Important: The docs are up. The live copy can be found on http://docs.insertcoin-roms.org/ and the Git repository on https://github.com/Manko10/InsertCoin-Docs/. For information on how to participate, see the wiki.
Hi,
This thread is related to the InsertCoin ROM by baadnewz (see this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1198684). Since I haven't written 10 postings yet, I can't post to that thread nor create a new one in that forum.
InsertCoin has become a quite popular ROM for the HTC Sensation. It has had 200,000 downloads yet and numbers still raise. With increasing popularity it becomes more and more difficult to get hold of information you need concerning installation, problems, modification, tweaking etc. The result is a very high number of redundant questions on the forums and confused newcomers.
The project
Thus being said, it is time to create a good and centralized knowledgebase which helps new users to dive straight into using InsertCoin, keeps the development thread cleaner and helps to push the project forward since energy can be focused more on implementing new features and fixing bugs than on answering the same questions all over again.
baadnewz attempted to launch a Wiki once, but it ceased and shut down (as well as the whole baadnewz.eu server which was the last more or less valuable resource for help outside XDA-Developers.com).
Now my idea is to create a new official InsertCoin documentation project. I talked to baadnewz and he assured it would be promoted and integrated into the official website once it comes to life. The project I'm heading for is a community-driven one. I would work for it as much as I can but I can't do it alone. I'm not experienced enough in many (especially technical areas) of InsertCoin development and Android development in general. There are many things to learn about InsertCoin. And to be honest: I also don't have the time to write all the stuff by myself. Once I had written everything, it would already be outdated. So this project is only possible if other people participate actively.
How shall the documentation be implemented?
I thought of a project hosted on GitHub. Users can fork the project, make changes and send pull requests. For infrequent submissions, we could also provide a special submission form.
A staging server would then pull the HEAD revision regularly, format it and publish it as a website.
Sounds complicated? But it isn't. Git is pretty much straightforward and also users without technical knowledge can learn it very quickly (yes, there are great graphical tools for it). And of course, the documentation would also include a noob-proof guide to contribution.
But why Git? Why not a Wiki?
A Wiki might seem to be easier, but in fact a Wiki has to be updated regularly. Patches for bugs and security holes have to be applied. Additionally, we had to fight spam. Especially when we use some well known software such as MediaWiki, spam bots would love it. That can be a lot of work.
But the main reason is portability. A Wiki is a Wiki, nothing more. Exporting the contents into other formats would be a tedious process. However, when using plain text files with a simple markup language such as Markdown, they can be exported to all formats we like. Not only can the staging server parse it to HTML, but it can also be exported to PDF, CHM files (does anybody still use these?) and many more formats.
All right, but what is to be documented?
Well, a lot. Things I have though of are
Installation
Where to get InsertCoin ROM?
Which version?
How to flash InsertCoin?
How to upgrade from previous versions?
To wipe or not to wipe (and when)?
Kernels
Which Kernels are there?
Where to get them?
What are the differences?
Advantages/disadvantages of specific Kernels
How to install a new Kernel/revert to stock?
What is a Kernel and why can't I install it via the Market? (dumb question, yes, but important to know)
Known problems
Any reported bugs still present in version X?
How do I report my own bugs?
Why does feature Y not work (and never will)?
Features
Why to choose InsertCoin?
How to submit feature requests?
Requirements
What do I need to run InsertCoin?
Which baseband version do I need?
Where do I get a new baseband version and which one to choose?
Does it work on device X, too?
Which is the oldest supported version for custom kernels?
Add-ons
Which add-ons are there?
Where to get them?
How to flash them?
What to be aware of?
How to get rid of malfunctioning add-ons?
Customization
Which themes are there?
How do I install them?
How do I revert back to the default theme?
How to set up custom boot splash and boot animation?
FAQ
Things users ask all the time
Things users might ask regularly in the future
Milestones
Any planned features for future releases?
How many ROMs to release tomorrow?
Participation
How to submit patches?
How to improve the documentation?
How to pay a round for baad?
General information
What else could be valuable information?
How do I backup and restore my data most efficiently and least time consuming for upgrades which force a full wipe?
etc.
The list goes on. It's up to us how much it'll grow. Make suggestions please. Don't hesitate!
And now you come into play!
Do you think, such a project could become a success? Do you have suggestions, ideas, criticism? Post it here. Please.
Would you like to contribute? Post an answer. You would be one of the glorious pioneers.
If I get enough positive feedback and support by people who want to contribute I will start working on the base system, set up the Git repository, write the staging software and launch the project. If not, it would have been at least worth the effort. But you would contribute and give something back to the community, wouldn't you? Sure, indeed...! ;-)
Cheers
Manko10
Do you think, such a project could become a success? Do you have suggestions, ideas, criticism? Post it here. Please.
Would you like to contribute? Post an answer. You would be one of the glorious pioneers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
of course it'll succeed cause it'll be much easier with plain updated steps (n00b proof )
I would like to contribute if u may allow
THIS IS AWESOME
Of course you can contribute. Everyone is pretty much welcome to do that.
For Baad and InsertCoin itself, I think it would be a perfect success. I myself have been looking for a central resource database for InsertCoin, but always resort to just searching the thread, which is not exactly the most efficient method.
I don't know much on the technical ROM-based side of things, but I am a web developer, so I'm sure I'd be able to help in the deployment of such a website. I also happen to have a vBulletin license I'm not using. If Baad wants to expand his ideas even further and have a sort of official InsertCoin forum, all to himself, I could most definitely lend a hand for that.
I'm thinking large scale here; and upon writing this, further ideas have just popped into my head, but I'll save that for later, but hey, Baad is largely-awesome.
If you happen to have an MSN or Skype, Manko, I'd love to talk to you further
i have a better idea for talking / chatting in a more centralized way: IRC
#baadnwz-roms on freenode
I don't know much on the technical ROM-based side of things, but I am a web developer
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So am I.
I'm quite sure, baad will help us as good as he can but he is of course very busy with the ROMS. So it's better to have many guys in the project who know more about the technical stuff.
I would try to help too, if You like. If You don't need IC pro's only
We need everyone (IC pros are needed, but not only).
First of all we need people who have fun writing and maintaining (!) good and understandable documentation.
Guys
if you do this - it will be bloody FANTASTIC!
noobproof guide needed badly
Make it so. Sounds like it could become a great resource.
It will, but only if enough people participate.
why not add chatbox on the coming site, isnt much better? 24/7 we can have conversation as like me, am from the philippines, and my time is different to others
Well, the documentation would also be there 24/7. I think for live talking we should better use IRC (#baadnwz-roms on irc.freenode.net). Embedded chats on websites consume a lot of bandwidth.
lol!, i guess so, yeah, maybe irc is much better. anyways, maybe i can contribute some design for future use.
Just jeep in mind that IC is also made by baadnewz for the Desire (and the wildfire too?). I'd like to write some things for the Desire version of IC.
koenvbeek said:
Just jeep in mind that IC is also made by baadnewz for the Desire (and the wildfire too?). I'd like to write some things for the Desire version of IC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes once the project starts, desire will be there too
for wf i made 2 roms long time ago, and then i sold the phone
Ill contribute if i can I love this rom
wow... this sounds freaking awsome. i would most definately help with coding once the repositories are set up ^_^
I think it would be really beneficial for everyone especially for the folks who are new to the ROM. 600+ pages of comments are a LOT to read through!
Make it so. (with Jean Luc Picard's Voice ) Nice idea.
Would like to contribute sth, though I have a really tight schedule lately...
Hi Devs,
www.phases.dk/en is a danish company finding the right it solutions for our customers.
We are searching for app developers as we have run into a bunch of exciting app jobs.
We are looking for Android and iOS developers - both offsite and onsite (onsite would be in Denmark or Kochi (India))
We are also doing some big projects where we need a ROM cooker to build a custom Android ROM for a tablet.
The projects is among others for example learning apps for education which will be shared free on the android market - so here is your chance to make your hobby/passion change the world in some way.
Are you one of the above please contact us here:
www.phases.dk/en/contact
Remember to mark it as "Job at Phases".
I have been reading the rules of XDA and couldn't really find anything about posting jobs in here - if it's not cool or allowed please let me know and I'll remove it.
Lastly a big thanks to XDA for this great place - we are running custom Android ROMs on our smartphones and feel a lot cool'er than all the "standard" Iphone business people out there
If you have iFunny, you're most likely annoyed or tired by the new update...
So, without further adew, I have an idea that could become a top competitor against iFunny. In fact, I can't tell you many details about this application until I get the first (Alpha) version of this application up and running, so I can get the copyrights of it!
THIS IS NOT A HOMEBREW PROJECT.
This may just be an idea at first, but I am already getting the documents ready to copyright this, and I'm already buying the domain/website for it!
So, with the help of some android developers, we will be competing against iFunny in no time!
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or converse freely below! Or, if you are serious about being a developer for my organization, feel free to Skype or Kik me at: dsman444
androidiphonehacker said:
If you have iFunny, you're most likely annoyed or tired by the new update...
So, without further adew, I have an idea that could become a top competitor against iFunny. In fact, I can't tell you many details about this application until I get the first (Alpha) version of this application up and running, so I can get the copyrights of it!
THIS IS NOT A HOMEBREW PROJECT.
This may just be an idea at first, but I am already getting the documents ready to copyright this, and I'm already buying the domain/website for it!
So, with the help of some android developers, we will be competing against iFunny in no time!
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask or converse freely below! Or, if you are serious about being a developer for my organization, feel free to Skype or Kik me at: dsman444
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good job, guy!
casabato said:
good job, guy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
Im willing to test on several different versions of android.
Lgrootnoob said:
Im willing to test on several different versions of android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You seem like you know quite a big deal about android application development, could you be handy with that as well? I mean, sure, I would love for you to test with several different versions of android. But the development team doesn't even have an alpha version of the application available yet.
The main objective first, is to develop the application. I have all of the ideas and portfolio for the application ready. All we have to do now is create it. Could you be of any assistance with developing?
androidiphonehacker said:
You seem like you know quite a big deal about android application development, could you be handy with that as well? I mean, sure, I would love for you to test with several different versions of android. But the development team doesn't even have an alpha version of the application available yet.
The main objective first, is to develop the application. I have all of the ideas and portfolio for the application ready. All we have to do now is create it. Could you be of any assistance with developing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really.
Except for dmesg and logcat debug info.
All I can do in coding is Java se stuff.
Lgrootnoob said:
Not really.
Except for dmesg and logcat debug info.
All I can do in coding is Java se stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Small update haha. Skype me please? My development team (AndroTech) would be interested in using you for testing/java code development if you would be interested in that as well. My skype is dsman444. I can tell you a lot more about the app we are building there.
androidiphonehacker said:
Small update haha. Skype me please? My development team (AndroTech) would be interested in using you for testing/java code development if you would be interested in that as well. My skype is dsman444. I can tell you a lot more about the app we are building there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Added you as a contact on skype.
Good Job buddy!! i wish you the best luck with the application
AndroTech is proud to announce its' first major appearance on xda! Kudos!
We are currently recruiting developers. Feel free to look at our website to read more about us and what projects we develop.
http://androtech.us/
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS...
Q: What exactly does AndroTech develop?
A: We build android applications. Our moddo is to build android apps that appeal to what the people want.
Q: How big is AndroTech?
A: AndroTech Development team is a small organization with very few people. But with some more recruitments, we will have our first application built in no time!
Q: So you haven't built even just one application yet?
A: Well in short, no. But like we said, our organization is small and just started! Give us a month or so, and we will have our first application on the android market before you know it!
Q: Sounds like you got your stuff together. But I don't want to be a developer, I just want to donate. Is that possible?
A: Not yet, because the donation portion of the website is still under maintenance, but check back later and it should be up!
Q: What skills exactly do you need to have to be accepted to join AndroTech?
A: It is actually very easy to join AndroTech! We are all small town people just like the average Joe, and we all have our strengths and weaknesses. As long as you have knowledge in Java, XML, HTML (or even just one of the 3) you can become one of us!
Once again, we are recruiting developers! You may join us by going to our website, located at the top of this post!
If I haven't answered all of your questions about my organization, you may feel free to post below to add any feedback or comments!
Hello guys here is PDesire
My Development team (Team Project Desire) and me want to begin a special Project today, it's no mod, it's for the guys who want to become a developer
We want to find your passion in Android Development to improve Android alot, only with us developers, Android can be the best system ever!!!
I begun with development last year, and I have sworn that our team will someday promoting other devs too that they find their passion in Android like I did.
Today I am known for my Soundmods Project Yume and Project Jinhua, and I want that you can get the same like I have now
You are interested in Android Development? You want to change the system Android? You have fun in coding?
Then join us, we are developers who want to help newcomers in their way to become a developer, this way is hard but one time finished, it's easy to keep it
There's just 2 things required to join our group:
Fun in Android Development
Telegram Messenger
To join is very easy, you just have to follow this link and you are in:
https://telegram.me/joinchat/BuoUzz-BITGvkcwZfb8NGQ
We hope for massive joining and for a improvement of the Android system together
One person can change something, many people can change the world!
Your PDesire