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Man, I'm so frustrated.
On other forums some people have mistakenly thought I'm against flashing custom ROMs. I'm not. I'd flash a custom ROM in a heartbeat. In fact, the reason I hang out here is I'm watching for "That ROM". I'm just not comfortable with the state of things on the Captivate. Here's the deal... it seems every single ROM is a compromise. I'm not talking about differences in themes, or what apps are included, etc... I'm talking basic functionality. Sometimes it's little things, sometimes it's big things... but always, you need to give stuff up. And I'll get the response, "yeah well stock is buggy too, so what's your point?". You know... sometimes the little things count. The details add to the experience. Maybe we want all the little things to actually work. Maybe you don't care about bluetooth, but I do. Etc.
Bluetooth. Haptic feedback. Battery life. Cell reception. GPS. Stability. Performance. Voice quality/Audience support. Pick the 3 you don't care about and are willing to give up.
Frustrating.
And a lot of it seems to come down to these "modem" files. Dozens floating about... everyone has their favorite like they have a favorite color. And they themselves come with compromises... use one, and A B and C work but X Y and Z don't. Use another, and it's the other way around... or maybe there's D E and F now. What works for one person doesn't work for another... and yet these are the same model phones. Oh, but wait... now it's passe to say "every phone is different". Like they are? They're the same hardware. But now we just accept for some reason that every Captivate is some random assembly of different chips and so using a ROM is an assumed matter of modem-roulette and deciding what features you want and what ones you're willing to sacrifice.
Why is this "ok"?
It's important to mention at this point that this is absolutely nothing against the hard-working developers here. I don't doubt for a moment that they are doing their absolute best with what they have available to them. It's not that, it's the culture... the community... the mindset. Are we being hypocrites? I mean, if we're just accepting now that every Captivate is unique hardware and no one ROM/modem will work ideal on all of them, why do we hold Samsung to a higher-standard like they themselves could ever produce an official and universal 2.2 firmware for the Captivate where everything actually works for everyone?
Something's not right here. I don't doubt that people get different results with different files... but these are different environments, and the testing not done consistently or scientifically. I don't think it's appropriate to act like the differences come from varying hardware when it's far more-likely that it's differences in other more-random things. Some people are in a primarily 1900 MHz area, some primarily in an 850MHz area. GPS is also environment-specific and someone with a modem that offers below-average GPS performance might report that the GPS is "amazing" simply because they're in an ideal spot. The hardware is the least likely aspect to vary. Surely there must be a solution... a better answer... a potential for a modem that actually works amazing for everyone. Where all bands are supported, GPS works amazing, Audience chip is supported, etc etc.
I just felt the need to vent. I'm not sure what the solution here is... I just feel we've gotten to casual just "accepting" a situation as something it's not, and shouldn't be. One shouldn't have to play modem-lotto just to get basic decent performance from their ROM, or decide what basic features they're willing to sacrifice. I know this is a huge discouragement for me, and why I'm still on stock. I want to flash so badly... but every ROM thread I read through I eventually hit at least one (if not several) deal-breakers, and the casual acceptance of them is just frustrating.
Anyone feel the same way? Thoughts?
I think your over analyizing.....im a flash junkie and I've flashed everything on the forums....I don't use my phone for business so almost every rom I use has everything I need functional...haptic feedback is not a reason for me not to use a rom but camera is.....along with flashing roms I mix matched different kernels and modems.....its all preference.....with the modem situation I just flash one and test it out until I have an issue then move onto the next...I thought jk4 was the best for me until I decided to try jk3. I've noticed I get reception in areas where I didn't with jk4....so ill test this one out for awhile....you can't sit and read until u read that u found the best......u just have to test it out for yourself...it sucks but that's what u get. I feel things wont get better for us until we get our official froyo release by att. Well have our noise cancellation chip working as well as a modem built for att usa. I had better cell service with captivate roms n modems then I do with i9000 ones but the i9000 roms are leagues ahead of any captivate ones
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Did you try Serendipity? It seems to do quite well on every item in your list.
I have not flashed for mostly the same reasons as you. It seems that every combination has different things that work and things that do not work. I want every function of my phone to work properly. That includes hardware noise cancellation and proper bluetooth support, which seem to be a major issue on i9000 ROMs/kernels/modems. My biggest issue with Captivate ROMs/kernels/modems is the apparent lack of support for bluetooth voice dialing. Now it is a fair argument that bluetooth voice dialing does not work on the AT&T 2.1 ROM, but it is not a supported feature of 2.1. It is a supported features of 2.2, so why shouldn't I (we) expect it to work? If a feature that is supposed to work in 2.2 does not work, that doesn't give me the best feeling about flashing the ROM.
I came over from the Windows Mobile side and I flashed custom ROMs on my Fuze without thinking twice, but there were never core or standard features of the phone or OS missing in the ROMs I flashed. I had bluetooth + voice dialing, good battery life, good cell reception, good working GPS, extremely good stability, great performance (for the hardware), and good voice quality with working noise cancellation in all the ROMs I ran.
I think that overall the devs here are doing a good job, and I think things will improve after the release of 2.2 sources for the captivate, but it seems that right now, there is a compromise involved in any of the custom ROMs.
I can accept the fact that the current ROMs don't meet my expectations, but when people say, "just start flashing" to people like myself who have higher expectations, it gets a little old. The attitude that only people willing to accept these compromises should be reading/contributing to the xda-developers forum is also annoying. I think it is great that there are people working on custom ROMs and there are people willing to run them with the compromises they have to make, but that does not mean that everyone should just be willing to make those compromises and if they are not willing they should not post.
I have made very few posts in the Captivate forum, I guess it could be said that I have been lurking and reading up on each new custom ROM as it comes out, waiting for one that seems to meet my expectations. I have not been vocal, or complained about the fact that we need to make compromises. But others that ask questions about whether certain things work, seem to get flamed and told to just accept the way things currently are, or they are completely ignored. If the devs don't want to answer questions such as, "does bluetooth voice dialing work," or "how is bluetooth voice quality in this ROM," then they should put this type of information directly in the first couple of posts. The newest Cognition ROM thread has this type of information and I greatly appreciate that DG included it. For most ROMs you can't find out if certain items work properly without reading the first 10-20 pages of posts.
Maybe the main issue for people like me (with higher expectations from my phone) is that good information about what works and what does not work often does not float to the top of the ROM dev threads. I started using xdandroid on my Fuze as my first introduction to Android and each phone that it ran on had a thread and on the first page was a listing of each major functional piece (sound, camera, bluetooth, etc) and whether or not it was working yet. Each developer can do as they choose, but if the status of functional items and known bugs was listed in the first page, it would save on questions and some of the less than helpful responses that the questions cause.
People also have to remember that only a leaked/unfinished Captivate 2.2 ROM has been made available as a base for some ROMs so there's no other choice for a complete Froyo ROM without resorting to i9000 ROMs. Expecting things to work from a unfinished leak is a bit different from having high standards.
GPS is also broken for some people whether they're on a stock ROM or not to begin with, devs can't magically make it work for everyone.
Cell reception is not 100% determined by a ROM, if I flash the "most amazing bestestst rom ever" and live in a remote forest with lead leaves, reception might just suck a little because it mainly depends on location.
No phone is the same believe it or not, maybe unless it's an iPhone. If you want something that works as it should perfectly, you probably shouldn't be flashing ROMs, because they are essentially in infinite beta until a dev doesn't want to work on it anymore. Either stick to the stock ROM, get an Aria or some other unlocked phone, or even an iPhone since that's probably most stable thing out there right now.
The ROM threads grow dozens of pages every hour, and posts will always get overlooked whether they are important or not. It still amazes me that people get confused when they start seeing an H instead of 3G. This is a development community and has several thousands and thousands of users at any given time. It is busy.
tysj said:
People also have to remember that only a leaked/unfinished Captivate 2.2 ROM has been made available as a base for some ROMs so there's no other choice for a complete Froyo ROM without resorting to i9000 ROMs. Expecting things to work from a unfinished leak is a bit different from having high standards.
GPS is also broken for some people whether they're on a stock ROM or not to begin with, devs can't magically make it work for everyone.
Cell reception is not 100% determined by a ROM, if I flash the "most amazing bestestst rom ever" and live in a remote forest with lead leaves, reception might just suck a little because it mainly depends on location.
No phone is the same believe it or not, maybe unless it's an iPhone. If you want something that works as it should perfectly, you probably shouldn't be flashing ROMs, because they are essentially in infinite beta until a dev doesn't want to work on it anymore. Either stick to the stock ROM, get an Aria or some other unlocked phone, or even an iPhone since that's probably most stable thing out there right now.
The ROM threads grow dozens of pages every hour, and posts will always get overlooked whether they are important or not. It still amazes me that people get confused when they start seeing an H instead of 3G. This is a development community and has several thousands and thousands of users at any given time. It is busy.
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For the American SGS phones, I was not trying to suggest that the developers can "fix" the GPS (though it is worth noting that Da_G has made some good progress http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=881941).
I don't completely disagree with many of your points, which is why I am still running the stock ROM. If I had two phones, I would be willing to beta test unfinished software and ROMs, but since I only have 1 phone that I expect to work (or more accurately, my company who pays for it expects it to work) I have not flashed any of the current firmwares that are available.
I think cell reception has a lot more to do with the Radio/Modem than the ROM. If you have a working modem and that modem functions with the ROM, then it should give you the same reception. I think one of the main points the OP was making was that there is no apparent consistency, and some modems work with some ROMs, and not with others. It does not even seem to be accurate to say that any i9000 modem will work with any i9000 ROM, as some combinations cause poor voice quality or other issues.
I do disagree with your statement that "no phone is the same." Any Captivate in the same batch/build should have identical hardware and should function identically (assuming Samsung has good quality controls in place). There is the potential for slight differences between batches, but I can't believe that any of those differences is significant enough to cause software running on the phones to behave differently. If that is the case, there is no way that Samsung can release a working Froyo build, or even a working Eclair build that would function as intended on every captivate. If Samsung was unable to produce identical products consistently, they would be out of business because none of their products would function as intended consistently.
As far as "expecting things to work from a unfinished leak is a bit different from having high standards," I don't think it is unreasonable for better visibility to what works and what does not work in the first page of a ROM thread. I am not saying that I expect everything to work 100% on all ROMs, especially without 2.2 sources, and I am not saying I expect the devs to be able to test every possible things, but I don't think it is unreasonable to hope that as bugs or problems or ROM/Kernel/Modem combinations that do not work are discovered, that information could be made more accessible without reading 100 pages of a ROM thread.
Hopefully most of this is just growing pains as Android is evolving and as we wait for 2.2 sources for the Captivate. For Windows Mobile, much of the OS and functionality of the OS was pretty much set between ROMs. The biggest differences were in the frameworks (Sense vs. Non-Sense, etc) and theming of the ROMs. That is why I have said in the past that if we could get a solid, working AOSP ROM with all drivers, etc for the SGS, it would give a good base for additional ROM development.
I have been using this build for quite a while now and decided to write a review of the ROM. Please keep in mind I am not a developer !!! I am simply writing this from a user standpoint and cannot nor will not support your problems. This is a review based on my opinions and usage of the ROM.
Pros:
I do like the UI. It is fairly stable and I haven't had much trouble out of it for the most part. The combination of ADW Launcher and the Cyanogen settings are great. The speed of the ROM is pretty good for a ported ROM based on GingerBread. I can't complain much about that. General things that I like are the advanced menus for customizing the dock and theme settings. The themed settings change icons for contacts, mail, messaging, phone, browser,calendar, and videos ( I may have missed some). The cyanogen settings cover an array of things that you can poke at but in my opinion should be included with stock builds as well. Overall if you were wanting to use this on a daily basis I think you would be ok to go ahead and install this ROM... NOTE: Don't hold me responsible if you brick your phone trying. It isn't one of the easiest roms I've
ever installed. The sleep policy has been fixed so that the phone doesn't reboot on unlock...which on my first flash hadn't been fixed and really really turned me off from this ROM.
Cons: I have yet to figure out why this is (again not a dev) but your microSD card will not mount when connected to the pc. I'm sure they are working on this but I haven't downloaded an update or nightly (which is current at the time of this post btw) that has fixed it. I do have some random picky things that I can't get an answer to, and good luck if you do...feel free to send them to me also. Some of my .mp3 ringtones will not work period. Different ones of even larger file size work... I'm not sure how that works out. Text messaging (native) doesn't work for incoming or outgoing... But I will say that I was having issues with that before so I can't blame that on this ROM. There are a few apps that won't work with this build easy uninstaller is one, I just get a fc. Battery is another issue that may be addressed with future releases. I don't run GPS (so don't ask if it's accurate) but keep wifi on all the time. I get probably about 8 hours with wifi on all the time. Not the best but definitely not the worst. You also cannot charge the phone while it is off... really not sure why, and the extended power menu doesn't work. And for the most part is an in depth install procedure... Back to stock with odin, flash two kernals, then a couple of files... Pretty lengthy and you have to be precise or else it bricks. Here it is if your interested... Thanks to MobileTechVideos for the instructions and video.
How to install CyanogenMod7
Other than that I have had virtually no problems (that I consider major) with this ROM and do like it and will probably continue to use it. If you have any general questions please feel free to ask. Again, again... I am not a dev so questions of that nature should be posted here: CyanogenMod7
I tried it and liked what works but it is still alpha quality and so i will wait for a few weeks until i give it another shot.
surfed.tk said:
I tried it and liked what works but it is still alpha quality and so i will wait for a few weeks until i give it another shot.
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I agree, it is definitely still a beta build and as noted by Cyanogen... hasn't been put into the stable build section of their forums. I do look forward to a stable build. Perhaps the Dev's can address some of the weird issues that I mentioned above.
i also was not able to send multi media mms never would go through i tried for 20 mins to receive and send ,
this rom is great but here is why it sucks, i watch the cyanogen nightlies for the galaxy s phones, and with the types of updates im seeing on the cappy versus lets say the vibrant , there is no ****ing hope and this rom is dead.
the last update fixed an install file wtf. so at this rate cyanogen will be rc in o id say next year. ill have a new phone by then. my money is on miui
NightFalcon27 said:
I agree, it is definitely still a beta build and as noted by Cyanogen... hasn't been put into the stable build section of their forums. I do look forward to a stable build. Perhaps the Dev's can address some of the weird issues that I mentioned above.
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Well you completely forgot to mention that, currently it cannot handle lots of video format, most importantly mkv and even if you find something like Rock Player, there's a lot of lag in it. You cannot charge the phone while its off (because it'll turn on as soon as you plug the charger in). Also, you might encounter a totally new problem which you may not have an idea about. If captivate is your spare phone then play with it else stay away for a while until a RC is released.
This is just my opinion from 3 days of experience on CM7.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
It was a total flop for me :/
It ran well when I first installed it, but started running "funny" (random crashing) after I installed gapps, then totally started crapping out after the 3/16 update.
I ended up ditching it for a 2.2 rom, mostly because I didn't feel I was gaining anything substantive and losing things I regularly use, like a feature rich camera app and divx playback support.
Been running for 3 days. 0 problems.
I've ran into a few bugs. External SD, booting when usb plugged in. Only charging to 95% (apparently a feature not a bug). At one point my signal shot down to searching, then it recovered and grabbed a signal. Not sure what caused that, but it was random.
I also cannot get it to mount to my PC. Kind of annoying, but if I need to transfer anything I just use dropbox.
I like it, and I think I'll keep with it. Even though it isn't 100%, I love gingerbread, and it's working for me.
krips2003 said:
Well you completely forgot to mention that, currently it cannot handle lots of video format, most importantly mkv and even if you find something like Rock Player, there's a lot of lag in it. You cannot charge the phone while its off (because it'll turn on as soon as you plug the charger in). Also, you might encounter a totally new problem which you may not have an idea about. If captivate is your spare phone then play with it else stay away for a while until a RC is released.
This is just my opinion from 3 days of experience on CM7.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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I did forget that you cannot charge the phone while off and now that you mention it the extended power menu doesn't work either. It is fairly aggravating that Cyanogen updates the vibrant with "real" fixes other than this fixing little things but... All in all, it is still usable, just not stable or reliable.
Every time I try and warn someone that CM7 is not yet ready for primetime I get bashed for it, yet there seem to be plenty of people echoing my comments. Like I said in another thread, the people that are saying CM7 is stable and works great are either not using their device to its full potential or are willing to live without certain features. There is really no compelling reason to live with a ROM that has this many bugs or deficiencies when you consider how many really good ROMs there are available for our Cappys that have few, if any, issues. Yeah, they may not have Gingerbready theming or cutesy animations, but they just work. Andromeda 1.2 is one that comes to mind.
I am on it from I think last friday...Not a single problem...atleast how i use it...of course except battery life...which I am trying to solve...
Rock player worked well for me...I watched couple of movies when I was on road....never lagged just stopped couple of times....
great GPS...instant locks...i am amazed...But I also tried MIUI...and it is very very fast...and something different which I never experienced before...I think people should give it a try...ofcourse it has bugs too as it based on CM7...but they fixed camera bug and little stuff.....
Miami_Son said:
Every time I try and warn someone that CM7 is not yet ready for primetime I get bashed for it, yet there seem to be plenty of people echoing my comments. Like I said in another thread, the people that are saying CM7 is stable and works great are either not using their device to its full potential or are willing to live without certain features. There is really no compelling reason to live with a ROM that has this many bugs or deficiencies when you consider how many really good ROMs there are available for our Cappys that have few, if any, issues. Yeah, they may not have Gingerbready theming or cutesy animations, but they just work. Andromeda 1.2 is one that comes to mind.
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I am by no means saying that it is ready for the masses... The only one that I would suggest without a second thought to someone who isn't willing to deal with at least some problems is Cognition Series by DesignGears. To my knowledge (and opinion) this is the absolute best rom for the captivate. IF ... Cyanogen gets to the point of a Cognition rom in function and use, then I might suggest it for the masses but not until then.
Miami_Son said:
Every time I try and warn someone that CM7 is not yet ready for primetime I get bashed for it, yet there seem to be plenty of people echoing my comments. Like I said in another thread, the people that are saying CM7 is stable and works great are either not using their device to its full potential or are willing to live without certain features. There is really no compelling reason to live with a ROM that has this many bugs or deficiencies when you consider how many really good ROMs there are available for our Cappys that have few, if any, issues. Yeah, they may not have Gingerbready theming or cutesy animations, but they just work. Andromeda 1.2 is one that comes to mind.
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Your right in regard to it not being ready for most users (many are already praising the miui 2.3.3 also which is even less stable.....not saying it isn't promising). I think it breaks into 2 camps.
1. If you are a power user that wants all aspects of your device to function as intended...not for you. More specifically, If you use an external SD especially if your moving files to and from mounted to a PC....this is not the rom for you (this is my biggest gripe at this point). If you do lots of video in different formats...not for you as you will face compatibility issues. If you have to ask how your flash back to stock....this is probably not for you. If you value battery life as a top priority...not yet for you. Most of the other deficiencies or shortcomings had adequate work arounds but you until the major issues are resolved you will quickly find yourself flashing back to Phoenix, Firefly, Serendipity, Andromeda, etc.)
2. If you don't use and external SD and/or do much media vid/music then i can see why many view this as "stable" for their purposes. The UI, menus, and animations are smooth/fast and i never really had any issues with force closes while using it. Maybe its better linguistically to say its incomplete rather than refer to is as unstable and sorry if it offends the early adopters but if you are using it as your daily driver its pretty obvious you are using an inferior rom @ this point.
NightFalcon27 said:
I am by no means saying that it is ready for the masses... The only one that I would suggest without a second thought to someone who isn't willing to deal with at least some problems is Cognition Series by DesignGears. To my knowledge (and opinion) this is the absolute best rom for the captivate. IF ... Cyanogen gets to the point of a Cognition rom in function and use, then I might suggest it for the masses but not until then.
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i would easily put a handful of roms on par with cognition:
Firefly, Supernova, Phoenix, Serendipity, Andromeda.
bames said:
Your right in regard to it not being ready for most users (many are already praising the miui 2.3.3 also which is even less stable.....not saying it isn't promising). I think it breaks into 2 camps.
1. If you are a power user that wants all aspects of your device to function as intended...not for you. More specifically, If you use an external SD especially if your moving files to and from mounted to a PC....this is not the rom for you (this is my biggest gripe at this point). If you do lots of video in different formats...not for you as you will face compatibility issues. If you have to ask how your flash back to stock....this is probably not for you. If you value battery life as a top priority...not yet for you. Most of the other deficiencies or shortcomings had adequate work arounds but you until the major issues are resolved you will quickly find yourself flashing back to Phoenix, Firefly, Serendipity, Andromeda, etc.)
2. If you don't use and external SD and/or do much media vid/music then i can see why many view this as "stable" for their purposes. The UI, menus, and animations are smooth/fast and i never really had any issues with force closes while using it. Maybe its better linguistically to say its incomplete rather than refer to is as unstable and sorry if it offends the early adopters but if you are using it as your daily driver its pretty obvious you are using an inferior rom @ this point.
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Excellent post.
Glad to see users sharing their experience on CM7. This is always good foe the community. I hope to see new users to read this thread prior to making any decision whether to flash CM7 2.3.3 or not.
On another note, I'm sure once Samsung do final release of Gingerbread 2.3.3 for i9000 series (last I heard that an early beta was released), we cappyites will see stable release.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Regarding the phone turning on when charging, I believe it's a gingerbread "feature". It's been said that it is working as intended. Also, the iphone does the same thing so I don't really see it as an issue. It's probably google seeing behavior they like and implementing it.
You can not mount the external sd but you can transfer to your internal then on the phone transfer to external, so I am not certain it Is fair to say you can not use your external sd. Video is an issue, and battery is as well.
At this point in time it is a trade off, there are several things cm7 can't do well or can not do at all. there are also several things it does much better than any 2.2 rom or are not available on 2.2 roms.
Its all preference and priorities. Kinda like any best rom discussion.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
Miami_Son said:
Every time I try and warn someone that CM7 is not yet ready for primetime I get bashed for it, yet there seem to be plenty of people echoing my comments. Like I said in another thread, the people that are saying CM7 is stable and works great are either not using their device to its full potential or are willing to live without certain features. There is really no compelling reason to live with a ROM that has this many bugs or deficiencies when you consider how many really good ROMs there are available for our Cappys that have few, if any, issues. Yeah, they may not have Gingerbready theming or cutesy animations, but they just work. Andromeda 1.2 is one that comes to mind.
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Largely it its because you have never used it, and have only tried one rom. That and you are compelled to jump on any thread that mentions it as if it is a personal mission. It its not as if you do not make some valid points, but it is not hard to see why it may rub some the wrong way after a while.
This is not an attempt to start something, but your comments make it seem like there is no warrant to people who go back at you.
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mcord11758 said:
Largely it its because you have never used it, and have only tried one rom. That and you are compelled to jump on any thread that mentions it as if it is a personal mission. It its not as if you do not make some valid points, but it is not hard to see why it may rub some the wrong way after a while.
This is not an attempt to start something, but your comments make it seem like there is no warrant to people who go back at you.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
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Agreed... I was not trying to start a thread to bash any rom. However I do know that there are some hard feelings that are out based on certain features that work or don't and peoples impressions about the ROM itself. I also know that there is quite a bit of loyalty to certain ROM creators that no matter what they aren't going to be going to a new ROM simply because they are loyal to that dev... which is fine! I simply wanted to create an avenue for people who have used the ROM to pass along information and opinions on the ROM to people who are thinking about switching to it. People are entitled to their opinions and I am all for that... Just don't bash any of the devs or their work, it is not easy putting this stuff together and I for one am happy that I have a place I can go to that allows me to get away from stock. I hope that all will realize that
mcord11758 said:
Largely it its because you have never used it, and have only tried one rom. That and you are compelled to jump on any thread that mentions it as if it is a personal mission. It its not as if you do not make some valid points, but it is not hard to see why it may rub some the wrong way after a while.
This is not an attempt to start something, but your comments make it seem like there is no warrant to people who go back at you.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App
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Miami_Son said:
Excellent post.
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The terminology might be better as incomplete instead of unstable. great post.
It appears that there have been a higher than normal number of issues flashing ROMs since the woot deal. I think that some of the issues are the result of using tools that were developed and tested on tablets fresh from VS late last year and early this year. It appears that many of the woot tabs may not have been totally returned to the state VS sent the end of the year. Based on this, it might be a good idea to return your tab to a clean 3588 before starting the mod.
I would actually bet cash money that the majority of the problems are from people NOT actually following directions EXACTLY. I am not saying there is anything wrong with wooters. (but ... hey they do buy a lot of leakfrogs and screaming flying monkeys)
It is a natural instinct when you are excited by a new toy to ignore the instructions and "wing it" even if you are not extremely technically gifted.
When it comes down to it - if everybody who had a problem is 100% honest about it, you will find that they did something slightly different than what was recommended. Like trying to flash a ROM or new kernel or something intensive when the charge level was too low or skipping some (seemingly) inconsequential step.
I know this from spending many years on the phone solving issues that were well documented and easily fixed if the customer had actually READ the email and followed the directions correctly and completely.
nunjabusiness and rumbleweek,
I agree completely.
I don't think people are bad or "trying" to make an honest mistake -- but people try to
do too much too fast. Tell me that someone who has had his G-Tablet less than a
day and already has flashed four ROMs is giving them a fair trial?!?
It also is my honest opinion that part of the problem is Android.
First, there is the lack of good OS documentation -- I'm not just talking about ROM install
procedures -- but info about how it is organized and how it works and what the functions
are based on.
Second, it is obvious to me that some of the operations like format, wipe, delete, erase,
etc. do not work like they do in other OSs. Many times things get "left over" --and it
makes me wonder if things are left over to mess up future installs, etc.
I'm saying I think Android and the G-Tablet are new enough and unknown enough that
folks should be a lot more cautious than they are. IMHO.
Rev
Agreed on nearly every count, Rev. I've found inconsistencies in the way that many of the "Standard Features" of Android are implemented on different platforms. For example, I've been looking for a way to format the data partition from within an update-script for the express purpose of ensuring a clean setup for testing purposes. I've found three recommended methods... and none of them worked correctly. The result is application and system data that may not be cleaned out properly for activities like flashing a new ROM even when you do everything correctly. It's actually kind of surprising to me that we don't see an even larger volume of help request after what I've seen.
I've been using the site for sometime and just wanted to put an idea if someone smarter than myself wanted to come up with technical details to make this work or it may already be in development but I'm not aware of it.
Getting the latest android update on phone with hardware capable of using it keeps coming up in a lot of articles that I read and it feels that the masses will probably never come to xda forums to get the updates they may want or need due to their lack of understanding of how to go abouts updating a rom.
The roms for most phones are being done by the community quicker and more reliable than the manufacturer in some cases. Here is what I think would work for masses to get the updates without the knowhow:
Create a process to get these custom roms quickly and easily loaded on to anyone's phone without them thinking about how to reboot in recovery mode. Similar to the Samsung devices getting updates from heimdall app found on this site. However it needs to be dumbed down and should be automatic when the user plugs in the phone.
This could be done by having a windows/mac application which when your phone is plugged in or connected wireless to your local network it would recognise what device you have and any additional information such as boot loader information it needs to search for official roms automatically from the manufacturer. If there is no updates then give the user the option to search for a market like store for unofficial roms which come with a warning to run at your own risk. These would be from the xda forums however they will need to meet a certain requirement as flashing from pc/mac may require a unique process from adb which is the key part to this idea working and I'm not too familiar with it to know if it's possible for some phones or all android phones. This store will contain different roms with user ratings of which is the most reliable rom. Essentially creating a market for roms. The user then clicks install and first thing the software does is to backup everything to save the state on the users hard drive in case you need to revert back to original.
This market should be controlled like the app store by the creators incase people abuse it. This means the requirement for any roms listed would be to include the default google experience and maybe a section for non pure google experiences as an option. It would be better if google created this app/process but let the roms be user/manufacturer driven.
Then through word of mouth/twitter/blogs this windows/mac app and within short time many people will be on ICS without much effort on google.
The android market is crying out from something like this to funnel all custom roms into a place accessible for the masses(knowing the risks of doing so). This separates the hardware binding to one specific software made for it, the user should be able to choose from selection off software which suits best for the hardware he/she purchased.
Obviously this is just an idea but hoping you clever people can come up with something similar. XDA Android Updater maybe
Isn't this exactly what ROM Manager does?
TeeRom said:
Isn't this exactly what ROM Manager does?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah he wants a better implementation that's dumbed down and on windows etc...
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA
Do you mean that custom ROM's are more reliable than stock ROM? Are you kidding, there are tons of issues with most custom ROM's, just read around here at XDA. But often those issues are not a big problem for a XDA enthusiast, since he chooses a ROM that suits him and also know how to work around those issues. But custom ROM is not something I would recommend my sister or my parents or any non-techie friend.
There are many roms which have become very mature and to a stage with minimal issues. I installed a ICS for my brothers desire, there may be some issues out there but many he won't come across such as migration apps from titanium backup. However he still gets to experience e latest functionality that the OS brings and he seems much happier with as the experience has become more smoother and quicker. I agree that there will be some which will be very much beta most of its lifetime and the market should reflect the known issues such as we have on the forums here.
This is going to be a long post, but please bare with me. The reason for this post is too hopefully reduce the number of "Help me choose a rom" threads, as they seem to get posted quite frequently, and ask basically the same questions. So in this thread ill be going through some of the basics, as well as some highlights of each type of rom
Introduction
I wrote this thread in an effort to make things easier for "noobies" or "new users" whichever you'd like to call them, so that they can have a better understanding of what the various types of Rom's are out for the Galaxy SIII or may be out in the future. Here's a very common question, what is a rom? A rom on our android phones is like the operating system on your computer, it controls the user interface, what you see and what you can do. Thankfully we have developers who have taken the stock rom's and changed them up and made them 'better' so that we the users can unlock the full potential of our phones. In this thread i will do my best to give you a brief outline of what you can expect with the different types of roms, and what bugs you may encounter. What i will not do is make any claims as to what the 'best' rom is, or tell you what you should be running. I am simply going to give you the information that you need to better help understand what can be included with each rom type
***Disclaimer: Anything you do after reading this thread is on you, what you decide to flash or not to flash is on you. I am not to be held responsible for anything that you do to your phone. This is simply information to help guide you and teach you a few things about roms.***
What you won't find in this guide, but should familiarize yourself with:
These guides don't have to be read, but i highly recommend you at least glance over them to familiarize yourself with a few things, before flashing your first rom. They all contain important information that you should know
*Any instructions on rooting your phone or how to install a rom, those can be found here
*Any rom download list, that can be found here
*A way to get Google wallet to successfully work on your Verizon SIII, that can be found here
Important ------>*A guide to backup your IMEI, that is here<------ Important
Important ------>*An IMEI repair guide/tool, that can be found here<------ Important
*A way to unbrick your softbricked phone, that's can be found here
CHAPTER 1: Touchwiz Roms
***Based on samsung's touchwiz.
Section 1: Stock Rooted Roms
These roms are exactly how its said stock and rooted they are the OTA's that verizon puts out, the only difference is that they've been pre rooted for the rooted users who want to be rooted but just want that basic stock experience. They may come in two flavors: Odex and Deodex, the difference between the two is the way that applications (apk files) are packaged. Odex is the stock way, and Deodex is repackaged, if you're looking to make minor modifications or do a little themeing then you want Deodex because 99% of theme's are built for Deodexed ROMS. There isn't much to be said for stock rooted roms, you're going to get that stock experience that comes with the phone but with root capabilities (titanium backup, wifi tether, overclocking, etc)
-Is this for me? If you want that exact samsung touchwiz stock feel with nothing added in then yes this is for you.
Section 1A: Debloated Stock Rooted Roms
These roms are going to be "debloated" meaning most if not all the fat is taken out of them. In the SIII's case you're going to lose most of the samsung apps and verizon apps. With this you may also lose some of those touchwiz features (smart alert, direct call, etc) or verizon features (NFL mobile, my verizon, etc). The benefit? You're still going to be mostly stock, and you may notice a speed increase due to there being less fat in the rom. There are various levels of debloating as well, some are more extreme and have had everything removed except for the essentials, and some will only remove a few things. Its best to read the original post with each rom to have an idea of what has been removed.
-Is this for me? If you want the barebones experience without using AOSP the yes this is for you.
Section 2: Modified "Stock" Roms
These roms, are going to be the touchwiz rom's made for verizon phones, the base (what the rom is built on) will either come from OTA updates or from leaks. These roms are modified in someway, some more than others. The modifications can include a wide variety of things from the basic speed tweaks, enhancements, and themes to including custom kernels, removing the wifi notifications, extra toggles in the notification bar, 4 in 1 reboot menu, and many other things. They are in a sense stock, but at the same time not. Think of it as a developer taking something 'good' and making it 'great' they've added in the stuff that should have already been there from the start. They will generally be deodexed already, may or may not have been debloated to a point, and generally will have a lot of 'under the hood' enhancements.
-Is this for me? For most people this is for you. You'll have a lot of the touchwiz features that you've come to love such as the camera, smart alert, direct call, and other features, while also getting a much faster and generally better experience. You'll be able to flash themes easily (make sure to double check that the theme is compatible with your rom) root app's will work and you'll be happy.
Section 3: Leaked Roms
These roms, are built off of leaked builds/bases. They may be ICS, Jellybean, etc. These rom's generally may have bugs to begin with depending on the leak itself. Some leaks are a little more stable than others, generally the only time leaked builds have major bugs is when its a leak of the next android version (a leaked JB Touchwiz build for verizon) otherwise they'll generally be almost bug free. There isn't much to say about any leaks of the current version (SIII shipped with ICS Touchwiz) because those will generally just get merged into the custom builds and such. Leaks for future versions generally have bugs, some big, some small, but usually get worked out quickly depending on the bug.
Is this for me? If you're looking to get that future android feel before its official then yes its for you. But you have to be willing to accept that everything may or may not work, and may or may not get fixed before an official release happens. You'll have the latest and greatest though and be able to brag to you're friends about having it before they do.
Section 4: Ported Roms
These roms are ports, meaning they could come from a different carrier (Example: AT&T JB touchwiz on verizon), different manufacturer (Example: Sense 4.0 on SIII), etc. These rom's will almost certainly have bugs to begin with. They are in a way like leaked roms because they aren't "official" for the SIII, but also vastly different because they may not even be mean't for the SIII. These rom's generally require a lot of work to even get booted up because its based off something that's not even mean't for the verizon SIII and a lot of work goes into them. Bugs could range from little things like screen flickering to GPS being completely borked, to your phone not even booting up. After they've had some work hammered into them and testing done, they can be really functional as a daily driver.
Is this for me? If you're looking to have something different or the latest and greatest then yes its for you. But like i said with leaked rom's you have to be willing to accept that you may encounter a vast variety of bugs that may or may not get fixed quickly or at all depending on the bug.
CHAPTER 2: AOSP (Android Open Source Project) Roms
What you won't find in AOSP: Any touchwiz features, yes this includes the camera as well. This is because touchwiz features and apps require the touchwiz framework which is not in AOSP and probably never will be. You also will find that verizon apps tend to be hit or miss as well, most of the time they won't work either, yes this includes NFL mobile and My Verizon.
Known issues when going from ICS touchwiz to AOSP JB:
*GPS may not work correctly, the fix? Before flashing to AOSP JB make sure you have a full gps lock (i personally download gps status from the market and wait until almost all satellites are locked) then from in the app boot into recovery and do your usual wiping/flashing.
*NFC may not work correctly, the fix? Ensure NFC is turned on before flashing to AOSP JB (i personally don't use NFC so i can't comment on whether that works or not, but i've heard it does)
***Based on pure android, you won't have any kind of carrier/manufacturer features added in. If you've ever had a Nexus device then you'll know what this is.
***Themeing is also super simple, with AOSP you get the Theme chooser, which makes changing themes as simple as a few clicks, just download a theme chooser theme off the market and then go into theme chooser and apply it. It really is that simple, if you want to change back just apply the "system" theme, and bam you're back to normal
Section 1: CyanogenMod (CM)
The one's who started it out, they've been around for what feels like forever. This rom will be built straight from the latest source, and it'll be fast from the get go. You'll immediately notice that you've got a lot more RAM free off the bat and this is because there is absolutely no bloat in it at all. You'll have the pure google android experience, it'll be a love or hate thing. For CyanogenMod they generally have nightly builds for those who love to flash, and it'll have added in whatever they added/fixed for that day. These builds may be stable or may not be stable, today's nightly might suck while yesterday's was great. For these if you know what features the latest android version has most likely they'll be in CM, so if you stay up to date then you'll be good to go. Some features are added in though such as notification widgets/toggles, speed tweaks, various other shortcuts. They will generally keep it mostly stock android but also give you some treats that make it better. Bugs are hit or miss, especially for the SIII because pure AOSP android was not built for it originally so some things may be a little iffy (GPS, data, nfc, mms, call volume, etc) it doesn't mean they are all broken, but it's possible they are hit or miss at times, and you're miles may vary. For one person GPS might be fine and the other it could be broken.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it then yes its for you. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time.
Section 1A: Unofficial CM Builds
These builds are based off of CM but they are unofficial because a developer wants to make nightly changes, and add in there own modifications, themes, fixes, enhancements, etc. They come with the same risk as official CM builds, but any bugs found in them should not be reported to the official CM bug tracker because then these are unofficial builds. There isn't anything wrong with them being unofficial, its just a developer wanting to add there own twist to the CM builds.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it then yes its for you. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time. Please read the OP's thread to understand what changes they have added in.
Section 2: Android Open Kang Project (AOKP)
Almost just like CM but with a little more added in. Its based off the android source code and again won't have any manufacturer crap added in. With AOKP you'll get added in modifications that may not be found in CM, as well as other kinds of toggles, status bar mods, notification mods, etc. I can't say everything because its still based of android source and comes with the same risk as CM which is certain bugs or things not working (GPS, data, nfc, mms, call volume, etc) They know there stuff though and have "Builds" released from anywhere from day to day or weeks apart these builds are more major releases with various fixes, modifications, etc.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it, and more modifications than CM then yes its for you. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time.
Section 2A: Unofficial AOKP Builds
These builds are based of off AOKP but they are unofficial because a developer wants to make there own changes, and add in there own modifications, themes, fixes, enhancements, etc. They come with the same risk as official AOKP builds, but any bugs found in them should not be reported to the official AOKP bug tracker because then these are unofficial builds. There isn't anything wrong with them being unofficial, its just a developer wanting to add there own twist to the AOKP builds.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it, and more modifications than CM then yes its for you. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time. Make sure to read the OP to understand what has been changed in the build though.
Section 3: Paranoid Android
This rom is a phone/tablet hybrid rom. Its based off of pure android source just like CM, but has made vast changes to it. You'll be able to modify how each specific app shows up on the screen (want tablet mode only for youtube then you got it, want facebook to look bigger or smaller then you got it) and you'll get a wide variety of modifications as well. If you've ever watched a video of a tablet then you'll have an idea of what can happen. It truly is a phone and tablet hybrid, bringing the best of both worlds to your phone. It'll feel like pure android source and will have those features that come with that android version just with the tabletness added in. It comes with same possibility of bugs as other AOSP roms (GPS, data, nfc, mms, call volume, etc) these bugs are not guaranteed and may or may not occur. User A might have data issues but user B may not, your miles may vary with AOSP. Its a bit harder to explain everything for this rom, but i'm doing my best.
Is this for me? If your looking for pure android goodness but with a major overhaul of added in phone/tablet mode hybrid then yes its for you. Just be willing to accept that you may encounter bugs along the way.
Section 4: Other AOSP Roms
The reason i have this section is because its impossible to describe every kind of AOSP roms, especially when more can be added and such. But other AOSP rom's will come with the same pure android source as well, and will have those features. A lot of them merge in code from other various developers (with permission of course) but also add in there own toolkits, setting menus, etc. They are all great roms, but its hard to give every single one a section because its there all based off the same source and have some of the same kind of modifications added in. They all come with the same risk as other AOSP roms in terms of bugs (GPS, data, nfc, mms, call volume, etc) For these rom's you'll have to pick and choose, if you love a certain developer that makes AOSP roms, or have used a developers AOSP rom on a different phone then you'll know what to expect from that rom/developer. Again there is nothing wrong with these rom's its just hard to give all them all there own section when most of the information is going to be the same and repetitive.
Is this for me? If you're looking for that pure android experience without any manufacturer crap in it then yes its for you. If you follow a specific developer then yes its for you. Its going to have more modifications then regular CM or AOSP roms. You really have to test them out for yourself, just read the thread and see what they've changed/modified/added in. Just know that you may encounter bugs that don't get worked out right away, some of them take time.
Section 5: MIUI Rom
Miui is AOSP based but it won't look like it is. This is because with MIUI you get an entire different user interface experience. It's got its own custom toggles in the notification pulldown, its own theme engine (theme's have to be designed specifically for miui), its own camera app, and many other apps that are designed specifically for it. The main miui team puts out a rom in chinese once a week every friday, and it then gets ported to various devices including the SIII. The downside to miui is some things take a lot longer to get worked out in terms of bugs, this is because its ported to our phone but also because its a completely different interface with many applications that have to be worked on before they'll work flawlessly. Its got the same possibility of bugs as other AOSP roms. I've personally used it before on another device and ill tell you its definitely one of a kind, and fun to play with.
Is this for me? If you're looking for something completely and totally different then yes this is for you. Just know that because the larger builds are released once a week it may take time for some bugs to get worked out, but again you'll have something that's completely different from any of your friends as long as you can accept a few bugs here and there.
Section 6: Various Issues and Solutions
NFC Issues: Grayed out, won't turn on, etc. This is NOT a problem with rom itself, to solve this issue you will need to go back to a touchwiz rom and turn NFC on. Then boot into recovery and flash your respective rom choice If that still does not work flash this zip here in recovery after flashing your respective rom.
GPS Issues: Again not Rom related entirely, its more or less AOSP related. This problem again can be avoided by ensuring a full gps lock and leaving gps turned on prior to flashing. If you still have issues after that download GPS status from the market and use that to help with the gps lock. You can also flash this zip file here to help solve the issue
CHAPTER 3: Kernels/Battery life/Radios/Jelly Bean 4.2 Storage System
Section 1: Kernels
Okay kernels are one of the biggest advantages to rooting. They can be used to increase performance vastly, increase your battery life, make your phone faster, increase ram, etc. You can modify the clock speeds using apps to overclock or underclock the cpu, you can increase or decrease the voltage, etc. They are also what makes your phone boot up (flash a kernel mean't for touchwiz on AOSP and its not going to boot up) Kernels are built on two main bases for the SIII: Android Version (ICS, JB, etc) and Touchwiz/AOSP. This means that these kernels are used for specific rom bases and android versions. You have to make sure you read what the specific kernel is built for so you don't flash the wrong one and mess up your phone. Kernels are always your miles may vary, a kernel that works great for me and doubles my battery life, might make yours worse. You really can't guarantee any of that until you flash it on and modify the settings to your liking. Always make a backup before flashing a kernel so just incase your phone doesn't bootup you can easily restore the backup.
Section 2: Battery Life
This is another question i see asked all the time "What's the battery life like?" Battery life is based on a few things:
1. ROM Choice - Some roms might have better battery life than others. Your miles again will vary. You'll never get the same experience as another user.
2. Kernel choice and settings - some kernels work better than others in terms of battery life, what works for you may not work for me. But you can modify your cpu speed settings to help with this. Settings screen off profiles can help as well. I personally decrease the cpu to 384mhz while the screen is off, and it helps me, will it help you? I have no idea.
3. Personal Use - Self explanatory, if you're constantly using your phone, browsing the web, sending emails, playing music, gps, this and that then the battery might drain faster than somebody who doesn't use there phone as much. If you manage to get 3-4+ hours of screen on time then your battery life is fine. How quickly you reach that is based on your use. This also includes whether your still on the stock battery or not, if you've got an extended battery in your phone then your battery life may very well be a lot longer than somebody with the stock battery. You have full control over your personal use.
4. Coverage and Signal - If you're constantly in areas with terrible signal then your battery life will suffer. My suggestion? If you're near wifi turn it on, that way your signal won't matter as much because all your syncing and such will be done through wifi. There isn't much a rom or kernel developer can do about this, its just based on where you live.
5. Wakelocks and syncing - Make sure to download betterbatterystats, why? Because if your battery life sucks then your phone may not be going into deep sleep and this app can help tell you why. Wakelocks are anytime that your phone is awaken from deep sleep, the more wakelocks you have the less deep sleep you get which equals less battery life. Some of these wakelocks can be controlled because many are caused by syncing. If you have apps syncing every 10 minutes, don't expect super great battery life because your phone is constantly being awaken. Control your syncing, if you don't check twitter every 10 minutes then don't have it sync every 10 minutes. A lot of those apps will automatically sync upon being started.
6. Perception - I put this here because its true. Everybody expects something different with there battery life, so they perceive it that way. Some users want over 24 hours whereas some don't. For me personally i consider great battery life to be being able to leave for work at 6:45am, then go to class, then go to the gym, then do whatever else and come home. If i can make it from 6:45am to 8 or 9pm without being forced to charge then i consider that great battery life. Why do you say its great when its only 14 hours without charging? Because i charge my phone every night before going to bed, it may not even be less than 50% less but i still charge it so that's good enough for me since i made it through my day. Everybody has different expectations so don't always assume battery life sucks when somebody says it does because its based on there own perception of what's "great" and what's "bad"
Battery life is and always will be your miles may vary because there are just too many factors to consider. Some people who say "The battery life on this rom sucks" just have a runaway app killing there battery life and don't even realize it. The only true way to gauge battery is based on what you consider to be great battery life.
Section 3: Radios
Another question asked "What's the best radio?" Radios are always your miles may vary, its all based on your signal/coverage area. But there's also a big placebo effect that comes with radios, the second you flash a new radio, you expect the signal to be better so you see it that way. It might actually be better or it could be worse or exactly the same. Some users will get increased speed on one radio and somebody else might get decreased speed, but you can't base your radio stats right after flashing it because you need to test it in real world scenarios, not just sitting around looking at the dbm. I didn't originally plan on having this section but its necessary because in the future you may or may not need a specific radio for a specific rom to work. As of right now (10/22/2012) the radio you choose to use will work on any rom (make sure its a verizon radio) in the future though you may have to use specific radios for specific roms depending on the versions of android that come out, and when that happens you'll have to make sure you're using the right radio otherwise you may not get any kind of signal at all. Remember that radios are mostly user experience based, and what works for you might not work as well for somebody else.
Section 4: Jelly Bean 4.2 Storage System
Alright i'm going to do my best to explain this in the simplest way possible. With the introduction of 4.2 Jelly Bean, the storage/file system changed as well. What i mean by this is at least on AOSP roms when you flash a 4.2 Rom you'll get a "0" (zero) folder with everything from your internal SD card in it. The reason for this is because with the multi user support its the new way Android sorts stuff. Now many of you are probably wondering "Ummm... this is confusing" or "is this bad?" it is confusing at first but honestly its not that bad. The /storage/sdcard0 now points to /storage/emulater/legacy folder which is then emulated by the 0 folder. Easy version: Even if you put stuff in /storage/sdcard0 it'll automatically show up in those other folders anyways. It may look like you've got stuff duplicated, but its really not. Whatever file is on the sdcard0 (Internal card) is only there once.
The good news, if you update your recoveries to the latest versions, then you won't have to worry about any 0 folder nonsense anyways. You'll still have a legacy folder, but that's not a big deal. Just don't mess with it and your phone will be fine.
***If anybody has a better explanation for that, PLEASE let me know and i'll update/add it in ***
I really hope that this thread can help reduce the number of questions asked about which rom to use and such. I put a lot of time into typing all of this out to help you guys, so hopefully it'll do just that and help
Also i spent a lot of time writing this up, so please do not copy and paste it on another forum and claim it as your own work. I realize its just a guide and relatively public information, but still i'd rather it not get copied and pasted onto other forums/threads.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
***MODS: feel free to move this if its in the wrong place or something***
Mine
****Change Log****
3/14/2013
Chapter 3:Section 4: Jelly Bean 4.2 Storage Added
12/2/2012
Made backing up your IMEI "Important" to read
Added an AOSP common problem and solution section
10/25/2012
Added another IMEI backup guide to the top.
Added encouraging words for reading other guides.
10/24/2012
Added in links for other useful guides at the top
Added in known issues when going from ICS Touchwiz to AOSP JB
10/23/2012:
Added in Miui (Section 5 under AOSP Roms)
Added in Introduction and Disclaimer (very top)
Began fixing grammar errors
Super! Thx for this contribution
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
Super write up. Thank you very much.
Great info. Thanks. - noob
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
How do people have time to write this ****? Lol!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Awesome write up for the noobs bro.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
I was just thinking we really needed a single source to track the progress of each ROM category. This makes a great framework for tracking that information. Thanks for putting this together.
My suggestion would be to add a few bullets below each ROM category that note the most prominent long-term bugs. I think that could significantly reduce the same question being asked over and over within each topic.
Example: all of the AOSP 4.1.x ROMs currently suffer from low video recording volume, poor voice command recognition, and limited in-call volume range (as of this post). Just a suggestion. Keep up the good work!
DroidHam said:
How do people have time to write this ****? Lol!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really have no idea, i was just sitting and thinking "man i answer the same questions almost everyday, if only there was a single thread for the answer" and well... now its here
apet8464 said:
I was just thinking we really needed a single source to track the progress of each ROM category. This makes a great framework for tracking that information. Thanks for putting this together.
My suggestion would be to add a few bullets below each ROM category that note the most prominent long-term bugs. I think that could significantly reduce the same question being asked over and over. Example: all of the AOSP 4.1.x ROMs currently suffer from low video recording volume, poor voice command recognition, and limited in-call volume range (as of this post).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion I actually considered that and may add it in within the next few days, we'll see what happens.
Neverendingxsin said:
I really have no idea, i was just sitting and thinking "man i answer the same questions almost everyday, if only there was a single thread for the answer" and well... now its here
Thanks for the suggestion I actually considered that and may add it in within the next few days, we'll see what happens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After thinking about this concept more, a community-maintained wiki might actually be a better medium for efforts like this. Ensuring accuracy, keeping everything up to date - and remaining relevant as a result - always seems to be the greatest challenge.
This thread was well over due. Thanks for taking the time to write it up.
Sent from my Galaxy SIII
Very helpful. I think you may have repeated yourself somewhere in there
Shh! maybe I'm just paranoid, but I think people are listening....
Well thanks man!
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium HD app
Thank you!
Super!!! Thank you! :good: :good: :good: :highfive:
Sticky!
FrostyOrDie said:
Very helpful. I think you may have repeated yourself somewhere in there
Shh! maybe I'm just paranoid, but I think people are listening....
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I'm pretty sure i did lol
Samsung.Galaxy.S3 said:
Super!!! Thank you! :good: :good: :good: :highfive:
Sticky!
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+1
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
apet8464 said:
After thinking about this concept more, a community-maintained wiki might actually be a better medium for efforts like this. Ensuring accuracy, keeping everything up to date - and remaining relevant as a result - always seems to be the greatest challenge.
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mhmmm. Thats why i tried to keep this as "basic" as possible and just going over the general stuff. I'm able to keep up with a lot but only to a certain extent.
Neverendingxsin said:
mhmmm. Thats why i tried to keep this as "basic" as possible and just going over the general stuff. I'm able to keep up with a lot but only to a certain extent.
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True. Fortunately, the ROM categories themselves are fairly constant, so this thread should be pretty low maintenance. Hopefully it will get stickied or merged with a stickied thread so it remains visible to noobs.
apet8464 said:
True. Fortunately, the ROM categories themselves are fairly constant, so this thread should be pretty low maintenance. Hopefully it will get stickied or merged with a stickied thread so it remains visible to noobs.
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Yeah thankfully they are I've just got a few more things to add and a little cleaning to do with this thread.
great writeup...this needs merged with the download list thread.