[Q] Does anyone want a centralized ROM site?

[Q] Does anyone want a centralized ROM site? - General Topics

I'm a software developer by profession, but I've been writing django backed websites for years now, and given some recent issues with my Captivate and some custom roms, I've been thinking about building a site for custom roms.
My thoughts basically boil down to this:
- Version tracking of roms is good
- Central place for files related to the rom is good (Boo MegaUpload!)
- Searching Roms by Device is hard (example: My friend has a backflip. XDA has no roms for it, AndroidForums has 4. Google should be a last resort, not your only option)
- Metadata is useful (base os version, base rom, etc.
- Comments and rating are useful.
I have a database layout almost done, and I see no reason this can't be for WinPhone 7, Android, Symbian, etc, etc. But before I go on, I wanted to know if people had an interest in this? I would want to have support for Rom Manager's update system, and anything equivalent for Phone7, etc.
I suppose, I should also mention I co-locate two servers already, and have 1TB of bandwidth a month on my 2TB server... so I should be good for a little while before running into issues...
Thoughs? Comments?
--M

That would be absolutely amazing.

That's the kind of reaction I was hoping for.
I'll flesh out the backend some; see what comes of it. Not much of a graphic designer, but that'll come later.
-M

Definitely worth it. Nothing against this forum, but sometimes it can be tricky to find the ROMs you are looking for, scattered amongst the topics.

roflha said:
Definitely worth it. Nothing against this forum, but sometimes it can be tricky to find the ROMs you are looking for, scattered amongst the topics.
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Which is why I think this guy has a great idea and should consider archiving live wallpapers, boot animations, etc anything for customizing devices.

Electrolight said:
Which is why I think this guy has a great idea and should consider archiving live wallpapers, boot animations, etc anything for customizing devices.
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Hadn't considered doing more than roms... might. (Most likely would just be a file upload with attached category... and then the ever popular search function.)
Depending on how work goes today, I might just start on this, and get the backend models written.
-M

I think this is a great idea.

This is a great idea!

Definitely a cool idea, although if you'd planned on hosting the ROMs, that TB of bandwidth will run out pretty quickly.

been there , done that
http://www.techeye.net/software/htc-threatens-rom-site-with-legal-action

Plus the fact you'd be looking at a LOT more than 1TB per month if the site was even partially popular...

Great idea if possible.

It would definitely be amazing.

any ideas for the site name?

Related

[PLEA] I'm so confused about all the similar ROMs now!

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*
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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*
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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*
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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

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!
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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.

What Ive Never Understood...

This may be irrelevant and this thread will probably be closed, but Ive had a few while Im looking for a new rom and it lead me to a question.
WHY DONT ALL THE DEVELOPERS WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE ROM?
Im sure on of the ultimate answers would be based off of preference etc. but if we would all unite towards one specific goal, not only would we have more solid builds... but we would have more versions (lite, etc) but more themes, faster updates, etc.
I mean ive used this site for a couple years with different phones and we all seem to want the same thing. Speed, reliability, better battery life, etc. So why dont we conference, put our individual talents to use, create specific focuses and put together something Google themselves need to compete with.
I know a lot of the devs here already work together and I have no problems with the way things are... nor am I trying to disrepect any of the hard work you all have contributed. I was just thinking out loud.
Comments?

There is a similiar Thread already:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=572788

this is not a development topic. this belongs in q&a

We ARE working together, but we want to create ROMs for different purposes.

'ultimate' is pretty subjective.
it's easy to see all the different, seemingly random threads about different roms and mods and assume there's no teamwork involved, but really, it's just different people trying different things and when one works well most others adapt it. otherwise, everyone has a different 'ideal rom' anyways.
it's a fairly darwinian approach, but it works pretty well. you COULD try to get everyone to organize and work on one idea, but i think we can save that for companies like htc, motorola, huawei, samsung, google, etc.
besides, anyone who follows this or other android dev sites for more than a couple weeks knows which devs to kep an eye on.

what i feel is the ultimate rom, you don't think is the ultimate rom...

the ultimate ROM for me is feature lite, and fast.

despisedIcon said:
the ultimate ROM for me is feature lite, and fast.
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Click to collapse
And I like fast and feature heavy. Best of everything. :-D

All of your responses is exactly what I mean... Lets say for example, the devs focused on the fastest, most stable and lightest rom as a base. then moved on a way to easily create or modify a theme.
from there, we could move on to different versions... like a hero or blur, etc.
ultimately, every user is going to pick there favorite programs, so maybe we develop a way to easily choose which programs you want included before you flash the rom and voila...
i mean, im sure im making this sound easier than it might be, but with clear and open communication/ exchanging ideas and coming to a reasonable base... the possibilities are endless.
users could focus on the aesthetics like icons, themes, widgets, etc.
ALL WE NEED IS A SOLID BASE...
sure, there are some talented individuals accomplishing this on their own and thats all fine and understandable. I just know that with the power of many over one... a lot more could be accomplished easier, more deliberately and effectively.
Each dev could have a specialty that they focus on...
1. Themes
2. Troubleshooting
3. Speed/ Framework
4. Battery Life
5. The list goes on...
Create an FTP for everyone to access and we could show Google exactly what theyve been hoping for... which is developers alike coming together for the greater good... again, this is just my opinion, but im glad ppl are leaving their input

and with the choosing of apps example... my idea is, if there were a lite version and an ftp or somewhere to host a list of signed apks that you could choose via checkmark, click download and it would automatically save them to a special folder on the sd card. then, the lite version could have a script that auto runs during the initial boot to install directly from this folder on the sd card.
I guess im just trying to create simplicity for the newbs and the devs or veterans that have been on the site and are tired of flaming or answering the same question.
I say, we streamline this process, create simplicity through orginization and leave more room for progress...
Ok, well thats all i have for now... I mean, I have a lot more ideas, but we'll see where this goes...

It's HTC / Google's fault for releasing different models of the same phone, as most blog publishers are oblivious to the difference and post news under the *insert adverb here* title 'htc magic donut'

Well michael this thread did prove one very important thing. That even if your a senior member on this website you dont know jack. First cyan knows the nines and round here noone can really improve his stuff but him. Hence the reason he wont do his own hero rom. They lag no matter what. Sure you can take out all the widgets cut some fat off rosie. Well hell at that point just theme a donut rom. Running the heros and blurs r fun on g1 and mytouch. But if u ever actually pick up a hero phone or blur phone and test them.... u would see a huuuuuuuuuuuuge dif in performance. So basicly the guys know their crap. All of them. and they do work together. Read a drizzy post. Or other dev post. They always thank whoever for help. And if you want your ultimate rom follow cyan he will make it eventually.

Michaelr219 said:
This may be irrelevant and this thread will probably be closed, but Ive had a few while Im looking for a new rom and it lead me to a question.
WHY DONT ALL THE DEVELOPERS WORK TOGETHER TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE ROM?
Im sure on of the ultimate answers would be based off of preference etc. but if we would all unite towards one specific goal, not only would we have more solid builds... but we would have more versions (lite, etc) but more themes, faster updates, etc.
I mean ive used this site for a couple years with different phones and we all seem to want the same thing. Speed, reliability, better battery life, etc. So why dont we conference, put our individual talents to use, create specific focuses and put together something Google themselves need to compete with.
I know a lot of the devs here already work together and I have no problems with the way things are... nor am I trying to disrepect any of the hard work you all have contributed. I was just thinking out loud.
Comments?
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Click to collapse
You my friend are a pure genius, the problem is users ignorant and ROM makers naturally have low self-esteem. You see, take a guy like Haykuro he built the foundation for the first ROMs on the sapphire. Now he's fizzled out. BUT in the beginning he was the ****... Sure in every ROM maker's thread you will find credits etc. but that's all just ass kissing... You see, NO ROM MAKER DON'T MAKE ****! The only thing they get is an EGO BOOST! Who doesn't like an Ego boost? Developers at Google, HTC etc. Because they make $90,000+ a year doing what they do and they have normal lives with a wife and kids ideally... As for ROM makers on XDA they are either A) former workers at Google, HTC etc. who have grudges against their former employers OR B) they never got a real job working for a high end corporation like Google, HTC, etc. and ended up bumming it on XDA hoping one of their "fans" will buy they a lap dance... OR C) They are rich as **** and just love doin this **** for the hell of it because they like making ROMS, getting credit and most importantly, recognition and they ASS kissed constantly by people they don't even know... So there you have it in a nutshell with this kind of mix of developers, the ULTIMATE ROM is simply not possible... I certainly doubt I will never see it in my day or if we all go in 2012... If anyone does come up with something even slightly close to the ULTIMATE ROM I bet it will be Cyanogen or my man Dwang. Eugene was on the right track but he lost it when he turned out to be a SNiTcH AKA BIATCH of all ROM makers! But for real I love all ROM makers on XDA regardless of their motives or intentions, they spice up my life and hook my phone up and that makes them the ****. All of their work is appreciated obviously...

Wolfyy7 said:
You my friend are a pure genius, the problem is users ignorant and ROM makers naturally have low self-esteem. You see, take a guy like Haykuro he built the foundation for the first ROMs on the sapphire. Now he's fizzled out. BUT in the beginning he was the ****... Sure in every ROM maker's thread you will find credits etc. but that's all just ass kissing... You see, NO ROM MAKER DON'T MAKE ****! The only thing they get is an EGO BOOST! Who doesn't like an Ego boost? Developers at Google, HTC etc. Because they make $90,000+ a year doing what they do and they have normal lives with a wife and kids ideally... As for ROM makers on XDA they are either A) former workers at Google, HTC etc. who have grudges against their former employers OR B) they never got a real job working for a high end corporation like Google, HTC, etc. and ended up bumming it on XDA hoping one of their "fans" will buy they a lap dance... OR C) They are rich as **** and just love doin this **** for the hell of it because they like making ROMS, getting credit and most importantly, recognition and they ASS kissed constantly by people they don't even know... So there you have it in a nutshell with this kind of mix of developers, the ULTIMATE ROM is simply not possible... I certainly doubt I will never see it in my day or if we all go in 2012... If anyone does come up with something even slightly close to the ULTIMATE ROM I bet it will be Cyanogen or my man Dwang. Eugene was on the right track but he lost it when he turned out to be a SNiTcH AKA BIATCH of all ROM makers! But for real I love all ROM makers on XDA regardless of their motives or intentions, they spice up my life and hook my phone up and that makes them the ****. All of their work is appreciated obviously...
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Click to collapse
LOL... thank God for the internet. Id read some of the debates youve had in other threads and they got me laughing. Im on the fence, because Im not one to take sides, but not only are you funny... but I actually agree with you on this. I mean, just one thread above me I have some guy telling me that I dont know what Im talking about. For one, Im not claiming to know all there is to know about these phones... or Id be working for Google making the big bucks... and two, he only reiterated things Id already disclaimed.
I didnt start this thread to get flamed, but opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one.
I realize that most of my ideas wont see the light of day, because without the cash or proper credit, people wont work together unless they "get theirs"
A lot of these devs work their @$$es off and receive "tips" or donations purely because they love what they do and I respect that sincerely.
However, the idea that working "together" to create the ULTIMATE rom is possible. Devs asking for tips, help, or using work that one already accomplished isnt what im referring to. It would take moderators, coordinators, infrastructure, hierarchy, etc... To those that see the light of what im talking about, thank you... to the rest, thanks anyway

rossmoore81 said:
Well michael this thread did prove one very important thing. That even if your a senior member on this website you dont know jack. First cyan knows the nines and round here noone can really improve his stuff but him. Hence the reason he wont do his own hero rom. They lag no matter what. Sure you can take out all the widgets cut some fat off rosie. Well hell at that point just theme a donut rom. Running the heros and blurs r fun on g1 and mytouch. But if u ever actually pick up a hero phone or blur phone and test them.... u would see a huuuuuuuuuuuuge dif in performance. So basicly the guys know their crap. All of them. and they do work together. Read a drizzy post. Or other dev post. They always thank whoever for help. And if you want your ultimate rom follow cyan he will make it eventually.
Click to expand...
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Read my words carefully... I am aware of what has gone on here on this site. I acknowledged that a lot of developers work well together. Unlike you, im not giving specific credit to any one or two individuals. We all know who has hit the brick and mortar with the foundations that have been set. A lot of those individuals communicate regularly.
I was nearly drawing into the fact that with technology, they could all (those who are willing, of course) conference regularly, establish agendas, specific tasks, and create a template. One that has been re-worked inside and out by each of their hands till there isnt any input that one individually could produce. From there, the focus objective could be the bigger picture like compatible themes, updates, easier installs, more features, etc.
I know im repeating myself to a degree, but I want to make sure the image is clear. There are a lot of devs doing the same thing, for some of the same reasons. But us users all come here for the SAME reason. To take our toy/ pride and joy/ project/ whatever you wanna call it... to the next level. To make it better than it was out of the box, to see the realms that it is truely capable of.
So rather than seeing some devs running into similar problems with their roms individually or simultaneously... One of two things would happen, either A: Solve it immediately once and for all or B: Catch the bug before it was even released. Hopefully my words inspire some of you. If not, keep up the great work.

Lol - cracking read

[ATTN] Devs/Chefs/UberGeniuses

SLOW THE %&*$ DOWN!
Just Kidding... but in all seriousness, the variety of roms for the Cappy is amazing. It all comes down to preference; however, I must say that with all of the updates, and new roms, I'm flashing at least twice a day and sometimes even losing track of what I'm running. (Although I know I'm currently running Andromeda and it is by far the best I've had on my Cappy. Awesome GPS lock in seconds, fast, stable.)
The point is... can we consolidate, or come up with a legit thread/wiki that clarifies the pros, cons, features, and specifications on roms. Reading 20 pages of forum after a new ROM is released is getting tiring.

Theodor911 said:
SLOW THE %&*$ DOWN!
Just Kidding... but in all seriousness, the variety of roms for the Cappy is amazing. It all comes down to preference; however, I must say that with all of the updates, and new roms, I'm flashing at least twice a day and sometimes even losing track of what I'm running. (Although I know I'm currently running Andromeda and it is by far the best I've had on my Cappy. Awesome GPS lock in seconds, fast, stable.)
The point is... can we consolidate, or come up with a legit thread/wiki that clarifies the pros, cons, features, and specifications on roms. Reading 20 pages of forum after a new ROM is released is getting tiring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you shouldnt have posted in the DEV section.... See here
But since you have. Just be glad that we have all of them to chose from. Not long ago it was slow here. And no. That thread idea has never worked.....In all the time i have been here.

smokestack76 said:
Well you shouldnt have posted in the DEV section.... See here
But since you have. Just be glad that we have all of them to chose from. Not long ago it was slow here. And no. That thread idea has never worked.....In all the time i have been here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, it will never work. XDA is here for a reason. lets just keep doing what were doing. Also, where the hell have you been Smoke?

Theodor911 said:
SLOW THE %&*$ DOWN!
Just Kidding... but in all seriousness, the variety of roms for the Cappy is amazing. It all comes down to preference; however, I must say that with all of the updates, and new roms, I'm flashing at least twice a day and sometimes even losing track of what I'm running. (Although I know I'm currently running Andromeda and it is by far the best I've had on my Cappy. Awesome GPS lock in seconds, fast, stable.)
The point is... can we consolidate, or come up with a legit thread/wiki that clarifies the pros, cons, features, and specifications on roms. Reading 20 pages of forum after a new ROM is released is getting tiring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you look at the feature sets, most of them are the same, just different skins, apps, etc included...
everything is pretty common knowledge since we are all running the same mods... additional apps, skins, etc are just fluff, which is why I personally don't include that kinda stuff. I will leave that to the theme and app section and the person running the rom to make it look how they want.
as far as all of us working together, I respond to all the devs who ask for help, I have joined up and help the team efforts, as well as individuals putting roms out that have asked how to do various things.
Putting it all into a wiki? No thanks, that stuff changes to much to want to deal with updating a wiki with 20 different variations on how to do a smali edit for X feature.
If you take donations, in a community based team, this always becomes a stress point, best not to take donations at that point. I won't accept a cut of team donations, someone will ***** about it if they get less or more, not worth it. (just noticed adam sent me a donation, KNOCK THAT OFF! lol)
As far as you not liking to flash a lot, get help, you are a flash addict
I wont be slowing down anytime soon, get used to it
/random thoughts

designgears said:
If you look at the feature sets, most of them are the same, just different skins, apps, etc included...
everything is pretty common knowledge since we are all running the same mods... additional apps, skins, etc are just fluff, which is why I personally don't include that kinda stuff. I will leave that to the theme and app section and the person running the rom to make it look how they want.
as far as all of us working together, I respond to all the devs who ask for help, I have joined up and help the team efforts, as well as individuals putting roms out that have asked how to do various things.
Putting it all into a wiki? No thanks, that stuff changes to much to want to deal with updating a wiki with 20 different variations on how to do a smali edit for X feature.
If you take donations, in a community based team, this always becomes a stress point, best not to take donations at that point. I won't accept a cut of team donations, someone will ***** about it if they get less or more, not worth it. (just noticed adam sent me a donation, KNOCK THAT OFF! lol)
As far as you not liking to flash a lot, get help, you are a flash addict
I wont be slowing down anytime soon, get used to it
/random thoughts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the same. So many roms are including everything everyone else is. Just skinning and a few differences. I stick to a select few toms and just go frombthere because there is just too much to keep track of right now.
DG you are an idol of a great developer.
It would be great if more.devastating would get together to lighten the load and make it a little easier on all involved, but then again I am excited to.see so.many great revs making a rom all their own.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I think its just crazy that this thread even got other post
I would have thought it was over with mine. But oh well. I have been in the shadows adam
Im always here. Or kinda.... haha

i think a wiki would be convenient in some ways but more trouble than its worth. I mean who would wanna volunteer to keep up with every single rom, and update it daily?
It might help a lil with noobs trying to learn, but honestly reading through 100s of pages in one thread usually ends up helping you learn more than just the rom itself. When i first registered on this forum all i did was read for the first few months before even making a post

Guess I will jump on the bandwagon before this gets moved to the general section.
There was a point in time not so long ago where there were only about 3 ROMs for the captivate and a lot of drooling over what the other SGS variants had going on.
I for one am very happy to see the Captivate community grow and put out some good stuff. The variety and choices really help enable the end-user to get their phone to look and work how they want, end-user empowerment tends to make people happy.
Taco Bell has maybe a dozen individual ingredients but it's the way they are combined that makes each product special.
As for having to read the threads of each ROM, yea it can be a pain, but it is good for you. You are informed, can make the best choice, and know what to expect from what you are about to put on your phone.

designgears said:
If you look at the feature sets, most of them are the same, just different skins, apps, etc included...
everything is pretty common knowledge since we are all running the same mods... additional apps, skins, etc are just fluff, which is why I personally don't include that kinda stuff. I will leave that to the theme and app section and the person running the rom to make it look how they want.
as far as all of us working together, I respond to all the devs who ask for help, I have joined up and help the team efforts, as well as individuals putting roms out that have asked how to do various things.
Putting it all into a wiki? No thanks, that stuff changes to much to want to deal with updating a wiki with 20 different variations on how to do a smali edit for X feature.
If you take donations, in a community based team, this always becomes a stress point, best not to take donations at that point. I won't accept a cut of team donations, someone will ***** about it if they get less or more, not worth it. (just noticed adam sent me a donation, KNOCK THAT OFF! lol)
As far as you not liking to flash a lot, get help, you are a flash addict
I wont be slowing down anytime soon, get used to it
/random thoughts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The note you made about the themes and such is exactly why I love Andromeda. I personally do not like the 2.0 theme, but the fact that there is an unthemed version as well as a themed version makes me the happiest panda in the world, and I think more ROM cookers should adopt this policy.
What I'd love more than anything else though, is a ROM that supports the hardware voice processing of the Captivate, as well as any custom kernels/modems the user wants. That would be the ultimate ROM in my opinion. Oh, and the 4 lockscreen mod is a must as well. I do not like the glass lockscreen

chrisz5z said:
i think a wiki would be convenient in some ways but more trouble than its worth. I mean who would wanna volunteer to keep up with every single rom, and update it daily?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI-
Captivate Wiki:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I897
Looks like it is not too far out of date.

People complain too much....

I understand your post OP but as mentioned it won't work. What get's the me the most is when people ask, "what's changed?"...
There are CHANGE LOGS ON EVERY THREAD FOR EVERY ROM.

xcaliburinhand said:
FYI-
Captivate Wiki:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I897
Looks like it is not too far out of date.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe i interpreted the OP wrong, but it sounds like hes talking about a wiki with more detail than the one we already have

xcaliburinhand said:
Taco Bell has maybe a dozen individual ingredients but it's the way they are combined that makes each product special.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Taco Bell.. I'm hungry.

It really cracks me up that this thread is still going
Every ROM is made for a handfull of people. AS it seems. So to really make a wiki and save all the Info from a few thousand users is just nutz. even to have a WiKi just for the ROMs is kinda nutz as others have said. Just so much changes daily it would be so hard to keep up with
So i guess....Like all the others. We can let this thread die now

I agree with you Smoke. With the way updates come out sometimes daily for fixes or depending on an issues hourly a Wiki would just be too hard to maintain. If some one is up for it then go for it. I just see it as a way for people not to have to read the roms thread and doing research before they flash a rom to their $500 device.
Thread closed

What books do you want?

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 could you post some good beginners reading guides on anything

hi could you post some good beginners reading guides on anything related to whatever you do since im new. im new so i ask questions like http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2392704
actually someone new won't even know what bluestack is.
i have to start reading up on all this stuff. it doesnt have to be on this site, just readings so i have a better understanding of all this

pleaseeeeeeeeee

phonebroken said:
hi could you post some good beginners reading guides on anything related to whatever you do since im new. im new so i ask questions like http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2392704
actually someone new won't even know what bluestack is.
i have to start reading up on all this stuff. it doesnt have to be on this site, just readings so i have a better understanding of all this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you mentioned your eager to understand what goes on here at XDA I would highly recommend taking a look at this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2073370. It contains links to approximately 108 guides that explains everything from what is logcat and compiling Android from source to explaining about MODs and Tweaks, to how to compile and modify your own Android ROMs. Also if you still have any questions feel free to ask me I'll be happy to help you out .
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda premium

great! though i need an overview guide --
like what is a rom?
why would you want to port or create roms?
why do you want to log?
same with the other topics
none of these seem especially helpful or specific to my problem :/
i think the "Tools and mods,tweaks" and "Misc" sections has the most helpful things
but the guides needs to be ranked. there's a lot of bad info out there

phonebroken said:
great! though i need an overview guide --
like what is a rom?
why would you want to port or create roms?
why do you want to log?
same with the other topics
none of these seem especially helpful or specific to my problem :/
i think the "Tools and mods,tweaks" and "Misc" sections has the most helpful things
but the guides needs to be ranked. there's a lot of bad info out there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your questions:
like what is a rom?
A ROM as defined on the XDA wiki and the Android terms glossary thread is:
The ROM holds the Operating system and other components such as the bluetooth and wifi stacks. The ROM is accompanied by the Radio, Ext_ROM, SPL and IPL. Carriers such as T-mobile or Vodaphone taylor the ROM to their specifications and version numbers do not carry the same meaning across different carriers. IF the carrier you use supports the device well they will usually release regular ROM updates.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rom/Firmware:Read-Only Memory and technically speaking, it refers to the internal storage of a device, which is supposed to contain the operating system instructions that needn’t be modified at all during the device’s normal operation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why would you want to port or create roms?
Developers create and port ROM's for a variety of reasons. One reason is because they want the latest version of Android on a device that doesn't officially support the latest version of Android. For example the last officially supported version of Android on the Nexus S was 4.1.2 but developers compiled Android 4.3 for it so Nexus S users can enjoy all the latest features and benefits of Android 4.3. A second reason is because developers add features and performance enhancements that the original device manufacturer never could have envisioned or left out. Cyanogenmod, AOKP, and Paranoid Android are all perfect examples of custom ROM's that were developed to increase performance and add many new features. A third reason, is that if you like a ROM but it isn't available for your device, developer's will port it over do the device they want it on (Note: This process can range from very simple to extremely complex) so they have that ROM's features on there device. A fourth reason is theming, some times user's will create custom ROM's that include a heavily modified or changed user interface and then distribute the changes. However ROM's that are just themed and no other changes made are becoming less prevalent due to additions of universal theme engines such as the XPOSED Framework .
why do you want to log?
Logging allows developers to see where the problems are and what is causing certain functionality such as Wifi, graphics, touchscreen, app problems, etc. to not work correctly. The log gives a detailed report of what is not working and a starting point troubleshooting where the error occurs. Developers then look at the logs and fix the error messages they are receiving. Without logs it would be close to impossible to fix any problems you ran into when developing a ROM.
Another set of guides that is an excellent source of information is -NickHalden-'s Guide Ride-From a Newbie to a Dev, Get all you need here. It takes you like you wanted from just understanding the basics, all the way up to developing ROM's and other cool stuff yourself. It also includes a very helpful numerical order that you can follow along so you don't miss any important information along the way. Also I am curious as to what you mean by "but the guides needs to be ranked. there's a lot of bad info out there"? Can you give an example? Additionally you can rate threads and see the threads ratting if they have one at the top of the thread for what users have rated it, this is usually (Though not always) a good indication of how helpful people have found the information in that thread. And if you have any other questions let me know I'm always happy to answer them .

thanks so much! i obviously didn't know what i was getting myself into... you explain these basics really really clearly so you have a talent for it =)
oh the threads do have ratings. didn't notice it. that's great!!
i think that these helpful things should be more central, like the info you gave is very helpful, and places like wikipedia, etc. won't explain it's relevance very well
i have a question on mobile + tablet though. so most people likely don't user their phones to type very much, but being able to type is important to me and i don't think the current state is good
so i wanted to know when you think 'they' will develop a phone that is much bigger but smaller than the smallest current laptop
last i check the smallest was http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Yoga-11S-Ultrabook.96315.0.html
and smallest keyboard were
http://www.ianker.com/product/98APIPAD-02BTA
http://androidspin.com/2012/09/19/j...-worlds-smallest-fordable-bluetooth-keyboard/
or a tablet with a keyboard that is smaller than the current state because it's too big
so basically the current is too small and too big for what some of us need, and i wanted to know if someone can predict when they're come out with the perfect size for some of us

phonebroken said:
thanks so much! i obviously didn't know what i was getting myself into... you explain these basics really really clearly so you have a talent for it =)
oh the threads do have ratings. didn't notice it. that's great!!
i think that these helpful things should be more central, like the info you gave is very helpful, and places like wikipedia, etc. won't explain it's relevance very well
i have a question on mobile + tablet though. so most people likely don't user their phones to type very much, but being able to type is important to me and i don't think the current state is good
so i wanted to know when you think 'they' will develop a phone that is much bigger but smaller than the smallest current laptop
last i check the smallest was http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Yoga-11S-Ultrabook.96315.0.html
and smallest keyboard were
http://www.ianker.com/product/98APIPAD-02BTA
http://androidspin.com/2012/09/19/j...-worlds-smallest-fordable-bluetooth-keyboard/
or a tablet with a keyboard that is smaller than the current state because it's too big
so basically the current is too small and too big for what some of us need, and i wanted to know if someone can predict when they're come out with the perfect size for some of us
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regarding a central place to find information the easiest way to find it to often search either using XDA's "Search All Forums" button in the upper right hand corner, or to use Google and search something such as "xda {your search term here}" or "{your search term here} xda" (For example "xda root nexus 10" etc.). Another way to find things is simply browse through the massive amount of helpful information that can be found on XDA simply by browsing around, I have learned countless, countless things this way. If there is a specific subject or topic your interested in let me know and I'll be happy to help you look for it or point you in the right direction. To answer your keyboard question, this is a interesting dilemma as an incoming computer engineering student problems like the one your described are very fascinating to me. I suspect what will happen in the future (2-3 years or sooner) is that we will see fold-able screens that we can roll up and put in our pockets or much more flexible keyboards that you can roll up into your pocket will be developed. But overall the keyboard and real typing experience you mentioned is a very real dilemma.

phonebroken said:
thanks so much! i obviously didn't know what i was getting myself into... you explain these basics really really clearly so you have a talent for it =)
oh the threads do have ratings. didn't notice it. that's great!!
i think that these helpful things should be more central, like the info you gave is very helpful, and places like wikipedia, etc. won't explain it's relevance very well
i have a question on mobile + tablet though. so most people likely don't user their phones to type very much, but being able to type is important to me and i don't think the current state is good
so i wanted to know when you think 'they' will develop a phone that is much bigger but smaller than the smallest current laptop
last i check the smallest was http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Lenovo-IdeaPad-Yoga-11S-Ultrabook.96315.0.html
and smallest keyboard were
http://www.ianker.com/product/98APIPAD-02BTA
http://androidspin.com/2012/09/19/j...-worlds-smallest-fordable-bluetooth-keyboard/
or a tablet with a keyboard that is smaller than the current state because it's too big
so basically the current is too small and too big for what some of us need, and i wanted to know if someone can predict when they're come out with the perfect size for some of us
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something like this maybe?

Database Info

welcome