[Q] Improving Android with Package Manager & more. - General Questions and Answers

Hey!
I own a Samsung S3 i9300 for about an year and used it with the vendors operating system. As i have some spare time at the moment, i want to invest some of it in improving my phone.
In the last three days i tried "slimbean" (www.slimroms.net/‎) and CyanogenMod (http://www.cyanogenmod.org/).
I have gained some experience with GNU/Linux especially Arch (i really appreciate the philosophy of Arch) and Openwrt over the years, but Android is mostly unknown to me.
With this in mind, i do not feel very comfortable on my phone, as it (from my point of view) tries to hide whats going on. What i saw so far (stock, slimbean & cm) they show me shiny GUI's but i have no way to understand whats really going on.
For instance configuration: Until now, i only saw graphical frontends for configuring my phone. Is there something like a /config dir (as in openwrt) where i get an overview?
Second example: Until now, i have not seen an easy to understand command line tool for package managing.
What i want:
Find people who miss similar stuff on their phones as i do. May you have already made some discoveries/have recommendations for me and i for myself can post my "discoveries".
The first steps:
1) to have no propietary stuff on my phone
2) one can use a phone without a google-account
3) to have a serious package manager (as on a desktop linux system), which i can use on a console (pacman, opkg).
4) having an home dir where all the personal data is saved in the same place
My ideal:
-A secure operating system for a phone
-An easy-to-understand user management
-to have a versatile package manager and repository
-rolling release
What i did so far:
3) As an alternative to the google play store i found Fdroid (https://f-droid.org/). Fdroid comes my ideal closer, but i still have no way to use it with command line and some important tools command line tools are missing. Next, came to BotBrew (botbrew.com/) but atm it doesnt work on my device...
And i seriously need sshfs on my phone. Is there a package manager which is able to compile packages?
For the rolling release thing i found on xda-developers two related, but unanswered posts:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1807061
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2281413

Related

Linux Installer 3.3 is out

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.galoula.LinuxInstall
New every thing. Redesign of everything every where, rewite of all English parts, many bug fixes.
What for ? install Debian using debootstrap in chroot, and use your Android device like if you had installed Linux on a standard computer.
Bugs shall be reported to [email protected] .
Misc questions about how to use and feature request and general discussions to [email protected]
Market description:
This application will allow you to install a complete Debian distribution in your Android device. Based on chroot, it will perform a standard debootstrap and install a legacy Debian so that you can install, and run any classic Linux command, tool, daemon or service.
The package has few limitations; it is not restricted to Debian; we already offer the choice to use Ubuntu, and will add more distributions in close future. Each distribution is available in several tastes (stable, testing ...). It will not require to reboot; chroot is run inside Android. Installation can be done on any storage device, either on SD card, or inernal memory; no need to repartition any thing, run mkfs or fdisk. We do with what you let use. If you have almost nothing, the package will manage with almost nothing; if you can afford for a large ext4 partition on your SD card, the package will be happy to use it.
It will allow you to install all classic LAMP services like Apache, MySql, PHP, Samba, Netatalk, or just any classic Linux tool like vim, xterm, aterm, Abiword, Firefox, dillo, wget, cron, Perl, Python ... just everything.
Package utilisation will require a rooted device.
Reasons to install this package can not be listed. Just too many: want a cron daemon ? want to have gcc inside your phone ? want to recompile some kernel driver because the legacy Android driver for your Wi-Fi card has is bogus or limited ? want to use vim, or the real full featured desktop ls, ip, nmap, or top commands ? this package will give you all this for free, and much much more.
Requierments:
- an Android device based on some Linux kernel
- a rooted environment
- 300M free space
That's all.
Optionnal registration on our website, http://android.galoula.com/LinuxInstall/Register.php , will allow you to use advanced management features, and install package from within the application interface. You will not need to type any strange command in any terminal. And you will be able to make some services start automaticly at phone boot, and/or application start.
Online documentation: http://android.galoula.com/en/LinuxInstall/
Quick installation guide: http://android.galoula.com/en/LinuxInstall/QuickTutorial.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Free space must be on sd-card or phone memory?
Both accepted You choose where to install.
500M by default on SD card using loop method (on ext2 or fat). Down to 180M using the directory method (does not work on FAT).
thanks for this man.
Sorry if this is a noob question but will this in any way brick/soft brick my device?
Sent from my GT540RR using XDA App
Yes, it can.
But this app is underdevelopment since almost two years, and nobody ever bricked yet. I have written a very long complete tutorial, where I say what you should NOT do. I could easily tell you how to brick in 5 steps.
But we have been working very hard on default settings, to make default settings as much safe as possible.
There are many bugs, many known bugs; but 99.999% bugs will just make the chroot not work. Data loss is very rare. Data loss was highly probable in previous version 3.2 . But default settings are now safer. And if you do not do what we claim to be dangerous ... you are safe.
The most frequent case with 3.2 was complete wipe of /sdcard and /data . This have been fixed.
We never ran into wipe of /system until now. Never bricked.
And since Galoula and me are working on it, we are the most exposed ones. We test every single feature, in all possible situations. And when we find a wipe case, we repro it dozen time until we understand why, and how to fix, so that it won't happen to YOU.
3.3 is way safer than 3.2. And nobody reported wipe on 3.2 ...
But if you blindely clik any where, yes it can. And if I tell you where to click, you can brick in 5 steps for sure And it won't be a soft brick. I promise a good real brick where even HTC will be in trouble to repair it It's explained in the tutorial.
Wow. Thanks for the reply. At least i have an idea now. Is the tut on the app itself? I'll nake sure to read it very carefully coz i wanna learn all about this stuff
Sent from my GT540RR using XDA App
A not so short tuto is inside; but since most mobile devices have only one screen, you may want to read the online tuto on your computer: http://android.galoula.com/en/LinuxInstall/
Default settings are safe. Just follow the guide.
Will go ahead and read this tut. I'll make sure to give feedback. Thanks for paying attention to this noob
Sent from my GT540RR using XDA App
this is just great, are there any videos or screen shots?
edit: nevermind i just checked the market
Feel free to send us screen shots; I am not good at doing that (i can to shots, but I don't know what could be nice to upload).
We would apreciate shots of working (of course ) VNC clients connected to server running localy, or local consoles (like Connectbot) doing funny things.
Send to support. Thanks.
Spent the whole weekend on this...
I'm trying o get an X- GUI on the Samsung Captivate, (hope i said that right) like Ubuntu so i can VNC to a linux desktop environment. I'm on FASTY and wondering why I keep running into refusal of connection. I have the password and localhost as well as the port correct. I've lost sleep on making this work. Can anyone help...?
You question is somehow off topic.
You seem to have a basic VNC connexion issue.
Could not help without deeper description. And I rarely use VNC, i have very low experience.
First point: do you have free space in the distro ? depending on installation method, and what you installed, you may have run out of disk space (especially Ubuntu, uses lot more than Legacy Debian).
The distribution manager is still beta AOT. It may report the VNC service to be up and running, when it could not rally run. First thing to check is: is it up ?
- from local machine, to ps, and check if process is up
- from remote machine, just scan your IP for the device. VNC should be port 5800 or 5900, forgot which one.
Your VNC password is *NOT* your distribution password. VNC password need to be set at a different place (this is VNC specific; VNC is not UNIX, and never claimed to be fully a *UNIX "merged" service*).
Never used VNC in LinuxInstaller. Never yet. Not enough time to test it. We take report, and will test only major and frequent issues. We have many "easy success" reports, so, we don't worry about it. We have much more issues about rooting (getting root on phone), and starting debootstrap; this is what we focus on.
Make sure you have enough free space (at least 50M free left), then join any Debian or Ubuntu forum. They will ask you if you have a CLI; you shall use either adb shell, or connectbot. Fact you are in a chroot is not an issue, chrooting is not frequent for debian users, chrooting is the normal procedure to install Gentoo; and all debootstrap users use chroot daily; forums should not reject you for this reason. As long as you have a CLI.
Good luck.
Lost me fast...
Sorry..but you lost me, and FAST! I really don't have the terminology down...but I do have the Linux 3.3 Installer running properly...it indicates so. I was assuming that this would allow me to somehow load Ubuntu on my Captivate..as I've seen on some screen shots...I guess I'm just lost...a little knowledge is dangerous...I have a little. Just enough to accomplish the basics..but the vernacular is LOST to me. Guess I'll have to wait for the Ubuntu apk...thanks for trying...
I've got this errors...(see attached files).
I have busybox 1.19, connectbot and the superuser (v2.3.6.3 and su binary v2.3.2, the latest from the maket)...
What can I do?
you guys are still lucky.your able to make it work...
im running the ongoing cm7 2.3.5 on moto defy...
kernel is not supporting this yet.
hailmary what's missing in your kernel ? I don't know any Android that won't have ext2 in; if you have an Android without any ext2 filesystem, please contact me in private, I know it could be done, and I would be VERY CURIOUS to see how HTC did it.
If you are missing loop support in kernel, try block or directory method. Blocck will require ext2; directory won't (but will work only over ext FS ... so ... unless you can use NFS )
dugryce , ScumpinatoS, I will come back later (maybe today, maybe not).
ScumpinatoS said:
I've got this errors...(see attached files).
I have busybox 1.19, connectbot and the superuser (v2.3.6.3 and su binary v2.3.2, the latest from the maket)...
What can I do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reading the first message, you as, as said, a CPU issue. What's your CPU ? device model ?
run in some console:
uname -a
which tail
Application could not load viable environment to work; it is an issue, but it can be fixed. I can help digging, but I won't give you any solution. Send an email to Galoula; the bug report system via the console should work for you.
doublehp said:
Reading the first message, you as, as said, a CPU issue. What's your CPU ? device model ?
run in some console:
uname -a
which tail
Application could not load viable environment to work; it is an issue, but it can be fixed. I can help digging, but I won't give you any solution. Send an email to Galoula; the bug report system via the console should work for you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a Huawei Ideos CPU: MSM7225 without GPU.
I am use it and try install Ubuntu Natty but after download all deb package i get error installation, "issue binary, try other version"
Can someone help me what distro (Ubuntu/Debian) and what version of it that have installed succesfully.. please...
Sent from my GT-S5570 using XDA App

[Q] any app to increase thread priority?

by default android seems to royally suck at it. i'm hoping for a way to force android to give all available resources to the active app? to me it seems like common sense but it seems that everything is ran on an average priority which means whatever i'm doing is battling it out with random other things in the background whereas the active app (the one i'm using) is more important than anything else android is doing.
It was one of the root-required task managers on the market... It allowed you to increase some number that might have been priority-related, but that's all I remember. Hopefully those hints will give you something to look for.
Sent from my Wildfire S
Just use zeppelinrox's V6-turbocharger and the "bulletproof" tweaks, you'll have to do it manually for each app you want to stick around, but it works like a charm. And it's free, unlike the Market apps...
hmm, any idea for the market app?
Searched around the bulletprof, but its a little difficult
Why not use "htop"?
With a rooted phone & terminal emulator & hackers keyboard this is not a problem
The only difficulty is to find the right process - they are all named app_(?) (or similar).
But if the process really needs the whole system resources you could easily identify it!
Yup, all it takes is :
-a rooted phone (you need it to modify the system settings)
- a terminal emulator [any one will do. I use Better Terminal Emulator but it's the Rolls Royce of terminals, because I spend quite a lot of time scripting with the BASH shell, so a good terminal is mandatory for comfort of use ]
- a little knowledge of shell (all you need to know is how to open the terminal, the "su" command to switch to superuser mode, "top" to see which are the running processes, "echo" to send the value into the required variable, and "kill" to kill a running process if need be), not really rocket science...
Now if you insist on using an app (that's probably not free), be my guest..
But don't ask me which one to use, because I ain't got a friggin' clue about that..

[ROM][INFORMATION] Craig CLP281 Android Netbook

INFORMATION
DEVICE
Craig CLP281 Android Netbook
Via Wondermedia 8650 based chipset / 800 mhz / wifi / 3 standard usb / ethernet!
PROS
Original firmware available
Original firmware unlocked
Unique form factor
Inexpensive
CONS
No obvious upgrade path
No sources posted
No officially supported flash player
Lower end hardware
HOWTO
unzip to sdcard
start device with sdcard plugged in
wait for everything to be wiped out
ROM
OVERVIEW
This is a modified version of the official firmware. The focus is on removal of bloatware and unneeded proprietary software.
INTEGRATED SOFTWARE
su
Superuser
Terminal Emulator
ConnectBot
Total Commander with ftp and lan plugins
Gapps
Zirco Browser
Yaxim Jabber Client
Jota Text Editor
DO IT YOURSELF
See the README to deduce how to modify the ROM yourself. The changes are documented thoroughly so that many people can use this release as a kitchen of sorts.
LINKS
R1
ROM: http://www.mediafire.com/?dsf11zm7jik9f63
SOURCE: http://www.mediafire.com/?8juzj5qb5jme1ud
ROM: http://dev-host.org/xcz68h384fe8/clp281_firmware2.2_HACK9_R1.zip
SOURCE: http://dev-host.org/ekni2eg4td3i/SOURCES_1.zip
R2
ROM: http://dev-host.org/gm3c1mrdeai3/clp281_firmware2.2_HACK10_R2.zip
ROM: http://www.mediafire.com/?4tpli2998g10to4
R3
ROM: http://dev-host.org/qyo428ewrgvl/clp281_firmware2.2_HACK11_R3.zip
SOURCE: http://dev-host.org/w8p6gotfisnb/SOURCES_2.zip
ROM: http://www.multiupload.com/V5MKGW7X5V
SOURCE: http://www.multiupload.com/KG7KJJKT8U
R4 (Latest)
ROM: http://dev-host.org/b1ufq9iixe9k/clp281_firmware2.2_HACK12_R4.zip
ROM: http://www.multiupload.com/IJWDECP8WF
chroot Repository
References:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=486247
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1172504
Please choose one of the following 2 methods!
USB Control Script (1st method):
DEBIAN_CONTROL - see bottom of post for script
MicroSD Control Script (2nd method):
DEBIAN_CONTROL_SD - see bottom of post for script
You will need this image unless you plan to put your own together.
Debian Squeeze Image:
http://www.multiupload.com/C9RDP4ODZX
The image can be flashed to your usb drive or sd/microsd card with dd on your fullsize computer. Please be aware that I have not tested running from a fullsize SD card.
dd if=~/nameofimage.img of=/dev/nameofdevice
Operation
1.Run the control script to start the chroot. You can run console commands here. The screen command is useful here also.
2.Run ./vnc to start the vnc server which itself starts xorg and the window manager. The script is not totally failure proof.
3.Login with your vnc client. I use Android vnc viewer. Password is testing.
http://code.google.com/p/android-vnc-viewer/
Window Managers
lxde
icewm
xfce
check /.vnc/ for the xstartup scripts. just rename the one for the window manager you want to xstartup and reboot your chroot.
BUG:
chroot will not cleanly unmount
SOLUTION:
keep chroot running in the background - it should only take up memory not cpu
Stock ROM Repository
Images contain stock system, stock boot, and CWM recovery.
vm670 recovery image is for the new screen version so it should work for all vm670.
LG vm670:
http://www.multiupload.com/LG1JCZ5CMD
Samsung i9023:
http://www.multiupload.com/KX1LIAASH3
Craig clp281:
http://www.multiupload.com/9XUQA7SEF1
Asus tf101:
http://www.multiupload.com/XMRO9AI4KC
Samsung p6210:
http://www.multiupload.com/L702W2MA7J
Can you add in support for the official android market, i would love to have this on here.
FAQ POST:
Does Flash work?
I am not holding out much hope for flash on ARMv6. It seems like a long complicating debugging process for what is in the end slow and buggy results.
The browser is slow?
Right now, it seems that javascript performance on the stock browser is much worse than I expected. For now, try turning off javascript and images if you use the stock browser.
Stock ROM?
The link for the device on Craig's website is:
http://www.craigelectronics.com/site/pdetails.php?id=314
You can download the completely stock ROM from here.
ADB?
I tried ADB with a male to male USB that I had laying around with no success with a GNU/Linux PC and a different Windows PC. All 3 USB ports were tested. But you can connect with adb connect ipofdevice over your LAN if you see what address your router is giving the device. Or of course you could set a static IP.
Minimize application?
You can return to the home screen at any time by pushing fn+home.
Sources for the binaries you have added?
Try the sources link on the first post. The zirco apk is unchanged and their website is here: http://code.google.com/p/zirco-browser/ . The Gapps are straight from my VM LG Optimus V.
Mount an ext2/3 formatted USB drive?
mount -t ext3 /dev/block/sda1 /mountpointofyourchoice
Enter key not working in some terminal applications?
Use Ctrl-m instead.
References:
https://github.com/jackpal/Android-Terminal-Emulator/issues/21
http://code.google.com/p/terminal-ide/issues/detail?id=6
Just wanted to thank you for taking this project on. This device could be much more and for the price you just can't go wrong. Good luck and I'm off to root.
Is it possible to boot or load a stripped version of windows xp from a thumb drive? and did you try all the usb ports with that cable?
wgallt:
The root situation on the ROM and my current devices in general is a little complicated. For this device in general, it comes ADB rooted out of the box. I have added another su to the rom that will allow console root. Unfortunately, because it is an older version of su, it does not seem to work with Superuser.apk. I am waiting on a response in the Q/A forum on errors I am getting compiling the current version of su. I have been able to compile Superuser.apk successfully but it is not much use without the current version of su. I am of course preferring to include source and source-compiled binaries wherever possible in the ROM.
celltimemb:
Market added.
See above for ADB info.
Regular Windows XP does not run natively on ARM CPUs. From Craig's website it appears that they have an identical model running Windows CE. You should look into any running a lightweight GNU/Linux chroot with QEMU or VMWare and then booting something like Windows 98. I would be amazed to see it, especially with the limited RAM we have available.
I am releasing a new ROM with integrated Google Apps and a open source browser named Zirco which seems to run very well. Compare the stock browser with stock settings to Zirco on forum.xda-developers.com to know what I mean. Be sure to read the README.
This ROM may end up becoming a different series entirely. One with the market and one without.
I have updated the first post with the links and README.
can u add live wallpaper support in a future rom?
If I get around to compiling AOSP that should come with live wallpaper.
I tried copying the live wallpaper apk and what I thought to be their dependencies from my Optimus V. Unfortunately, the switcher crashed and the logcat just said the wallpaper switcher would not start.
lot of apps run real slow and lag i tried some games like that bird game where you flick it to the target, i get like 1 frame every 2-3 seconds for the animation, soo slow, they claim 800 MHZ processor but damn this thing is soooo slow. even the fake chinese android phones the star A5000 runs and performs better than this.
2d games lag real bad so I dont see any 3d gaming at all on this machine. unless some elite hacker and coder can make a fully optimized rom for this thing.
Thanks for reporting your results. I have had mixed successes with games. The drag racing game works decent and another rice-can type racing game worked ok too. But many games instantly crash also. The live wallpaper would probably run slow anyway.
Web browsing
Remote administration
Network administration
Note taking
Light media playback
VOIP
Chat
These are all the uses I can think of it for the moment. It gives me an idea to include a note taking application at some point.
the new browser force closes on me, and does this thing have flash support, I have a gut feeling this is an x86 formfactor which is why it runs so slow.
Please read the README and in general read the previous posts carefully.
This is definitely not an x86. It if were, it would actually be faster.
One of these pages is the page for the CPU:
http://www.wondermedia.com.tw/en/products/platform/soc/wm8650/index.jsp
http://www.wondermedia.com.tw/en/products/platform/soc/wm8750/index.jsp
Lol on the craig website product page they show windows on it instead of android.
http://www.craigelectronics.com/site/pdetails.php?id=314
This thing can supposedly handle 3d gaming so i cant undertsand why most games including 2d games run so slow.
---------- Post added at 09:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:57 PM ----------
Is it possible to put Windows CE 6 on this from the craig CLP280 model?
Merry Christmas!
After a productive night the R3 ROM is out.
The changelog and sofware list highlights:
removed zirco integration
init.rc changes to support zirco
holiday wallpaper
added OPTIONAL on localdisk with:
yaxim jabber client - open source
zirco browser - open source
jota text editor - open source
su - compiled from source
superuser - compiled from source
For security reasons, you should probably choose allow once instead of always for su.
As usual be sure to read the README.
Just got a Craig Netbook. I hate the Android stock install. I found this thread and it seems like the answer I'm looking for. If I understand you correctly, the description you give for the Rom"
"OVERVIEW
This is a modified version of the official firmware. The focus is on removal of bloatware and unneeded proprietary software."
is the first hack? (clp281_firmware2.2_HACK9_R1)
Also, if I do this and screw it up, can I reinstall the original Android from the Craig website?
Thanks.
Yes that is the first release. I would recommend trying the third as it is the latest version as of this post.
Yes you can reinstall the original firmware.
Thanks Jason.
Hey Jason. I just installed it. Had to download a new adobe flash player to watch a youtube video.
When it comes to this operating system I am a total newbie. So, in order to do a "do it yourself" install (since I still can't install some pre installed apps like "Dialer" and other things) are there simple instructions to do a "do it yourself" or do you have to be a techy to do it? I know Windows OS well but Android is so foreign to me. Just had this thing for a few days and I am ready to throw the netbook against the wall and then stomp on it. Your root was my last hope.
Well first off, were you able to actually play flash in the browser? That would be a nice new development. Alternatively, you could try the included Youtube player.
I would be glad to help in any way I can. For a do it yourself ROM, you would just take the factory firmware RAR file and edit it yourself. You would start by unRARing the file with something like WinRAR on Windows. But I would recommend trying GNU/Linux instead if you are at all interested in development. You can use the README file and this thread as a reference along the way.
Why are you interested in installing the dialer anyway? I noticed some phone components are installed but there seems to be no way to access them.
You're a doll Jason. Thanks for your willingness to help.
I didn't know about the Youtube player. Thanks for the tip. On the original install I was able to play flash in "Browser" (at Youtube at least) but not with "Browser" in this install. Although, maybe "Browser" opened "My Browser" in the original install and that's the one that had flash support. (I'm still learning). So since I didn't get around to installing your included browser maybe that's why it wouldn't play. Anyhow, I couldn't install the flash update via the link Youtube provided. The little download arrow on the top left hand of the screen just never went away. I had the unit on for about 3 hours and the arrow remained with no confirmation that the download was complete. I searched the system and the SD card for the download but couldn't find it. This is not the first time I had this problem with downloads so maybe it's something with my particular device. This is actually my third. Last two were defects.
About the Dialer... it was a typo. I meant to say I want to UNINSTALL it from the unit, but Android won't let me. It just seems useless to have this app since I have a netbook and not a phone. Plus, I think it may be eating up my battery usage as it could be the app responsible for the cell standby thing I have in Battery Usage which is using up 80% of my battery. Like I said, I am a newbie to this OS so, I'm looking at things like Dialer, Telophony etc. I may be wrong about this though. It may be some other application seeking Cell Radio signal as reported in Battery Usage.
I just did a side by side comparison of the unzipped install I got from Craigs website (by the way, thanks for that link) and your version to see if I could learn and do my own hack. I did notice a few differences.
Ok first I saw the Optional folder with some apps and Browser fix as you mentioned in the Read me
Then there was the app folder where you removed some apps from the original install and added others. Is it as simple as that? To just delete the apps you don't want from this folder of the original install? Unfortunately I don't see Dialer in that folder. I'd like to get rid of that too. I guess you can't get rid of every app.
Another difference was that I saw "su" in "bin". and I noticed SuperUser.apk in your app folder. Does that app make you the administrator of the device giving you access to system files to delete them if you want to? (I looked it up on WIKI) Cause maybe I can include that in my hack.
Also I see another difference in this folder:
\FirmwareInstall\packages\fs_patch\root_patch\system\lib
In your readme you said these are shared libraries but I don't have a clue what that means. Do I need these files?
Thanks again for taking the time with this. I would love to do my own hack. It would give me great satisfaction after the countless hours of stress trying to do stuff they won't let me do.
All the best,
Angie

Unsolved tech...

Hello guys,
I have been searching for answers to some of the tech stuff, but couldn't find them.
Here are some of those questions. Hope some of you would have answers to these. Thanks in advance!
ANDROID
1. How to share files between multi-users on Android 11?
Before Android 11, it was possible to save files inside the Android/ obb folder, and these files were visible for all users on the device. In Android 11, this is no longer working as the 'obb' folder appears to be exclusive to each user.
I know this is possible via USB OTG or a cloud service, but is there a solution without these?
2. How to copy/ backup game data for non-rooted devices?
Helium Backup doesn't seem to work. I have played a game for long on my Mediapad, and I would like to copy that game to my phone. Unfortunately, my Mediapad is not rooted and losing all that game progress has become a nightmare. I have written to the app developer to provide some sort of backup using either Google Play Games or social media integration like Facebook/ Twitter, but haven't received any response.
3. How to force apps (esp. file managers & gallery apps) to use in-app media viewer without changing system default.
For example, I may use the stock gallery app as default for viewing media. But if I am using another gallery app or a file manager that is capable of viewing media files using its own media viewer, I would rather want it use it than open the default app. Is there a way to do it?
4. Replace stock file manager (a system app) with another app from Google Play Store or other sources. Is this possible?
I am not asking how to convert a user app into system app. I know that part. I tried replacing the apk file of the stock file manager with a 3rd party apk, even renamed it, but it didn't work.
5. Extract a system app from one device and install it on another device without root. Is this possible?
I have tried it, but apk installation fails. For example, Samsung Gallery app on OnePlus phones.
iOS
1. How to install .ipa (iPhone app) on an iPhone (not jail-broken) without a laptop (iTunes)?
2. Is it possible to have SFTP server for iPhone?
All Operating Systems
1. How to provide LAN only access for non-rooted devices as well as in Windows & iOS?
For rooted devices, we have apps like AFWall+ that can do it. But is there a way to do it for devices without root, as well as for Windows and iOS?
For non-rooted devices, we have apps like Netguard that support 'Allow LAN access' whilst blocking internet access.
Are there any alternatives and solutions for other platforms?
2. How safe is it to enter login credentials in an app to allow it access to network drives?
I use several apps (on various platforms) to connect to my laptop over SMB. This requires me to provide the app with my Windows Login Credentials, which is a Microsoft account. Am I risking my account by providing this info to the app? Is it safe to enter login credentials of cloud services in file manager apps?
Just bumping this thread as it seems to have been lost/ unnoticed.
@Ultramanoid can you answer some of these?
Sridhar Ananthanarayanan said:
@Ultramanoid can you answer some of these?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't help much, sorry. As to Android, some notes :
1. Never have used an OEM / Google's version of Android, or anything other than rooted single-user systems.
2. In addition to the previous answer, I'm not a gamer.
3. I usually don't ever set defaults with some rare exceptions, so I am always given a choice of what I want to use to handle a file. It may vary depending on many things; I may want to edit an SVG file as text, or view it as an image, for instance. There are applications / services that will intercept intents to allow you to do this sort of thing as well, but I can't recommend a specific one, never use them myself.
4. Possible, but will break Android as by now the system requires it as a file picker in many instances without recognizing alternatives and developers of most applications do expect it as well and their services will not work without it. Don't do it. With recent Android storage changes, including the scoped storage debacle, this is not a viable option anymore.
5. Depends, but not likely as a general rule, specially for OEM garbage, which relies on their own proprietary modifications of Android, their libraries, frameworks, et al. You'd have to carry those over to the destination too, which may not even be possible. Use OEM-independent and not Google Services reliant applications. ( Edit : you'll find some of those applications built to install on all devices here on XDA by single developers, "SONY camera for all devices" and that sort of thing, not recommended anyway, not well supported or long-lived experiments. )
Ultramanoid said:
Can't help much, sorry. As to Android, some notes :
1. Never have used an OEM / Google's version of Android, or anything other than rooted single-user systems.
2. In addition to the previous answer, I'm not a gamer.
3. I usually don't ever set defaults with some rare exceptions, so I am always given a choice of what I want to use to handle a file. It may vary depending on many things; I may want to edit an SVG file as text, or view it as an image, for instance. There are applications / services that will intercept intents to allow you to do this sort of thing as well, but I can't recommend a specific one, never use them myself.
4. Possible, but will break Android as by now the system requires it as a file picker in many instances without recognizing alternatives and developers of most applications do expect it as well and their services will not work without it. Don't do it. With recent Android storage changes, including the scoped storage debacle, this is not a viable option anymore.
5. Depends, but not likely as a general rule, specially for OEM garbage, which relies on their own proprietary modifications of Android, their libraries, frameworks, et al. You'd have to carry those over to the destination too, which may not even be possible. Use OEM-independent and not Google Services reliant applications. ( Edit : you'll find some of those applications built to install on all devices here on XDA by single developers, "SONY camera for all devices" and that sort of thing, not recommended anyway, not well supported or long-lived experiments. )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much. But I wish you answered the last 2 questions as well.
If time permits, would you be interested in telling us how you use your phone? I mean which device, which OS and what apps you use. I would like to give that a try (on a spare device) and see if it is possible for me to live without Google.
Sridhar Ananthanarayanan said:
Thanks very much. But I wish you answered the last 2 questions as well.
If time permits, would you be interested in telling us how you use your phone? I mean which device, which OS and what apps you use. I would like to give that a try (on a spare device) and see if it is possible for me to live without Google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't answer because it won't be helpful.
As to the 1st, I don't use LAN, and I don't keep data in any device or computer unless in use. External independent encrypted storage to be used wherever, whenever, independent of device, cables if needed.
As to the second, it's a matter of common sense, being informed of vulnerabilities and aware of reputation, and trust. Would you trust Chrome or Mozilla with data if you're online banking ? Seems reasonable -- but be aware of major vulnerabilities that may be going on. Would you trust an application released yesterday by a single developer for the same ? Probably not a good idea.
Finally, I doubt what I use and how I use it would be acceptable for you, or most people. In essence you could : Install latest firmware, wipe device, install latest security patched Lineage build for it, remove vendor / Lineage applications, get full root, remove anything you don't need or use which could have vulnerabilities; frameworks, libraries, binaries, etc ( Bluetooth, SMS, Android system-wide downloader, system-wide WebView, NFC, and on and on .. ), install your own binaries, fonts, hosts file, and applications where appropriate ( /bin /etc et al ), install Termux and all Linux packages required for your use, everything open source whenever possible, and stay away from any Google services / Play / applications with ANY trackers, analytics, data mining or even crash report capabilities; zero tolerance. Internet permission only for a secure web browser -- and terminal if / when needed. Half of what I do or use goes through terminal to be honest. In short, for me an Android device is a full Linux laptop replacement with added perks : Always on and on me, camera, GPS, pedometer, unlimited LTE data, and emergency calls for medics / police. ( Edit : And Japanese EEW alarm of course ! Only notification I use. We learned our lesson well in 2011. )
You can use ApkExport to extract any apk including system apks. I've transferred apks between other devices devices with it.
Never had need of doing that though with a system apk.

[WIP] 100% Native Android 6.0 TMO ROM

Greetings,
I am currently working on a 100% Android Marshmallow v6.0.1 variant for the Samsung On5 SM-G550T/1 (T-Mobile).
THIS IS NOT A THREAD ON HOW TO ROOT YOUR PHONE
This thread assumes you have already rooted and installed TWRP on your phone and have basic understanding on to backup and recover your phone.
If you need that sort of help, please see my other thread:
https://goo.gl/jWNVNX​
Reasons for Project:
I started this project for two reasons:
- Frustration for the lack of support for an otherwise great phone.
- Stumbling across the Samsung Factory Test Rom doing research for other projects.
This ROM has a a 100% Native Driver Set for Android v6.0.1 on the SM-G550T/1. The driver set is identical for the TMO or MetroPCS variants, but the EFS folder will remain different for each.
I'm going to outright confess that I am not a programmer and this is truthfully the first ROM I am trying to develop on my own. I'm a Project Manager and Software Designer by trade, but I rarely get this deep into ROM developments. I figured it was a good project to take on to learn the nitty griddy of what a truly pure Android Experience looks like. That being said, I'd greatly appreciate any help anyone can contribute and will make all my work freely available to anyone wanting to help provided that everyone participating goes into it with good faith that they have no intent on making substantial gains from this project.
Usage of these ROMs/Files/Programs are subject to the following licenses:
- Google's Android Open Source Project Licnese (AOSP):
https://source.android.com/setup/start/licenses
- Google's Individual Contributor License Agreement:
https://cla.developers.google.com/about/google-individual
- Apache Software License, Version 2.0
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
- Samsung Open Source Release Center (OSRC) License:
http://opensource.samsung.com/reception/
That being said, I believe this remains a good enough device, IMHO, to transition people into Android or to provide to people not requiring a fully featured phone.
KNOX Status:
The Factory Test ROM is mostly clean having all the drivers intact and lacks most Samsung Bloatware "tampering". It *DOES* have some preliminary containers for KNOX installed, but none of it is active and takes up less then 1 MB of total space after cleaning passes to remove as many traces as could be removed without breaking things. It is currently being "managed" by an init.d script that generates the folders. I haven't been able to track down yet.
Known Issues:
- 100% Pure Android Menus.
- Rooted/Super User.
- Sound, Camera, GPS, TMO Modem, Wifi, Bluetooth 100% working.
- 100% Native Tethering.
- Adblocker pre-installed (for both Apps and Websites).
- The smallest amount of KNOX installations outside of Lineage. >1mb of KNOX is present with the only items being present are installer containers.
- I'm trying to track down Init.d files that loads with Android and automatically disables/flushes WIFI.
- By default, the power button is set a 100ms push time to turn off (not show power menu). I'm trying to figure out a work around for this.
- I'm trying to find a compatible Contacts Storage file.
- There is no shutdown menu.
Please note that any released versions of this ROM will have makeshift ways to get around these issues.
Downloads:
Please see the second post in this thread.
How to Install:
#01.) Backup your device.
#02.) Download the zip file for the TWRP backup.
#03.) Unzip the TWRP backup.
#04.) Load the downloaded restore into your TWRP Backup Directory.
#05.) Boot into TWRP Recovery.
#06.) Restore the ROM copied into your TWRP Backup Directory.
#07.) Reboot.
Note: No personal data has been configured.
References:
Update Log:
https://goo.gl/CEGCx9|
Required System Apps for Samsung Phones:
https://goo.gl/emTvgX
Things I Could Use Help On:
- A very good way to figure out what Init.d files are doing what without reading through them.
- A good way to change the PIT so we can move 2 gig from the System Rom into the User Rom space.
- Easy methods for changing key button presses.
- A shutdown menu setup.
- A way to make this into an installer.
Note that all those things I'm working on ALREADY, but suggestions would be helpful.
Thanks in advance for any help anyone offers.
Donations Welcomed:
Dev elopement of this ROM is timely, I appreciate any contributions you wish to provide.
https://goo.gl/esVVqA
DOWNLOAD LINKS:
[2019-03-11] Android (v6.0.1) Build #13 [RC] - Google
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397913770
- Note, due to Google Now being installed on this one, I can't configure the home long press as the restart menu.
[2019-03-11] Android (v6.0.1) Build #13 [RC] - Diagnostics
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397913771
[2019-03-02] Android [v6.0.0] Build #10F [RC]
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397908668
i would love to test this rom
Its been taking a little longer then I expected to get it working correctly --- I've been having trouble tracking down some bugs, but with a little luck, I'll post the Google variant tomorrow.
Here is a "working" version to look at:
https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=1395089523397901430
It's a restore for TWRP (not an install).
It has all the aforementioned bugs, but is pretty clean only with a few basic utilities installed on it.
I'm trying to track down a number of things:
How to change the Power Button function:
In my most current build, I have made the power button simply put the device to sleep with a long hold of the home button bringing up the power menu. I can't for the life of me figure out where the power button menu lives at or how to define it.
Normally, you'd go edit /system/usr/keylayout/Generic.kl, however, editing it button 116 (the power button) for "Power" only makes it turn off. I can remap it easily as sleep. I compared several other ROMs who use the exact same parameter.
My current version, I just use an app to remap several of those functions; but I don't feel like that's a "release worthy" fix.
Factory Mode:
I can't figure out how to get this version of the ROM to get out of factory mode. The only real problem this causes is, on bootup, it will display a message saying as such and then disable WIFI and turn off the sound. Both, of which, can be immediately be turned back on. It also disables power saver modes.
At first, I thought this was an Init.d file, but after doing some digging I determined this has to the /efs/factoryapp/factorymode file. I may need to swap elements from another EFS to get this fixed.
Contacts Storage:
This is another one I can't seem to track down, but I have a working idea how to fix it. At current, anything that uses Contact Storage won't work. I wonder if the contact storage I have on the system is simply incompatible for some reason. I'm going to try to pull over those system apps from another working rom.
Storage
I've mapped out all the partitions but am having trouble figuring out how to actually change the partitions. There is a whole 2 GB being wasted on the system partition. I'm actually very surprised that no one has ever released a rom with this fixed.
I've tried using parted, but my ADB Install is messed up something major and I cant track down that problem. Reinstalled ADB hasn't fixed it. Its largely a PC problem on my end; a problem I'm dragging my feat going and trying to fix. This is an issue I REALLY wish I could use PC tools for :-\. I've done these changes a thousand times on Windows based machines, but never on a Linux based OS.
Now that I think about it, maybe I should try doing this from the terminal prompt in TWRP. I just wish the keyboard in TWRP didn't suck :-\.
Other Thoughts:
Beyond those very vexing bugs, I have to honestly say that I feel like this experience on this rom is vastly superior to that of the stock Samsung Experience. Sure, these issues are vexing, but I'm also seeing much less system overhead (CPU usage, RAM usage) with this Rom then anything else outside of Lineage.
Update
Here's an update for everyone who might be interested:
The last couple of week's I spent an ENORMOUS amount of time trying to track down as much as I can to get this ROM to work as intended.
For those interested, I've developed a completely new spreadsheet describing everything that's bloatware versus needed items:
https://goo.gl/emTvgX
This spreadsheet will probably be handy for EVERYONE working on Samsung related devices. When its a little more clean, I'll throw it some place better; but since this is specific towards this device, I'll keep it here for now.
It describes everything in /system/app/ and /system/priv-app/ in Samsung's default install and which of those items are actually needed for a 100% clean Android Experience.
I've also rolled through the architecture and have cleaned a lot of "junk" out of the system. Overall, I've pulled it the system from around 1.3 gb installed all the way down to about 800 mb and still feel confident I can trim more out of it.
I've also made it a point to install as much updated system apps as possible. Its been a game of juggling Google, Samsung and other ROM apps to find what works. In general, there are only one major programs left that are Samsung based in any way and that's the Samsung Phone Service app; which seems like its required to interface with the specific hardware on the phone. I've tracked down a number of native Google teleservice.apk-s and none have worked to date.
I am, sadly, still having the aforementioned problems:
- Contacts won't sync despite being able to connect to the contact services and seeing what backups are available. Manual restores work and updating contacts TO the server works now.
- The Power Button turns off the device immediately. The problem resides in a configuration somewhere that's telling the "Power" function to not bring up the power menu. The power menu is in the system, but appears to be renamed or something. I'm having trouble tracking this down. For documentation sake, in theory you should be able to just go to /system/usr/keylayout/General.kl and edit button 116, but that doesn't work.
- The phone is still locked into "Factory Mode". Various documentation says that if you go to /efs/FactoryData/factorymode and edit the contents to "ON", it should resolve this issue, but it doesn't. I feel that the problem resides in the CSC folder and EFS folder, but I haven't gotten around to testing yet. I suspect if you swap the CSC and EFS folders out and set all the correct permissions it might fix that. As it stands now, however, its only a minor inconvenience.
Overall, there's a lot more junk to sift through on the last two problems. The first problem I am kind of stumped on.
If you want to download the ROM and look at it or run it, you can follow the below link. It's currently setup with my "trouble shooting environment" making key places to tinker with easily accessible.
DOWNLOAD HERE:
https://goo.gl/MuPqE3
@LighthammerX
Im very grateful for this site where we can come and learn from one another. I just wanted to say thanks for taking time to work on this device and then sharing your findings. I've been using my on5 for 2 months now after other device died. I'm in the process of moving now but once I'm done with that I'm going to scope out this bad boy and see if I can figure out a few things. Appreciate you sharing your information with us all. Cheers.
Sent from my on5ltemtr using XDA Labs
Thanks. I'm glad to see there's some interest here. IMHO, with the right setup, this little phone is actually a very nice device today.
I actually took a lot of what I learned from hack this ROM apart and applied it to Super Starz to get it running a lot cleaning as my daily runner until/if I get these few bugs figured out.
Personally, I think the most valuable thing I've been learning is just how bloated Samsung Devices truly are out of the box.
I'm going to go ahead and dump my progress log here too so you guys can see what I've been toiling with in hopes someone has some specific feedback on issues and if I am in the right place or not:
https://goo.gl/CEGCx9
As of the writing of this post, I'm virtually confident any problems I am experiencing has nothing to do with /efs/ or /system/csc/.
I've found some inconsistencies in /etc/ and in a few other directories in /system/.
I still wonder if there isn't a init.d file I haven't tracked down yet, but personally I find folder compares faster and easier to try to normalize then I do init.d files.
When it comes to folder compares, I can do a fast reboot and see if things break. When it comes to lines of code, I have to do a bulk of edits, reboot and hope for the best.
Just as an FYI, I plan on completely rewriting the OP when things are at a place where things work.
For anyone following the thread, the Downloads Section has been updated.
This seems really interesting ? I've been trying to find a good ROM for a while with little success, so hopefully this might be the one. I just have one question: what are the differences between the Google and Diagnostics versions of this ROM?

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