Database Info

[REF]{Definitions} Andorid & SGS4G specific <7/18>

THE SGS4G DICTIONARY​
A COMPANION TO THE BIBLE​​​
I am going to put a more in depth dictionary together, but this is my start. This was "Kanged" (look it up) from cyonogenmod wiki and Wikipedia. but I will be rewording it and customizing it to fit our needs here over time. This is just a jumping off point to get me going. As always, feel free to leave any words that need to be added!
2e recovery
3G
3G is the term generally used to describe 3rd Generation mobile telecommunications, specifically allowing for greater throughput of data over cellular networks. The official standard is known as "International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 (IMT-2000)".
4G
4G is the fourth generation of cellular wireless standards. It is a successor to the 3G and 2G families of standards. In 2009, the ITU-R organization specified the IMT-Advanced (International Mobile Telecommunications Advanced) requirements for 4G standards, setting peak speed requirements for 4G service at 100 Mbit/s for high mobility communication (such as from trains and cars) and 1 Gbit/s for low mobility communication (such as pedestrians and stationary users).
ADB
Android Development Bridge. Command line tool used to communicate with & control the device over a USB link from a computer. The ADB command is found in the Android SDK.
ADP
Android Developer Phone. The first ADP was a "development" version of the HTC Dream. The current ADP is the Samsung Nexus S II.
Aftermarket
Aftermarket generally refers to any product or service applied or requisitioned by end-users to add usability or functionality to the original product. Many aftermarket modifications can void the manufacturer's warranty. From a manufacturer's perspective, the after-market is any goods or services offered by the manufacturer directly to end-users of a given product or service. After-market services include support for warranties, contracts, and parts and accessories sales.
Android
Unveiled on 5 November 2007, Android is a mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel developed by Google. Below is a list of the most recent versions, and what they include:
2.0 (Eclair) included a new web browser, with a new user interface and support for HTML5 and the W3C Geolocation API. It also included an enhanced camera app with features like digital zoom, flash, color effects, and more.[46]
2.1 (Eclair) included support for voice controls throughout the entire OS. It also included a new launcher, with 5 homescreens instead of 3, animated backgrounds, and a button to open the menu (instead of a slider). It also included a new weather app, and improved functionality in the Email and Phonebook apps.[46]
2.2 (Froyo) introduced speed improvements with JIT optimization and the Chrome V8 JavaScript engine, and added Wi-Fi hotspot tethering and Adobe Flash support[47]
2.3 (Gingerbread) refined the user interface, improved the soft keyboard and copy/paste features, and added support for Near Field Communication[48]
3.0 (Honeycomb) was a tablet-oriented[49][50][51] release which supports larger screen devices and introduces many new user interface features, and supports multicore processors and hardware acceleration for graphics.[52] The Honeycomb SDK has been released and the first device featuring this version, the Motorola Xoom tablet, went on sale in February 2011.[53]
3.1 (Honeycomb) was announced at the 2011 Google I/O on 10 May 2011.[54]
3.2 (Honeycomb) is "an incremental release that adds several new capabilities for users and developers." Highlights include optimization for a broader range of screen sizes; new "zoom-to-fill" screen compatibility mode; capability to load media files directly from the SD card; and an extended screen support API, providing developers with more precise control over the UI.[55]
Below is a list of future releases that have been announced:
4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)[56] is said to be a combination of Gingerbread and Honeycomb into a "cohesive whole."[57] It will be released in Q4 2011.
.apk
The .apk is a file extension that denotes "android package". As android in a linux based operating system, things are installed in packages. It is practically the installation file of a new program.
Apps2SD
Move applications from the internal NAND memory on the device to a removable SD Card.
Bloatware
Software or 'apps' that you don't need, but come preinstalled to a device's /system partition, meaning that you cannot remove them unless the device has been rooted. Usually, these are apps are sponsored by a company and included by a carrier for profit. The majority of bloatware put on the phones can be useless, as well as additional theming provided to the SGS4G can cause lag.
Brick
Bricking; Essentially the phone is as good as a "brick" or "Paper weight". There are two types of bricking;
Semi-bricked - Phone will boot up to a stage of perhaps the S logo animating but not entering the correct stage of normal use, you should be able to enter recovery mode or download mode and recover your device.
Fully Bricked - The phone will not boot up, depending on what went wrong, you may not even be able to access recovery or download mode to recover your device, but in some circumstance it is possible with the help of a home-made JIG to Trigger download mode. Or- The phone will do nothing, in which case only a JTAG will help.
CWM
ClockWorkMod is an alternate recovery menu where you can execute more advanced features such installing custom ROMs, Modifications such as kernels, lagfixes, battery indicator MODS etc from the internal SDCARD. As well as backing up and restoring the current ROM you are using. Other advanced features include clearing Dalvik Cache, wiping battery stats and partitioning the sdcard. Kernel/lag-fix settings can also be changed using the CWM. It can be installed by using the update.zip by downloading from either a site or via the app on the market. You must have 2e recovery to install this MOD.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Dalvik-Cache
The dalvik-cache directory holds all of the pre-compiled .dex files created from installed apps. These files are static and do not change unless the app is updated.
Debranding
To "debrand" a handset, you flash stock firmware to it, thus stripping it of any network branding whatsoever. It is a clean handset where adding customizations and modifications has a less chance of causing instability with the SGS.
Download Mode
Can be accessed by pressing "Volume Down + Power + Menu" when the phone is powered off. It is the standby prompt for the installation of new firmware.
ext2
Second extended filesystem for the Linux kernel. ext2 is still the filesystem of FSchoice for flash-based storage media (such as SD cards, SSDs, and USB flash drives) since its lack of a journal minimizes the number of writes.
ext3
Third extended journaling filesystem is a journaled file system that is commonly used by the Linux kernel. It is the default file system for many popular Linux distributions. Note that due to limitations of SD Cards, you need to run "e2fsck -f" on any ext3 based SD Card filesystems after a crash to insure your data is still intact.
ext4
Fourth extended journaling filesystem is a journaling file system developed as the successor to ext3. Note that due to limitations of SD Cards, you need to run "e2fsck -f" on any ext4 based SD Card filesystems after a crash to insure your data is still intact.
Fastboot
Fastboot is protocol used to directly update the flash filesystem in Android devices from a host over USB. It allows flashing of unsigned partition images. It is disabled almost all production devices since USB support is disabled in the bootloader.
Firmware
Programs stored in the ROM, EPROM, or flash memory that usually control various internal electronic devices (Hard Drives, Keyboards, Displays, etc). Firmware is typically 'fixed' software that is not updated in consumer devices, however it is often updated (or 'flashed') by advanced users to fix bugs or add features to the device. Flashing firmware designed for one device onto a different device, or not following a specific procedure while flashing will often render the device unusable.
Flash
Non-volatile computer storage that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed (similar to EPROM). No power is needed to maintain the information stored in the chip. This technology is primarily used in memory cards and USB flash drives for general storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products. Because of its ease of use, speed, ability to be updated (see flashing), this technology is often used in mobile devices, PDAs, digital media players.
Flashing
The process of applying a firmware image (or ROM) to a device. It generally entails a very specific order of steps. Failing to complete any one of these steps properly may result in bricking the device.
GApps/Google Apps
An add-on for Google's applications (Market, GMail etc.), packaged separately to avoid copyright issues
GNU
A recursive acronym for “GNU's Not Unix!”; it is pronounced g-noo, as one syllable with no vowel sound between the g and the n. The GNU Project was launched in 1984 to develop a complete Unix-like operating system which is free software: the GNU system. “Free software” is a matter of liberty, not price. To understand the concept, you should think of “free” as in “free speech”, not as in “free beer”.
IMEI
The International Mobile Equipment Identity is a number unique to every GSM, WCDMA, and iDEN mobile device, as well as some satellite devices. The IMEI number is used by the GSM network to identify valid devices and therefore can be used to stop a stolen device from accessing the network. For example, if a mobile device is stolen, the owner can call their network provider and instruct them to "ban" the device using its IMEI number. This renders the device useless, whether or not the device's SIM is changed. The IMEI can be displayed by dialing *#06#.
JTAG
JTAG is repair solution providing unique scripting support and IDA real time debugging via GDB Server. RIFF Box JTAG is a high quality hardware with the Resurrection feature allowing for one-click repair.
Kang
The process of creating a code based of someone else's code or reapplying code that someone else created into your own code (e.g. git cherry-pick)
Kernel
The central or core software component of most operating systems. Its responsibilities include managing the system's resources (the communication between hardware and software components) and can provide the lowest-level abstraction layer for resources (especially memory, processors, and I/O devices). You can flash different kernels to the SGS, being Voodoo, SpeedMOD and others, you can have different desired effects with flashing different kernels by enhancing sound/picture, the enhancement of input/output between the processor and memory as well as lagfixes.
Kies
Kies is official software from Samsung which allows you to connect your SGS to your PC. It provides many features such as photo/audio/video copying PC <-> Mobile, firmware upgrading and backing up of data such as contacts/calendar/media.
IRC
Internet Relay Chat. Basically a chatroom, or a cross between Instant Messaging and a forum.
Lagfix
The lagfix in the SGS is exactly what it means...fixing lag. Reason for it is that the SGS has a proprietary filing system known as RFS, this although works with android, it can cause lag. Fixes for these are "lag-fixes" which can convert the original RFS filing system into EXT4, a linux filing system which the android operating system can work very well with. Newer ROMs such as 2.2.1 JPU + have improved RFS structures which aid against lag and alot users are not using lagfixes anymore.
Launcher
The standard launcher that the SGS comes with is the touchwiz. This allows you to have a standard 4-icon dock and 7-home screens, placing icons and widgets onto the home screen, it is responsible for launching various applications. You can have alternate launchers such as "launcher pro", ADW, new gingerbread launcher and modified touchwiz's, each can give you additional performance and features such as graphics, widgets and increased speed in launching applications.
Logcat
A debugging tool built into Android devices that displays system logs as they occur. See Logcat.
NANDroid
A set of tools that will enable anyone who has root on their Android device to make FULL system backups, in case something goes wrong or you want to try out that new experimental ROM/theme. NANDroid will backup (and restore) /system, /data, /cache, and /boot partitions.
ODIN
Is a windows program used to flash the SGS phones when the phone is activated in download mode. It is an un-offical method to flashing the SGS. However, it is rumoured to be leaked firmware flashing software from Samsung.
PIT File - Believed to be responsible for the partitioning and directing where to install firmware on disk.
PDA File - Is the main firmware image of the phone containing the kernel, bootloader and majority of data for the SGS.
Phone File - Also known as the modem file, believe it is responsible for the phone/modem data, such as calling protocols and having the relevant software for being able to sign onto mobile networks and other communications such as wi-fi/bluetooth and GPS.
CSC File - Customer sales code, responsible for the identification of the phone, e.g XEU-CSC will be UK/Europe Standard. The CSC values will be used for future "over the air" updates as well as current identification while in the android market to see which apps are available to you.
Open-source
Open-source is software that anyone is allowed to see the 'source' code. In the context of Android, Open-source refers to the approach to the design, development, and distribution of software. This offers accessibility to a software's source code for modification, improvement, bug-fixing, and security-enhancement. CyanogenMod is based on this principle.
Radio
The cellular radio on the device which needs control software called firmware to control it.
Recovery Mode
A special environment that you can boot into for troubleshooting and upgrading purposes. Can be accessed by pressing "Volume UP + Power + Menu" when the phone is powered off, press and keep a hold for approx 4 seconds and release.
2e Recovery;
Is a revision of recovery mode which allows you to apply unsigned "update.zip"s, Wipe Cache partition, Wipe data/factory reset and format the internal SD-Card. This is the commonly used recovery mode.
3e Recovery;
Is the latest revision of recovery mode which allows allows you to flash signed "update.zip"s. Wipe Cache partition, Wipe data/factory reset and format the internal SD-Card. This recovery revision can be downgraded to 2e in order to flash unsigned zips and allow the installation of rooting or other modifications used in recovery.
ROM
Read Only Memory. In the context of an Android device, ROM is the internal flash memory where the core operating system resides. It can also refer to a specific version firmware that can be applied to a device through a process usually referred to as flashing. An improperly flashed ROM can often brick the device, rendering it unusable.
Rooting
Obtaining root ("administrator", or "full") access to the device. This means you can mount its internal memory partition as read/write, which lets you do various things: have USB or Wi-Fi tethering, uninstall applications you otherwise can't uninstall (e.g. the Amazon MP3 store), install applications that need root access (such as AdFree), disable the camera shutter sound (simply by deleting the shutter sound file), overclock or underclock the CPU, install and boot Debian, and so on. Installing CyanogenMod roots the device in the process. The "Superuser" app controls what applications may gain root privileges.
SDK
A software development kit (SDK or "devkit") is typically a set of development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform. You can find the Android SDK at http://developer.android.com/sdk.
SIM
A subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module (SIM) is a small card provided by your carrier. It is an integrated circuit that securely stores the service-subscriber key (IMSI) used to identify a subscriber on mobile telephony devices (such as mobile phones and computers). A SIM card contains its unique serial number (ICCID), internationally unique number of the mobile user (IMSI), security authentication and ciphering information, temporary information related to the local network, a list of the services the user has access to and two passwords (PIN for usual use and PUK for unlocking).
SPL
Second Program Loader, in conjunction with the IPL comprise a device's bootloader. Aside from bootstrapping Android, the bootloader also fulfills various diagnostic functions. One of these functions is the manipulation of data in the device's internal flash ram. Depending on the SPL installed, the user might be able to flash signed NBH files, flash nand images, and more. Note that the SPL is installed and operates independently of the Android build that runs atop it.
Generally speaking, there are two variants of the SPL: Stock, which is 'locked' and is installed on most devices from the factory, and Engineering, which is 'unlocked' and has to be manually flashed - usually after 'rooting'.
Stock firmware
Stock firmware is official, untouched firmware from Samsung.
Tethering
Using a wireless device (e.g. an Android phone) to share it's wireless data connection to another device (e.g. laptop). With an Android device, the wireless data connection can usually be shared via WiFi, Bluetooth or USB connection.
Unlock
Most GSM devices are locked to only work with the sim cards of a particular carrier. Obtaining root access (e.g. installing CyanogenMod) on the device usually does nothing to the sim-lock. The usual way to unlock the device to all SIM cards is to obtain a subsidy unlock code from a carrier.
Vanilla
A clean, unmodified version of something. In the context of Android ROMs, vanilla refers to the stock ROM that came pre-installed on the device.
Widget
An application that lives (in other words, is always running) on the homescreen instead of being 'run' like a regular app. It feeds information right to the home screen, and you can interact with the app without the need to open the app. Common examples are calenders and weather widgets.
Wipe
Usually refers to wiping data and cache partitions of the device.
Zipalign
Reduces the amount of RAM consumed when running the application by allowing data to be mmap'd in; which causes all uncompressed data within the .apk, such as images or raw files, to be aligned on 4-byte boundaries.
More to come as I fill it and make it pretty!

*reserved*

Thanks for all the reference materials you put up golmar88!

thank you for this. it will certainly help so many people; to learn and explain to others.

bkoon1218 said:
Thanks for all the reference materials you put up golmar88!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NP, Hope it helps.

This'll definitely prove useful for many people.
**requesting this to be a sticky**

Thank you!! Very helpful

Possibles
I'd like to understand these better and
any other similar. Thanks.
ODEXED DEODEXED voodoo KG4
KG6 KB5 KC1 KD1

@idiot41, I'm right there with you, I know what a modem is on computers, but is it the same?
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App

VERY helpful to this noob! Thanx

We could refer every noob here..YES!
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

idiot41 said:
I'd like to understand these better and
any other similar. Thanks.
ODEXED DEODEXED voodoo KG4
KG6 KB5 KC1 KD1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seconded. I found this thread while trying to find out what odexed/deodexed mean.
Great resource for noobs!

bump for sticky.

Android Users.. must read!Important Knowledge !

Android Terminology Guide
Hit thanks if i helped u !!
ADK: Android Development Kit, What people use to develop anything for the Android such as ROM's
The ADK (Android development kit) is divided into 3 parts
1. Android SDK (Software development Kit): used to make easy programs which only require touch & some sensors , e.g. Games
2. Android NDK ( Native Development Kit): this is used to Create apps which require Hardware or Use the native binaries & libraries of Android , eg. Camera , CyanogenMod Settings, Oxygen Settings , etc.
3. Android PDK ( Platform Development Kit): As the name suggests this is the main kit which allows to make all ".mk" files (eg. Android.mk , etc) & most of the files found on github
Basically Dev's like FXP , Z , Achotjan , kxhawkins , etc. Use the PDK to make AOSP/CM7 ROMs from source
& Also use NDK to edit the system apk's etc.. to make it stable
adb: Android Debug Bridge, a command-line debugging application included with the SDK. It provides tools to browse the device, copy tools on the device, & forward ports for debugging. If you are developing in Eclipse using the ADT Plugin, adb is integrated into your development environment.
AOSP: Android Open System Project, usually you will see this term when referring to a program or ROM. This will mean that the program or ROM was taken from Google & does not contain any modifications done by the phone Manufacturer or the phone service provider. This is Android the way Google intended.
Baseband or Radio: In communications & signal processing, the baseband describes signals & systems whose range of the frequencies measured from close to 0 hertz to a cut-off frequency, a maximum bandwidth or highest signal frequency; it is sometimes used to describe frequencies starting close to zero
Boot Loader/SPL: In literal terms, boot loader is code that is executed before any Operating System starts to run. The concept of boot loaders is universal to virtually all Operating systems that includes operating systems on your PC, laptop, Smartphone, & other such devices. Boot loaders basically package the instructions to boot operating system kernel & most of them also have their own debugging or modification environment. As the boot loader kicks off before any piece of software on your device, it makes it extremely processor specific & every motherboard has its own boot loader.
Boot Loader/SPL (Unlocked): A locked or unlocked boot loader is what gives you access to “root.” “Root” is another big word in the Android community. If you “root” a device, it means you have “super user” access or “administrator” access to the operating system that runs on your phone. Root access of your Android device gives you the ability to flash ROMs.
One of the most popular ROMs was created by a team called the CyanogenMod(CM), & their current rom is CM7, which is built on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. What this means is that if you have a phone that has an unlocked boot loader & root access, you can flash the CM7 ROM to your phone with a couple more steps. This also means that you can get access to most of the features in the latest version of Android that is commercially available, without having to wait for your manufacturer or carrier to give you an official update.
Boot Loop: Simply means something is preventing the phone from completing it's boot cycle & is stuck between the boot animation & the unlock screen, creating a looped animation. This is often fixed by either reloading a NAndroid, or Reflashing a ROM from the xRecovery/ClockworkMod Recovery/Flashtool.
Brick or Bricked: Jargon for a completely unrecoverable device, (no more than a brick or paperweight)
Note: It is my understanding that radio will boot first, followed by other systems. So it is IMPORTANT that your radio image/version will work with your SPL image/version. This is the one & only reason for phones being bricked. You cannot brick your phone by flashing a ROM or Boot image or recovery image. Once you flash the wrong radio for the SPL, the only known method of recovery is to send the phone back into SE for repair.
How do I know the phone is hard-bricked? A hard-bricked phone cannot boot into boot loader, recovery, or into normal operation modes. You cannot connect to a hard-bricked phone via adb or fastboot. You can only see one screen on the phone & it will be the first splash screen.
Bug or Software Bug: An Error or flaw in software that produces a failure or unexpected/unwanted result. Typically created from incorrect code, this is why some ROMs are better & smoother running than others because developers have taken the time to input "perfect" code (read put in a lot of hours & hard work)
Busybox: A single multicall binary that packages the functionality of most widely used standard Unix tools, BusyBox provides a fairly complete environment for any small or embedded system.
COMPCACHE: (compressed caching) is, in short, virtual swap, setting aside a certain percentage (usually 25%) of your RAM as 'compressed' swap. Compcache compresses the data that would normally go to swap, then moves it back into RAM, and reverses the process when moving it out of the 'compressed' swap. However, this is a classic space-time tradeoff. You effectively get more RAM from the compression, but it is slower than 'normal' RAM due to the CPU time required to compress and decompress the swapped pages.
ClockworkMod: A recovery program that is often used to apply updates, ROMs, or create a back up or restore a backup file
Dalvik: An open source, register-based virtual machine (VM) that’s part of the Android OS. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format & relies on the Linux kernel for additional functionality like threading & low-level memory management. The virtual machine is register-based, and it can run classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into its native format using the included "dx" tool.
Dalvik Cache: A program cache area for the program Dalvik. Dalvik is a java based virtual machine that is the basis for running your programs (the ones that have the .apk extension). In order to make access times faster (because there's not JIT (just in time) compiler installed by default), the dalvik-cache is the result of dalvik doing a optimization of the running program. It's similar to the prefetch files in Windows.
DDMS: Dalvik Debug Monitor Service, a GUI debugging application included with the SDK. It provides screen capture, log dump, and process examination capabilities. If you are developing in Eclipse using the ADT Plugin, DDMS is integrated into your development environment.
Deep Sleep: A state when the CPU is off, display dark, device is waiting for external input.
De-odex: Apk files have respective odexes that devs use to supposedly save space. Deodexing means you convert it back to a .dex file & put it back inside the apk. This allows you to easily replace files (not having to worry about odexes), but the main point was to deodex services.jar so that you can change all text to different colors (such as the clock color to white) & to deodex services.jar, you need to deodex everything.
Dev. or Developer: An individual that creates, or alters a file in such a manner as to advance the program
Drawable: A compiled visual resource that can be used as a background, title, or other part of the screen. A drawable is typically loaded into another UI element, for example as a background image. A drawable is not able to receive events, but does assign various other properties such as "state" and scheduling, to enable subclasses such as animation objects or image libraries. Many drawable objects are loaded from drawable resource files — xml or bitmap files that describe the image. Drawable resources are compiled into subclasses of android.graphics.drawable. For more information about drawables and other resources.
Fastboot: Protocol used to update the flash file system in Android devices from a host over USB. It allows flashing of unsigned partition images.
Flash: Rewrite the software/firmware on your phone using a computer to "flash" or completely rewrite the memory (ROM) of your phone. This is done using ODIN.
Flash Memory: a program technology that can be electrically erased & reprogrammed
Kernel: The main component of Android operating system.
It is a bridge between applications & the actual data processing done at the hardware level.
The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources (the communication between hardware & software components).
[Usually as a basic component of an operating system, a kernel can provide the lowest-level abstraction layer for the resources
(especially processors & I/O devices) that application software must control to perform its function.
It typically makes these facilities available to application processes through inter-process communication mechanisms & system calls.
Operating system tasks are done differently by different kernels, depending on their design & implementation.]
Manifest File: An XML file that each application must define, to describe the application's package name, version, components (activities, intent filters, services), imported libraries, and describes the various activities, and so on. See The AndroidManifest.xml File for complete information.
Nine-patch / 9-patch / Ninepatch image
A re-sizeable bitmap resource that can be used for backgrounds or other images on the device.
Nandroid or Nandroid Backup: A file typically created in the custom recovery program, such as xRecovery, that is a carbon copy of whatever state your phone is in before a drastic change is made. The file then can be moved onto or off of the SD card for later use in case something should go wrong in the ROM or Update, or a Boot Loop occurs
ODIN: It is the program you can use to flash phones.
e.g. : 'Odin Multi-Downloader v3.95' is used to flash the Samsung Galaxy. It's usually included in firmware packs.
OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer, the people who actually put together electronic hardware. Also refers to any equipment original to the phone, or produced by the company for the phone
OpenGL ES: Android provides OpenGL ES libraries that you can use for fast, complex 3D images. It is harder to use than a Canvas object, but better for 3D objects. The android.opengl and javax.microedition.khronos.opengles packages expose OpenGL ES functionality.
OS: Operating system, I.E. Windows Vista, LINUX or MAC or Android
OTA: Over-the-Air; method T-Mobile, & some other phone companies, uses to update Android phones. The new versions of Android are developed by Google & then released to OEM's, Sony Ericsson in our case. The OEM then writes drivers that enable the new software to work on the phone's hardware. They also develop any specialized UI (user interface), like Timescape & Mediascape, or other software they want to include. Once this is complete, they turn it over to the cell phone company, (e.g.)Tmobile, who then have to do the final checks to make sure the update works, & then distributes it over there data network using their cell transmitters.
Overclocking (OC): Speeding up the CPU past the factory presets to achieve a faster & more responsive device (prolonged run can be injurious to your device, so be careful.)
ROM: Read Only Memory, a program used to make changes to anything from the look of the home screen to icons to custom boot animation
Root: Common word associated with giving a user "super user" access to their phones programming & other various aspects that would normally not be possible, also known as "Jailbroken" for iPhone's, "Administrator Rights" in Windows OS.
Shell or SSH: The shell is the layer of programming that understands & executes the commands a user enters. In some systems, the shell is called a command interpreter. A shell usually implies an interface with a command syntax (think of the DOS operating system & its "C:>" prompts & user commands such as "dir" & "edit"). secure shell or ssh is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices
SQLite: An embedded relational database management system contained in a relatively small (~275 kB) C programming library. It is multitasking concerning reads. Writes can be done only one-at-a-time. It is a popular choice for local/client storage on web browsers. It has many bindings to programming languages. It is arguably the most widely used database engine, as it is used today by several widespread browsers, operating systems, embedded systems among others
Stock: Simply means an unaltered state, such as when you first purchase your phone fromVerizon/Your Service Provider or when you repair your phone using PC Companion or SE Update Service(SEUS)
SU: "Super user", or root permissions
SWAP: is, in short, virtual RAM. With swap, a small portion of the hard drive is set aside and used like RAM. The computer will attempt to keep as much information as possible in RAM until the RAM is full. At that point, the computer will begin moving inactive blocks of memory (called pages) to the hard disk, freeing up RAM for active processes. If one of the pages on the hard disk needs to be accessed again, it will be moved back into RAM, and a different inactive page in RAM will be moved onto the hard disk ('swapped'). The trade off is disks and SD cards are considerably slower than physical RAM, so when something needs to be swapped, there is a noticeable performance hit.
Unlike traditional swap, Android's Memory Manager kills inactive processes to free up memory. Android signals to the process, then the process will usually write out a small bit of specific information about its state (for example, Google Maps may write out the map view coordinates; Browser might write the URL of the page being viewed) and then the process exits. When you next access that application, it is restarted: the application is loaded from storage, and retrieves the state information that it saved when it last closed. In some applications, this makes it seem as if the application never closed at all. This is not much different from traditional swap, except that Android apps are specially programed to write out very specific information, making Android's Memory Manager more efficient that swap.
Theme: A set of icons, backgrounds & app trays that change the aesthetics of the overall look of the Android & its applications. It has a set of properties (text size, background color, and so on) bundled together to define various default display settings. Android provides a few standard themes, listed in R.style (starting with "Theme_").
TUN/TAP: Refers to a network TUNnel, operates within layer 3 packets, or ip packets. Packets sent by a system via a TUN/TAP device are delivered to a user-space program that attaches itself to the device. A user space program may also pass packets into a TUN/TAP device. In this case TUN/TAP device delivers (or "injects") these packets to the operating system's network stack thus emulating their reception from an external source.
Underclocking(UC): Slowing down the CPU mainly to limit battery usage
Undervolting(UV): Basically keeping the clock speed same (or overclocking it) & reduce the voltage at each cpu cycle.
xRecovery: A recovery program based on the ClockworkMod Recovery sources used to apply updates, ROMs, or create a back up or restore a backup file
File Types:
.dex: Compiled Android application code file. Android programs are compiled into .dex (Dalvik Executable) files, which are in turn zipped into a single .apk file on the device. .dex files can be created by automatically translating compiled applications written in the Java programming language.
.sbf: Summation Briefcase File
.apk or APK's: An .apk file extension denotes an Android Package (APK) file, an .apk file can be opened & inspected using common archive tools. Each Android application is compiled and packaged in a single file that includes all of the application's code (.dex files), resources, assets, and manifest file. The application package file can have any name but must use the .apk extension. For example: myExampleAppname.apk. For convenience, an application package file is often referred to as an ".apk".
.tar: Similar to a zip file(derived from tape archive), a tar file archives multiple files into one file
.tgz: TGZ files (gnu-zipped .tar file) are commonly used as install packages for Slackware Linux.
pheeeeww!!This took sometime!!
Well this is all I can think of off the top of my head but as I think of more I will edit them in here & I encourage the mods to put things that I either forgot or just simply am not aware of. Also I request fellow user to suggest any terms frequently used & not added or any discrepancies found, kindly PM me!!
Thank you & happy hacking/flashing!!
_____________________________________
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Core Clock Speed: -
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It is the actual clock speed that the CPU is running at. "Not the multiplied speed."
It's good to remember a CPU's performance is also effected by its memory's speed.
Similar rules exist for the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

Good beginning, I think. In a few days I will start to translate in german, maybe we can attach this translation as a pdf?

excellent work dude keep it up

U rock dude keep it up..much helpful infrmtn esp for those who just flash roms without knowledge(like me)

Can u explain what is "set 777 permission" and 766, 755
Sent from my GT-S5670L using xda premium

Deshabilitado said:
Can u explain what is "set 777 permission" and 766, 755
Sent from my GT-S5670L using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those digits represents the permissions for all users 1st digit for user 2nd for group 3rd for other..1 denotes execute,2 denotes write and 4 denotes read so if u add 1+2+4=7..hope u got it...

Try this link to understand file permissions..
http://www.tuxfiles.org/linuxhelp/filepermissions.html

asdfglkjhg said:
excellent work dude keep it up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
martin_s5670 said:
Good beginning, I think. In a few days I will start to translate in german, maybe we can attach this translation as a pdf?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
vijayanandssj4 said:
U rock dude keep it up..much helpful infrmtn esp for those who just flash roms without knowledge(like me)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes we can do tht , will start the translation!
and thnx hope the knowledge helped u !!

udit.kumar said:
yes we can do tht , will start the translation!
and thnx hope the knowledge helped u !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now I found a good FAQ in german with more or less the same content, I will give the link (post2), better than a translation from me.
http://www.android-hilfe.de/samsung...4-unbedingt-lesen-die-faq-fuer-unser-ace.html

Thanks a lot for this useful info ...
Also the Fix Permissions Guide helped a lot to understand ...

It helps me to understand the various terms. Thank you!

Gr8 n very useful stuff

suhs_20 said:
Thanks a lot for this useful info ...
Also the Fix Permissions Guide helped a lot to understand ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
glad to knw

adissan said:
It helps me to understand the various terms. Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you are welcome
PS - Hit thanks!

Thank you. Its very useful information

[INFO] "New User Guide Terms Android"

Hi! I saw that many (myself initially) fail to understand the discussions of various topics of modding on this and other forums because of certain terms that are now characteristic of speech in any argument.
-Android operating system for mobile devices based on Linux kernel. Android is an open source project developed by the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). Google was the first company to work on Android and HTC has designed and implemented the first Android phone.
-ADB (Android Debugging Bridge): application via command line (command prompt, DOS), is used to flash rom, make changes to the system, backup, install applications (using the command: adb push nomeapp.apk / system / app /), copy files from your device to PC (via the command: adb pull / path / inside / of / Android / filename nome_file_destinazione) and more. ADB is a tool included in the SDK of Android that allows you to manage your phone simply by connecting it via USB. For programmers, ADB is also used to execute commands on a virtual machine Android. detailed instructions.
- Apk (short for Android Package): is the file format used to install the Android software (it works similar, more or less, that is for Windows. Exe). Renaming the extension of this file. Zip you can open it with any operator of compressed files.
-App or Apps: abbreviation of the term application or applications
-App2sd (A2sd): procedure inherent in many Roma coocked, to move applications installed, or install later, the memory card instead of phone memory. to use it you must have an ext2 or ext3 or ext4 on the memory card. part of the application (the Dalvik cache) is still stored in the smartphone does not reduce the speed of execution. app2sd this is not to be confused with the various applications on the market, as those of the market allow the movement or storage of only applications that allow it.
-Bootloader (FASTBOOT): phone mode (while connected to USB mode with usb debug enabled) through which you can do many things, including obtaining root permissions, flash ROM, make backups, pushare files, remove files etc. ... the bootloader mode varies from terminal to terminal, refer to those sections for how to go into bootloader on your device.
-Brick (brickare, brickato): literally (translated in Italian) "BRICK". making the cell like a brick, a something of unusable if not as paperweights.
-Digital compass: The digital compass is able to detect the direction in which the device is pointing. This information can be used together with an appropriate mapping software to assist in navigation to unknown places.
-BusyBox: BusyBox is important because it lets you install it on your Android poteziare with many basic Linux commands. In fact, some powerful programs, such as Titanium backup and others, use busybox to carry out the instructions. In virtually a few kb there are so many beautiful little programs. guide: using titanium or backup.
-Cache: a temporary memory in which data are stored as may be eliminated without compromising the functionality of the system.
-Digital certificate: encrypted code issued to two or more parties by an authorized organization, and used to verify the identity of those parties by exchanging their public keys.
-Cupcake: Android 1.5 or relaise first official operating system pounces April 13, 2009
-Encryption: Procedure for the encoding of a systematic bit stream before transmission, aimed at avoiding that the contents can be decrypted by third parties.
Dalvik-Cache: cache used by the system to increase the execution speed of programs.
USB-Debug: mode of Android that is (turning the feature on your device via menu / settings / apps / Development / Debug USB) to allow the system to undergo special modifications.
Direct-Push Technology: Direct Push technology (push e-mail capabilities), developed by Microsoft, lets you receive new e-mail messages on their device, they are not received by your mailbox Inbox or Exchange Server. Items such as contacts, calendar and tasks are immediately updated on the device if they are changed or added on the Exchange Server.
-Emulator: it is found in the SDK and is a software that allows you to emulate (simulate) an android device. usually serves to developers (developers) to test applications.
-Digital Signature: A digital signature assures the recipient about the identity of the person who sent the file, and the absence of alterations made ​​after signing this.
-Firmware: Software comlpleto the phone, android rom often contains (the only operating system) the radio (software designed to handle all communications) and hboot (the part on the base, and boot management and partition of the phone) . The format depends on the parent company that issues them and shall be flashed through the tool or program.
-Flash (flash, flashed): install, installed.
-G. E. often written or GE (Google Experience): There are those phones that have the OS (see ROM for a definition) fully developed by Google without any addition or customization by the manufacturer that sells the device (for example the number of mobile Nexus is entirely GE). This designation often means that these phones are the first to receive updates of new versions of Android, because there being no additional software, as well as those developed by Google, the release is much quicker.
Another (more common) is that With Google.
Are those phones that despite having some customization software by the manufacturer, are fully compatible with the Google software and services with Android.
-GPRS: GPRS (General Packet Radio Systems - Radio systems for generic packages) is a data service for mobile devices. It is available for the devices that meet the GSM standard.
-GPS: GPS (Global Positioning System - Global Positioning System) is a radio navigation system based on satellites that allows the DENTIFICATION of a geographical position through a triangulation of points. The GPS is used on mobile devices for applications software for navigation.
-GSM: Short for Global System for Mobile communications (Global System for Mobile Communications), is the platform for mobile computing worldwide.
-HSDPA: HSDPA (High-Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access) is a technology for mobile devices that allows higher data speeds than traditional networks. Often referred to as 3.5G for faster downloading.
-HSPA: HSPA (High-Speed ​​Packet Access - High Speed ​​Packet Access) is a technology for mobile devices that improves the speed at which you can send and receive information on their mobile device. HSPA technology is used in 3G networks.
HSUPA: The HSUPA (High-Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access - access to packages for the high-speed) is a technology for mobile devices that provides (along with HSDPA) the possibility of having connections with fast download and upload very high by optimizing use of bandwidth.
-HVGA: The HVGA (Half-size Video Graphics Array) indicates a particular display resolution of 480 x 320 pixels.
-hboot: the part on the basis of partition and boot management and the phone
-Kernel: is the essential part of any operating system. Without going into technicalities, it manages hardware (drivers and other information about the hardware, for example). Android uses a modified Linux kernel and is entirely open source (ie source code is freely available and modifiable).
- Launcher: It 's the software that handles the desktop (icons, widgets, wallpapers etc..) Android operating system. In essence, is what appears when you access the phone after the unlock screen, called Lock Screen (see below) if it is enabled.
Android allows for excellent customization Lacuncher. Although all versions of Android will already have a default, it is possible (when this option is not blocked by the manufacturer) install as many as you want from those in the Market. Launcher The best known of those owners are not ADW Launcher, Launcher Pro, Helix Lancher.
Most producers customize more or less heavily, their phones (as long as they are not GE, see above), and modification of the launcher is usually the most common personalization. Motorola for example sviluppaMotoBlur (non-removable, and includes an additional set of changes including the Launcher), the HTC the Sense (removable; this also includes modifications to the deepest only launcher which also include the framework), Samsung TouchWiz the (removable) etc..
The change of Lacuncher makes it very often no longer available widgets developed for another Launcher.
-Leak Leaked or (escaped): this refers to the ROM or firmware that (strangely) escape to the Mother House, and is circulated on the net. are semi-official, in the sense that they are developed directly from 'manufacturer, but are not officially released (and therefore not fit to restore the guarantee of a device).
Screen-Lock or unlock screen: is the screen that appears after turning on and / or whenever you press the on / off the phone. Used to not press the keys when not using the phone. It requires a combination of specific touches, or gestures to be "removed"
-Nandroid (found in the recovery as amended): application that creates an image of the entire operating system, like norton gost and true image for windows.
-ODEX: type of compression that is used to free up memory and speed up your system. ODEX unzip the file compresses everything and creates a file. ODEX dall'apk deleting the file. dex then you end up with after launcher.apk and launcher.odex (so 'you have saved so much space and improved
the speed reading application). rom the ODEX can not be changed the subject.
-OTA: Over The Air - system that allows applications to receive updates directly from the network or system
Ext2/ext3/ext4-partition: partition on the memory card (which usually can be made using modified recovery) used to install applications on this media instead of filling up the phone memory. the ext is a type of file system used on Linux and is seen as part of the Android smartphone's internal memory. to partition the SD card in the sections and guides for your device.
-Profile A2DP: Advanced Audio Distribution profile (Advanced Audio Distribution) is a specification that refers to how two Bluetooth devices can transmit and receive streaming high quality audio. The A2DP allows the transfer of a unidirectional stream audio in stereo with two channels, such as music from one phone to a headset.
-Pull: used command in command prompt (eg adb pull / path / inside / of / Android / filename nome_file_destinazione) copy to your PC for a file or folder in the Android system.
Radio-or banda or baseband (not the FM radio): software designed to manage all the communications device (phone, wifi, bluetooth, gps, etc. ...
-Recovery: a kind of mini operating system that is used to retrieve the cell from critical situations (brick, malfunction, etc. ....), do nandroid backup, perform the wipe, flash rom coocked and file format. Zip. The Recovery is properly called Recovery Mode and means the recovery mode in which you can perform actions such as, installing updates, format the phone, format and partition the SD and more. Updating the recovery.img (you can also do without the root) with a different and we have modified provisions advanced features without having to do other steps.
-RSS: RSS (Really Simple Syndication - Guild simple): indicates an Internet protocol used to distribute information that is updated frequently, such as a blog on the Internet, audio or video broadcasts or news headlines.
-Rom: the operating system. coocked roms are usually in. zip and go through recovery flashate
Coocked-Rom: cooked rom, created by chefs (who put together parts of rom applications, modifications, patches and so on) composed and enriched with new features
-ROOT (I take verbatim from androidpedia): What is root? In Unix-like operating systems is denoted by the root user with the highest privileges, ie, system administrator, also known as super user or superuser. (Cited in Wikipedia). Android being a linux system, then the user is root, which allows you to have total control of the phone. What a privilege we have to have root permissions? We have TOTAL control of the telephone. rootare the procedure for your device varies from terminal to terminal, consult the relevant sections to find out how to make your root device ..
G-sensor (gyro): The G sensor detects the position and movement of your device. It helps to orient the display to view both vertically or horizontally depending on how you hold the device. The G-sensor can be used in games to control the actions and other applications that require a movement to be able to be activated.
-SDK (software development kit): Software development kit, which we find in the tools folder that contains the file ADB. You can download it from for all platforms (Windows, Linux, Mac OS).
-S.O. (operating system): see ROM. In fact ROM and SO tend to coincide but while the first term is used to indicate the contents of any memory or the memory itself (it is in fact for Read Only Memory), the second indicates more specifically at a very specific piece of software and not any content that a memory can accommodate.
-Streaming: The term indicates the transmission of streaming audio or digital video using the Internet.
-Superboot: method to become the superuser (root-administrator) of your smartphone, with which you can make changes to the system, such as flash ROM, modify system folders etc. ...
-Tap (capped, plugged): equivalent of left-click on PC, then click in, clicked. TAP LONG = equivalent to right click on pc
-Thetering (wifi, bluetooth and usb): Mode is a connection between the phone is another device (mostly PC), through which you can take advantage of the internet's first, and basically use it as a modem, the second ( which as I said before can be a PC or another phone yet). May be predominantly via USB connectivity, bluetooth or wifi phone.
-Tablet is a tablet device that differs from a smartphone to the screen size (usually greater than the 5 "and for its strong propensity to navigation and document management. It usually does not incorporate a module for telephone calls (one exception is the Galaxy Tab), but often have a data connection via 3G or 4G as well as the WIFI.
Google has developed a special version of Android, called HoneyComb (3.X) for release in 2011. Nevertheless, there are Tablet with Froyo.
-VGA The VGA (Video Graphics Array) indicates a resolution of the display of 640 x 480 pixels.
-WCDMA: The WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) is a protocol for the transmission of data in a 3G cellular network.
-WVGA: The WVGA (Wide Video Graphics Array) indicates a display resolution of 480 x 800 pixels.
Wipe Dalvik-CACHE: reset the system cache. amended by recovery takes place.
Wipe-DATE (factory reset): hard reset (reset phone to factory settings, deletes all data and applications in your phone, no memory card). some recovery in the wiping the data format factory, not a complete hard reset, but a reset of all data in your phone, for a complete hard reset you should also wipe the system and boot from the recovery of the advanced settings or proceed with the procedure manual keystroke! how to do the hard reset via keyboard shortcut see the guides in their respective sections of your smartphone.
-ZIPALIGN: A form of compression that is used to speed up execution of applications. zipalign unzip the file and aligns the compressing apk file limit so 4byte 'Android takes up less ram to read and read more' quickly and then recreates the file. apk ^ ^
If you know other terms that do not understand, this thread is yours.
P. S. I hope to be helpful

Wow nice work!
Maybe change the title to Android Terms and Abbreviations Explained or something? I opened the thread expecting legalese stuff like GPL.
Some parts a bit italianish like the odex explanation but my hat of to you for taking the time to write this up, impressive:thumbup:

Is this a direct copy of what's in the Android General section of the forums?

brwetz said:
Is this a direct copy of what's in the Android General section of the forums?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
show me the link please? I tried but could not find

brwetz said:
Is this a direct copy of what's in the Android General section of the forums?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was asked is if you could add to the general forum, maybe this is who is being attacked

I'm on my phone, I mean up top. It's not a direct copy, but there's a thread in android development.
Sent from my HTC VLE_U using xda premium

Android terms and definitions

This isnt my work and this is the hardwork of Diablo67 and i thought that this would be useful in our forum. All thanks to Diablo67
I figured i would post this thread to help all of the new members and experienced understand the Android slang,there are actually a few i did'nt know the meaning of until i made this thread.I have compiled most of the terms,definitions and slang i could dig up,if theres anything i missed,let me know and i will add it to the thread,otherwise i will update this thread as new slang,terms and definitions are presented to me.
Apps2SD:A method of storing applications and cache on the device's microSD card.
ADB:Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile command line tool that lets you communicate with an emulator instance or connected Android-powered device. It is a client-server program that includes three components:
•A client, which runs on your development machine. You can invoke a client from a shell by issuing an adb command. Other Android tools such as the ADT plugin and DDMS also create adb clients.
•A server, which runs as a background process on your development machine. The server manages communication between the client and the adb daemon running on an emulator or device.
•A daemon, which runs as a background process on each emulator or device instance.
Android:A Linux-based operating system for mobile devices such as HTC EVO.Versions are alphabetically codenamed after snacks: Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Donut.
AMOLED:Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode. Basically, a very colorful, bright, display found in some smartphones.
APK:Android application package file. Each Android application is compiled and packaged in a single file that includes all of the application's code (.dex files), resources, assets, and manifest file. The application package file can have any name but must use the .apk extension. For example: myExampleAppname.apk. For convenience, an application package file is often referred to as an ".apk".
Alpha:The alpha phase of the release life cycle is the first phase to begin software testing (alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet, used as the number 1). In this phase, developers generally test the software using white box techniques. Additional validation is then performed using black box or gray box techniques, by another testing team. Moving to black box testing inside the organization is known as alpha release.[1]
Alpha software can be unstable and could cause crashes or data loss. The exception to this is when the alpha is available publicly (such as a pre-order bonus), in which developers normally push for stability so that their testers can test properly. External availability of alpha software is uncommon in proprietary software. However, open source software, in particular, often have publicly available alpha versions, often distributed as the raw source code of the software.
The alpha phase usually ends with a feature freeze, indicating that no more features will be added to the software. At this time, the software is said to be a feature complete.
Boot Animation:Boot animation is a term for a graphical representation of the boot process of the operating system.
Boot animation can be a simple visualisation of the scrolling boot messages in the console, but it can also present graphics or some combinations of both.
Unlike splash screens, boot screen or boot animation is not necessarily designed for marketing purposes, but can be to enhance the experience of the user as eye candy, or provide the user with messages (with an added advantage of color coding facility) to diagnose the state of the system.
Bootloader:This small program's only job is to load other data and programs which are then executed from RAM.Often, multiple-stage boot loaders are used, during which several programs of increasing complexity load one after the other in a process of chain loading.
Bootloop:When your system recycles over and over without entering the main OS.
Beta: is the software development phase following alpha. It generally begins when the software is feature complete. Software in the beta phase will generally have many more bugs in it than completed software, as well as speed/performance issues. The focus of beta testing is reducing impacts to users, often incorporating usability testing. The process of delivering a beta version to the users is called beta release and this is typically the first time that the software is available outside of the organization that developed it.
The users of a beta version are called beta testers. They are usually customers or prospective customers of the organization that develops the software, willing to test the software without charge, often receiving the final software free of charge or for a reduced price.
Beta version software is often useful for demonstrations and previews within an organization and to prospective customers. Some developers refer to this stage as a preview, prototype, technical preview (TP), or early access.
Some software is kept in perpetual beta—where new features and functionality is continually added to the software without establishing a firm "final" release.
CPU:It stands for Central Processing Unit and handles all the complex mathematical formulas necessary to do everyday things like surfing the Internet.
Custom:Independent developers who like to customize their devices beyond the standard options provided often tend to release the fruits of their labor for the rest to enjoy, in form of custom ROMs.
Cache:A component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere. If requested data is contained in the cache (cache hit), this request can be served by simply reading the cache, which is comparatively faster. Otherwise (cache miss), the data has to be recomputed or fetched from its original storage location, which is comparatively slower. Hence, the greater the number of requests that can be served from the cache, the faster the overall system performance becomes.
CDMA:Mobile phone standards called cdmaOne, CDMA2000 (the 3G evolution of cdmaOne) and WCDMA (the 3G standard used by GSM carriers), which are often referred to as simply CDMA, and use CDMA as an underlying channel access method.
CIQ:Carrier IQ. A piece of preinstalled software that runs with elevated access in the background of portable devices by default and records everything. Potentially can be exploited to steal information.
Dual Core:A dual core processor is a central processing unit (CPU) that has two separate cores on the same die, each with its own cache. It essentially is two microprocessors in one. This type of CPU is widely available from many manufacturers. Other types of multi-core processors also have been developed, including quad-core processors with four cores each, hexa-core processors with six, octa-core processors with eight and many-core processors with an even larger number of cores.
Dalvik:The Android platform's virtual machine. The Dalvik VM is an interpreter-only virtual machine that executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format, a format that is optimized for efficient storage and memory-mappable execution.
Dalvik Cache:Writable cache that contains the optimized bytecode of all apk files (apps) on your Android device. Having the information in it's own cache makes applications load faster and perform better.
EXT2:The ext2 or second extended filesystem is a file system for the Linux kernel. It was initially designed by Rémy Card as a replacement for the extended file system (ext).
ext2 was the default filesystem in several Linux distributions, including Debian and Red Hat Linux, until supplanted more recently by ext3, which is almost completely compatible with ext2 and is a journaling file system. ext2 is still the filesystem of choice for flash-based storage media (such as SD cards, and USB flash drives) since its lack of a journal minimizes the number of writes and flash devices have only a limited number of write cycles. Recent kernels, however, support a journal-less mode of ext4, which would offer the same benefit along with a number of ext4-specific benefits.
EXT3:Third extended filesystem, is a journaled file system that is commonly used by the Linux kernel. It is the default file system for many popular Linux distributions, including Debian. Stephen Tweedie first revealed that he was working on extending ext2 in Journaling the Linux ext2fs Filesystem in a 1998 paper and later in a February 1999 kernel mailing list posting, and the filesystem was merged with the mainline Linux kernel in November 2001 from 2.4.15 onward.Its main advantage over ext2 is journaling, which improves reliability and eliminates the need to check the file system after an unclean shutdown. Its successor is ext4.
EXT4:It was born as a series of backward compatible extensions to ext3, many of them originally developed by Cluster File Systems for the Lustre file system between 2003 and 2006, meant to extend storage limits and add other performance improvements.However, other Linux kernel developers opposed accepting extensions to ext3 for stability reasons,and proposed to fork the source code of ext3, rename it as ext4, and do all the development there, without affecting the current ext3 users. This proposal was accepted, and on 28 June 2006, Theodore Ts'o, the ext3 maintainer, announced the new plan of development for ext4.
FC/FC's:Short for "force close," meaning an app that has crashed.
Fastboot:A diagnostic protocol used primarily to modify the flash filesystem in Android smartphones from another computer over a USB connection. It is part of the Android Debug Bridge library.
Utilizing the Fastboot protocol requires that the device be started in a boot loader or Second Program Loader mode in which only the most basic hardware initialization is performed. After enabling the protocol on the device itself it will accept any command sent to it over USB via a command line. Some of most commonly used fastboot commands include:
•flash - Overwrites a partition in flash with a binary image stored on the host computer.
•erase - Erases a partition in flash.
•reboot - Reboots the device into the either the main operating system or the system recovery partition.
•devices - Displays a list of all devices (with Serial #) connected to the host computer.
Flashing:The ROM memory used in smartphones and tablets etc. is often same as flash memory found in SD cards and USB flash drives, simply optimized for better speed and performance while running the operating system.
Hotspot:A spot that offers Internet access over a wireless local area network through the use of a router connected to a link to an Internet service provider. Hotspots typically use Wi-Fi technology.You can connect wifi campatible devices to it.
HDMI:High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a compact audio/video interface for transmitting encrypted uncompressed digital data.It is a digital alternative to consumer analog standards, such as radio frequency (RF) coaxial cable, composite video, S-Video, SCART, component video, D-Terminal, or VGA (also called D-sub or DE-15F). HDMI connects digital audio/video sources (such as set-top boxes, DVD players, HD DVD players, Blu-ray Disc players, AVCHD camcorders, personal computers (PCs), video game consoles (such as the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360), AV receivers, tablet computers, and mobile phones) to compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors, video projectors, and digital televisions.
Hboot:It’s mainly responsible for checking and initializing the hardware and starting the phone’s software. It can also be used for flashing official software releases, as well as a few other things. HBoot can be compared to the BIOS on a computer.
HAVS:a control system that dynamically adjusts the voltage based on CPU load. This has proven to be a battery saver, but it can actually have the opposite effect when multiple control systems are operating (like setCPU).
JIT:The Just-in-Time Compiler. Released with Android 2.2, it's a method of greatly speeding up apps in Android on the software side.
Kang:Someone writes a code,someone else modifies the code to make their own release,its concidered a kang release.
Kernel:A kernel is a layer of code that allows the OS and applications to interface with your phone's hardware. The degree in which you can access your phone's hardware features depends on the quality of code in the kernel. The homebrew (rooting) community for HTC has made several kernel code improvements that give us additional features from our hardware that the stock kernel does not. When you flash a custom ROM, you automatically get a kernel. But you can also flash a standalone kernel ROM on top of the existing one, effectively overwriting it. These days, the difference in custom kernels is less about new features and more about alternate configurations. Choosing a custom kernel is basically choosing one that works best with your ROM.
Launcher:Collectively, the part of the Android user interface on home screens that lets you launch apps, make phone calls, etc. Is built in to Android, or can be purchased in the Android Market.
LCD Densityixel density is a measurement of the resolution of devices in various contexts; typically computer displays, image scanners, and digital camera image sensors.
First of all you need to understand that the Android User Interface uses something called a "display independent pixel" or a "dip" (yes, it's confusing because the density settings are in "dots per inch" or "dpi" which are considered the same as "ppi" or "pixels per inch" as well).
The default LCD Density setting on Android is 160 dpi. As far as the operating system is concerned 1 dip @ 160 dpi = 1 screen pixel. It doesn't mean that's actually true, but you've gotta start somewhere. In my opinion it would have been a lot nicer if they'd chosen 100 dpi because then it would be an easy percentage thing, but they didn't so we're stuck with this formula.
Mod:The act of modifying a piece of hardware or software or anything else for that matter, to perform a function not originally conceived or intended by the designer.
Nandroid:To backup the current running rom.
Nightly:A build that is performed at the end of each day of development. If you use a continuous integration server, it will generally be configured to build the code and run the unit tests on every check in. At the end of each day you may want to run more extensive tests, regression test and integration tests for example, which take too long to run on each check in and these would be triggered after the nightly build. If you have a full continuously delivery pipeline the nightly build may also be used to deploy the built code to environments for user testing.
Open GL:An open source 3D graphics library used in many devices, including Android devices.
Open & Closed Betaevelopers release either a closed beta or an open beta; closed beta versions are released to a select group of individuals for a user test and are invitation only, while open betas are from a larger group to the general public and anyone interested. The testers report any bugs that they find, and sometimes suggest additional features they think should be available in the final version.
Overclock:To increase the speed of your CPU.
Partition:The phone's internal memory (not the SD card) is solid-state (flash) memory, AKA NAND. It can be partitioned much like a normal hard drive can be partitioned. The bootloader exists in its own partition. Recovery is another partition; radio, system, cache, etc are all partitions.
Here are the standard partitions on an Android phone:
/misc - not sure what this is for.
/boot - bootloader, kernel
/recovery - holds the recovery program (either clockworkmod or RA recovery for a rooted Evo)
/system - operating system goes here: Android, Sense, boot animation, Sprint crapware, busybox, etc
/cache - cached data from OS usage
/data - user applications, data, settings, etc.
The below partitions are not android-specific. They are tied to the hardware of the phone, but the kernel may have code allowing Android to interact with said hardware.
/radio - the phone's radio firmware, controls cellular, data, GPS, bluetooth.
/wimax - firmware for Sprint's flavor of 4G, WiMax.
PRL:The Preferred Roaming List, basically a way of telling your phone which towers to connect to first.
RUU:a complete software package released by HTC, it can contain many things they are trying to update. Radio, ROM, bootloader, etc... Installing an ruu is like installing an image on a hard drive it wipes the phone and installs the image. It will wipe everything data and all so if you install one be prepared.
Recovery Mode:A small separate operating mode you can boot your device into, used for device administration. Two popular custom recovery modes are Amon Ra and Clockwork.
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.
Radios:On the HTC side of things,the radios persist of:
•WiFi, which operates at 2.4-5ghz depending on what channel it's running
•Cellular/3G, which carries voice and data
•4G/WiMAX, which only carries data
•GPS, which is receive-only
•Bluetooth, which talks to WiiMotes and headsets
Flashing a radio means updating the code that controls the phones way of sending and recieving a signal.
RamRandom Access Memory) A group of memory chips, typically of the dynamic RAM (DRAM) type, which function as the computer's primary workspace. When personal computers first came on the market in the late 1970s, 64KB (64 kilobytes) of RAM was the upper limit. Today, 64MB (64 megabytes) of SDRAM is entry level for a desktop computer, a thousand times as much (see SDRAM).
The "random" in RAM means that the contents of each byte of storage in the chip can be directly accessed without regard to the bytes before or after it. This is also true of other types of memory chips, including ROMs and PROMs. However, unlike ROMs and PROMs, RAM chips require power to maintain their content, which is why you must save your data onto disk before you turn the computer off. To learn about the types of RAM chips and how to upgrade your memory, see memory module. To learn how memory is used to process data, see computer or memory. See also dynamic RAM and static RAM.
Recovery:RecoverySystem contains methods for interacting with the Android recovery system (the separate partition that can be used to install system updates,wipe user data,etc).
Root:The first level of a folder.
Rooting:A process allowing users of mobile phones, tablet PCs, and other devices running the Android operating system to attain privileged control (known as "root access") within Android's subsystem. Rooting is often performed with the goal of overcoming limitations that carriers and hardware manufacturers put on some devices, resulting in the ability to alter or replace system applications and settings, run specialized apps that require administrator-level permissions, or perform other operations that are otherwise inaccessible to a normal Android user. Rooting is analogous to jailbreaking devices running the Apple iOS operating system or the Sony PlayStation 3. On Android, rooting can also facilitate the complete removal and replacement of the device's operating system.
SBCthe ability to charge your battery beyond the default safe limit). The concept is similar to overclocking a processor: you're overriding the safety limits established to achieve additional performance. The benefit here is that you may gain more use of your battery per charge. The drawback is that you can damage the battery and significantly reduce its longevity. Some kernels claim they are using a safe technique to prevent battery damage. Just be aware of the potential risks.
Sideloading:It means installing applications without using the official Android Market.
Splash Screen:A splash screen is an image that appears while android is loading.Splash screens cover the entire screen or simply a rectangle near the center of the screen. The splash screens of operating systems and some applications that expect to be run full-screen usually cover the entire screen.
Superuser/SU:On many computer operating systems, the superuser is a special user account used for system administration. Depending on the operating system, the actual name of this account might be: root, administrator or supervisor.
Normal work on such a system is done using ordinary user accounts, and because these do not have the ability to make system-wide changes any viruses and other malware - or simple user errors - do not have the ability to adversly affect a whole system. In organizations, administrative privileges are often reserved for authorized experienced individuals.
Script:The Scripting Layer for Android (abridged as SL4A, and previously named Android Scripting Environment or ASE) is a library that allows the creation and running of scripts written in various scripting languages directly on Android devices. SL4A is designed for developers and is still alpha quality software.
These scripts have access to many of the APIs available to normal Java Android applications, but with a simplified interface. Scripts can be run interactively in a terminal, in the background, or via Locale.
SDKSDK or "devkit") is typically a set of software development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.
Stock:This is the operating system in its default form, without any modifications made to it except for any device-specific support required to run it on the particular device.
S-On:Security on,means no acces to the phones operating system.
S-Off:Security was exploited,now have access to the operating system.
Tethering:Means sharing the Internet connection of an Internet-capable mobile phone with other devices. This sharing can be offered over a wireless LAN (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, or by physical connection using a cable. In the case of tethering over wireless LAN, the feature may be branded as a mobile hotspot.The Internet-connected mobile phone acts as a portable router when providing tethering services to others.
Userspace(Governor):This governor, exceptionally rare for the world of mobile devices, allows any program executed by the user to set the CPU's operating frequency. This governor is more common amongst servers or desktop PCs where an application (like a power profile app) needs privileges to set the CPU clockspeed.
Underclock:To reduce the speed of your CPU.
Undervolt:Undervolting means taking some of the voltage from the CPU which in return gives a longer battery life and lower temperature during intensive use of the CPU.
USB:Stands for Universal Serial Bus. Is a method of connecting devices to a computer. Most smartphones now use microUSB cables to charge and sync.
Updater Script:When Android devices install updates via 'update.zip' files using recovery mode they have to perform a wide range of functions on files and permissions. Instead of using a minimal shell such as {b,d,c}sh the Android designers decided to create a small functional language that can be extended by device manufacturers if necessary. Since the Android "Donut" release (v1.6) the scripting language is called Edify and is defined primarily in the bootable/recovery/{edify,edifyscripting,updater} directories of the Android source-code tree.
Wireless N:Wireless N technology increases wireless internet connection. Wireless 'N' routers also work with Wireless 'G' and 'B' wireless adapters.
WiiMaxWorldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a communication technology for wirelessly delivering high-speed Internet service to large geographical areas.
YAFFS:Yaffs1 is the first version of this file system and works on NAND chips that have 512 byte pages + 16 byte spare (OOB;Out-Of-Band) areas.[clarification needed] These older chips also generally allow 2 or 3 write cycles per page,which YAFFS takes advantage of - i.e. dirty pages are marked by writing to a specific spare area byte.
Newer NAND flash chips have larger pages, 2048 bytes + 64 bytes spare areas, and stricter write requirements.Each page within an erase block (128 kilobytes) must be written to in sequential order, and each page must be written only once.YAFFS2 was designed to accommodate these newer chips.YAFFS2 is based on the YAFFS1 source code,with the major difference being that internal structures are not fixed to assume 512 byte sizing,and a block sequence number is placed on each written page. In this way older pages can be logically overwritten without violating the "write once" rule.[clarification needed]
YAFFS is a robust log-structured file system that holds data integrity as a high priority.A secondary YAFFS goal is high performance.YAFFS will typically outperform most alternatives.It is also designed to be portable and has been used on Linux, WinCE, pSOS, eCos,ThreadX and various special-purpose OSes.A variant 'YAFFS/Direct' is used in situations where there is no OS, embedded OSes and bootloaders: it has the same core filesystem but simpler interfacing to the OS and NAND flash hardware.
Zipalign: An archive alignment tool introduced first time with 1.6 Android SDK (software development kit). It optimizes the way an Android application package (APK) is packaged. Doing so enables the Android operating system to interact with the application more efficiently, and hence has the potential to make the application and overall the whole system much faster. Execution time is minimized for zipaligned applications, resulting is lesser amount of RAM consumption when running the APK.
original thread - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1466228

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1510729

[FAQ] Android related terms and abbreviations

I'm making this "DICTIONARY" for android abbreviations & terminology and also about Moto G
use this if Moto G is your first android,if you are new at XDA or if you have any doubt
Thanks to @kloud_ and @appdroid for making other guides that i gonna merge and adapt with this one
Ctrl+F is your new best friend,use it
ANDROID REFERENCE LIST​
ADK: Android Development Kit, What people use to develop anything for the Android such as APPs and ROM's
adb: Android Debug Bridge, a command-line debugging application included with the SDK. It provides tools to browse the device, copy tools on the device, & forward ports for debugging. If you are developing in Eclipse using the ADT Plugin, adb is integrated into your development environment.
Android Unveiled on 5 November 2007, Android is a mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel developed by Google.
AOSP: Android Open System Project, usually you will see this term when referring to a program or ROM. This will mean that the program or ROM was taken from Google & does not contain any modifications done by the phone Manufacturer or the phone service provider. This is Android the way Google intended.
ART - successor of Dalvik, a virtual machine (VM) that’s part of the Android OS. ART is faster than Dalvik and saves more energy
Baseband or Radio: In communications & signal processing, the baseband describes signals & systems whose range of the frequencies measured from close to 0 hertz to a cut-off frequency, a maximum bandwidth or highest signal frequency; it is sometimes used to describe frequencies starting close to zero
Binary - (sometimes called bin's) a group of executable files.
Bloatware:unnecessary features that are not used by end users and come with the phone (like Samsung touchwiz or other APPs) (luckly Moto G is almost a pure/stock android)
BootLoader: In literal terms, boot loader is code that is executed before any Operating System starts to run. The concept of boot loaders is universal to virtually all Operating systems that includes operating systems on your PC, laptop, Smartphone, & other such devices. Boot loaders basically package the instructions to boot operating system kernel & most of them also have their own debugging or modification environment. As the boot-loader kicks off before any piece of software on your device, it makes it extremely processor specific & every motherboard has its own bootloader.
Boot Loader(Unlocked): A locked or unlocked boot loader is what gives you access to “root.” “Root” is another big word in the Android community. If you “root” a device, it means you have “super user” access or “administrator” access to the operating system that runs on your phone. Root access of your Android device gives you the ability to flash ROMs. Alert:unlocking your Moto G boot-loader will void your warranty
Boot Loop: Simply means something is preventing the phone from completing it's boot cycle & is stuck between the boot animation & the unlock screen, creating a looped animation. This is often fixed by either reloading a NAndroid, or Reflashing a ROM from the xRecovery/ClockworkMod Recovery/Flashtool.
Brick or Bricked: Jargon for a completely unrecoverable device, (no more than a brick or paperweight)
Bug or Software Bug: An Error or flaw in software that produces a failure or unexpected/unwanted result. Typically created from incorrect code, this is why some ROMs are better & smoother running than others because developers have taken the time to input "perfect" code (read put in a lot of hours & hard work)
Busybox: A single multicall binary that packages the functionality of most widely used standard Unix tools, BusyBox provides a fairly complete environment for any small or embedded system.
CDMA/GSM - A type of network communication between phones and carriers. GSM phones normally are included with SIM Cards that authorize them onto the network. CDMA have this authorization built in and do not need a sim card.
COMPCACHE: (compressed caching) is, in short, virtual swap, setting aside a certain percentage (usually 25%) of your RAM as 'compressed' swap. Compcache compresses the data that would normally go to swap, then moves it back into RAM, and reverses the process when moving it out of the 'compressed' swap. However, this is a classic space-time tradeoff. You effectively get more RAM from the compression, but it is slower than 'normal' RAM due to the CPU time required to compress and decompress the swapped pages.
ClockworkMod - CWR - CWM: A recovery program that is often used to apply updates, ROMs, or create a back up or restore a backup file
Dalvik: An open source, register-based virtual machine (VM) that’s part of the Android OS. The Dalvik VM executes files in the Dalvik Executable (.dex) format & relies on the Linux kernel for additional functionality like threading & low-level memory management. The virtual machine is register-based, and it can run classes compiled by a Java language compiler that have been transformed into its native format using the included "dx" tool.
Dalvik Cache: A program cache area for the program Dalvik. Dalvik is a java based virtual machine that is the basis for running your programs (the ones that have the .apk extension). In order to make access times faster (because there's not JIT (just in time) compiler installed by default), the dalvik-cache is the result of dalvik doing a optimization of the running program. It's similar to the prefetch files in Windows.
DDMS: Dalvik Debug Monitor Service, a GUI debugging application included with the SDK. It provides screen capture, log dump, and process examination capabilities. If you are developing in Eclipse using the ADT Plugin, DDMS is integrated into your development environment.
Deep Sleep: A state when the CPU is off, display dark, device is waiting for external input.
De-odex: Apk files have respective odexes that devs use to supposedly save space. Deodexing means you convert it back to a .dex file & put it back inside the apk. This allows you to easily replace files (not having to worry about odexes), but the main point was to deodex services.jar so that you can change all text to different colors (such as the clock color to white) & to deodex services.jar, you need to deodex everything.
Dev. or Developer: An individual that creates, or alters a file in such a manner as to advance the program
Drawable: A compiled visual resource that can be used as a background, title, or other part of the screen. A drawable is typically loaded into another UI element, for example as a background image. A drawable is not able to receive events, but does assign various other properties such as "state" and scheduling, to enable subclasses such as animation objects or image libraries. Many drawable objects are loaded from drawable resource files — xml or bitmap files that describe the image. Drawable resources are compiled into subclasses of android.graphics.drawable. For more information about drawables and other resources.
Execute - To "run" or "start" a binary
Fastboot: Protocol used to update the flash file system in Android devices from a host over USB. It allows flashing of unsigned partition images.
Flash - Flashing : The process of applying a firmware image (or ROM) to a device. It generally entails a very specific order of steps. Failing to complete any one of these steps properly may result in soft/hard) bricking
Flash Memory: a program technology that can be electrically erased & reprogrammed
FOTA - "Firmware over the air" this normally refers to ROM's but can refer to radio firmware (see OTA)
Kernel: The main component of Android operating system.
It is a bridge between applications & the actual data processing done at the hardware level.
The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources (the communication between hardware & software components).
[Usually as a basic component of an operating system, a kernel can provide the lowest-level abstraction layer for the resources
(especially processors & I/O devices) that application software must control to perform its function.
It typically makes these facilities available to application processes through inter-process communication mechanisms & system calls.
Operating system tasks are done differently by different kernels, depending on their design & implementation.]
Governor - A system embedded into the kernel to automatically change the current working CPU frequency depending on the workload. It would only go up to what it is overclocked (or underclocked) to, this is called the maximum frequency. It would not drop bellow the (just as easily configurable) minimum frequency.
Jelly Bean - JB - Android from 4.1 to 4.3
JDK - "Java Development Kit" an SDK for the java platform. It is needed to run the Android SDK.
JRE - "Java Runtime Environment" a collection of binarys and files to allow java software to execute.
KANG - The process of creating a code based of someone else's code.
Kit Kat - KK - Android 4.4 the newest android available (supported by Moto G)
Library's/Libs - a set of instructions for applications to use to function. A functioning camera lib would allow the camera to be used.
Logcat :A debugging tool built into Android devices that displays system logs as they occur. See Logcat.
Manifest File: An XML file that each application must define, to describe the application's package name, version, components (activities, intent filters, services), imported libraries, and describes the various activities, and so on. See The AndroidManifest.xml File for complete information.
Nine-patch / 9-patch / Ninepatch image
A re-sizeable bitmap resource that can be used for backgrounds or other images on the device.
Nandroid or Nandroid Backup: A file typically created in the custom recovery program, such as xRecovery, that is a carbon copy of whatever state your phone is in before a drastic change is made. The file then can be moved onto or off of the SD card for later use in case something should go wrong in the ROM or Update, or a Boot Loop occurs
OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer, the people who actually put together electronic hardware. Also refers to any equipment original to the phone, or produced by the company for the phone
OpenGL ES: Android provides OpenGL ES libraries that you can use for fast, complex 3D images. It is harder to use than a Canvas object, but better for 3D objects. The android.opengl and javax.microedition.khronos.opengles packages expose OpenGL ES functionality.
Open-Source - (not to be confused with free) A piece of software that is free to edit, use, distribute and share with no charge.
OS: Operating system, I.E. Windows Vista, LINUX or MAC or Android
OTA: Over-the-Air; method T-Mobile, & some other phone companies, uses to update Android phones. The new versions of Android are developed by Google & then released to OEM's, Sony Ericsson in our case. The OEM then writes drivers that enable the new software to work on the phone's hardware. They also develop any specialized UI (user interface), like Timescape & Mediascape, or other software they want to include. Once this is complete, they turn it over to the cell phone company, (e.g.)Tmobile, who then have to do the final checks to make sure the update works, & then distributes it over there data network using their cell transmitters.
Overclocking (OC): Speeding up the CPU past the factory presets to achieve a faster & more responsive device (prolonged run can be injurious to your device, so be careful.)
RAM- Could be one of three meanings: 1. Memory for the CPU to process processes. 2. Random Access Memory, a place where information can be used, executed from, modified, or deleted
Recovery - Its a dedicated Android partition, that has Recovery console installed. This is invisible during normal operation of the android device.
ROM: Read Only Memory, a program used to make changes to anything from the look of the home screen to icons to custom boot animation
Root: Common word associated with giving a user "super user" access to their phones programming & other various aspects that would normally not be possible, also known as "Jailbroken" for iPhone's, "Administrator Rights" in Windows OS.
Shell or SSH: The shell is the layer of programming that understands & executes the commands a user enters. In some systems, the shell is called a command interpreter. A shell usually implies an interface with a command syntax (think of the DOS operating system & its "C:>" prompts & user commands such as "dir" & "edit"). secure shell or ssh is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices
SQLite: An embedded relational database management system contained in a relatively small (~275 kB) C programming library. It is multitasking concerning reads. Writes can be done only one-at-a-time. It is a popular choice for local/client storage on web browsers. It has many bindings to programming languages. It is arguably the most widely used database engine, as it is used today by several widespread browsers, operating systems, embedded systems among others
Stock Android : Simply means an unaltered state, such as when you first purchase your phone fromVerizon/Your Service Provider or when you repair your phone using PC Companion or SE Update Service(SEUS)
SU: "Super user", or root permissions
Superuser: A program, which gives unlimited access privileges to perform any or all operations on the operating system.
SWAP: is, in short, virtual RAM. With swap, a small portion of the hard drive is set aside and used like RAM. The computer will attempt to keep as much information as possible in RAM until the RAM is full. At that point, the computer will begin moving inactive blocks of memory (called pages) to the hard disk, freeing up RAM for active processes. If one of the pages on the hard disk needs to be accessed again, it will be moved back into RAM, and a different inactive page in RAM will be moved onto the hard disk ('swapped'). The trade off is disks and SD cards are considerably slower than physical RAM, so when something needs to be swapped, there is a noticeable performance hit.
Unlike traditional swap, Android's Memory Manager kills inactive processes to free up memory. Android signals to the process, then the process will usually write out a small bit of specific information about its state (for example, Google Maps may write out the map view coordinates; Browser might write the URL of the page being viewed) and then the process exits. When you next access that application, it is restarted: the application is loaded from storage, and retrieves the state information that it saved when it last closed. In some applications, this makes it seem as if the application never closed at all. This is not much different from traditional swap, except that Android apps are specially programed to write out very specific information, making Android's Memory Manager more efficient that swap.
Theme: A set of icons, backgrounds & app trays that change the aesthetics of the overall look of the Android & its applications. It has a set of properties (text size, background color, and so on) bundled together to define various default display settings. Android provides a few standard themes, listed in R.style (starting with "Theme_").
TUN/TAP: Refers to a network TUNnel, operates within layer 3 packets, or ip packets. Packets sent by a system via a TUN/TAP device are delivered to a user-space program that attaches itself to the device. A user space program may also pass packets into a TUN/TAP device. In this case TUN/TAP device delivers (or "injects") these packets to the operating system's network stack thus emulating their reception from an external source.
Underclocking(UC): Slowing down the CPU mainly to limit battery usage
Undervolting(UV): Basically keeping the clock speed same (or overclocking it) & reduce the voltage at each cpu cycle.
xRecovery: A recovery program based on the ClockworkMod Recovery sources used to apply updates, ROMs, or create a back up or restore a backup file
Wipe - to clean your device memory,recommended before flashing
File Types:
.dex: Compiled Android application code file. Android programs are compiled into .dex (Dalvik Executable) files, which are in turn zipped into a single .apk file on the device. .dex files can be created by automatically translating compiled applications written in the Java programming language.
.sbf: Summation Briefcase File
.apk or APK's: An .apk file extension denotes an Android Package (APK) file, an .apk file can be opened & inspected using common archive tools. Each Android application is compiled and packaged in a single file that includes all of the application's code (.dex files), resources, assets, and manifest file. The application package file can have any name but must use the .apk extension. For example: myExampleAppname.apk. For convenience, an application package file is often referred to as an ".apk".
.tar: Similar to a zip file(derived from tape archive), a tar file archives multiple files into one file
.tgz: TGZ files (gnu-zipped .tar file) are commonly used as install packages for Slackware Linux.
######
Will add latter some MOTOROLA MOTO G especific terms here
######
If you doubt is not about general android,but about Moto G,
--Check this FAQ made by @matmutant
Frequently Asked Questions -Motorola Moto G
--Also check this Resource Guide made by @Perseus71
Welcome to your Motorola Moto G
#####
Help improving this topic,quote me and give your suggestion
thanks for a still unknown ADM for sticking this thread
if i helped you with this post,just hit the thanks button,

This thread looks nice and useful, but make sure not to duplicate things from my FAQ or @Perseus71 guide that would be useless and confusing

@matmutant
Yes sir, I'm taking this care and wanna make this thread useful
if you know any thread that i should include in this topic or have any tip,just let me know

My Thread has a list of terms similarly in the first post. But this list seems more specific to Moto G.
Either way there seems to be some terms that are missing here but are present in mine.
Would you be kind enough to merge the differences so I will link to yours and get rid of mine ?

@Perseus71 Just realized I missed some terms, thanks for noticing, will merge them and also include new terms such as "ART" "KK "JB" "google now"

That would be a nice idea, and then rename this thread to something like "Android related terms and abbreviations" because it's neither a FAQ, nor a Guide

72off said:
@Perseus71 Just realized I missed some terms, thanks for noticing, will merge them and also include new terms such as "ART" "KK "JB" "google now"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
matmutant said:
That would be a nice idea, and then rename this thread to something like "Android related terms and abbreviations" because it's neither a FAQ, nor a Guide
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 all round.
@72off please let me know when you are done.

@Perseus71 @matmutant
Updates on 15/01 = new terms added
Binary - (sometimes called bin's) a group of executable files.
CDMA/GSM - A type of network communication between phones and carriers. GSM phones normally are included with SIM Cards that authorize them onto the network. CDMA have this authorization built in and do not need a sim card.
Execute - To "run" or "start" a binary
FOTA - "Firmware over the air" this normally refers to ROM's but can refer to radio firmware (see OTA)
Governor - A system embedded into the kernel to automatically change the current working CPU frequency depending on the workload. It would only go up to what it is overclocked (or underclocked) to, this is called the maximum frequency. It would not drop bellow the (just as easily configurable) minimum frequency.
JDK - "Java Development Kit" an SDK for the java platform. It is needed to run the Android SDK.
JRE - "Java Runtime Environment" a collection of binarys and files to allow java software to execute.
KANG - The process of creating a code based of someone else's code.
Library's/Libs - a set of instructions for applications to use to function. A functioning camera lib would allow the camera to be used.
Open-Source - (not to be confused with free) A piece of software that is free to edit, use, distribute and share with no charge.
RAM - Could be one of three meanings: 1. Memory for the CPU to process processes. 2. Random Access Memory, a place where information can be used, executed from, modified, or deleted
Recovery - Its a dedicated Android partition, that has Recovery console installed. This is invisible during normal operation of the android device.
Wipe - to clean your device memory,recommended before flashing
Jelly Bean - JB - Android from 4.1 to 4.3
Kit Kat - KK - Android 4.4 the newest android available (supported by Moto G)
ART - successor of Dalvik, a virtual machine (VM) that’s part of the Android OS. ART is faster than Dalvik and saves more energy
Right now 18/01 ordering by alphabetic order [completed]

Reference Links
It might be nice to add in some reference links for many of the terms to the official android pages.
ART - http://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik/art.html
.DEX - http://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik/dex-format.html
Dalvaik - http://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik/index.html
ADB - http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html
Logcat - http://developer.android.com/tools/help/logcat.html
Other suggestions
At the end of the Dalvaik section you might add a sentence that says "see ART".
Maybe a mention about XPosed framework since it is very prevalent now.
In the definition of ROM it might be nice to explain a ROM image.
This is something I cannot find: What exactly does AOSPA(+) mean? Alternative?
Kernel is alphabetically in the wrong position in the list.
Explanation for the term MOD / Modification.
Add cool Android KitKat and Jelly Bean history link http://www.android.com/kitkat/
:good: Thanks for the nice list.

OTG missing?

AS this thread is always under development,i'm glad for the suggestions to make this a better thread
DigitalSnow said:
It might be nice to add in some reference links for many of the terms to the official android pages.
ART - http://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik/art.html
.DEX - http://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik/dex-format.html
Dalvaik - http://source.android.com/devices/tech/dalvik/index.html
ADB - http://developer.android.com/tools/help/adb.html
Logcat - http://developer.android.com/tools/help/logcat.html
[ ^ Perfect]
Other suggestions
At the end of the Dalvaik section you might add a sentence that says "see ART" [good idea]
Maybe a mention about XPosed framewor http://cdn3.xda-developers.com/images/editor/color.gifk since it is very prevalent now. [will be done]
In the definition of ROM it might be nice toexplain a ROM image [ok]
This is something I cannot find: What exactly does AOSPA(+) mean? Alternative? [ I thinck so since it's mostly related do paranoid android rom]
Kernel is alphabetically in the wrong position in the list.[Yeah,kernel is drunk,gonna slap him on the face and move to his place]
Explanation for the term MOD / Modification.
Add cool Android KitKat and Jelly Bean history link http://www.android.com/kitkat/ [wrong link]
:good: Thanks for the nice list.
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@Fedroid
OTG missing?
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how could i forget? will be added. thanks

Nice info.I will add it into my bookmark. :good:

Great post thank you.
I suggest, the add of GPE definition : "Google Play Edition". Especially in the case of Moto G
Was not so obvious to me until I google it.

Another term that might be good to add is AWS since it is a unique factor between Moto G models.
AWS: Advanced Wireless Services in terms of the Moto G is the 3G UHF Frequency of 1700 MHz - 2100 MHz "T-Mobile"