's right up there in the general forum. It's a STICKIE! I don't know how you missed it.
Anyways here's the thread made by a moderator where it's clearly written that any kind of comparison threads aren't allowed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/message-moderators-users-please-read-t2500184
---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 PM ----------
Yes it is. Comparison threads are frowned upon everywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMHO, the list about OP is talking about is much more a "feature list" than a "comparison list".
vfmmeo said:
IMHO, the list about OP is talking about is much more a "feature list" than a "comparison list".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't quote the OP, did I?? I was replying to the other two.
vfmmeo said:
IMHO, the list about OP is talking about is much more a "feature list" than a "comparison list".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, the op is NOT talking features. he wants to compare Roms for oiriginality, that isn't a feature list.
vin4yak said:
It's right up there in the general forum. It's a STICKIE! I don't know how you missed it.
Anyways here's the thread made by a moderator where it's clearly written that any kind of comparison threads aren't allowed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/message-moderators-users-please-read-t2500184
I missed it because we're in the Q&A forum not the general forum
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
simms22 said:
lol, the op is NOT talking features. he wants to compare Roms for oiriginality, that isn't a feature list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xeon3D said:
It's a bit late now for me now, but I guess sooner or later I'm going to create a deviation of the rom list available as a Google document here and try every rom and compare them feature wise. So I can know for sure if I'm right with what I say here or if it's just a product of my imagination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse