Database Info

Root, Rom mod, what next?

As a new Android user who is very familiar with the command line and with Linux/Unix environments, I still feel extremely overwhelmed with the amount of 'fixes' and 'root' hacks going around.
I've played with linux for 100's of hours and have broken the install and fixed it...
But this is a phone that bricks, not a computer. I don't like playing "oh I'll just try this and see what happens" with my $400 phone.
Plus I honestly can't determine which one is best for me.
I started this thread so that someone could assist me in creating a guide for what you want to do and what is best to do it.
For example, I want to upgrade to Froyo when it releases.
In the mean time I want to install a lag-fix/ custom rom.

mymansionisabox said:
As a new Android user who is very familiar with the command line and with Linux/Unix environments, I still feel extremely overwhelmed with the amount of 'fixes' and 'root' hacks going around.
I've played with linux for 100's of hours and have broken the install and fixed it...
But this is a phone that bricks, not a computer. I don't like playing "oh I'll just try this and see what happens" with my $400 phone.
Plus I honestly can't determine which one is best for me.
I started this thread so that someone could assist me in creating a guide for what you want to do and what is best to do it.
For example, I want to upgrade to Froyo when it releases.
In the mean time I want to install a lag-fix/ custom rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do people not know how to read stickies? there are guides and how-to's in this section alone. There are more in the development section. If you don't know how to search a forum, I'm not entirely sure you should be messing with your phone's firmware.

Kaik541 said:
Do people not know how to read stickies? there are guides and how-to's in this section alone. There are more in the development section. If you don't know how to search a forum, I'm not entirely sure you should be messing with your phone's firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually have read all of the stickies.
Im not asking 'how-to' do anything.
What I am saying is that this forum has an absolute overload of 'information' and 'solutions'
There should be a more concise sticky discussing the advantages/disadvantages of each rom/lag fix/flash/recovery/etc. (Or at least about the ones anyone cares about)
If this exists, I sure as hell don't see it.

mymansionisabox said:
I actually have read all of the stickies.
Im not asking 'how-to' do anything.
What I am saying is that this forum has an absolute overload of 'information' and 'solutions'
There should be a more concise sticky discussing the advantages/disadvantages of each rom/lag fix/flash/recovery/etc. (Or at least about the ones anyone cares about)
If this exists, I sure as hell don't see it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're in a wrong forum if you want someone to give you any kind of "distilled", spoon-fed info just because you're afraid to mess with your "$400" phone.
Again, to second the other reply, all the info is posted. Just RTFW/S.

mymansionisabox said:
I actually have read all of the stickies.
Im not asking 'how-to' do anything.
What I am saying is that this forum has an absolute overload of 'information' and 'solutions'
There should be a more concise sticky discussing the advantages/disadvantages of each rom/lag fix/flash/recovery/etc. (Or at least about the ones anyone cares about)
If this exists, I sure as hell don't see it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are tons of guides and they're all condensed. I have to agree with the other poster, if you aren't going to take the time to read and learn what you're doing, don't do it. each sticky offering to help you through all of these processes are there for a reason.
There's the "Pimp My Captivate" thread which is exactly what you say you want. And there have been comparisons of each lagfix by Zilch25, clockwork recovery by Koush is clearly explained in his thread, each ROM is discussed in their own thread.
Ironically, you're asking for a sticky so as to have less stickies. Finding out which ROM you want to use is up to you and if you're not going to take the time to figure out what each tool offers or what each base ROM means, then maybe flashing your phone is something you should steer clear of for now.

If you're afraid of bricking it, just do a Nandroid backup. If something goes wrong, then you can just flash back and it'll be A-OK. If you seriously brick your phone and it's 100% messed up, it's probably because you tried to mess it up.

Hydrocharged said:
If you're afraid of bricking it, just do a Nandroid backup. If something goes wrong, then you can just flash back and it'll be A-OK. If you seriously brick your phone and it's 100% messed up, it's probably because you tried to mess it up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even guys that intentionally tried to brick their phone can't do it. I don't have much to say as it already has. Just take the time to read. There is a condensed version of what you can do to your phone, the pimp my captivate. Otherwise there are many different ways of rooting, lax fixes, firmwares to flash etc...so there is not one thing that you can do that will make your decision easier.

flashman2002 said:
Even guys that intentionally tried to brick their phone can't do it. I don't have much to say as it already has. Just take the time to read. There is a condensed version of what you can do to your phone, the pimp my captivate. Otherwise there are many different ways of rooting, lax fixes, firmwares to flash etc...so there is not one thing that you can do that will make your decision easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't say that. there have been several confirmed bricks from i9000's using the i897 one-click downloader. While there is no immediate, known, for-certain brick method for your phones... you never know who or what may be the first... always read as much as you can in the threads before you attempt to do anything

As someone who was new to the Captivate scene, but not XDA, just two weeks ago the best advice I can give you is start with the "Pimp my Captivate" PDF file. Read through that and then move forward to other stuff like flashing new firmware and using odin. Trust me you will catch on. I am no move on to working on friends phones for them without any worry of breaking (bricking) them.
Just read, read, read, and sometime read some more. If you have a question about a certain hack, fix, firmware...ect then just ask that question in that thread. Trust me there will be very useful helpful people to answer your questions.

I did what is probably the easiest method. I used unleash the beast and then one click lag fix. That's it and my phone is amazing now. I plan on sitting tight until froyo comes out and whatever the top rom happens to be.

I do appreciate everyone's answers.
Despite that, I really don't understand this particular forum's aversion of being more organized and concise. (imo)
I don't think any of you who told me to read actually understood my intentions of making this post since,although I didn't state it, I have already flashed mods to my Captivate and I have modded my previous phones.
I'm new to XDA so maybe this site is far more trustworthy than where I've been.
I'll check it out and read at least the last 10 pages of each thing that I install.
Thanks though.
Mod please close this thread.

mymansionisabox said:
I do appreciate everyone's answers.
Despite that, I really don't understand this particular forum's aversion of being more organized and concise. (imo)
I don't think any of you who told me to read actually understood my intentions of making this post since,although I didn't state it, I have already flashed mods to my Captivate and I have modded my previous phones.
I'm new to XDA so maybe this site is far more trustworthy than where I've been.
I'll check it out and read at least the last 10 pages of each thing that I install.
Thanks though.
Mod please close this thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
we have nothing against being "organized," I just believe your definition of organization is far too complex. You want all the ROMs compared side by side, followed by the tools, and the rooting methods, and the lagfixes and to know which is "best."
Each thing is kept separate from the other because there would be an absolute and definite overload of information in each thread. Look at SRE (a fine example of how to do it properly), he details the result for the end-user and then provides links to where each part of what he did came from. The development section provides a thread on reverting to stock and just that because it should focus on that, rooting can be left for a thread on rooting. SRE shouldn't be tossed into a thread with UTB because they provide different effects.
If you were to compile everything into one big mega-thread, questions would never be answered because there would be far too much crossover. The Pimp My Captivate thread is as good as it gets in that regard, they provide optimizations and suggestions and where to find more information, which is good enough.

I understand.
After this post I am done though, because I'm getting no where with this.
Check out the web page below, this is really what I meant. I can't post links so just close the gap between http:// and ga..
http:// gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/12/17/osx-netbook-compatib.html
I belong to several forums that had been attempting to put mac osx on netbooks and on one of them a chart of compatibility was compiled, which is similar to what I was suggesting we needed.
Ignore the comments below the chart; that would be unnecessary.
All I was proposing to do was have a locked/stickied thread that only a moderator could change up as new changes/improvements occurred.
Each root/lagfix/rom would have a href connected to their actual thread.
So there would be no need to have comments/ questions asked on that particular page. ****.. it could just be a damn wiki page, but I digress..
If no one thinks that would be beneficial to the community, that is fine.
I don't care, I can easily figure it out myself.
Mod, please close thread.

[REF] New to XDA? Questions about flashing ROMs? Please read this before posting!

Lately I have seen so many "what rom is best for my first flash" or "Help me decide what rom is best for me" threads and they are POINTLESS! Granted there are an abundance of new and old custom roms, everyone has different experiences and opinions on what rom is best.
So... NOOBS:
If you want to know what rom is best for YOU do the following:
- Go to the Android Development Section and read through different [ROM] threads to see what features will work best for you. I have also found it useful to read through the last couple of pages to see what other users think about the current version of the rom.
- If you don't know what certain terms in the rom thread mean or affect (ie. kernel, modem, OC/UV, Gps tweaks) locate the search bar in the top right corner of the page or browse through this page
- Once you have decided what rom you want to try out, you need to learn how to flash the rom. Most of the Developers post instructions but they can be confusing to some of the less experienced flashers. nbs11 has posted a thread about how to do this here and Connexion2005 was nice enough to make videos of the general steps: Flashing back to stock using odin3 , 3 Part video series for flashing roms: video 1 , video 2 , video 3
- Now that you know how to choose and flash a rom just try out different roms until you find one that you like and gives you all the features you are looking for.
- If you find the theme of a certain rom ugly or obnoxious, head over to the Captivate themes and apps section and look through different [THEME] threads until you find one that you like. Make sure the theme is compatible with the rom you have just flashed or are planning to flash.
- If you accidentally brick your phone, read How to unbrick the captivate or if that doesn't work, Unbrick the captivate for only $0.99
-Some useful links other members have posted:
One-Click Root - root your captivate in one click!
Build #1010 or above flash back to stock
My hopes of this thread are to save the Captivate general section from becoming a section full of useless threads. So if you are new, please use these steps and do the research to find a Rom that is right for YOU!
Cheers,
Alex

Thanks, + 1 sticky
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I second that sticky request please. Great piece of work!

Eh....Ii think a lot of us are guilty of expecting too much from "noobs." I remember being new and told to scour hundreds of pages of indecipherable text. Yeah right. I just want to flash my phone! Obviously not everyone does it. I hate to say it, but the forums are not very noob friendly. I recently tried suggesting an idea about organization of themes.....but no one even replied to my idea. Last I checked (correct me if I'm wrong) but the wiki is just a link to the sub forums. Someone tried to organize Rom features....but I don't think it hasn't been updated in a while. But I haven't checked
I would still like to create an easy to browse page full of apk's. Maybe I can find some time and a place to upload.....
Sent from my pocket.

swedishcancerboi said:
Eh....Ii think a lot of us are guilty of expecting too much from "noobs." I remember being new and told to scour hundreds of pages of indecipherable text. Yeah right. I just want to flash my phone! Obviously not everyone does it. I hate to say it, but the forums are not very noob friendly. I recently tried suggesting an idea about organization of themes.....but no one even replied to my idea. Last I checked (correct me if I'm wrong) but the wiki is just a link to the sub forums. Someone tried to organize Rom features....but I don't think it hasn't been updated in a while. But I haven't checked
I would still like to create an easy to browse page full of apk's. Maybe I can find some time and a place to upload.....
Sent from my pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure we might expect too much, but I think we should at least give them some guidance to flashing new roms. Since there is so much information out there it can be quite overwhelming to newcomers, which is why I tried to summarize and compile the best information I know of here.
I think your ideas of compiling themes into a one stop shop would be awesome if you kept it updated. I personally would just start a new thread and divide it into the most popular Roms out at the time, and paste links to whichever ones worked for that rom under the heading.

Gave you a 'thanks' and, AMEN!

Stickied, thanks for your contribution

very good useful information

Would the Cognition instructions work for other roms as well? For example, Phoenix 3.5?

PhnXFire said:
Would the Cognition instructions work for other roms as well? For example, Phoenix 3.5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, I have never flashed cog so I am not sure. But here is what I ALWAYS do, and everything works out for the different roms i have flashed.
1. Backup Apps and App data with TiBackup (not system data!!!)
2. Put phone in download mode
3. Open odin3 on computer
4. Plug phone in to computer, wait for odin to say "added"
5. Press start and wait to see if a blue line starts to apear on the phone
6. If the blue line appears wait for odin to finish, if it does not unplug the phone and hope it has not bricked. See the bottom of the OP if your phone is bricked.
7. Once rebooted, use one click root to root phone
8. Open droid explorer and move the CWM update.zip (see attachment to this post) to your phone as well as the rom you are flashing
9. Boot into recovery and "reinstall packages" usually twice until you get into CWM recovery
10. navigate to install zip from sd > choose zip from sd > (rom zip) > yes
11. once done click go back > reboot phone
12. If it asks you to convert data and partition click the first choice, something like convert all data and files, wait for it to finish
13. enjoi!
*NOTE* this assumes you have the correct drivers installed on your computer and that you have tested to make sure they work. I am not responsible if you follow these instructions and fubar your phone.

Does this work for Canadian ROGERS devices?

PhnXFire said:
Does this work for Canadian ROGERS devices?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not Canadian and haven't used a Canadian device, so I would not be able to tell you. Sorry.

It is what it is
I'm a bit torn by the thread topic, but I do understand. What lead me to this thread was the realization that I was prohibited from submitting a post on the Android Dev forum. It would have been my first post, as I had been testing and writing down the results of my experiences with flashing ROMs that are currently offered. After doing some reading, I found that a minimum of 9 posts were required before posting priviledges available for the dev forum. A little disappointed, but I could deal with that...until I read the opening of this thread. On one hand, I understand that every post has its place and in order for a forum to run smoothly, respect and etiquette is paramount. However, the tone of the post had a kinda, "don't interfere in grown folk business" feel to it; a noob-tolerance, but "stay in your place-ness" IMHO. We were all noobs at some point. Perhaps it's a little easier for some to remember than others. Like I said, I understand. Both sides (Moderators and noobs) have to put themselves in each others shoes to make it work.

ZioNicR said:
A little disappointed, but I could deal with that...until I read the opening of this thread. On one hand, I understand that every post has its place and in order for a forum to run smoothly, respect and etiquette is paramount. However, the tone of the post had a kinda, "don't interfere in grown folk business" feel to it; a noob-tolerance, but "stay in your place-ness" IMHO. We were all noobs at some point. Perhaps it's a little easier for some to remember than others. Like I said, I understand. Both sides (Moderators and noobs) have to put themselves in each others shoes to make it work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This thread is not discouraging noobs from posting or being a part of the forum, in fact following the guide will do the opposite by getting them involved in rom discussions with other members.
I am encouraging noobs to try things for themselves instead of relying on what other people claim to be the "best rom" for them. This was not meant to be an "elitist thread" simply because I haven't even been here that long, just trying to de-clutter the captivate general forum.

I have to throw a wrench into this system.....sorry....there seems to be a lot of complaints about posts in the wrong area. This happens A LOT. I have to take the"noob" side for a minute. Maybe instead of everyone jumping on new members, we find a better way to organize the information. Searching sucks, admit it. I know what I am looking for so I should be able to drill down through the forums to find it. I tried searching for a specific email.apk and gave up after 10 minutes of flipping through posts. There are all walks of people in the development forums. After all, that is where the good stuff is kept. So of course questions are going to be raised there. You are never going to win the war against new members not knowing the culture of this forum. Instead, let's start getting some ideas together on how we can make it more user friendly for everyone.
Sent from my pocket.

swedishcancerboi said:
I have to throw a wrench into this system.....sorry....there seems to be a lot of complaints about posts in the wrong area. This happens A LOT. I have to take the"noob" side for a minute. Maybe instead of everyone jumping on new members, we find a better way to organize the information. Searching sucks, admit it. I know what I am looking for so I should be able to drill down through the forums to find it. I tried searching for a specific email.apk and gave up after 10 minutes of flipping through posts. There are all walks of people in the development forums. After all, that is where the good stuff is kept. So of course questions are going to be raised there. You are never going to win the war against new members not knowing the culture of this forum. Instead, let's start getting some ideas together on how we can make it more user friendly for everyone.
Sent from my pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok so I have to ask, did you even read this thread?
The sole purpose of this thread was to guide new users to flashing new roms, that way they would stop making new threads in the captivate general section asking other users which rom is best.
No where did I mention anything about the development section or new members posting in the wrong section.
If you can't find things with search then try altering your search methods, ie change the "sort results by" drop down box to Relevancy. Often times I just do a google search of "xda (whatever i am looking for)" without the quotes and find what I am looking for in a matter of seconds or minutes.
If you feel like the forum is unorganized, do something about it like I did, don't just sit on your ass. Start a thread with all of the relevant .apk's you think need to be compiled while allowing other users to contribute or don't complain.

I did, but it sounds like many threads I've read in the past over and over again. I could have swore I've read this topic several times here, but perhaps I am mistaken. I follow several forums here at XDA and it is extremely possible my frustrations lie from reading this topic in multiple locations, not just within the Captivate section.
After searching around, I realize that there are not as many threads like this within the Captivate section as I had thought. My apologies for coming off wrong; however,
I do feel like some of the repositories here are disorganized, and have even tried mentioning it, but my thread got absolutely NO response, and it was in what I thought would be the correct section (asking about a list of apks in the Themes and Apps Section). Ah, oh well. Guess my fuse has been a little short recently. I wish I had more free time than just the 15 minutes here and there. I REALLY want to work on sorting the WiKi, but I'm married, so I've ALWAYS got other things to do.
Now that I feel I've completely torn the thread off topic, I'm going back to work

ademarne said:
This thread is not discouraging noobs from posting or being a part of the forum, in fact following the guide will do the opposite by getting them involved in rom discussions with other members.
I am encouraging noobs to try things for themselves instead of relying on what other people claim to be the "best rom" for them. This was not meant to be an "elitist thread" simply because I haven't even been here that long, just trying to de-clutter the captivate general forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the response. Didn't mean to be overly critical of the thread. Simply wanted to express how both sides of the argument can be seen as valid and relevant. I've seen harsh criticisms from seasoned contributors as well as inconsiderate inquiries from new posters that indicate no effort to find an answer prior to posting. No offense intented and thanks for your contribution to the community.

Maybe you can change the thread topic to sound a little less hostile towards new members. New xda users read this first or New posters or anything but "n00bs"

upNsmokeAllDay said:
Maybe you can change the thread topic to sound a little less hostile towards new members. New xda users read this first or New posters or anything but "n00bs"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Edited title.

Why aren't we using the Wiki?

It'll be a lot better to keep people organized. People keep asking the exact same questions in the forums because they're not reading through every single post, and frankly, who wants to?
If we keep everything in the wiki pages, we update the information once and it'll be like having a nicely-formatted OP for everything related to development, especially now that the GB root just came out, people are gonna have more questions and we could keep them updated with the latest links to tools, etc.
Just a thought.

I wholly agree with you.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App

[email protected] and I were supposed to start it up and keep it up to date. But I unfortunately did not do my part I got lazy. SORRY theGeeko!
here is the original thread about the wiki
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1093707
and here is the wiki
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S_4G
I might throw this golmar88's way as he has created and updates the Bible. IMHO, I feel with little devs on this phone and only 1 moderator, things got messy in here SUPER FAST! with us all being noobs, ive seen questions asked quicker than typing in a search in google. Its like people post/start new threads and clutter the forums rather than PM'ing the OP or someone who may have an answer. I try to frequent each sub-forum to assist where i can, but now its impossible because of the new threads being posted every day.

fknfocused said:
[email protected] and I were supposed to start it up and keep it up to date. But I unfortunately did not do my part I got lazy. SORRY theGeeko!
here is the original thread about the wiki
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1093707
and here is the wiki
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S_4G
I might throw this golmar88's way as he has created and updates the Bible. IMHO, I feel with little devs on this phone and only 1 moderator, things got messy in here SUPER FAST! with us all being noobs, ive seen questions asked quicker than typing in a search in google. Its like people post/start new threads and clutter the forums rather than PM'ing the OP or someone who may have an answer. I try to frequent each sub-forum to assist where i can, but now its impossible because of the new threads being posted every day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm so down to pitch in 'cause then we can just post a link to the wiki instead of repeating ourselves and if someone winds up finding a better way to do something, they get the latest version of the fix in the wiki. I'll look into editing a few things, it's just a matter of getting the devs to get into it too.
Pretty sure you can't edit the wiki from the XDA app though.

Idk know if anyone has done the wiki yet that's not on the forums but I could try and make one if someone wants to compile the main forum links to me via email or pm ill start working on it tomarrow... ill only do it with permissions from the devs b/c there the tru soldiers working there ass off to make it all possible. Also the wiki could include a way for the devs to find testers on lastst developments.
Sent from my SGH-T959V

rose2jam said:
Idk know if anyone has done the wiki yet that's not on the forums but I could try and make one if someone wants to compile the main forum links to me via email or pm ill start working on it tomarrow... ill only do it with permissions from the devs b/c there the tru soldiers working there ass off to make it all possible. Also the wiki could include a way for the devs to find testers on lastst developments.
Sent from my SGH-T959V
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like we can use the XDA wiki. You can check out golmar's SGS4G bible thread for the main things that the devs have been making:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1117554

Edit: FB beat me to it.

Bumping thread, wound up adding the "Resources" section to the main page.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S_4G#Resources
Wound up adding a new page with a partial list of CWM ROMs. I'll finish it later. (Took the list from golmar's bible)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S_4G_ROMs
I noticed a lot of users repeatedly asking the same questions in new pages of threads since it's really hard to read through the whole thread to find solutions. It took me 10 mins reading the manual on how to edit the wiki to figure out how to do this.
Hopefully in the near future we can have updated guides (since anyone can update them) which won't be restricted to a single author. Life gets in the way and people may not update the posts to include new info. This way we can start linking users to guides/info on the wiki instead of repeating or venting frustration at them.

Thoughts on ROM/dev threads.....

It seems to me that there is a lot of frustration amongst devs, those in the know, and the unschooled to the ways regarding pretty basic information. Stuff like "is MR2 froyo or gingerbread?". I know I'd be asking and saying some industrial strength stupid and annoying things if I didn't have a good friend in the know. I suppose what I'm suggesting here is perhaps several things. The first would be describing a number of specifications regarding the ROM or kernel at hand. Not just for the latest ROM or kernel, but for all the downloads available on the OP. Usually the change log covers that, but what I'm suggesting here is a certain I uniformity of certain information. That way some noob can go do his homework real fast and not post some stupid question.
The second thought I have is creating the "stupid question thread" (that would grow like a weed, huh?). It would have basic stuff like what the RUU's are, their characteristics, what radios they work with, what the different radios are, setting up ADB, and really basic stuff that I keep seeing posted again and again all over. I was reading through the Tbolt forums months before I got my Tbolt and my last phone was an Incredible so the worlds didn't change a hell of a lot for your average flashing junky. But that isn't everybody's experience. I'm suggesting a thread or the guy that just got his Tbolt and is saying "Now I wanna root it!" then "It's rooted! Now what's out there!" And zap! there's te thread that gives him a rundown of all the basics.
This sound like a good idea to anyone? If so, let me know and I'll work something up.

I am a noob, TB being my first Android phone. When I started reading the forums, my very first thought was: how come I can't find a noob thread that I can actually understand, that explains the basics, etc. It did not exist! Hence al the annoying (to some) posts elsewhere. If such a thread existed it would have been a huge help for me. It could be organized similar to ROM threads, with some introductory remarks, (a radio is XYZ, you flash it this way, etc.) followed by specific questions / comments. I like the idea!
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

This is a good idea.. if no one makes one soon ill take it up
Sent from my ThunderBolt using XDA Premium App

There is no substitute for taking the time to read the various threads and educating yourself. I think the devs do a pretty good job of supporting their work but to ask them to put together super noob threads and FAQs is just not something they're gonna do with any regularity.

The reason why no one has done it is because all of the noobs are to lazy or ignorant to read those threads, then continue to post their stupid and already-answered question anyway, flooding the threads as usual.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

I think it sounds like a good idea but as stated above people probably won't read it or take it's advice. Typically all the ROM/Kernel threads state EVERYTHING needed to know in the OP. Yet people will still ALWAYS ask something that is answered in the OP. Most people look at screenshots and then jump straight to the download link. This is my 3rd Android phone and when I got the TBolt I read and read prior to rooting. I had one issue that I hadn't seen posted so I asked. Then I ended up figuring it out on my own anyways. If people would just read info prior to downloading and jumping into it they would be fine. Creating a new thread with basics is great but how effective will it truely be?

Mustang302LX said:
I think it sounds like a good idea but as stated above people probably won't read it or take it's advice. Typically all the ROM/Kernel threads state EVERYTHING needed to know in the OP. Yet people will still ALWAYS ask something that is answered in the OP. Most people look at screenshots and then jump straight to the download link. This is my 3rd Android phone and when I got the TBolt I read and read prior to rooting. I had one issue that I hadn't seen posted so I asked. Then I ended up figuring it out on my own anyways. If people would just read info prior to downloading and jumping into it they would be fine. Creating a new thread with basics is great but how effective will it truely be?
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I agree with you 99%. However, there are several cases especially with BAMF threads where there are hundreds of pages and thousands of posts. The OP many times doesn't have solutions to common problems and the only way to find an answer is to spend hours reading through hundreds of pages. (I admit that BAMF is doing much better with their 3.0 RC2 thread). I know you are going to say to search but when a thread is that large it is hard to find meaningful search results.

Google is a noobs best friend. What is an RUU? Google it! What is deodexed? Google it! Etc. Etc. Etc...... The Devs develop. It's our job to educate ourselves. They do this for free. Between the forums and Google, most if not all questions can be answered. The ones that can't be answered is when the forums should be used. Just my opinion.

mpfstc said:
Google is a noobs best friend. What is an RUU? Google it! What is deodexed? Google it! Etc. Etc. Etc...... The Devs develop. It's our job to educate ourselves. They do this for free. Between the forums and Google, most if not all questions can be answered. The ones that can't be answered is when the forums should be used. Just my opinion.
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Agree. But, the question "can the X patch from the previous version be used on this version?" People get flamed for asking questions like that and many times there is nothing on the OP.

droidisawesome said:
Agree. But, the question "can the X patch from the previous version be used on this version?" People get flamed for asking questions like that and many times there is nothing on the OP.
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Because most often.. the dev himself does not know the answer.. and honestly.. the best way to know if something works or not is try it yourself. .. so I can understand when devs get frustrated with people asking certain permutation and combination of patches will work with their roms or not.
Once you understand (which comes with experience and lot of googling).. what affects certain aspects of a rom.. then you'll know yourself if a particular patch will work or not.
Patches from previous roms or other roms.. will never brick your phone.. the worst.. your phone won't boot up.. or it'll boot up and FC like crazy.. in which case you can always restore.
and I agree.. the best way for a noob to educate is google..
googling is an art.. once you get good at it.. there is almost nothing that you can't get information about.

And with some of the responses I just read in this thread is exactly why I haven't rooted my T-bolt yet. I rooted my D1 and really enjoyed flashing different ROMs and Themes but the HTC experience is a bit different from the one on the Motorola. I don't feel like getting flamed for asking something that those of you that have been using HTC long enough now find to be a useless question. I ran Blackdroids ROMs because he had an IRC channel where you could ask questions without being flamed openly in a forum for 100+ to see. I learned quite a bit to where I could eventually help others with it but I'm not at all comfortable yet with Hboot and ADB but hope to learn enough from reading to not bother you with questions you find trivial. I've read for a week now so what's another week

It appears there is a need for what I propose. Regarding those who's complaint is that nobody will read it, I say, at least someone put forth the effort and if someone like, linking to the thread is easy. Indeed looking stuff up for yourself is wise, however, it takes more time for people and all too often you don't know how accurate what your reading is or from what authority the writer speaks. I will agree most devs supply ample info on their work, but often its in jargon that makes no sense or lacks context. Part of the purpose for this thread would be to supply sense and context.
Hopefully over the next few days I can find time to whip something up. I welcome all suggestions and comments for content!

This is why we can't have nice things

Firstly i'll admit this may come off as a rant, but i will be making some valid points that i believe need to be addressed
Secondly, i really don't care if anybody finds this offensive because well points need to be made and sometimes they have to be bluntly made.
Thirdly, i'm sure many of you will agree with me on these points.
Fourthly, @Mods i understand this may come off a bit harsh to some people but again things need to be said.
Finally, please enjoy this read
Well here's the story of how i ended up writing this thread, ever since the Galaxy S3 came out many of you probably noticed that i was constantly helping people every single day, basically answering the same questions day in and day out. For a while i was fine with that, but the past few months i've almost ceased posting entirely, why you ask? Because answering the same questions everyday when their are plenty of stickies, and plenty of threads already asking those exact questions just got tiring and frustrating. Its very simple to search the forums as well as google, and to post a thread asking about a problem that can be answered by simply looking 1 to 5 threads down is just laziness and not needed. I understand people want answers quickly, but sometimes where you post these issues becomes an issue as well.
Issues #1: READ THE ORIGINAL POST (OP)
Example A: Bajee11 brought rootbox to our phones, and now he's closed his thread. Why? Because people couldn't just read the original post and keep non-development talk out of his thread.
Thread can be found here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2134052
If you read his original post right below the downloads section is a Non-development | Discussion | Support banner in big bold letters with a link to where non-development talk should be discussed, simple enough to read and understand. Its not hidden away at all, so their should be no reason why somebody can't see it.
What happened? Somebody flashed the i9300 (european) rom onto their i535 (verizon) phone. And essentially bricked the phone (wouldn't boot up) and that user posted about it asking for support. (ALL posts in their have since been removed so i can't show them to you but please take my word for it)
At this point, support should not be asked in the developers thread when he's stated not to post non development stuff in his thread.
But that's now what happened, people started helping him which is nice to do, but again in the wrong place. And posts continued which clogged up the thread and made things more difficult. Eventually the developer asked that it be stopped and taken somewhere else so that his thread wasn't clogged up with that junk, and this is what happened.
Originally Posted by Internet Guy
Don't be a ****. This forum is here to not only provide Roms and various tools for android users, but also to provide help when needed.
Take a chill pill, friend.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Bajee11: Dude, this is my thread so I expect the rules to be followed. I have over 20 threads to maintain and I don't want to come back here for every single post when it's not development related. You guys have no clue how hard it is to track bugs when users don't follow any rules and specially when you got several devices to maintain. Not only do you not know what a development thread is, you even take on me for pointing out this not the right place for bricked phone discussion? This is why XDA has different sections for these kind of things and users like you should learn that. Anyways, closing thread.
Sent from my SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
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Somebody goes and decides to challenge him instead of being respectful and taking NON ROM DEVELOPMENT talk somewhere else, it could've easily been dealt with in PM's, or searching the forum, or help me god making yet another thread about it.
This user that had an issue could've solved his problem by simply looking at this sticky thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2079399
Why is this a problem?
Well quite frankly the people that were using the Rootbox rom now have to sit, wait and wonder whether support will continue for D2VZW or if they should move on, just because some people couldn't read the OP and follow the simple requests, and had to feel the need to then challenge the OP instead of just respecting him.
Oh but that only applies to one rom my rom is fine
Have you ever tried to figure what bugs are in a rom only to be forced to read a million posts that aren't related to that rom at all but instead somebody doing something stupid resulting in user error not rom error? I know i have, its so frustrating to have to skim through 20 pages when in reality if people could keep things where they belong we wouldn't have that issue. Once you flash something that's not stock on the rom, ANY BUGS that occur are not the roms fault, because their is no way of knowing whether whatever you flashed caused it or not.
Flash a different kernel, then have x,y,z errors? Post in the KERNEL thread about it, i guarantee you'll get more kernel support their than in the Rom thread. You could make a simple post in the Rom thread and say "hey guys i flashed X kernel and now Y isn't working, just letting others know" Bam end of story, its simple, alerts other users and keeps thing clean.
Okay so that's one post but i see a million of them, okay well lets say User A posts that, then users B-Y post irrelevant nonsense then user Z posts the same thing as A, that's why you see it a bunch. Because B-Y or a combination had irrelevant information in their posts.
Solutions:
Option 1: I realize this is hard but please people have some respect and self control and keep posts where they are relevant. Or maybe the mod's should just start warning/giving infractions to people that can't obey the rules and have some damn respect when a developer asks you to please take business somewhere else.
Option 2: Instead of cluttering up the development thread, go make some thread in Q/A even though that'll go against my second issue it'll be better than clogging up relevant rom information/development, that users want to see. I'm sorry but if you brick your phone flashing something that's not meant for your phone that your own damn fault for not reading what you're download and flashing.
Option 3: If you can't read the OP then you shouldn't be rooting your phone. Honestly folks its not hard to read the OP, its their for a reason, not for you to skip down to the downloads link, flash the rom, and then say "X and Y are missing" when in the OP it clearly states they aren't there. And what do you know that's one more useless post.
Time for me to take a breath...
Issue #2: Not using the search function
I realize this may be hard for people to understand but its their for a reason, not to just look pretty. Its sole purpose is to try and keep things clean and help users to find helpful information. How many of you use google search everyday? i know i do, probably over 100 times a day and its very helpful, so i KNOW that you other users have used a search engine before, so why not use the one on XDA? Its not rocket science and its got plenty of options to help you narrow stuff down.
Hell even before you post a thread, it'll automatically search for relevant threads related to your title.
Notice: When you enter a thread title the system will search for similar threads which have already been posted. That should help you to find answers.
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Now tell me are you blind, or do you choose to ignore it? I'm guessing its the second one. Or maybe people are too lazy to just read the titles of threads, i guarantee you whatever issue you are having somebody else has had and already got an answer for it. Obviously we can't force people to use it, but please people, google is your friend, the search bar is your friend.
Solutions:
Option 1: Up the post requirement for development sections, i know i know this probably will be hated but its clear that it's needed. People still can't seem to just get it right anymore. Maybe if they have to spend a little more time actually using the forum they'll actually start to realize all these helpful things around them.
Option 2: Can we just start banning people? haha i kid i kid. But seriously, can we give Rom developers the right to edit posts in their respective threads, so if they deem something as pointless, then bam deleted
At this point i'm out of breath and tired from staring at the screen.
But i'll leave with this 99% of errors are user errors not rom errors. Yes that's right i'm blaming the users, because hey its your fault for messing something up. I flash rom's everyday and yet i don't have these crazy errors that others have, but hey i'm flashing stuff that's meant for my phone People really need to stop being dumb and start reading the OP it contains so much information, i swear some of you will flashing anything even if in the OP it states "THIS WILL DESTROY YOUR PHONE" and guess what, you'll flash it anyways because you're too lazy to take ONE minute to read it. You could read while making your nandroid backup, oh hey that's a great idea And when you have an issue, just use the search function.
I understand we were all noobs at once, but still... like i said, most issues are user error.
TLTR:
-Please read OP's
-Please use the search bar
-Please post issues in their respective threads
-Please don't post irrelevant nonsense in development threads, that's not the place for it.
-Please if you flash anything not stock with the rom, don't blame the rom.
-Please post rom issues in rom threads, and kernel issues in kernel threads.
-Please if you do something stupid, keep it out of the rom/kernel thread.
-Please read stickies, they contain more information than your heart desires and will help you in the long run.
-Please try and understand where i am coming from
Oh and again, i don't care if i offended some of you.
-NeverEndingXsin

*starts slow clap*
Sent from FBI Headquarters

Haha, you quoted that?
I don't let phone stuff get to me. Life's too short. But maybe this will help, maybe not
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

On accident. I'm so used to replying with a quote that I forgot not to.
Sent from FBI Headquarters

bobAbooE said:
Haha, you quoted that?
I don't let phone stuff get to me. Life's too short. But maybe this will help, maybe not
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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The final straw for me was that a recognized developer closed his thread due to people being rude, inconsiderate, and not reading the OP. Figured it was time to say something.

Neverendingxsin said:
The final straw for me was that a recognized developer closed his thread due to people being rude, inconsiderate, and not reading the OP. Figured it was time to say something.
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Happened when I was on the Rezound as well. People made Erishasnobattery really mad, and he and Apophis closed off the paradigm thread.
Sent from FBI Headquarters

Obaterista93 said:
Happened when I was on the Rezound as well. People made Erishasnobattery really mad, and he and Apophis closed off the paradigm thread.
Sent from FBI Headquarters
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Its a damn shame things go down like that. But i can't blame the developers for getting sick of it. People expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter, but that's not how life is.

Good thread Neverendingxsin. I've had this problem too and had to get mods to intervene multiple times due to childish behavior -_-

PureMotive said:
Good thread Neverendingxsin. I've had this problem too and had to get mods to intervene multiple times due to childish behavior -_-
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Thanks As a user myself i find it hard enough to deal with, as a developer i imagine its a whole lot worse. Just trying to make things a bit easier for you guys!

This really needed to be said. People feel way to entitled around here. You don't realize what you have until you lose it.

luis86dr said:
This really needed to be said. People feel way to entitled around here. You don't realize what you have until you lose it.
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I couldn't agree more. Everything that i know to this day about android i learned by reading threads, reading stickies, and paying attention to problems others are having and the solutions to them. Its not hard to do.

Neverendingxsin said:
I couldn't agree more. Everything that i know to this day about android i learned by reading threads, reading stickies, and paying attention to problems others are having and the solutions to them. Its not hard to do.
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If only everyone could have that mentality, it would make the drama on XDA far less than what it is.

luis86dr said:
If only everyone could have that mentality, it would make the drama on XDA far less than what it is.
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Keyword: "If" i doubt that would ever happen

The problem is the people that post all that clutter aren't going to find this thread. They are way too lazy.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

llama555 said:
The problem is the people that post all that clutter aren't going to find this thread. They are way too lazy.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
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Not even that they won't find the thread, but they'll just skip over it. And then anyone that actually opens the thread most likely won't bother to read this OP either...

That's the truth
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Unfortunately, it's always going to happen. The best we can do is report the offending posts. The more you report, the more the mods, and admins will take notice. They will in turn, notify the offenders, and remove the posts/threads.

spotmark said:
Unfortunately, it's always going to happen. The best we can do is report the offending posts. The more you report, the more the mods, and admins will take notice. They will in turn, notify the offenders, and remove the posts/threads.
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Mhmmmm. But when developers decide they don't want to develop for a particular phone due to users being like that it starts to become an issue.

Neverendingxsin said:
Mhmmmm. But when developers decide they don't want to develop for a particular phone due to users being like that it starts to become an issue.
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That's why you report the offending posts, as soon as you see them.

spotmark said:
That's why you report the offending posts, as soon as you see them.
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Shouldn't be necessary in the first place. My entire point is that people should be reading OPs and showing respect for them.