Related
Standard disclaimer applies - figured I would put this just in case.
Okay, well first off I am going to start by explaining the thread title. EvilHero is basically what I call my device (evilvoice + hero) and this is a 2.1 Rom, I attached a .001 to let everyone know what stage it is in, which is the first stage. It works in what I set out for it to do. This is not for everyone, and may be only for me, but I am posting it here to get a little help and also to let other people decide for themselves if they want to use it.
This started because of Firerats MTD mod and CM6 and the inability to update my prl or do any ## codes. In using the MTD mod, CM6 RC1 only required around 105MB on system, but most 2.1 roms required a lot more space. While it is not hard to redo the whole MTD mod, it is very time consuming and you run the risk of messing up your phone until you get home, or at the very least, flash the rom you had on it before until you got home to a computer. I did a lot of searching for the smallest 2.1 rom around. This happened to be PureHero 2.1 by Konikub. I did not use any special tool to figure out size, just looked at how large the zip file was and went with the one that was the smallest, there might be smaller Sense 2.1 Roms out there, but thats what I used to select PureHero as my start.
Okay, so on to what I have done. Using PureHero 2.1 as the base, I ripped out everything except the ability to make phone calls, visual voicemail, SU, busybox, contacts, and the ability to use ## codes (including applying a MANUAL PRL update - for some reason, lost the Device Self Service tool in removing too much stuff, but no biggie since I can do a manual prl update). With this, I reduced the /system size to a mere 92.4MB...its even smaller than CM6 (a little misleading here, but I just meant that for the standard install that I was using of CM6, this rom was smaller, not that cm6 cant get smaller than this one). This is with GSD.apk on my system (but since removed in what I will be posting). It is quite stable after a first setup (meaning set your phone settings how you want them, you will probably get FCs and stuff, when done, reboot and you should not get the again except for the ones I am outlining below)
A couple of things to note:
Settings > Accounts & Sync FCs
Settings > Personalize > Default ringtone is the only thing under here that doesnt FC
Settings > Connect to PC even though it is here, it actually does nothing, even though I have the PCSCII.apk file (or whatever its called), it relies on more than just that file. Doesnt matter, I can still mount the sdcard in adb shell.
There is no market, text messaging, browser, email, video player, music player, youtube, email...like I said PHONE, ## codes, and that is PRETTY MUCH IT!
This was created to mainly be something to switch to do a prl update and switch back to CM6. Over my course of testing this rom, I have ditched the switching back to CM6. This is a modular rom - ADD WHAT YOU WANT! To give an idea: I added Opera for browser, Handcent for SMS (no MMS - need help!), K-9 for email, APKTor for market (yea not as great), I did end up adding Youtube back, andLess for music playing, have not decided on a pic viewer yet (havent even looked), Sprint Nav. Im not done adding stuff to mine, this is just what I have so far. None of these are included in the download as this is an "add your apps" rom - these are mine, you have a choice of what yours are. The only things outside of the basic Android system that is coming included is AndroZip, ADW Launcher - cause its damn near perfect, SuperUser by chainsdd, Visual Voicemail (everything but AndroZip was already included, I just updated them).
Some issues I would like help with to resolve
1. No MMS - HUGE ISSUE...maybe its because I took out MMS.apk...actually, I will put that back in and see what happens (for .002 - probably tomorrow night)
2. No market - HUGE...I never realized the benefit to the market until I had no access to it. There is nothing anywhere close to it. AppBrain requires market, so that wasnt going to be a replacement, APKTor was all I could find. My question is this: Can the market be put back in without too many google things being added back? What apk files have to be included for Market to work, I know it requires a google account. If I dont get any help, I guess I will figure it out myself, just wondering if anyone could take a look and help me out.
3. busybox can not be updated for some reason - also, when issuing a parameter on a command, it errors, but when busybox is put before, it works
Code:
df -h does not work
busybox df -h works
4. bash can not be added (or nano, remount) from the kitchen
5. Connect to computer does not work, I kept that stupid file...if its not gonna work, Im pulling the file.
6. Collins battery tweak does not work, I tested a Zen Kernel and still nothing, I guess it does not matter as I have almost everything turned off, the battery lasts a long time. Remember, adding stuff that uses data or GPS will drain the battery the same as any other rom, but this is made to compliment you...This is why I would like to get the battery tweak to work with it, so it will have better life when things get added.
Maybe people can reply with what they have added as their apps (some will be the same as it all depends on what you can find without a Market)
Credits:
Code:
Damageless (for such a great base)
Treve (for assisting D in everyway possible to put out a first class product)
Flipz (for the color sliders)
Darchstar (for AOSP aspects)
sdotcarlisle (for the amazing bootscreen)
gbhil (for his insanely awesome Kernels and overal GREATNESS)
JsChiSurf (for rocking the HERO HOUSE finding all these cool ways to change up things!!)
Avalaunchmods + TrevE (for the audio fix)
VinceOB - (for showing me good stuff)
Konikub (for putting together PureHero)
Most of this was copied from the PureHero post as he thanked them in that post, I feel since I used his as my base, I needed to thank the same people including him - If I did wrong, let me know
Removed Rom links
I am putting both up, I would try the unsigned if you can flash it, for some reason (in my tests) the signed did not work as well as the unsigned. Also, this has MMS.apk added, it is untested, but really should work as I only removed the app. I will be doing my own test on this rom later tonight or tomorrow.
PS. I am not a developer, I just removed things, edited files in notepad++ and tested. If something does not work, please bear with me in finding out what caused it. As I said previously, a lot of stuff is removed, so expect that. The only FC's I experienced is one for putting the power control widget on the launcher (1 time), and the 2 places in settings. Thanks and let me know what you think
Nice concept, would love to see where this goes.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Gtalk is needed to get the apps to download from the market.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Macanage said:
Gtalk is needed to get the apps to download from the market.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is actually more stuff needed, but yea, gtalk is def needed. Its funny, someone in the G1 forum posted what it depended on, and besides one framework file, I removed everything else. I really hate the implementation of gtalk. It runs all the time and I dont use it. In the same G1 thread, the poster was talking about editing the package so it wasnt dependent on anything, I may have my programmer buddy take a look at it when he gets a chance to see if he can finish the work. If there was a way for the market to not need googleapps.apk or gtalk/service.apk I would be ecstatic, as it stands now, I dont see me putting the market back.
Also, Rom links have been posted
And actually, just for the sake of argument, I modified cm 6 and gapps to minimize the size on my phone, and I have it at 89 mb but sol full functionality. I even will have maps and nav and voice search and all, but on data partition only. In could shrink a lot more actually, but don't feel the need.
Sent from my HERO200 using XDA App
cm6 has the ability to get real tiny...if I were to remove the same things, Id say itd be around 50-60mb (maybe im just dreaming here), the issue with cm6 is that fact it does not allow prl updating. I included the newest prl in the zip which gets dumped to your sdcard...j-i-c. Android 2.2 is smaller than 2.1 - there is no way a 2.1 rom will be smaller than 2.2 with the same functionality, it just wont happen, I know that, I just wanted a small 2.1 that did prl ...maybe sprint will release a 2.2 we can use...then I will look into slimming it down like I did this one.
This was never meant to go head to head with cm6...we are talking about 2 different systems - I guess I should have pointed that out...2.2 has the potential to be WAAAY smaller than even this one.
This is a great idea and Im going to watch your progress, Im hoping someday they figure out how to get prl updated on 2.2 Such a pain right now updating it. Thanks for your work!
I just wanted to note down a few things that I wished I knew before flashing my Infuse.
Substituting your official Samsung build for unofficial ROMs like CyanogenMOD (CM) is a double edged sword. On one hand you get to play with the latest and greatest stuff...but on the other hand you have no guarantees of any kind. I'm not sure but you may be in violation of your warranty. In other words you're on your own.
Now there are forums like the Official CM forums and XDA where you'll get help if you run into issues but the bottom line is: You flashed your phone on your own responsibility. Nobody is liable for that. Nobody has any duty to resolve your issues. You may get a response, you may not. Sometimes the level of solution varies with the technical level of the person trying to help you. I may not be able to fix your problem... My suggestion may even f*** it up worse.
In my opinion, if your phone has critical data that you depend on (contacts, appointments etc)... it would be wise to stick with the OS build your phone came with. It may be old...but it has been tested by qualified engineers. All aspects of the phone are functional. And if you run into an issue, you can always pick up the phone and call somebody. When you flash your phone, there's always a minimal chance that you may lose your data (I'm not saying it always happens...but it can). You also lose the privilege of support provided by your carrier or anybody else.
Secondly, your Infuse ships with OS that has been modified by Samsung to provide you with a better experience. These are things which I'll list down at the end, that you'd lose with a custom build like CM. So you'd gain some features by trying the latest version of android but you'd lose a few features too! Because they were provided by Samsung, not by Google.
Things like:
1. No quick view in Calendar. You have to go to Agenda view in options where all entries of all dates will be visible. You cannot see daily appointments on the default Month view. Also there's no option for persistent alarm for your appointments. In the stock build my alarm for tasks used to ring for 15 minutes...now there just one ring and silence. Its a little thing but I sometimes miss the alarm and the whole purpose is lost.
2. Contacts applications is modified by Samsung. Joining contacts from different sources (facebook, twitter) into a single contact is much easier. You can do that in CM too but I had to search the Internet for that option.
You'd also get alphabets on the side of the screen while scrolling contacts. Tap an alphabet and you quickly jump to contacts that start with that alphabet. That's missing in CM too.
3. There are some widgets provided by Samsung like Running Applications widget which I absolutely loved. It would show number of running applications and a quick option to close them all. CM has a task manager and the market has applications that can replicate that functionality but I haven't found one as nifty as that little widget. Then theres a Dual Clock widget, which was important to me as I have contacts in different timezones. I could easily check their time at a glance. In short there were some gems that I miss... and I can't get with CM.
4. Messaging app was modified by Samsung to allow quick addition of a particular group (e.g. all the contacts in Family group) to senders list.
5. There was a very nice Memo app that you could store notes in for offline use. There are tons of alternatives in the market like Springpad, Evernote etc but I kinda liked that app. It had a very nice yellow legal pad template. Its a minor gripe but hey!
6. There's no swype in CM7! Samsung preloads your Infuse with swype. If you've not used swype, its an awesome way to input text. I found that I could sign up for Swype beta and use it in CM but then again....beta is a beta. It has problems.
7. Bluetooth (currently) doesn't completely work in CM7. You can transfer data but audio pairing is an issue. It doesn't bother me but it may be something you use.
8. Wifi is fine but try using Mobile Data on CM. I still haven't figured how to set up my mobilink GPRS internet. I tried setting up the APN with the same settings as on the stock build but it doesn't seem to work. It worked fine under Samsung. But YMMV. It may be particular to my network and CM build.
9. There's no voice search in google search widget. I had to install an apk from net to get it working. It wouldn't even show up in the market.
10. Also you'll lose all your settings in applications. You'll get your apps back from the market (Even the Paid ones...you won't have to re-purchase) but you'll have to set them up all again just the way you want. That may not be such a big deal for some but it may irk you. Also don't use Titanium Backup to restore you app data. I tried that and every f***ing app would crash every ten minutes. I had to reflash again.
11. Your partitions will show up different in the file manager. For example your internal sd card (as it showed up in stock build) will be mounted under 'emmc'. I had to look online for that. Now that may not be a major thing but it screwed up a lot of app data links.
12. Lastly CM isn't even official for Infuse yet. All you have are volunteers packaging builds for Infuse. Hats off to their hard work! But as a user.... you are the tester! So if you're comfortable running untested beta grade software only then go for CM7 on your infuse. Otherwise stick with the stock build.
I'll keep adding other differences as I remember and discover them. You guys can pitch in too.
This post is by no means an attempt to belittle CM. Its an excellent ROM. It has its own advantages which you can read up on its website. I'm just highlighting some tradeoffs so that new users like myself exactly know what they're giving up.
So if you still want to go ahead and flash your Infuse, full power to you. At least you'll be making an informed decision. Just please backup your critical data. Sync your contacts with Google. Back up your music and videos, messages, downloads etc.
Go here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1400375 for the latest CM7 build for Infuse.
Enjoy the CM awesomeness! Best of Luck
This is what distinguishes the men from the boys...or should I say android from apple....be cause we have options....yea...it voids your warranty..who cares...my dedutibke on my insurance and wait time for warranty repair isn't worth it. First we have options, apple doesn't, so if your scared say your scared and buy an iPhone...and as long as you have a back up you will not lose any critical info.. I flash my phone about 20 times or more a day testing out my rom builds and themes and have bricked a hundred times and all info is intact...if you stay stock on infuse...slow, laggy, bad signal.....this is why us devs work so hard ...so your phone and you don't....happy hollidays
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium
dman3285 said:
This is what distinguishes the men from the boys...or should I say android from apple....be cause we have options....yea...it voids your warranty..who cares...my dedutibke on my insurance and wait time for warranty repair isn't worth it. First we have options, apple doesn't, so if your scared say your scared and buy an iPhone...and as long as you have a back up you will not lose any critical info.. I flash my phone about 20 times or more a day testing out my rom builds and themes and have bricked a hundred times and all info is intact...if you stay stock on infuse...slow, laggy, bad signal.....this is why us devs work so hard ...so your phone and you don't....happy hollidays
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well said bro...just came off a semi-hard brick and I'm back in business. And you can believe I'll keep flashing. CM7 isn't the only game in town. We've had a tidal wave of ports and even a couple infuse-based roms (thanks D) that can cater to anyones needs. All you gotta do is read and enjoy all the hard work these devs put in.
sbjaved - Thanks so much for this! i just flashed CM10, and am discovering what i've lost (From the latest samsung gingerbread leak) - and what i've gained! two days in and it's so worth it - The only thing i miss is MHL and quite frankly, it's a small loss.
-Woody
Edit: Important: The newer V4 version of LeSec may no longer be usable for non-Chinese speakers. See this post #17 here, also to discuss alternatives
For all you Lenovo users out there,
I wanted to (re-)introduce this application. Because I have the impression that many Lenovo phone users rather quicly move on to migrated ROM's from for example APKHOT/Smileyvvv/Etotalk etc, where this app is cooked out.
You may want to reconsider going back to it, if it will still work on your phone with whatever ROM you have. It is really a very useful utility:
Firstly, it is a virusscanner. Not sure how useful a virusscanner is on Android, and as I want to avoid that discussion in this thread, that is the last I say about it.
It is also anti-spam. You can black- or whitelist SMS and Calls. See screenshots for an impression. Very useful.
Anti-theft is there. Send SMS upon SIM change, or remotely instruct the phone to send location or self-destruct. I suspect, but did not try, the SMS instruction is stored in /system, so a data-wipe will not undo this. But a good hacker will fully flash, so it only protects against noob thieves, like all anti-theft apps.
But those are common functions, readily availible in other apps. But now for the interesting feature:
It has a firewall. If that is the correct name. Or an app-wall. An permission-wall? You know those apps that you download that for some reason want permission to send SMS? Why does it need that? Or why does it want to read my contacts?
Well, you can per-app decide to block a permission. This app does not need to read my contacts. That app does not need to send SMS. And it will show you if an app tried to anyway. How cool is that?
Guest- and Childmode. Hide some apps. After all, we do not want junior to see daddies tripple-X rated apps. Or the wife. Which is why you can also hide certain contact's and call-history entries (wink, wink). It may also apply to banking apps and your bookie, though that is a bit more boring. Oh, and in Child mode the radio turns of as we want to protect junior from radiation...
Some of you that use Etotalk or APKHOT ROMS may have noticed the notification area buttons to these last two that were dead because this app was missing.
We could of course worry about whether this app in itself is not a spy, reporting everything you do to the Chinese government. But you may not be aware that this is true for *any* Chinese clone you buy. Typically those clonemakers do not release the kernel or framework source, so such a spy would be in there, not in a de-installable app. And if you are really worried about it, make sure you get a phone where you can install CyanogenMod compiled from source.
Personally, I doubt either Lenovo or China is interested in me, and if they do it means they have a Infinitesimals bigger datastore to clog their machinery before they find something on people like Liu Xiaobo or Tenzin Gyatso, which is actually a good thing. But I suspect the app is simply without such sinister intentions.
Anyway, attached is the version I got from my phone. From a Lenovo A750 ICS 4.0.3 S306. But I suspect it works with any phone that uses the Lenovo Framework, so any Lenovo ICS phone that has a not too heavily modded ROM. It did also work on the ICS 4.0.3 Lenovo P700 ROW S113 (Rest Of World edition) edition.
I provide update.zip installers for MT6575 and MT6577 (because I know their partition table). It probably also works on Lenovo Framework phones based on MT6573/MT7513 or even MSM7227/MSM7527, maybe even GB ones. But then you need to take the two *.apk files from inside the zip file, and copy them manually into /system/app, as the update.zip installer will not work for that.
But do try, and please report back if it does or does not work on your phone/rom. There is also an uninstall package. Oh, and you are messing with /system, so as always, at your own risk, ensure you can always flash back a working ROM or have a Nandroid backup before you experiment.
Your zip didn't work on my A789, which is using the apkhot based rom available on forum.china-iphone.ru. After extracting the apk files, copying to /system/app and manually setting permissions, it's working like a charm.
Thanks, I really missed it. On the most recent cooked roms, I miss many things available on the Lenovo official ones, like the fm transmitter, or the butterfly-like widget on the default home screen. Some cookers tend to leave out any non standard apps without even taking some time to know what they do. Not all Chinese apps are rubbish or impossible to understand, and Lenovo is a serious company.
Ok, here you have the FM radio and transmitter of the A789, but it probably does not work, as it is Odex'ed.
And I uploaded seperate installers for MT6575 and MT6577
Also, on your APKHOT, please confirm it actually blocks permissions and blacklists SMS. I am not sure how much the APKHOT deviates from the Lenovo Framework, so merely being able to install and configure may be too soon to tell.
PS: why not try my factory-cleaned A789 ROM? It comes with all those apps by default, and I now have 3 positive feedback.
Come to think of it, why did I take this security app from A750, when A789 is newer....
Edit: Because they are both the same version. In fact the LeSec has not changed since Dec 2010, according to the internal dex binary.
I have tested call blocking and it works, but it isn't so important, since call blocking is a built in feature of the Mediatek framework. You can block calls from any contact you have on your Google account just out of the box, and it works great. I've tested older phones which used older Mediatek chipsets and that feature has been part of the Mediatek framework since MT6573.
The FM transmitter won't work that way, since it is odexed. But it doesn't work deodexed, either. I've just got a deodexed version of the app, thanks to a friend from another forum, and it doesn't work very well. It works, but I had to stick the phone to the antenna on my radio in order to hear something. People I've talked to say that the transmitter works great on the stock Lenovo roms, so maybe it's just some incompatibility with the apkhot roms.
The only reason I'm not using your rom (which I have downloaded) is that I wanted to setup the phone in Spanish, and the rom I'm currently using is the only one I've found which contains that language. Just a quick question: is there any noticable performance increase on the s227 based roms? If so, I don't care using the phone in English, since I just want the most feature rich rom.
Thinking it twice, I've remembered another reason. One of the things I like most about the apkhot rom I'm using is that the external sdcard is mounted on /sdcard and not /mnt/sdcard2, which avoids problems with many apps. I tried one of the newest apkhot roms, based on s227, and none of the tricks to exchange /sdcard and /mnt/sdcard2 worked with it.
I'll reply to that in the A789 thread, as we seem to deviate from the security app.
cybermaus said:
Edit: Because they are both the same version. In fact the LeSec has not changed since Dec 2010, according to the internal dex binary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I remember there was an update of that app on my A750 with your ROM. Now with apkhot I installed that package posted above and I have the older / original version. But there is no update offered...
That was probably on the S148 Gingerbread ROM. That one has an older version. I know, because I messed up trying to install it, as I had that older GB version and the new ICS one both in my Titanium backup. Also, the Dec 2010 date is probably false, I just got OTA ROW_S114, and it too had all files timestamed to Dec 2010. But I am certain the LeSec from S306 and S227 are the same, the binary compared identical. Official version is V3.5.1.3.5.2.0041 and the update button tells me there is no newer.
Every so often it does update the virus/blacklist signatures, but that is not the app itself. Current virus signature 2012.09.14 Current harasment (blacklist) 2012.07.11
But if you find a newer one, please do let me know.
I've been trying LeSec further and it works, but I found a problem I wasn't able to fix, so, until I found a solution, I've freezed it with Titanium Backup. The problem is that I'm using Go SMS Pro, instead of the default messaging app, since I need to write SMS in Spanish and the default app doesn't support Spanish characters like accents, etc. Go SMS Pro works, but every time I send an SMS, LeSec thinks an unauthorized app is trying to send an SMS in the background, and shows a popup to let you decide whether to allow it or not. I haven't found a way to disable that, and it's a bit annoying having to click two buttons everytime I want to send a message.
Its probably a silly question, but you did go into LeSec->ChargeShield-SMS and ensure that your app was allowed to send SMS in background?
Probably for reasons of 'likely form of attack' the SMS apps are (unlike other permissions) by default in a 'Warning' setting, but if the warning does not come to the foreground on your phone, it may simply not work.
Also, rather than freezing LeSec completely, you could go into ChargeShield, and simply turn of the ChargeShield.
cybermaus said:
That was probably on the S148 Gingerbread ROM. That one has an older version. I know, because I messed up trying to install it, as I had that older GB version and the new ICS one both in my Titanium backup. Also, the Dec 2010 date is probably false, I just got OTA ROW_S114, and it too had all files timestamed to Dec 2010. But I am certain the LeSec from S306 and S227 are the same, the binary compared identical. Official version is V3.5.1.3.5.2.0041 and the update button tells me there is no newer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I used the S148 just some days and updated to your S306 V1.2 and simply stayed there, because it works very well. After some time it offered me an update and the user interface changed a bit with that update. The way how you set privacy on app level and so on. The update button itsself never worked for me either.
Sadly, backup never worked on that rom. I found that out as I wanted to try apkhot. To be honest, I didn't try on apkhot, yet.
A few minutes ago, I was offered a 4.1.4 version and installed it. Now it's purely chinese
Maybe I have to reboot the phone for english...
From the design it is a version newer than the version I wrote about...
leFloyd said:
A few minutes ago, I was offered a 4.1.4 version and installed it. Now it's purely chinese
Maybe I have to reboot the phone for english...
From the design it is a version newer than the version I wrote about...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, before you put the old one back, safe this one for me will ya.
cybermaus said:
Well, before you put the old one back, safe this one for me will ya.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want the old one back - I want this one to be english
How do I save it? Any idea where it has downloaded it's update? This was done within the app...
Well, it would have simply replaced the two apk's in the /system/app folder.
So look for:
LenovoSafeCenter.apk
LenovoSageWidget.apk
or something similar, it could have changed its name, or added a 3rd component.
Got the files?
Sent from my Lenovo A750 using xda app-developers app
Well, it seems that Lenove Security (LeSec for short, and LenovoSafeCenter officially) is becoming less usuable. As mentioned above, it is fully Chinese, no Engrish anywere.
I had a look at the new V4 of it, even decompiled it. Not only 100% Chinese, but is hardcoded in the app, there are no resource xml files that we could translate. A big pity.
Also, there is one app (Waze, a social car navigation app) that in the latest version is incompatible with LeSec. Though it is at this moment the only incompatibility I ran into, it is also a pity.
That may mean we need to find an alternative:
For now, these two has shown up:
LBE : Somehow, I think LBE is actually the company that makes Lenovo LeSec. Or at least, there logo is shown in the about menu of LeSec as part of the "in cooperation with" mentions. Maybe the reason why the free LeSec is limiting itself?
Anyway, I am trying out LBE at the moment, to see how it works.
pDroid : pDroid looks promising. Specifically, they are promising ICS support, but right now, only GB, so one to keep an eye on, but not availible to us just yet.
Permissions Denied : A Paid app. But if it works well, it may be worth it. Not looked at it yet.
So, LBE seems to work well. It does not have the hiding of apps for 'child mode' and 'privacy mode'. Nor does it have the 'anti-theft' or 'virus-scan' but it does the permissions thing well.
I tested, it nicely prompted/blocked permissions. And to be honest, using a slight more clear interface. If it is permissions, which was indeed what I was after, LBE seems to do the job. I also like I can block internet use separate for 3G and Wireless. Very useful.
One problem though: Waze is failing in the same way as with LeSec. Even if I make it a 'trusted' app. It seems the latest version of Waze simply does not like to be looked at too closely.
anti theft
I cannot input number In anti theft . for ex if I write +35989xxxxx I need two more digits but it does not allow it. If I write in national format 0899.... I have to write more digits than the phone number has. Any solution?
As mentioned, while I started enthusiastic about LeSec, it is now focussing too much on China alone. Not as good internationally.
Try using one of the other anti-theft solutions.
Does anyone have a full listing of every app removable from the stock rom without killing it? I've frozen lots of stuff that I don't believe should impact general performance, but end up having to completely wipe and reinstall due to something I've frozen rendering my screen unusable. I think it's in the Samsung apps, but haven't done enough testing to determine which apps it NEEDS to have running in order to work.
The tablet can boot up just fine but as soon as I go to unlock it, it just sits at the homescreen unresponsive to any button or touch input.
nickhimself said:
I've frozen lots of stuff that I don't believe should impact general performance ... The tablet can boot up just fine but as soon as I go to unlock it, it just sits at the homescreen unresponsive to any button or touch input.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not a "bloatware" issue (and it kills me when people go hunting for this stuff, unused software really has minimal impact).
You may be suffering from a problem I'd discovered with the Samsung kernel (namely, it doesn't reserve enough memory that the Android framework needs in order to do InterProcess Communication).
Can you try this kernel (rename the file to "boot.img" and flash it with either Odin or Mobile Odin) and tell me if that fixes anything for you?
The meaning of my quoted sentence in your post was central to the freezing issue I had following a reboot after I'd disabled apps. I didn't disable them because I thought my tablet was running slowly, I disabled them because I didn't want 200 applications installed because some guy in Samsung's marketing department said "well they have to have twelve different notepad applications, nine clocks, four calendars, several methods of backing up data to various cloud services, and also put a whole bunch of wallpapers in there for no reason because I really like cats and flowers so other people probably do too."
Also, sorry to tell you this kcrudup, but... I'm already using your kernel anyway
nickhimself said:
... following a reboot after I'd disabled apps ... I'm already using your kernel anyway
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, as long as this is a case of "shooting yourself in the foot", then.
BTW, wallpapers (as just one example) take up NO resources if not used, and since you're not going to be installing anything in /system anyway, what's the point?
(BTW, it's not just you I'm talking to here- it's all the other Quixotic "bloatware" folks out there. Unless something like "Better Battery Stats" are showing multiple wakelock instances and/or Alarms, y'all are wasting your time on that; eliminating "bloatware" is the "ATK" of ICS+)
kcrudup said:
OK, as long as this is a case of "shooting yourself in the foot", then.
BTW, wallpapers (as just one example) take up NO resources if not used, and since you're not going to be installing anything in /system anyway, what's the point?
(BTW, it's not just you I'm talking to here- it's all the other Quixotic "bloatware" folks out there. Unless something like "Better Battery Stats" are showing multiple wakelock instances and/or Alarms, y'all are wasting your time on that; eliminating "bloatware" is the "ATK" of ICS+)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think it's more carryover from working with windows for so long. I'm used to, possibly even trained, on expecting the first steps after a new install to be Clean Out Everything and Trim Services ASAP.
I just don't like feeling like I have no power over a stock ROM through removing any and every piece of software I just don't want.
nickhimself said:
I just don't like feeling like I have no power over a stock ROM through removing any and every piece of software I just don't want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, I get that. One thing to remember (and I've worked on a number of Android devices over the years for a number of manufacturers and carriers) is that no manufacturer (nor carrier, believe it or not) wants to do anything that reduces overall performance (even predatory ones like VZW who'd rob your Grandmother if there's a dime to be made off her).
What's instructive is to run BBS and check on "Alarms", "Network" and "Partial Wakelocks" at the reference "Since Boot" after the tablet's been on a while- you'll see that all this "bloatware" isn't even a factor in the parts of the system that count.
Basics
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1634624
jje
Greetings. I just picked up a used MT4GS because I had to have a hwkbd and want to get it into top fighting condition. I've read through the posts on Bulletproof and MikTouch ROMs and am trying to understand what the real differences are. I'd appreciate any comments on features that one has that the other doesn't.
So far i have been able to determine:
In MikTouch, the screen capture is broken
This is my first Android phone, so i'm lacking context to understand a lot of the descriptions of changes.
Thanks
This phone is an oldie but a goodie, and welcome to the board.
I just came off of miktouch, which is a clean sense experience, but I was getting reboots on this ROM (don't know why, could have been a problem on my end). My understanding is the miktouch is slightly newer than bulletproof, and is based on a newer HTC firmware (this is for the version 0.7 miktouch, which is the most recent and the one you want to use).
If you need sense, then I think this is a good rom, but probably either one is good. They are both widely reported as stable, so I am not sure if my own experience regarding reboots is just a rare exception.
If you are not committed to the sense framework, I highly recommend scverhagen's CM9.1, which is very solid in my experience. I have used v12 for at least a month, and v13 came out yesterday, and is so far (knock wood) rock solid.
There are quite a few CM10.X variations available, and I've tried several. In my experience (and on my device) they are not as completely rock solid as the CM9.1, which is the only reason I am not using one as a DD. That said, they are quite mature, and are in wide use by many who want to be on the later CM versions.
nosuchfile said:
If you are not committed to the sense framework, I highly recommend scverhagen's CM9.1, which is very solid in my experience. I have used v12 for at least a month, and v13 came out yesterday, and is so far (knock wood) rock solid.
There are quite a few CM10.X variations available, and I've tried several. In my experience (and on my device) they are not as completely rock solid as the CM9.1, which is the only reason I am not using one as a DD. That said, they are quite mature, and are in wide use by many who want to be on the later CM versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your comments. Having almost no experience with Android, i don't really know if i object to the Sense overlay or not. I have read that losing Sense loses a lot of the capabilities of the camera, and the camera is the other reason i got this phone (with the keyboard).
Anyway, i just finished unlocking the phone now. Did you get S-Off on yours?
Flandry said:
Thanks for your comments. Having almost no experience with Android, i don't really know if i object to the Sense overlay or not. I have read that losing Sense loses a lot of the capabilities of the camera, and the camera is the other reason i got this phone (with the keyboard).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that was once true, but I think most of the camera issues have since been solved. I don't use the high end functions of the camera much. I think also there were some problems with 1080p video, which have also since been solved.
The CM roms are based off of the google android base code, and so they are able to work with certain apps that may not work with the version on which both bulletproof and miktouch are based, which is version gingerbread, android 2.3. CM 9.1 is based on android 4.0 (icecream sandwich). and CM 10.X is based on android 4.1-4.3. Chrome browser requires min android 4.0, and is probably the best browser.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history
Flandry said:
Anyway, i just finished unlocking the phone now. Did you get S-Off on yours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did S-off mine. There is a post that describes the procedure using a wire to short between a spare uSD card and a very small hole at a precise time. The S-off is somewhat handy as it eliminates one step in flashing ROMs, namely, extracting a file from the ROM and separately flashing that single file (using fastboot) after flashing the ROM itself the 'normal' way, but is not necessary, and I would not suggest it as it is kind of tricky (but if you feel lucky...). I think it took me around 20 tries to finally get it right.
Hope this helps, and I would suggest starting with CM 9.1, as it will give you a more 'pure' android experience. Although some do like the Sense overlay, I don't care for it, and it is a lot less customizable.
Yes, the original sense camera produced excellent photos and videos, especially in low light, which I've never matched with others since. One person (can't remember who) who used later ROMs on a daily basis said he used to swap back to sense whenever he wanted to use the camera at a particular event. So I guess that's another option for you. For me, I've stuck mainly with CM9.1 for daily use (camera wasn't central to my 'buy' decision), and dabbled with other ROMs evenings and weekends.
davidf9 said:
Yes, the original sense camera produced excellent photos and videos, especially in low light, which I've never matched with others since. One person (can't remember who) who used later ROMs on a daily basis said he used to swap back to sense whenever he wanted to use the camera at a particular event. So I guess that's another option for you. For me, I've stuck mainly with CM9.1 for daily use (camera wasn't central to my 'buy' decision), and dabbled with other ROMs evenings and weekends.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I actually did a simple comparison (talk.maemo .org /showpost.php?p=1378114&postcount=27) between the camera and my previous phone's camera to see which handled low light better, and my results agree with your experience. This is a pretty high priority for me.
I think your comments confirm for me that i do want to stick with GB + Sense for now. That brings me back to the OP though. From reading through the threads for the respective ROMs i think i have another difference:
* Bulletproof has a more colorful customized theme/paradigm.
* Bulletproof has some geeky utilities like bash shell and nano editor
Still wondering about substantive differences. I'll probably flash Bulletproof unless i hear of any disadvantages of it relative to Miktouch.
Edit: meh can't post links blah blah.
Fuzi0719 said:
... For an updated version, try the Miktouch ROM. It is based on the last HTC stock ROM, 1.63.531.2 and thus has a bit better performance in several key areas (GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi) and has more updated tweaks, as well. Bulletproof is based on the original stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
siani_8 said:
As a long time Bulletproof user and probably the biggest Bulletproof cheerleader from day one, I will agree that the MikTouch ROM is a smoother experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm i thought that the fixes had gotten incorporated in Bulletproof in the later revision (1.1). :/
From what I read on another forum, Bloater is no longer being developed or supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This may be a problem because i need e.g. Exchange Mail and i read that it's been removed in the custom ROMs.
Well i've used clockworkmod recovery to make a nandroid of the stock system and have flashed Bulletproof 1.1 and the UV5 undervolting kernel. I'll see if it can be made to do what i want/need. Kudos to WeekendsR2Short for archiving the files so they are still available and to the hackers who put the ROM together.
I'm still looking for comments on current, real differences between the two ROMs, particularly from those in the know about whether there are meaningful differences in performance due to the origin of each. I would expect the fixes that went into the later stock ROMs also could be incorporated into Bulletproof, regardless of whether it was based on that ROM, but were they? I see guides from Blue6 on tweaks for network performance and GPS performance, so it seems he was aware of the issues.
Edit: I don't have working wifi so i'm guessing a custom kernel is a no go without S-off. That's what i thought but then i couldn't understand how people can run ICS without S-off. Obviously my assumptions are wrong somewhere... I'll reflash the boot image from Bulletproof 1.1.
Flandry said:
Well i've used clockworkmod recovery to make a nandroid of the stock system and have flashed Bulletproof 1.1 and the UV5 undervolting kernel. I'll see if it can be made to do what i want/need. Kudos to WeekendsR2Short for archiving the files so they are still available and to the hackers who put the ROM together.
I'm still looking for comments on current, real differences between the two ROMs, particularly from those in the know about whether there are meaningful differences in performance due to the origin of each. I would expect the fixes that went into the later stock ROMs also could be incorporated into Bulletproof, regardless of whether it was based on that ROM, but were they? I see guides from Blue6 on tweaks for network performance and GPS performance, so it seems he was aware of the issues.
Edit: I don't have working wifi so i'm guessing a custom kernel is a no go without S-off. That's what i thought but then i couldn't understand how people can run ICS without S-off. Obviously my assumptions are wrong somewhere... I'll reflash the boot image from Bulletproof 1.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bulletproof 1.1 is still based on the original stock ROM (1.28), whereas Miktouch is based on the 1.63 release. In the 1.63 release, HTC made some major improvements in GPS, Bluetooth, and overall smoothness of the ROM as well as closed some security issues. Miktouch retains all the base stuff, including the Genius subsystem. By default, however, the Genius button has been remapped to do search, but there is a small patch that can be applied to revert the mapping back to the Genius function.
I've tried Bulletproof and though it is very stable, I still prefer Miktouch. It just seems more "fluid", especially with the patches like Liquidsmooth Rosie, and No-scrolling Cache. I also like the CM9.1 version from sverhagen, now on r13 release. It is very stable and works very well.
But, as others have stated, if the camera is very important, only the stock-based ROMs like Miktouch are going to give you 100% of what this phone can do. That's because HTC put a lot of the control of the image processor directly into the Sense framework, which of course is lacking in other ROMs. Other ROMs can access basic functions and do processing using the CPU, but cannot access some of the higher functions of the dedicated image processor. The CM9.1 camera is good, but if you look at photos side-by-side with those taken with Miktouch, for instance, you can see a difference in depth of field, exposure, lighting, compression. It is subtle, but visible. Most people probably would not care or even notice, so it is a personal choice.
Fuzi0719 said:
Bulletproof 1.1 is still based on the original stock ROM (1.28), whereas Miktouch is based on the 1.63 release. In the 1.63 release, HTC made some major improvements in GPS, Bluetooth, and overall smoothness of the ROM as well as closed some security issues. Miktouch retains all the base stuff, including the Genius subsystem. By default, however, the Genius button has been remapped to do search, but there is a small patch that can be applied to revert the mapping back to the Genius function.
I've tried Bulletproof and though it is very stable, I still prefer Miktouch. It just seems more "fluid", especially with the patches like Liquidsmooth Rosie, and No-scrolling Cache. I also like the CM9.1 version from sverhagen, now on r13 release. It is very stable and works very well.
But, as others have stated, if the camera is very important, only the stock-based ROMs like Miktouch are going to give you 100% of what this phone can do. That's because HTC put a lot of the control of the image processor directly into the Sense framework, which of course is lacking in other ROMs. Other ROMs can access basic functions and do processing using the CPU, but cannot access some of the higher functions of the dedicated image processor. The CM9.1 camera is good, but if you look at photos side-by-side with those taken with Miktouch, for instance, you can see a difference in depth of field, exposure, lighting, compression. It is subtle, but visible. Most people probably would not care or even notice, so it is a personal choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best description of the differences between Miktouch and Bulletproof I've read on the XDA forums! :good:
Thanks
Fuzi0719 said:
Bulletproof 1.1 is still based on the original stock ROM (1.28), whereas Miktouch is based on the 1.63 release. In the 1.63 release, HTC made some major improvements in GPS, Bluetooth, and overall smoothness of the ROM as well as closed some security issues. Miktouch retains all the base stuff, including the Genius subsystem. By default, however, the Genius button has been remapped to do search, but there is a small patch that can be applied to revert the mapping back to the Genius function.
I've tried Bulletproof and though it is very stable, I still prefer Miktouch. It just seems more "fluid", especially with the patches like Liquidsmooth Rosie, and No-scrolling Cache. I also like the CM9.1 version from sverhagen, now on r13 release. It is very stable and works very well.
But, as others have stated, if the camera is very important, only the stock-based ROMs like Miktouch are going to give you 100% of what this phone can do. That's because HTC put a lot of the control of the image processor directly into the Sense framework, which of course is lacking in other ROMs. Other ROMs can access basic functions and do processing using the CPU, but cannot access some of the higher functions of the dedicated image processor. The CM9.1 camera is good, but if you look at photos side-by-side with those taken with Miktouch, for instance, you can see a difference in depth of field, exposure, lighting, compression. It is subtle, but visible. Most people probably would not care or even notice, so it is a personal choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that's a very useful summary.
OT:
I flashed the MikTouch 0.7 ROM and most of the patches that you uploaded in its thread. What difference do you see with the MikTouch-No-Scrolling-Cache patch? From my understanding of scrolling caches, disabling them would make it less smooth rather than more.
Answering my own question (OP):
Now that i have flashed both ROMs i can mostly answer my own question about the differences. As i had guessed from my reading, Bulletproof is a more complete or thorough mod. It provides some nice options for the quick settings and the status icons that sit at the top right. It has cut out most of the extra apps, and hidden the Kid's Zone icon. It has a custom theme and keeps the other themes.
A brief play with some network access suggests that MikTouch may be smoother more optimized due to its more updated origins. On the other hand, it feels less cohesive and polished.
It might be summed up by saying that, in terms of visible modifications, Bulletproof goes overboard, while MikTouch isn't quite enough.
So if Bulletproof were based on the latest stock ROM and wasn't missing a couple "bloatware" features that i want to keep, i would reflash it now. Because it's not, i'll give MikTouch a go for a while.
I'm trying to establish, as much as possible, the functionality my Maemo device had. I'm going to post my progress here for any to whom it might be useful.
notes
I've copied my Conboy notes to Tomdroid, but the ancient stable version doesn't support editing and the beta version (0.7.2) corrupts notes with bulleted lists. I really liked Conboy, so i hope the devs can get things sorted. Development seems to be really slow, which surprises me considering the popularity of Tomboy.
terminal
I encountered the hilarious problem with Terminal Emulator that others have: the forward slash key (of all things) only produces tildes, making the hwkb completely useless for terminal work. Someone suggested a Connectbot connection to local, and that versatile little app seems like a little slice of home coming from a linux environment. You can put an icon on your desktop that will open you right to that connection, too.
I'm still trying to figure out the best way to modify my keyboard mapping. I'd like to make the www. a Tab and repurpose the android keys and extra (right) shift, perhaps as arrows and a CTRL. The spacebar is also obnoxiously out of reach so i might move it to the Back key. Fortunately, Connectbot has some sensible workarounds that make these changes less urgent.
I have the latest ES File Explorer but the locked down nature of Android seems to make any kind of file system activities hopelessly complicated compared with a more conventional linux system. I was trying to install this nano editor binary but am not sure if remounting root R/W and unzipping it to / is going to cause issues.
spreadsheet
I've been using gnumeric on my N900. TBD
e-reader
FB Reader and PDF reader on the N900. TBD
offline maps
Used Modrana and Navit on N900. Both have strengths and weaknesses. TBD
misc.
It's nice that Flashlight is pre-loaded but i can't see any way to leave it on while i do something else on the phone. I think the custom setting in the quick settings of Bulletproof could do that. :/ It is a nice bright flash we have here.
The stock camera app combines the functionality of three separate apps on N900: BlessN900, Panorama, and the stock camera app, and in a much snappier interface, albeit with fewer options. I'm excited about that. I need to find an app that will simulate a scan from a photo (perspective correction), though.
Offline dictionary, wikipedia, and a gps recorder are also needed. TBD
Of course, porting a few classic games and apps (e.g. Doom, Starcon2, Gweled, MAME) with a few hours work each isn't going to happen in Android like it did with Maemo and its SDL framework. The ability to achieve feature parity ends with the software selection...
Will edit when i have made more progress.
ETA: I have S-OFF now. I thought i could leave it alone until i tired of GB and/or stock kernel, but i should have known better. I used my Linux Mint14 (64 bit) box, a random USB cable (original HTC one is presumably with the original owner), and a twist-tie, and to be safe i flashed back my nandroid of stock first. After all the wind up about original this, 32 bit os, and precise that, i got it on the first try and it didn't wipe my SD card.
First thing i did is flash a custom splash screen. I made one and it was realizing it wouldn't work without S-OFF that pushed me over the edge.
Flandry said:
I'm trying to establish, as much as possible, the functionality my Maemo device had. I'm going to post my progress here for any to whom it might be useful.
notes
I've copied my Conboy notes to Tomdroid, but the ancient stable version doesn't support editing and the beta version (0.7.2) corrupts notes with bulleted lists. I really liked Conboy, so i hope the devs can get things sorted. Development seems to be really slow, which surprises me considering the popularity of Tomboy.
terminal
I encountered the hilarious problem with Terminal Emulator that others have: the forward slash key (of all things) only produces tildes, making the hwkb completely useless for terminal work. Someone suggested a Connectbot connection to local, and that versatile little app seems like a little slice of home coming from a linux environment. You can put an icon on your desktop that will open you right to that connection, too.
I'm still trying to figure out the best way to modify my keyboard mapping. I'd like to make the www. a Tab and repurpose the android keys and extra (right) shift, perhaps as arrows and a CTRL. The spacebar is also obnoxiously out of reach so i might move it to the Back key. Fortunately, Connectbot has some sensible workarounds that make these changes less urgent.
I have the latest ES File Explorer but the locked down nature of Android seems to make any kind of file system activities hopelessly complicated compared with a more conventional linux system. I was trying to install this nano editor binary but am not sure if remounting root R/W and unzipping it to / is going to cause issues.
spreadsheet
I've been using gnumeric on my N900. TBD
e-reader
FB Reader and PDF reader on the N900. TBD
offline maps
Used Modrana and Navit on N900. Both have strengths and weaknesses. TBD
misc.
It's nice that Flashlight is pre-loaded but i can't see any way to leave it on while i do something else on the phone. I think the custom setting in the quick settings of Bulletproof could do that. :/ It is a nice bright flash we have here.
The stock camera app combines the functionality of three separate apps on N900: BlessN900, Panorama, and the stock camera app, and in a much snappier interface, albeit with fewer options. I'm excited about that. I need to find an app that will simulate a scan from a photo (perspective correction), though.
Offline dictionary, wikipedia, and a gps recorder are also needed. TBD
Of course, porting a few classic games and apps (e.g. Doom, Starcon2, Gweled, MAME) with a few hours work each isn't going to happen in Android like it did with Maemo and its SDL framework. The ability to achieve feature parity ends with the software selection...
Will edit when i have made more progress.
ETA: I have S-OFF now. I thought i could leave it alone until i tired of GB and/or stock kernel, but i should have known better. I used my Linux Mint14 (64 bit) box, a random USB cable (original HTC one is presumably with the original owner), and a twist-tie, and to be safe i flashed back my nandroid of stock first. After all the wind up about original this, 32 bit os, and precise that, i got it on the first try and it didn't wipe my SD card.
First thing i did is flash a custom splash screen. I made one and it was realizing it wouldn't work without S-OFF that pushed me over the edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what your needs are as for a notes app, but I use the one HTC included in the ROM simply called Notes. It can import/export but I haven't used that feature or know the format. Also, Adobe PDF reader comes with the ROM, too. These are both in Miktouch. I have also run into that keyboard issue with Terminal, someone posted a revised Terminal app that fixed that issue but now I don't know where it is located. Perhaps look around on the Play Store. As to spreadsheets and other office-type apps, QuickOffice is now owned by Google and was made free in the Play Store. It can read/write most MS Office documents. And Google Maps now has the feature of storing offline maps for when you don't have network access.
Fuzi0719 said:
Not sure what your needs are as for a notes app, but I use the one HTC included in the ROM simply called Notes. It can import/export but I haven't used that feature or know the format. Also, Adobe PDF reader comes with the ROM, too. These are both in Miktouch. I have also run into that keyboard issue with Terminal, someone posted a revised Terminal app that fixed that issue but now I don't know where it is located. Perhaps look around on the Play Store. As to spreadsheets and other office-type apps, QuickOffice is now owned by Google and was made free in the Play Store. It can read/write most MS Office documents. And Google Maps now has the feature of storing offline maps for when you don't have network access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i had just discovered QuickOffice was free after finding the usual subjects (Gnu apps, OO, etc) aren't available and presumably decent since Google decided to buy it. I vaguely remember there being a QuickOffice on my Handera(?) a decade ago. Wonder if it's the same thing.
The attention to detail in the ConnectBot app makes it actually possible to hack system files, and its support for copy and paste, combined with that nano binary i got installed, lets me copy-paste text into files. The lack of universal clipboard and general lack of time-honored keyboard shortcuts is driving me up the wall. I sure took that for granted on maemo. Android just isn't designed with a hardware keyboard in mind. :/
Nano is super flaky with poor refresh, and without keyboard arrows it's a bit hard to use. It would be impossible without ConnectBot's workaround for lack of CTRL, though. Can anyone recommend a good simple GUI text editor for editing config files etc.? One that supports copy/paste, unlike that half-assed ES File Explorer note editor atrocity.
Anyway, I used the above setup to make the changes to the gps.conf file recommended here.
I'm also finding the long-press on Home is a passable imitation of the camera-button or CTRL-BACKSPACE shortcut to task switcher on the N900 too.
I'm going to give the Sneaky Pete kernel a try now.
Flandry said:
Yeah i had just discovered QuickOffice was free after finding the usual subjects (Gnu apps, OO, etc) aren't available and presumably decent since Google decided to buy it. I vaguely remember there being a QuickOffice on my Handera(?) a decade ago. Wonder if it's the same thing.
The attention to detail in the ConnectBot app makes it actually possible to hack system files, and its support for copy and paste, combined with that nano binary i got installed, lets me copy-paste text into files. The lack of universal clipboard and general lack of time-honored keyboard shortcuts is driving me up the wall. I sure took that for granted on maemo. Android just isn't designed with a hardware keyboard in mind. :/
Nano is super flaky with poor refresh, and without keyboard arrows it's a bit hard to use. It would be impossible without ConnectBot's workaround for lack of CTRL, though. Can anyone recommend a good simple GUI text editor for editing config files etc.? One that supports copy/paste, unlike that half-assed ES File Explorer note editor atrocity.
Anyway, I used the above setup to make the changes to the gps.conf file recommended here.
I'm also finding the long-press on Home is a passable imitation of the camera-button or CTRL-BACKSPACE shortcut to task switcher on the N900 too.
I'm going to give the Sneaky Pete kernel a try now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For hacking system files, an easy app to use is Kernel Tuner. Even though I'm using the stock kernel on Miktouch, I use Kernel Tuner to set my min CPU and governor (I have 1134 max/192 min and conservative governor on both cores) and I set the I/O scheduler to noop with a 2048kb cache. The app has the built in ability to make edits to system files and is geared for Sense ROMs.
Also, you might want to download/install the newer Swype keyboard from Play Store. It is newer/better than the Swype that is built in to the HTC ROM. The built in Swype can be disabled (I use MyBackup Pro to freeze certain things that are built in, like the Group messaging and Tmobile ID stuff that I never use).
Flandry said:
)
The attention to detail in the ConnectBot app makes it actually possible to hack system files, and its support for copy and paste, combined with that nano binary i got installed, lets me copy-paste text into files. The lack of universal clipboard and general lack of time-honored keyboard shortcuts is driving me up the wall. I sure took that for granted on maemo. Android just isn't designed with a hardware keyboard in mind. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you found some of Blue6ix' posts yet? He listed ways to remap the keys to whatever you wanted, and I seem to recall keyboard shortcuts was one of the things lamented when he moved to a phone without a hardware keyboard. (though I don't use shortcuts myself so can't say more)
davidf9 said:
Have you found some of Blue6ix' posts yet? He listed ways to remap the keys to whatever you wanted, and I seem to recall keyboard shortcuts was one of the things lamented when he moved to a phone without a hardware keyboard. (though I don't use shortcuts myself so can't say more)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's what i linked to a few posts back when i mentioned it. I've spent a while playing around with it now that i have a functioning nano editor and bash. I found, to my disappointment, that CTRL can't be used as a modifier until Android 3. At least that's what i gathered. The amount of conflicting information on every thing i search for is mind-boggling, both due to vendor and device differences and android API differences, i assume. Anyway, no CTRL isn't too big of a deal since the standard CTRL-+ shortcuts aren't really standard on it, and VX Connectbot makes it easy to generate CTRL+? inputs. I switched to VX, an improved Connectbot fork, when i realized i had no way to generate angle brackets or pipe characters. VX Connectbot enables the SYM selector pop-up and and lets you map most buttons. It's really quite nice.
The more amusing/aggravating thing i discovered is that if you map a key to TAB, it actually is "symlinked" to DPAD_DOWN (keycode 20). That means it behaves vaguely TAB-like in the browser, but not in text editors. I found this out using the debug show keycode option in VX Connectbot. So the obvious system remap for the asinine www./.com key is pointless, and there doesn't seem to be any way to get a real tab input using just a remap. I'm not sure how much further up the pipeline you can go with a closed ROM -- really have no idea -- but again at least there's a way to get TAB in a shell with VX. I did, in desperation, try just entering the keycode for TAB (61) in the key layout file, instead of the enum name. Hilarity and a dead keyboard ensued... yay for cwm recovery. :silly:
So now most of my grand plans for modding the keyboard layout are sort of in tatters. I think I will
map the right shift, genius, sym, and alt keys to cursor keys (just too hard to consistently press the dpad left or right without getting an up or down in there somewhere). That's similar to the layout i'm used to on my N900.
I'd move sym to Home and make Back another spacebar. The spacebar has to be pushed close to its middle on this keyboard, and it's too far away to make sense.
probably remap www. to SHIFT_RIGHT so that it can be tab in Connectbot (built in option)
that leaves just the menu key as redundant (well, and two shifts and space bars after the changes). TBD
Edit: After reading through this, it is clear that if i went with an ICS ROM i could remap as intended. Prior to Froyo the key map files were much less versatile. I think i could get TAB working if i modded the binary keymap file, but it's probably not worth it.
Flandry said:
Edit: After reading through this, it is clear that if i went with an ICS ROM i could remap as intended. Prior to Froyo the key map files were much less versatile. I think i could get TAB working if i modded the binary keymap file, but it's probably not worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best ICS w/Sense ROM for this phone, in my opinion, was one from sun_dream. It was a direct port from the Sensation, using that phone's 3.3.2 ROM release as the base. There was an 3.3.3 release port but I found it to be much less usable/stable. The best ICS ROM, though, is scverhagen's CM9.1r13. It isn't Sense based, but it is very stable, excellent battery, and everything works as it should (for a CM ROM).
Fuzi0719 said:
The best ICS w/Sense ROM for this phone, in my opinion, was one from sun_dream. It was a direct port from the Sensation, using that phone's 3.3.2 ROM release as the base. There was an 3.3.3 release port but I found it to be much less usable/stable. The best ICS ROM, though, is scverhagen's CM9.1r13. It isn't Sense based, but it is very stable, excellent battery, and everything works as it should (for a CM ROM).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without having even used an Android phone before, i'm not partial to Sense, but i decided after the previous discussion that i'm going to stick with GB for now for the extra camera quality. However, after this tweaking i think i will make a final nandroid and then flash scverhagen's CM9.1r13 to see if the android really is greener on the other side.
Is it worth going all the way to JB, or are those much less functional?
I've set the Miktouch keyboard layout up with relatively minor changes for now:
www. = SYM
Home key = SPACE
SYM = Left Up (caught again by the limited keymapping vocabulary of GB. If you set to DPAD_LEFT, it registers as DPAD_DOWN when the device is in landscape mode...
ALT (right) = Right Down " " "
Genius key = ALT (right)
I found this post and this post to be useful references when changing the layout.
Flandry said:
Without having even used an Android phone before, i'm not partial to Sense, but i decided after the previous discussion that i'm going to stick with GB for now for the extra camera quality. However, after this tweaking i think i will make a final nandroid and then flash scverhagen's CM9.1r13 to see if the android really is greener on the other side.
Is it worth going all the way to JB, or are those much less functional?
I've set the Miktouch keyboard layout up with relatively minor changes for now:
www. = SYM
Home key = SPACE
SYM = Left Up (caught again by the limited keymapping vocabulary of GB. If you set to DPAD_LEFT, it registers as DPAD_DOWN when the device is in landscape mode...
ALT (right) = Right Down " " "
Genius key = ALT (right)
I found this post and this post to be useful references when changing the layout.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only speak for my own tastes and experiences when discussing a ROM. I personally run Miktouch on my MT4GS. I've tried nearly every ROM available, and given them a good try out. For Sense, I'm gonna run Miktouch, just nothing else comes close to the stability. If I were using a non-sense ROM, I would use scverhagen's CM9.1r13, which is as close to the stability of Miktouch as I've found in a non-stock ROM. I've tried the CM10, 10.1, and 10.2 ROMs but for me the differences just aren't worth the little quirks and issues. Now, many people don't mind those things, or may not even face those same quirks as they might use their phone differently than me. On my Nook Tablet, I use the CM10.1.3 Stable release, as it is so rock-solid. But on this phone, I want 100% (or as close to 100% as is possible) uptime without having to make excuses for why that call got dropped or that text didn't send or my Bluetooth disconnected, etc.