Database Info

UPDATE IDEAS -- WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE CHANGE HERE!! [Response Now Posted!!!]

UPDATES: WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN HERE!!!​
This enitre section has been dedicated to you, and getting you the help and information you need! For that reason, it is only right that you all have a say in what you would like to see happen here.
From changes in the rules, to specific info, IT IS ALL UP TO YOU!!! Myself, and the other members who dedicate there time here, are constantly trying to come up with new ideas and ways to make this section better for you. So give us a hand, and you will get what you want.
This is not another thread where you ideas and comments will just be looked over. All of you requested the ability to open your own thread, and you got it. Now what else do you want to see happen here? Looking forward to seeing your ideas!!!​
**ONCE YOUR POST HAS BEEN READ, IT MAY BE REMOVED. THIS IS NOT BECAUSE YOUR IDEA OR COMMENT IS NOT BEING WORKED ON AND CONSIDERED. THIS IS SIMPLY TO ENSURE THAT ALL IDEAS WILL BE SEEN AND NOT LOST IN PAGE AFTER PAGE OF POSTS!! EACH IDEA OR COMMENT WILL BE COPIED TO ALL MODERATORS AND MEMBERS WHO WORK ON THIS SECTION. WE WILL THEN TRY OUR BEST TO FULFILL YOUR REQUEST!!​

As a noob with an interest in this I would like to see an area where some steps are given to get us started. I don't learn too well by reading, and prefer to see some examples.
An example would be a screen shot of some code, along with what it does and why it does it.
Maybe if someone is feeling extra adventurous, some 'hands on' tests could be posted, starting with easy, small basic apps going up to fixing issues on the latest ROM.
I have gone through google and most places seem to assume that there is already some basic knowledge acquired. I have no knowledge but a strong interest.
Right now it seems like a huge undertaking, but with people posting new software, fixes, ROM's etc in a short period of time I am beginning to believe it is more about understanding concepts than learning a complete new way of thinking.
How did you guys start? What were your first steps? What help would you give your best friend if they wanted to start writing apps and cooking ROM's?
I appreciate all you guys do, and the help I have got from this site over the last few months has been immense. I want some advice on how I can give something back.

Looking For Developers

I've got a server pad off until the end of Feb 2010 and came up with an idea the other day that I wanted to run by the people who spend a lot of time building ROMs and apps for all of us. Let me preface this by saying I'm not trying to take anything away from XDA (I spend a lot of time here), but my idea can really put some money in the pockets of these guys that work so hard for us.
As I said, I have a server I'm not using (along with an installation of VBulletin). My idea is to give the developers a "home", where each has their own forum. Within their own forum they would have their own ads (from Google or whatever they choose), so that they had a real income from their work and not just hope that people donate money occasionally. Within their own section their would be a subforum where only they could post (explanation of releases, instructions, FAQ, etc), so that it wouldnt become a mess. A user feedback section, and a troubleshooting section........with all the user interaction still here at XDA.
I've also set up a download section for ROMs, Themes, Widgets, and Apps, where only developers could upload, but everyone could download....so that everything is in one easy to access spot.
Again, I'm not trying to take anything away from XDA....what I am trying to do is organize something that benefits all of us, by giving the devs a chance to make a little cash, while giving them a place to post their latest releases. I'm not doing this for my own gain (Other than trying to keep my sanity reading through 400 pages of bickering and redundant silly questions)
If any of you Devs are interested (and I've already talked to a few of you), hit me up by PM or email and I'll get you hooked up.
http://androidclubhouse.com

love this idea, this will probably relive the xda servers of some stress, ROM threads have an average of 1000+ replies also might give the mods a little less to worry about, thats right mods i see you trying to keep this forum organized and appreciate your efforts
triple bump

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8To-6VIJZRE

can average joes like me sign up or maybe i can be a moderator if you allow

Yeah, as I said my goal with this was two-fold. First I'm doing this as an idea to help these developers make some scratch (I'll give developers special access and have them open a Google Adsense account). That way these guys can get paid for their efforts.
The other goal was to start from scratch with a clean and managed place. There is a lot going on here, a lot of ideas, a lot of dialogue. What I want to do is give each developer a section, one forum where only they can post (info on the releases, FAQ, etc....without any comments from followers), then have a forum where followers can offers ideas and discuss the releases, then a third forum for troubleshooting (I'd like to find some way of marking issues as solved, then closing them, so people with similar issues arent digging through 400 pages looking for answers).
I have a downloads page, which I'd really like to use.....maybe we can just have all the pertinent downloads there linked to wherever they are saved, or I can host them.
So, in closing, I am not trying to replace XDA (I'm working on adding a link to it to the navbar), I'm trying to augment it. I have the server and software paid of til Feb 2010, so I'm hoping this will turn out to be a good solution and we can keep it going. As always, if you guys have ideas or questions, let me know.

pcexpert2 said:
can average joes like me sign up or maybe i can be a moderator if you allow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely....I'm just an average Joe. I am a computer hardware guy (used to own HardwareLogic, but sold it to deal with health issues). My wife bought me a G1 a couple of months back and I've not put it down since. I've been around here for quite awhile and recommend XDA to a lot of people (My last phone was a TMO Dash, which died a sad death when I fell and cracked the screen), I just dont post unless I have something to add to the conversation.
I really want to get people involved, I want to have a nice place, but a place with limited BS, and where things are kept on topic.

I'm onboard for any site that will keep the stupid posts/reposts/BUT HOW DO I DO IT? at bay. Not to criticize xda, but it has grown beyond the moderators abilities and it's just a mess.

I'm going to need help, but my thought was to generate a FAQ post for every thread, and then take the time to consolidate frequent issues we see into stickies, and lock them......so people can find the answers without digging through the BS.
I think we can do that by marking solved issues as "Solved" and locking the threads (then making them a sticky or creating a separate forum for them). By staying on top of that, things should work well.

YO hit me back. Just to chat. Your biggest fan, this is Stan.

To throw up very basic idea for recomendation of being in the design [if happens]:
In the comments on the rom section, make it so the comments can be seperated in category [like maybe side by side or something], like the biggest issue with forums is seperation with them is too seperate. People want to ask their problem with the rom where more viewers are. Its nature. Feedback and Troubleshooting. Thats what I would suggest. Then its simple organization method that keeps the roms clean for the developers to get a good idea whats wrong and how to perfect. Random problem posts in 1 page probably has 7 problems, 3 with response to helping, and 2 for feedback. How to see whats going on. Keep it clean so people can see exactly what they are getting and how to do it, thats key. Make no assumptions about people, think no one knows anything, and make it based on that.
Just a suggestion for [anything] in the future.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=3807449#post3807449
we need to consolidate, so far (the link above is for themes) i have seen 10 or more websites to try and put all of the downloads. its a wonderful idea. but if it is to be implemented, we will actually need EVERYONE's attention, and get one site with everything.

it sounds like a good idea, it'll be nice if it can be implemented for a quick place to find useful links. I have so many bookmarks because everything is so scattered on different sites and forums it'll be good to have it all together

I will be working on this all night and tomorrow. Those of you that are developers, sign up and let me know who you are by pm or email. Once I hear from you I will set up your section and give you all the acess.....then we can work on the ads for your section and let you focus on your work.
I will need a couple people to help me watch over things, so some of you senior members hit me up as well if interested.
As to breaking down the sections...here is what I did.....only the developers can post in the rin the ROM release forum, but there is an attached forum where peopele can share ideas and make comments, and an attached troubleshooting forum...well go from there.
As to the downloads page I have it sectioned, so everything should be easy to locate...kind of a one stop shop.
Once we get people posting content, maybe we can come together and edit it down to a series of tutorials, FAQ. Guides, or whatever....one thing I would like to see is a list of all the terminal commands...kind of a glossary...as well as a glossary of terms users need to know to get started, both of those would cut down a lot on redundant questions.
I am watching a few movies with a friend, but later I plan on adding a front page, answering emails, and tinkering with the setup.....keep up with the ideas, and if you want to help out, let me know

yeah
I think it sounds like a Great Idea!!! Get signing up Devs!! Make some more money other than your Donations!!!

Thats my whole point, my idea wasnt a forum to compete with XDA and other forums....but a place for the Devs to post/store their work without all the off topic and petty stuff that ends up being posted. There of course is discussion threads, but not mixed in with the ROM Release threads (Which only the Devs can post to).....there are separate discussion threads for bug reporting and ideas/comments.
Its all set up and ready to go, we just need the Devs to jump on. As soon as they get me some adsense code I will integrate it and they can start making some money from their own ads. Devs, help me help you..........
I also dont want to limit this to the ROM writers, if you have a tutorial, hack, app, widget, etc you want to post please let me know.
I am trying to get a glossary of terms built, as well as as many tutorials as possible, which should cut way down on repeat questions.
If there is a Photoshop Expert out thwere, hit me up, I need a nice logo put together for the site.

Looking good!
The site is looking good so far! I'm sure the devs are on their way!

How Many...
How many Developers are planning to give this a go?

I would also think that letting the rom devs have the ability to moderate their own respective threads if they so choose might be a good idea.
Separate out:
Q/A - general
Q/A - bug specific
Thank you
something to that effect.

I would design the website logo for free and moderate.
That's if you let me.

Rom Devs
ggolemg said:
I would also think that letting the rom devs have the ability to moderate their own respective threads if they so choose might be a good idea.
Separate out:
Q/A - general
Q/A - bug specific
Thank you
something to that effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Rom Devs are given the Ability to Moderate their posts as they wish, and thanks for the Q/A tips. Have you checked the site out yet?

Evo ROM Development Guide / Tips / Tricks

Hopefully some of the more experienced ROM devs can comment here to bring together information for myself and others like me. After all, this is XDA-Developers.
I'm new to Android but not to Java or ROM development (played with WM for years). I'd like to help but I'm not sure from where I should start here. I've got plenty of dev experience (Linux included) and am good at debugging, so I wouldn't mind donating some time to the cause. Are there any references / articles / tutorials you would recommend for getting started with Android ROMs? Perhaps some personal recommendations as far as the best way to have your primary device double as a development device or any other related tips? I don't mind flashing the phone repeatedly to test ROMs as long as I can get back to a good backup relatively quickly without having to spend hours setting up my phone all over again. I'd love to have a stable version of Froyo for our phones and hate simply waiting / depending on others to do all the work... I'd just like to help the process along, however large or small that help may be. Thank you to anyone who can provide some useful resources, my searches seem to only uncover Android application development guides.
Update:
Decad3nce has been kind enough to compile a list of resources regarding Android ROM development which can be found here: forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=696001
(sorry, can't post direct links yet)
I'm not sure how helpful this is just yet, but there is also a thread by djunio titled "Everything You Need to Cook an EVO ROM" which contains a zip file. Inside the 300 or so MB zip file you can find all of the stock Evo img files. This thread can be found here: forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=686351

I am getting a blog set up for guides just like the one you are requesting. I will post about it when it's ready.

I am trying to figure stuff out myself...but no luck.
I mean I've gotten things to flash now, but they don't work yet

chuckhriczko said:
I am getting a blog set up for guides just like the one you are requesting. I will post about it when it's ready.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
/subscribe
Really looking forward to this. Sorry this post adds no value.

I threw together a quick little resource for anyone interested in ROM development(or just on how to mod stuff).
You can find it HERE

That's a great resource, thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for to help me get started on Android. I played with Windows Mobile for years, then went to the Palm Pre, and now am back to my favorite forum with Android. I can quite honestly say this is by far my favorite phone yet, and I can already tell I'm going to enjoy "playing" with the Android OS much more. Thanks again for the resources, Decad3nce.
chuckhriczko, thank you in advance for the blog as well, I'm sure it will also be a great resource and look forward to it!

GodAres said:
That's a great resource, thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for to help me get started on Android. I played with Windows Mobile for years, then went to the Palm Pre, and now am back to my favorite forum with Android. I can quite honestly say this is by far my favorite phone yet, and I can already tell I'm going to enjoy "playing" with the Android OS much more. Thanks again for the resources, Decad3nce.
chuckhriczko, thank you in advance for the blog as well, I'm sure it will also be a great resource and look forward to it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not a problem, feel free to add stuff once you learn something that could be useful for other people. Everyone benefits that way.

Thank you very much. I'm new to Android and I would love to learn how make custom ROMS and remove all the crap from the Stock RUU. I dearly prefer Stock Androids directly from Google though.

[Q] how can i help and get involved?

i want to get involved in the community and help bring great things to this device and any other that i can. i have a degree in computer information systems, do systems imaging, and know enough to get by, tweak, and customize, but linux was never taught to me . it is pretty straight forward. i understand the concept, language, and most of the commands, but i am not a programmer by trade. i do know that you don't even have to actually know a lot of languages because, in many cases, there is another program that you can tell what you want to happen and it will write the base language for you. if somebody can point me in the right direction and/or give me a task to help them with, i would love to do so.
thank you
don't mean to sound ignorant. just wanna help.

That's a fantastic attitude, and welcome to the doubleshot forums.
The MT4G Slide Compendium is a sticky at the top of general here, and is a great starting point to familiarize yourself with the doubleshot forums. It has links to a lot of the relevant threads scattered around here, as well as some explanations of terminology and so forth. It's designed to help orient you with everything we have going on here.
Here is a link to my Guide Index, which is a collection of tutorials and such i've put here and is also in my sig. The bottom of the post has links to a lot of information about the device off-site, manufacturer and so forth.
One of the best things you can do if you aren't contributing code is to contribute documentation. How to do basically anything you want to do is spread out all over XDA as a whole. If information can be referenced and concentrated here into the MT4GS sub-forums, it would make it easier for people to develop for the device.
Not having to scour XDA at large to figure out how to do something, and someone taking the time to explain how to do it here and provide links to track down more information is always helpful.
I know in searching XDA to learn how to do these things, it's been helpful for others to have been making summaries and guides on how to do them - sharing it here paves the way for others who come behind you and want to learn how to do what you're learning.
And if you aren't interested in posting guides on how to do the things you've learned, then just taking the time to answer questions people ask on the board about the device if you know the answer is a way to be helpful. The longer you hang out here, the more you learn, and the people coming behind you are curious too.
The longer you hang out here, too, you come to learn where information is and in what threads - you can direct newer people by answering questions with links to the relevant threads or posts since you already know what they are. It only takes a few minutes to track down the information if you have a good idea of where it is.
Because XDA is pretty much where we figure out a lot of the new stuff, the board grows randomly, and information gets scattered with pieces here and there in threads to solve problems and such. When people ask questions you can link to the scattered pieces and by doing so it helps index everything we are learning.
Basically, the desire to help is all that you need and these are some ways people can do so without in-depth technical knowledge. You're probably combing the boards learning things anyway, so when people have similar questions explaining what you know helps us all.
We all have different ways of learning, so sharing how you did can teach others new methods and ways of doing beyond just how to do the specific thing itself.
It sounds like you are as excited about all this as some of us are here, and with a device like the doubleshot in your hands I don't blame you.
Any questions just ask, as long as you aren't posting random questions in the dev sections it's all good.
Once again, welcome to the MT4GS forums, you'll have a blast with us here.
Edit:
Kernel stuff is in C flavor language, Android stuff itself is mostly Java, and if you don't have the program Notepad-plus-plus you should pick that up for making mostly all of your general coding edits on the computer with.

Thank you. I am excited. My first device that I toyed with was an htc leo 1024 (us), so I had an edasy entry into the world just because there are so many resources available for it. I will start by posting a couple of guides about things that I know were difficult to grasp/follow when I first started. Thank you very much for the directions and taking the time to post them and reply to me. Time to study...
Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using XDA App

That's fantastic.
This is my second Android device, first phone - the other one is a Nook Color.
Much like how you say having a lot of dev interest in the device you came from helped you (and man, does it ever) the advantage the Nook Color had was it's unbrickable. It boots from the MicroSD first, before internal memory, and you can run a self-contained copy of Android from the MicroSD card.
I got a chance to break it in so many different ways, (who needs a build.prop ... let's just delete that) and all I had to do was pop out the memory card and flash a fresh copy of CM7 onto it.
The internal memory is still the stock Barnes & Noble skinned operating system, hasn't been rooted or anything, yet I was still able to get the full-on Android experience in a safe play zone.
Coming to this phone, it's taught me ahead of time what I can and can't mess with before bad things start to happen, and it's a lot easier to play with this stuff if you know where the lines are. The ones you get in trouble if you cross.
It really wasn't until I got my hands on this device that I started to get into a lot of dev work on Android - but now i'm having an absolute blast with it and this device is pretty impressive.
I can't wait to read about what tricks you've picked up along the way, i'm always looking for an opportunity to be educated. Take some time and see what we've got laid out here, in some cases you may be able to add to existing threads instead of making new ones for duplicate topics.
The MT4GS is what, 6 months old now? We'll keep getting more people in here as they come to their upgrades or get warrantied up to this device. I'm eagerly awaiting more devs to end up in our corner of the forums, i'm curious to see what kind of cool things people can make the device do.
The more information we have organized and mapped out about the device and how to do things with it, the easier it gets for people who come behind because they don't have to re-invent the wheel just to get something done.
It's mind boggling to me how much i've learned in the past year here at XDA, especially in the last few months. It's all because people take the time to sit down and explain how they've done the things they've done and are excited to share their discoveries.
Having this device since before root was viable, i've watched this section of XDA grow from literally just a handful of threads into what it is now - pretty soon we'll have a majority of the resources right here for people to just show up and get work done with minimal fuss.
I know my dev time is hit or miss, sometimes I have days on end, other times not - one way i've been trying to help when i'm not around is leaving how-to's and guides behind me that people can reference while i'm gone.
There's still a whole lot that I haven't even gotten into yet, and i'm very appreciative of people taking the time to share some cool discovery or trick that's made their life a lot easier.
(sometimes I ramble a bit, especially when on boring conference calls)
I came to XDA to learn how to do some fun stuff with my Nook Color, and maybe learn how to write apps for the market. Here I am writing ROMs and nowhere close to putting any apps in the market. With the library of knowledge that XDA is everytime I sit down at the keyboard I learn something new, I wish i'd found this place a long long time before I did - it feels like home.

that's pretty cool about the nook color. i may have to pick one up to play with. i'm sure there are all kinds of neat things to be figured out (and easily implemented) with a device that boots from an external source before the internal.
i got pretty lucky with my hd2. as soon as i saw that there was a way to do it, i had to figure it out (of course). however, instead of reading all of the instructions and bulletins on correct procedure, like an intelligent person... you can probably guess where i'm going with that... and VIOLA! an expensive paperweight.
i was very lucky that phone is setup the way it is and for resources like you and some of the other devs and especially the others that learned by trial and error and took the time to post their experiences.

[Q] Noob wanting to root***

Ok so I'm looking to root my HTC M7, I've been told the obvious problem already, I dont know enough yet to be rooting. Sorry, still want to try. That being said, I'm looking for some direction. A good site, a good video, anything or recommendations that will help me out. Yes I have gone to You Tube step by step videos but I always seem to run into a problem. For example, the person in the video says to follow a link below in description, I go and the link is no longer there. Or, maybe its there but takes me somewhere different than described. One of them even changed my browser to AVG (I know, I'm retarded).
Does anyone have any ideas on where to go, where to learn and where it will literally be a step by step?
By the way, the unlocking part seems easy enough. I think its from that point I run into trouble. Also, why? Everyone seems to want to know why. Simple, I would really like to learn for one. Second, I hate the garbage att lays in on me. Id like to mess with the speed (I've heard this is possible) and Id like more choices. I just want to keep the phone interesting. The last reason, I saw yesterday. If its not BS, Id like to get function from my HTC logo.
So I hope this is not to silly for all of you. If so, I do apologize.
Thanks, Chris

root htc m7
have you tried this?
http://www.xda-developers.com/andro...one-m7-and-install-recovery-xda-developer-tv/

Yes, it may sound repetitive but read, read and read it again. There is an incredible amount of knowledge contained throughout this site. Sometimes the smallest mistake/oversight can lead to a huge headache, that's why its so important to have a basic understanding of any modifications you are about to make. Start with the dedicated forum for ur service provider/phone. All the info your going to need will be included in the forum and subsequent sub-forums. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions, we've all been in the same spot before. Use the tools that the site provides, search for your answers and read thru the forums.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2222

Thanks.
Thanks for the help. I did end up finding more help in the dedicated area, especially when I went to my phones forums. Huge thanks for the encouragement. I will deff. read a little more before jumping off the cliff. Looks like the process has become much easier and people are developing all in one tools. Cool stuff, thanks again!