[Q] [Opinion] Why do all the roms look the same? - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

[Q] [Opinion] Why do all the roms look the same? - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi.
I don't post much, I know, but I've been a lurker for quite a while. Anyway, long story short, I had a SGS for a while and by then (when it was new and shiny and the best thing of the world) every (or almost every) custom rom had something that distinguished it from the others (even with all the locked and closed source stuff). Either a new launcher, supercharged scripts, themes... you probably know what I mean. Fast-forward to 2014 and here I am with a brand new Nexus 5 with readily available source and binaries... I mean it's the or one of the most open phones in the world.
But, every custom ROM, be it stock or CM based, looks the same to me. Sure, names differ a lot (Dark UI, Black Carbon Fibers or whatever it is) but the overall functionality is the same. Innovation (or Imagination?) is near null values.
Apart from a few (SlimKat comes to mind even tho it has much of the functionality of the others, it's quite small in size compared) every rom looks the same. Not to mention there is quite less roms available for the device than for others.
Note that by saying this I mean no disrespect to the cookers or kitchen teams. Their work is highly appreciated.
Is it just me? Am I missing something?

Because every dev is building their ROMs using the same source.

Xeon3D said:
Hi.
I don't post much, I know, but I've been a lurker for quite a while. Anyway, long story short, I had a SGS for a while and by then (when it was new and shiny and the best thing of the world) every (or almost every) custom rom had something that distinguished it from the others (even with all the locked and closed source stuff). Either a new launcher, supercharged scripts, themes... you probably know what I mean. Fast-forward to 2014 and here I am with a brand new Nexus 5 with readily available source and binaries... I mean it's the or one of the most open phones in the world.
But, every custom ROM, be it stock or CM based, looks the same to me. Sure, names differ a lot (Dark UI, Black Carbon Fibers or whatever it is) but the overall functionality is the same. Innovation (or Imagination?) is near null values.
Apart from a few (SlimKat comes to mind even tho it has much of the functionality of the others, it's quite small in size compared) every rom looks the same. Not to mention there is quite less roms available for the device than for others.
Note that by saying this I mean no disrespect to the cookers or kitchen teams. Their work is highly appreciated.
Is it just me? Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
by look the same, you mean theming? you can do your own theming. nexus devices are lucky, they have access to source and the binaries, the other devices dont. from what i see, most other devices try to get aosp working on them, but dont fully or in a non hacky way. so they try other stuff with their roms, like more theming. people mostly buy nexus devices because they lack all the oem thrown in stuff and run pure android. the developers buy nexus devices for the same reason. generally, there isnt much demand for theming a nexus rom. nexus people like the basic android ui, as well as the developers. plus, id say that the over all age of nexus users is a little older than other android phones, and theming is more prefered by children and teenagers.
oh, and btw, nexus developers only use open source code, as its illegal to publish anything public using closed sourced code. anyways, nexus is all ooen source code, except for the binaries.

While all my examples were about theming, I didn't want to focus just on theming. I don't see roms using custom launchers or even a custom theme or kernel.. Nor do they integrate apps from other devices or from the market/devs here on XDA. Every cm11 based rom is pretty much the same functionality wise and I don't even want to talk about the stock based ones.
I thought that nexus owners being them users or developers bought the devices because it would be easier to use or create custom roms for them due to the openness of the system.
Also if it is illegal to post stuff with closed source code (and I know it is) why do all the other devices have a ****load of roms with proprietary stuff in them?? They're still pretty much available here (I'm thinking of the live with Walkman forum)..
Most roms there have stuff from newer and better devices which do actually work and that phone is really poor on terms of hardware specs.
It seems to me that most cookers for the nexus 5 are cooking the same dish but calling it different names because they might plate it In a different way.
It's a bit late now for me now, but I guess sooner or later I'm going to create a deviation of the rom list available as a Google document here and try every rom and compare them feature wise. So I can know for sure if I'm right with what I say here or if it's just a product of my imagination.

Xeon3D said:
While all my examples were about theming, I didn't want to focus just on theming. I don't see roms using custom launchers or even a custom theme or kernel.. Nor do they integrate apps from other devices or from the market/devs here on XDA. Every cm11 based rom is pretty much the same functionality wise and I don't even want to talk about the stock based ones.
I thought that nexus owners being them users or developers bought the devices because it would be easier to use or create custom roms for them due to the openness of the system.
Also if it is illegal to post stuff with closed source code (and I know it is) why do all the other devices have a ****load of roms with proprietary stuff in them?? They're still pretty much available here (I'm thinking of the live with Walkman forum)..
Most roms there have stuff from newer and better devices which do actually work and that phone is really poor on terms of hardware specs.
It seems to me that most cookers for the nexus 5 are cooking the same dish but calling it different names because they might plate it In a different way.
It's a bit late now for me now, but I guess sooner or later I'm going to create a deviation of the rom list available as a Google document here and try every rom and compare them feature wise. So I can know for sure if I'm right with what I say here or if it's just a product of my imagination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well, then nexus romming wont be right for you.
on second thought, the nexus 5 is definitely not right for you.
there are many roms that include custom kernels. and, there is a large number of custom kernels that you yourself can CHOOSE to flash on your own.
and the thing about nexus devices, all of them, is that they dont include bloat. which is another reason people buy them. the far majority of people here dont want roms to add more apps. again, you can do that on your own. it gives you choice of what you want, and you dont. many here like roms debloated.
and you talk about cm as its something big. cm isnt big for the nexus 5, its aosp. thats what people want. they want the pureness. not the over-hacked bloated of a rom. and again, thats what people buy nexus devices. we have full source. no over hackery needed, its clean and pure.
the proprietary stuff comes with the phones already, so people that buy those phones have a right to it. anyways, people that arent part of open source steal it. sometimes they get in trouble, sometimes they dont. legally, they can get in trouble if they distribute it. people that are part of open source respect others rights, and adhere to the rules and practices.
and there are two kinds of developer forums here, if you haven't noticed. android development and original development. in original development, they create an original piece of work. in android development, they take whats already out there, and do what they want with it.
it also seems as you think of the same and original works are about features. well, they are not. most of it is going to be inside the rom itself. like things that add speed, smoothness, and efficiency. most of the features are just added into the roms later, what its users like.
there are so many ways that you can make a rom your own, original. there are multitudes of ways you can mod what you are running. be creative, set it up as you personally like. make it yours.

Xeon3D said:
I'm going to create a deviation of the rom list available as a Google document here and try every rom and compare them feature wise. So I can know for sure if I'm right with what I say here or if it's just a product of my imagination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't post it here. It will be against the rules.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Whatever you say we all love our Nexus 5 and what it offers..

shadowdevil said:
Whatever you say we all love our Nexus 5 and what it offers..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do love mine as well.
rootSU said:
Don't post it here. It will be against the rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? There's one already available here (even tho it's outdated), that I found out in the OP of this Stickied Thread
simms22 said:
well, then nexus romming wont be right for you.
on second thought, the nexus 5 is definitely not right for you.
there are many roms that include custom kernels. and, there is a large number of custom kernels that you yourself can CHOOSE to flash on your own.
and the thing about nexus devices, all of them, is that they dont include bloat. which is another reason people buy them. the far majority of people here dont want roms to add more apps. again, you can do that on your own. it gives you choice of what you want, and you dont. many here like roms debloated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I never meant to say that I wanted bloated roms. I understand the Nexus thing with AOSP, I really do. But while I agree that it having AOSP with full source and absolutely no bloat is its greater selling point (and one of the reasons I bought it), I'd think that if people with "closed devices" are tinkering with their devices in order to make them faster/nicer/prettier/<insert adjective here>, that a device for which there is full source and binary blobs compatible with every android version released after the device's released date, people would be more inclined to make custom roms that differ a bit more/offer more functionaly than AOSP. One of the things with open-source is freedom of choice, and sure, if you want pureness by all means go AOSP, but what if you don't? While AOSP is pure, it's lacking quite some features we've come to love on other phones...
simms22 said:
and you talk about cm as its something big. cm isnt big for the nexus 5, its aosp. thats what people want. they want the pureness. not the over-hacked bloated of a rom. and again, thats what people buy nexus devices. we have full source. no over hackery needed, its clean and pure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, see my previous point. If we have full source, we should have less issues while creating something more functional, prettier than people with closed devices.
simms22 said:
the proprietary stuff comes with the phones already, so people that buy those phones have a right to it. anyways, people that arent part of open source steal it. sometimes they get in trouble, sometimes they dont. legally, they can get in trouble if they distribute it. people that are part of open source respect others rights, and adhere to the rules and practices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure they have rights to it, as long as it is from the same device. Having a Xperia Z1 or T lockscreen or system UI on a LWW rom tho? I know it's illegal (on most countries) yet it is "accepted" here. I don't want stuff from another phone in my Nexus, but in the market there are so many good alternatives to AOSP/CM defaults that I find it strange that everyone is using either the AOSP Launcher (which has almost nil features and settings) or Launcher3 (or whatever it's called, which has like 1 or 2 more features than the AOSP launcher) and this is just a simple example.

Xeon3D said:
Really? There's one already available here (even tho it's outdated), that I found out in the OP of this Stickied Thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a list of roms, kernels and mods. It just gives people links. It does not seek to compare. Its comparison that is not allowed

rootSU said:
Thats a list of roms, kernels and mods. It just gives people links. It does not seek to compare. Its comparison that is not allowed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
he's talking about the google excel spreadsheet that compares the features. its a link in the thread.

Zepius said:
he's talking about the google excel spreadsheet that compares the features. its a link in the thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess it's been missed by the moderators then as any comparison is against the rules.

rootSU said:
I guess it's been missed by the moderators then as any comparison is against the rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this an xda-wide rule? I've seen posts such as this one for quite a while now.
source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-s/general/war-obscurity-enter-risk-t2551028
Xeon3D said:
If we have full source, we should have less issues while creating something more functional, prettier than people with closed devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You mean you expect devs here to build a rom that is quite similar to touchwiz, sense, and miui?

Xeon3D said:
Again, see my previous point. If we have full source, we should have less issues while creating something more functional, prettier than people with closed devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
prettier.. you do realized pretty is in the eye of the beholder? whats pretty to you is ugly as sin to me.
anyways, about creating something new and more functional.. the devs here work for free, on their own time. they have full time jobs, families, kids, and so on. they dont get paid for their efforts, or otberwise rewarded. where are they supposed to get the time for it? by the time they cteate something new, a new version of android will come out, and what they made will be looked past, among other things. maybe if we had full time xda devs.
what you need to do is create a rom yourself, or "shut up". as what you are posting is very disrespectful to the developers that we do have here.

rootSU said:
I guess it's been missed by the moderators then as any comparison is against the rules.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The forum rules don't say anything about this. The only thing that seems similar is the "no best rom threads," but there's nothing about not being allowed to create a comparison thread.
Anyway, I think there are a few reasons for what the OP is saying.
The SGS ran a custom manufacturer skin, so you would have an assortment of TouchWiz ROMs and AOSP ROMs that would seem to lead to more variety.
Although it has always been possible to run a custom launcher, Google has made it much easier/more seamlessly integrated with the addition of the Home settings. There's no real reason to integrate a custom launcher unless you're building your own, which CM does still include.
With the Theme Engine you don't see too many ROMs integrating their own themes. SlimKat does still have TRDS which is basically a custom theme.

raptir said:
The forum rules don't say anything about this. The only thing that seems similar is the "no best rom threads," but there's nothing about not being allowed to create a comparison thread.
]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's right up there in the general forum. It's a STICKIE! I don't know how you missed it.
Anyways here's the thread made by a moderator where it's clearly written that any kind of comparison threads aren't allowed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/message-moderators-users-please-read-t2500184
---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 PM ----------
ej8989 said:
Is this an xda-wide rule?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it is. Comparison threads are frowned upon everywhere.

vin4yak said:
It's right up there in the general forum. It's a STICKIE! I don't know how you missed it.
Anyways here's the thread made by a moderator where it's clearly written that any kind of comparison threads aren't allowed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/message-moderators-users-please-read-t2500184
---------- Post added at 09:16 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:12 PM ----------
Yes it is. Comparison threads are frowned upon everywhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMHO, the list about OP is talking about is much more a "feature list" than a "comparison list".

vfmmeo said:
IMHO, the list about OP is talking about is much more a "feature list" than a "comparison list".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't quote the OP, did I?? I was replying to the other two.

vfmmeo said:
IMHO, the list about OP is talking about is much more a "feature list" than a "comparison list".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, the op is NOT talking features. he wants to compare Roms for oiriginality, that isn't a feature list.

vin4yak said:
It's right up there in the general forum. It's a STICKIE! I don't know how you missed it.
Anyways here's the thread made by a moderator where it's clearly written that any kind of comparison threads aren't allowed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/message-moderators-users-please-read-t2500184
I missed it because we're in the Q&A forum not the general forum
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

simms22 said:
lol, the op is NOT talking features. he wants to compare Roms for oiriginality, that isn't a feature list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xeon3D said:
It's a bit late now for me now, but I guess sooner or later I'm going to create a deviation of the rom list available as a Google document here and try every rom and compare them feature wise. So I can know for sure if I'm right with what I say here or if it's just a product of my imagination.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Related

Haykuro... TheDudeOfLife... JesusFreke... Where do I go???

I am not complaining about the multiple choices we have now when it comes to cooked, rooted ROMS for the G1. God, no! I love having the choice and can't thank either of the 3 main creators or everyone that's helped make these possible enough. However, even I who have been following the development am at a point where I really don't know which of the builds is right for me, because I can't find a centralized thread explaining the differences. I know differences change with every build released, but I feel going through one thread [kept as uncluttered and free of the "me too" or "can't wait" type comments as possible] would be useful.
I, for example, am still enjoying Hayrkuro's 5.0.2Hr5 build because I refuse to give up the HTC dialer (with T9 support) and I am not sure if any of the newer builds still have it. Do they?
And, again, if someone with enough knowledge of all 3 could provide a detailed comparison of features, that would be great. Keep in mind that, for most people that come here looking for advise, "based on the HTC or Google build" doesn't say much. They'd want to know what the HTC build has that the Google build doesn't, and viceversa.
One more time... To Haykuro, TheDudeOfLife and you, JesusFreke, who started it all, thank you for putting the community first!

They are all based on the 1.5 build from htc. I believe things like the htc keyboard can be pretty easily added to the 2 other builds. They seem to be sharing a lot of the same tweaks as well. I honestly would just go with the newest build by however releases it. Main difference? They come bundled with different apps. Anyone need to correct me on this?

I'm curious if anyone's done a side-by-side comparison of the 3 builds? I, too, am curious as to which one will suit my needs/desires.
Maybe it would be asking too much, but is there any sort of base-line for comparing these builds? I'm going with JF's for now, because it's been changed the least from the original (as far as I've read) but who knows?
It's very difficult to make an educated choice, when all I've read is something like "Awww, diz rom iz da only 1 wurth haven! da udder 1ez suxxorz!" (and yes, I've actually read a post like that one)
I truly enjoy the variety and choices available to us, but is there any real way to compare these builds?

test drive
im a firm believer in to each his own.. on that note the best advice is to test drive the builds for 2-3 days yourself to make that decision effectively im on the dudes .93 and i dont see any other builds being that much of a difference, but like i stated to each his own! everyone has a different liking.. so take the time and test drive the different bulids to give the dev's a fair chance at your personal opinion...
P.S. Dude's will be the only one w/ a default theme by MANUP456!!!. . . . hint-hint

Try all 3 of them and thats that. Everyone will have dif opinions, likes and dislikes. Its not gonna be that difficult to try all 3 of them if you have the time. If you do just make sure you wipe before switching from build to build. My opinion? I tried Haykuros G/ADP and JF, all pretty awesome, for now im sticking with JF. I do miss the transition from the G build though.

Ive been bouncing between all three myself today... We need a app that auto loads each rom of our choice...

driguez said:
Try all 3 of them and thats that. Everyone will have dif opinions, likes and dislikes. Its not gonna be that difficult to try all 3 of them if you have the time. If you do just make sure you wipe before switching from build to build. My opinion? I tried Haykuros G/ADP and JF, all pretty awesome, for now im sticking with JF. I do miss the transition from the G build though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can make the transitions work like the g build with spare parts. choose fancy transitions...

korndub said:
you can make the transitions work like the g build with spare parts. choose fancy transitions...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really like the G build, i am using spare parts and it is nice, if i had a choice i would go with G's. BTW the fade in and out its not bad either, i really liked the shrink and expand from the G's, spare parts its more like shrink, swing then expand, after the swing i dont really like the transition. But im not complaining though, matter of taste i guess.

my understanding of all three builds is just as everyone has stated before...
- they are all builds off of ADP1.5, so as the operating system features go.. they are identical.
- and the apps and accompanying system tweaks are the basic differences between the builds
i like em all n wish there was a list to compare.. but really no build is "completely" done... so just gotta rotate them n find ur match
my main focus now is widgets n cupcake apps

stuck on Hr5 build cant give up the dialer and the pdf viewer loved how fast jf was though

Razor1973 said:
I am not complaining about the multiple choices we have now when it comes to cooked, rooted ROMS for the G1. God, no! I love having the choice and can't thank either of the 3 main creators or everyone that's helped make these possible enough. However, even I who have been following the development am at a point where I really don't know which of the builds is right for me, because I can't find a centralized thread explaining the differences. I know differences change with every build released, but I feel going through one thread [kept as uncluttered and free of the "me too" or "can't wait" type comments as possible] would be useful.
I, for example, am still enjoying Hayrkuro's 5.0.2Hr5 build because I refuse to give up the HTC dialer (with T9 support) and I am not sure if any of the newer builds still have it. Do they?
And, again, if someone with enough knowledge of all 3 could provide a detailed comparison of features, that would be great. Keep in mind that, for most people that come here looking for advise, "based on the HTC or Google build" doesn't say much. They'd want to know what the HTC build has that the Google build doesn't, and viceversa.
One more time... To Haykuro, TheDudeOfLife and you, JesusFreke, who started it all, thank you for putting the community first!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the third (at least) comparison thread I've seen in the past 24 hours. The others were locked. This one will be too as soon as a mod notices it.

mikedmeyer said:
This is the third (at least) comparison thread I've seen in the past 24 hours. The others were locked. This one will be too as soon as a mod notices it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeup.
The answer to all of em is.
Load them.
Test them.
Decide for yourself.

Thanks for your feedback, guys.
I'm still hoping someone will answer my question. Does any of these builds have the HTC dialer? If not, is there a way to replace the standard one after installing the ROM?

props to whoever does a dual boot mod *hint hint*

BUNZ1 said:
props to whoever does a dual boot mod *hint hint*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2nd that. I would love to be able to have multiple versions installed at once but don't know if it is possible from what I have read.

[PLEA] I'm so confused about all the similar ROMs now!

I've been a regular reader of these forums since researching my first Android purchase. Over this time I have seem many new ROM projects born. I would like to argue that many of these projects are so similar that they are pointless.
I'm calling out anyone whoever made a new Hero/HTC-Sense ROM. Seriously. When you saw the 10 other Hero guys out there, what made you think it was better to release your own flavour instead trying to participate in an existing project?
I've taken a look, and as far as I can tell, there should only be 3 non-factory ROM projects:
- CyanogenMod, because of the effort Steve goes to stay 100% legal and teeter on the bleeding edge of Google's source code
- 1 Hero/Sense UI ROM, because we actually only need 1, why don't you guys work together, sheesh
- 1 Blur rip-off ROM, because goodness knows there are going to be people who actually think it's a great idea
Just because Android is based on Linux, doesn't mean we have to make all the same mistakes that has dogged and doomed Linux from the beginning. We don't need to splinter into a billion different distributions, at least not yet. Looking at the feature lists for many of these similar ROMs, the only thing that is different is additional locales or small bug fixes, hardly worth the effort of repackaging. /sigh
*end nerd rage*

i doubt they end. its their project, they build it how they like it and they share it. people do not have to download it. there are many reasons why they release their own, they have more freedom to do what they want. in past rom devs work together then they split up due to differences. working together is all fine and good but this isnt a utopian world haha, people have different opinions on how to move forward with a project.
just because you dont want to download and try different builds dont mean they should stop

jokeyrhyme said:
I've been a regular reader of these forums since researching my first Android purchase. Over this time I have seem many new ROM projects born. I would like to argue that many of these projects are so similar that they are pointless.
I'm calling out anyone whoever made a new Hero/HTC-Sense ROM. Seriously. When you saw the 10 other Hero guys out there, what made you think it was better to release your own flavour instead trying to participate in an existing project?
I've taken a look, and as far as I can tell, there should only be 3 non-factory ROM projects:
- CyanogenMod, because of the effort Steve goes to stay 100% legal and teeter on the bleeding edge of Google's source code
- 1 Hero/Sense UI ROM, because we actually only need 1, why don't you guys work together, sheesh
- 1 Blur rip-off ROM, because goodness knows there are going to be people who actually think it's a great idea
Just because Android is based on Linux, doesn't mean we have to make all the same mistakes that has dogged and doomed Linux from the beginning. We don't need to splinter into a billion different distributions, at least not yet. Looking at the feature lists for many of these similar ROMs, the only thing that is different is additional locales or small bug fixes, hardly worth the effort of repackaging. /sigh
*end nerd rage*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a regular reader you should know that there are about 5 different versions of Hero floating around to base off of. There are 2 different versions of blur. There is also pulse, donut, cupcake, and variations on them.
Hero includes: Tattoo (a specialized mix of donut and sense), the sense ui merged with magic, the official release Hero, the non-official beta Hero, and the Sprint Hero. (And if you ever read the threads, we do all work together) There are also multiple opinions on BFS and a2sd, which allows for variations.
Blur has both a Hero and a Cyanogen based version, depending on which way they decided to go to get the supporting files for the main system.
The rest are obvious, and I don't feel like going into that much detail.
If we all followed your beleif, updates would take twice as long and not have nearly as many features. Rather than Drizzy, JustAnotherCrowd, Cyrowski, and myself all waiting for the one day we all have 2 hours to meet on google talk, share files, and build an update... JAC relelases an update, Cyrowski writes a new boot image, I restructure the way a2sd operates, and Drizzy comes along and adds in some new apps he restructured to work on that build. Some people choose to stop somewhere along the path and stick to that ROM, others go all the way down the road. If there were only one update, most Devs would spend half the day just telling people how to disable, remove, or add the feature they integrated.
I just dont see how less is more in this case. If you don't like all the updates, do what I do. I have the ones I actually read followed, and I only ever take a quick glance at the first page of posts before checking those. If I miss anything important, it is only ever by a day. If it's that important, it inevitably gets bumped to the first page long before it becomes so old that I surely learned it somewhere else.
*end informed response*

twistedumbrella said:
*end informed response*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hehe.
Okay, I get that there's a matrix of every possible version of Android against every different sort of UI (ie Hero+Donut, Blur+Cupcake, etc). My shortlist is obviously too short. But it's difficult to pick out, for example, the best Hero ROM. And I can see the same thing happening with Blur as it becomes more and more in vogue.
Watching 3 different Hero versions, you might decide that ROM A almost perfectly suits your needs except for the bug that only got fixed in ROM B. And ROM C has both the features and the bug fix, but has an ugly custom UI somewhere. So then you think to yourself "why don't I just make package D?". The only way you'll know anything for sure is to spend time trying out however many different ROMs knowing very well that there's a chance you'll be forced to compromise. The only differences between many of these ROMs seems to be the Android version, pre-installed applications and custom kernels.
I know I came off fairly irate and impetuous in my original post. But when you can see all these talented developers producing so many different forks and reproducing so much effort, it can be very frustrating for an enthusiastic end user.

twistedumbrella said:
As a regular reader you should know that there are about 5 different versions of Hero floating around to base off of. There are 2 different versions of blur. There is also pulse, donut, cupcake, and variations on them.
Hero includes: Tattoo (a specialized mix of donut and sense), the sense ui merged with magic, the official release Hero, the non-official beta Hero, and the Sprint Hero. (And if you ever read the threads, we do all work together) There are also multiple opinions on BFS and a2sd, which allows for variations.
Blur has both a Hero and a Cyanogen based version, depending on which way they decided to go to get the supporting files for the main system.
The rest are obvious, and I don't feel like going into that much detail.
If we all followed your beleif, updates would take twice as long and not have nearly as many features. Rather than Drizzy, JustAnotherCrowd, Cyrowski, and myself all waiting for the one day we all have 2 hours to meet on google talk, share files, and build an update... JAC relelases an update, Cyrowski writes a new boot image, I restructure the way a2sd operates, and Drizzy comes along and adds in some new apps he restructured to work on that build. Some people choose to stop somewhere along the path and stick to that ROM, others go all the way down the road. If there were only one update, most Devs would spend half the day just telling people how to disable, remove, or add the feature they integrated.
I just dont see how less is more in this case. If you don't like all the updates, do what I do. I have the ones I actually read followed, and I only ever take a quick glance at the first page of posts before checking those. If I miss anything important, it is only ever by a day. If it's that important, it inevitably gets bumped to the first page long before it becomes so old that I surely learned it somewhere else.
*end informed response*
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
twisted your roms are always the most polished and daily functionable
i appreciate your input on these forums as well as drizzys and jac's
im glad there are multiple possibilities so i can see which one runs the best for my intended uses
party a may use their phone for internet texting and facebook
when party b may use their phone for calls email and business
party A is using XXXHerorom that runs his needed functions the quickest and most efficient way possible
party b is using XXXherorom that runs his needed functions the quickest and most efficient way possible

Unfortunately each Rom runs differently on each phone. My friend has the blurry screen problem while I dont. He can only run a few selected roms some of which doesn't do what he wants to do. I have gone though about 30 different roms before settling on one and quite frankly I think its pretty fun. I am on the bleeding edge of. techology.
I wish I would make a Rom. I have so many ideas for one.

The concern about multiple builds makes sense, but other folks have mentioned that different builds fix different things.
I've tried many of the Hero flavors, but sadly (unless I simply missed it) none of them have fully gotten bluetooth to work. I prefer using bluetooth for calling, and so far only Cyanogenmod's roms seemed to be able to nail this on the head. It's what I've been using for quite some time, and has proven to be the quickest and most stable.
It would be great if they all worked on just one version of the Hero rom, but it won't happen. Just imagine how many more are going to pop up when the official SenseUI shows up for the Saphire.
Eh

I completely disagree with the OP. Everyones needs are different and having a build thats just right for you is a luxury that you wouldn't get on most other types of phones. I really don't see an issue with having multiple builds even if they are fairly similar. Its not like we are wasting development time, there is no downside. Some may argue it makes it harder for users to find a good rom, but the bottom line is anyone who is flashing their android phone has an interest in technology and is going to enjoy trying out different builds. And once you've tried a few builds you get a pretty good idea of what your looking for in your ideal build making it much easier to choose. Using your Linux example, between work and home I use 3 different distributions everyday, the reason being each has strengths that make it ideal for specific applications, its not a problem or a mistake, its simply not everyones needs are the same.

Even for the novice like me it is not too hard to make sense out of what is available. I never liked when people do not read full thread before posting a question. Is it a problem of impatient generation or just a simple laziness? IDK.
Also, it has been a exiting jorney for me to learn everything about my phone and tremendous possibilities. Fear of bricking and yet the desire to try new stuff.
There are useful bits and pieces in almost every thread except yours, sorry to say that. There is nothing that can replace user's feedback and their own disoveries that are not necessarily coming from devs or people remotely in the field of android development.

Cease the proliferation of similar ROMs!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also disagree with this thread. More choice is better for everyone!
Also if there are 2 similar roms, as a user rather than a dev you can still take the bits you like from both and make it your own.

jokeyrhyme really? have you made any roms or customized anything for your personal use? if so did you like it? if not, how come you didnt make one custom rom? is it because you dont know how or just rely on others to do it for you? there are soooooo many ppl with different "styles, perceptions and ideals" that one extra rom might be their next rom of choice!! whats wrong with a larger amount of variety? who gives you the right to try and call everyone out when they are the ones spending the time to learn, make and fix all the bugs for everyone when it started off for them selves?!?!? this thread is a joke and is taking up space in development. request for it to be moved to the trash or general. which ever is easiest.

WTF?
Ok at this point i'm kinda getting sick of this whole android forum. Way to much fighting, ignorance, complaints like damn who gives a **** (sorry just vex) who does what or doesnt do what or makes what or doesnt make what. If you dont like something...move onto the next. I mean those who alert the devs/cookers (whatever you choose to call them ) to issues with the rom only for the betterment of the rom are in the right. But when i see dumb **** like "this person's rom does this and that" i get pissed..just reflash that rom sit down shut up and think about that little life of yours that obviously is worthless since you can spend time downing people's work and yet you can make a rom or troubleshoot a rom on your own. Y'all need to relax yourselves find **** that works for you and stick wit hit. If it aint what you want..move on silently. dont fault the creator just move the hell on. Dont post dumb threads like this and most off DONT SAY ****!!! it's these very same forums dedicated to development of our devices that make our devices that much more amazing so dont flood the forum with dumb ****!!!. Show respect to our developers, give em props for taking time out of their lives to make our android experience benificial and super amazing.

I also disagree with OP's sentiment. I'd rather there be as many ROMs as possible than to have my choice restricted to a handful.
And daeshawn you're right, some people are so rude and unappreciative. I just ignore the douchebags and try to contribute as positively as I can.

I completely understand what you're saying. These forums can be really overwhelming at first. But honestly, I enjoy switching between different builds of Android just to see what they're like. Some people want APPS2SD, some don't. Some people want to split FAT32/EXT3/Swap, some don't. There are simply too many combinations for a small set of ROMs to handle.

sigh..... guess well never find the middle of the tootie pop

If a middle ground were to exist it could go something like this:
Everyone can do whatever they want as far as their ROMs go. Perhaps, for new people who might otherwise be overwhelmed with choices, the Q&A (if it doesn't already) could link to a few long-running, stable ROMs that typically accomplish the very basics. And once people get a chance to try those, figuring out what you want becomes a little simpler and the tons of threads start making some coherent sense.
It's like "which is better, Cyanogen's rendition or Enom's" and the answer, for a lot of people, is that it depends. There might be similarities and both ROMs ultimately accomplish a lot of the same things (root, A2SD, compcache, linux swap, etc.) but preferences remain. I like one, you like another. There's no reason both developers, each of whom presumably likes their own, can't go on making what they want to make and offering it out there. More over, the experienced users are already aware of the alternatives.
It's really newbies that might find the choices overwhelming.
As for reinventing the wheel with every ROM, many threads already provide credit to a variety of developers, so clearly the work gets around. Just because they all do it at their own leisure and in the order of their choosing doesn't mean the developers are living in closed bubbles. Maybe the colab work that needs to be done is already being done even if it's not obvious. More over, even if two ROM cookers decide to both implement similar changes apart from each other, the choice to do so is totally in their court. Their time and their money and their brains.
There is kind of, for me, a question of stability. I have a fair confidence, for example, that Cyanogen is not going to drop Android development entirely any time soon and his ROMs will continue to exist with updates and bug fixes. Other developers share this sense of stability, but it's not an all around type of thing. There are ROMs out there now that are interesting because they are cool and new, but will they still be maintained a year from now is another question entirely. And I think that's a legitimate concern and reason for wanting at least a few long-lasting ROMs. Because, essentially, if 5 devs work on something and one gets bored, there's still 4 left. Conversely, if there's only one dev and he/she decides they're done, now what?
Just my $.02

I've no issue with the number of roms.
however, what is missing is a simple resource that lists them and a summary of features.
trying to wade through all the post to see what does what is a total ball ache. I think this is more the problem than the number of roms.
An up to date one pager that showed the current status of what was available would be perfect.

Well, I totally deserve all the hate this thread has brought my way.
*bows head in shame*
I agree that if there was ever a place to test out dozens of difference features, then this is that place. So it's totally appropriate to have as many different ROMs as there are demands for different features and such.
I do think more could be done to draw new users towards stable and long-term projects, as has been suggested by sleepykit and moa77. Maybe that's really the solution I was after. An update to the listing or something perhaps?
Sorry about being a poohead, I'll be good now.
*hugs all round*
PS. I changed the topic title to be less evil and more open.

[IDEA] - Developer should unite their ROMs

Hi,
I see that we have many many roms and 2 types of Sapphire (32B and 32A)
Now I have an idea to help users to install and change rom easierly.
Please read all idea before replying. Some ideas relate to others.
1. All developer should make 2 choices : 32A rom or 32B rom
2. 32B rom have data/app_s. Running system application on flash memory is more stable and faster than running on ext partition sdcard
3. Recovery should have new feature : Wipe data except data/app_s
Amon_RA should add this feature in his recovery.
4. Developers should remove his own theme, 3rd application (which can download from market), moded application ... from rom, rom will be more stable and smaller
5. If developer want share his theme or moded application or add new feature, he should share extend update in an update_extend.zip on his topic. I suggest him to use 1 folder on sdcard and command *.sh file
If you used iPhone, you will see that moded FW of iPhone OS doesn't include theme, extend application (which can download from Appstore). Why can't we do that? I think almost people just want to find a stable rom without theme, without extend application

Some good ideas
+1 from me
Moar standardization pleez

Sounds like the OP is ill-informed, and wants an iPhone.

funbacon said:
4. Developers should remove his own theme, 3rd application (which can download from market), moded application ... from rom, rom will be more stable and smaller
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i've seen a few of these in the dream forum.
the developer releases the rom as a base package. ie. rom only, no (or very few customisations).
then add on packs are released to add 3rd party apps and customisations.
eg. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=538456
this developer has released 4 different roms. each one comes as a base rom that is rooted, and each rom also then has an expansion pack.
themes are then installed as separate downloads.
the post is also very clearly laid out. i wish more developers took the time to create such understandable threads.

Isn't this request cramping developer's style?
Yes that is what you may want. But at the end of the day, they are doing it out of their enjoyment. It's their project and they have free reign on what they do and when they do it. Out of shear good will developers share. Its not up to us to make requests on how things should be. Our roles is to be supportive and grateful for their contributions.
That's not to say your ideas aren't valid... perhaps just not entirely feasible.

ice_prophecy said:
Isn't this request cramping developer's style?
Yes that is what you may want. But at the end of the day, they are doing it out of their enjoyment. It's their project and they have free reign on what they do and when they do it. Out of shear good will developers share. Its not up to us to make requests on how things should be. Our roles is to be supportive and grateful for their contributions.
That's not to say your ideas aren't valid... perhaps just not entirely feasible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good Say My friend

seems like a pretty simple request. but what was said earlier has merit as well, since it is really the developer's choice since its done for free.
but yeah, some sort of options like Enthomer is nice. But then again those updates made by AmonRa and Cyanogen is awesome as well. Fast, stable and useful.
Oh, and I strongly support the part on the way the threads are made. some are really easy to follow up on for change logs and stuff, some are messy.

funbacon said:
If you used iPhone, you will see that moded FW of iPhone OS doesn't include theme, extend application (which can download from Appstore). Why can't we do that? I think almost people just want to find a stable rom without theme, without extend application[/B]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Search the board (and the Android Market) for MetaMorph which does exactly that.

+1
well, although 'm not a dev, but as users this idea is pretty workable. at least we had lesser unneccesary thread and will look more neat and tidy. thats what make xda more professional and classy. way to go devs. +1 to the idea.
thanks.

OP, good idea, but not everyone may think like you, including the DEVs. There is nothing wrong with what you are stating, but it has been mentioned before that different DEVs want to work on different things; some people want to be unique.
One more thing, can you please not use the word should so much, please?
My wife uses it all the time..."you should clean this" " you should go here" " you should say this". thanks.

ice_prophecy said:
Isn't this request cramping developer's style?
Yes that is what you may want. But at the end of the day, they are doing it out of their enjoyment. It's their project and they have free reign on what they do and when they do it. Out of shear good will developers share. Its not up to us to make requests on how things should be. Our roles is to be supportive and grateful for their contributions.
That's not to say your ideas aren't valid... perhaps just not entirely feasible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Although some of the requests are somewhat reasonable, it's up to the devs to decide what they want to do with their free time and they are dedicating so much of it to making such great contributions to begin with.

We're not paying for the dev's services, so i dont think we have much pull on how they design their ROMS (nor should we)
I think if you want a specific ROM a specific way. YOU should be learning how to code and cook ROMS for yourself.

OzJD said:
Sounds like the OP is ill-informed, and wants an iPhone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Read and lol'd. This is probably pretty close to the truth.

Well I for one salute the OP for finally taking a stand and telling the devs what we really want. After all it is all about ME and what I want and they should bloody well be grateful that I even bother to tell them what is wrong with their work, and they should fix it faster. I am a busy guy and can't be bothered to figure out this stuff for myself....
If any of that even vaguely resonates with you... here is a very small clue, completely free of charge...
The devs do this work for their own reasons. Some do it for the challenge, some do it for fun, some do it because they want something different, some do it for the glory. However, they all share it and make the results of their hard work available for the benefit of us end user types. Many even provide free support and hand holding, answering the same questions over and over.
You can politely ask for things to change. If you structure your request well enough and it makes sense, some devs may see the benefit and change. Others will not. Trying to dictate standards of documentation, presentation, features, or packaging just is not going to work, and quite frankly why should it. They are not doing it for you, you are just benefiting as a side effect of them being willing to release their work.
I am sure if you were willing to pay regular software developer rates for a particular feature set, you could find folks willing to accommodate you. Unless you are willing to do that, consider that you already get far more than you pay for.

rydr1 said:
OP, good idea, but not everyone may think like you, including the DEVs. There is nothing wrong with what you are stating, but it has been mentioned before that different DEVs want to work on different things; some people want to be unique.
One more thing, can you please not use the word should so much, please?
My wife uses it all the time..."you should clean this" " you should go here" " you should say this". thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm Vietnamese and my English is not good. I just know saying " you should do something" is better than saying "you have to do something" or "you must to do something"

ice_prophecy said:
Isn't this request cramping developer's style?
Yes that is what you may want. But at the end of the day, they are doing it out of their enjoyment. It's their project and they have free reign on what they do and when they do it. Out of shear good will developers share. Its not up to us to make requests on how things should be. Our roles is to be supportive and grateful for their contributions.
That's not to say your ideas aren't valid... perhaps just not entirely feasible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I guess we should also stop giving developers suggestions and bug reports, because who wants to fix bugs for enjoyment? I disagree quite a lot with your post; it is in fact our role to make requests. How are ROMs supposed to get better without the input of its users? You completely contradict yourself by saying that we should not "make requests" but we should "be supportive," because by making requests, you are being supportive. By trying to better the project, you are being far more supportive than a silent user.
It's not like funbacon's suggestion has malicious intent. Neither is he trying to dictate what devs should and should not do. You don't have to agree with all of his points, but dismissing the whole thing because of one point, or the fact that he referenced the iPhone, is stupid. It's a suggestion, which most of you have said is a good idea, yet don't think it should be incorporated because... of the vocabulary used? Or maybe it's some other reason, but I have yet to see another valid reason.
Will this work in practice? That's another discussion. But I believe having some standards and general guidelines will be immensely helpful and make it simpler to try different ROMs.
Rydr1, you need counseling. Or a divorce.

bjtheone said:
Well I for one salute the OP for finally taking a stand and telling the devs what we really want. After all it is all about ME and what I want and they should bloody well be grateful that I even bother to tell them what is wrong with their work, and they should fix it faster. I am a busy guy and can't be bothered to figure out this stuff for myself....
If any of that even vaguely resonates with you... here is a very small clue, completely free of charge...
The devs do this work for their own reasons. Some do it for the challenge, some do it for fun, some do it because they want something different, some do it for the glory. However, they all share it and make the results of their hard work available for the benefit of us end user types. Many even provide free support and hand holding, answering the same questions over and over.
You can politely ask for things to change. If you structure your request well enough and it makes sense, some devs may see the benefit and change. Others will not. Trying to dictate standards of documentation, presentation, features, or packaging just is not going to work, and quite frankly why should it. They are not doing it for you, you are just benefiting as a side effect of them being willing to release their work.
I am sure if you were willing to pay regular software developer rates for a particular feature set, you could find folks willing to accommodate you. Unless you are willing to do that, consider that you already get far more than you pay for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So... all the developers here make ROMs for themselves, but are nice enough to post it for everyone else to use?
Wow, haha. What a distorted view you have there. (Most?) developers aren't as selfish as you think they are. Developers make ROMs so the people who visit this forum can benefit from them, or at least that's the general reason. Why do you think they release updates often to fix bugs or add new functionality, or address issues and suggestions brought up by users?
Or, if I were to look at it from your point of view: users are just tools that devs use to make their ROM better.
Yeah, no. You shouldn't think so lowly of devs here. They should be appreciated, you know.

1.I will say that i've had android since day 1 and funbacon was around at that time to. helping and making changes himself to certain roms and apks etc...and helped other people, so he shouldnt be treated as a noob that doesnt know what he is talking about or that he is whining because that is not the case.
2. He made a suggestion that has to do with development and posted in the correct spot and he still hears **** from it? when there are people posting in deveoplment forums that has nothing to do it " what rom is the best, or what phone should i buy" and they dont get as much **** as your handing to someone that made a DEVELOPMENT suggestion and a good one. in the correct section. so people shouldnt be downing him for his work/suggestions
p.s funbacon...nice to see you around again

funbacon said:
I'm Vietnamese and my English is not good. I just know saying " you should do something" is better than saying "you have to do something" or "you must to do something"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, funbacon, you took it wrong. Im just kidding about using that word. there is nothing wrong with you using it, there is something wrong with my wife using it.
I was just adding a little fun to the thread.

I think there's too much Overlap

Removed by me.
Still something that should be considered though.

No disrespect intended but I would take this down before you get shut down. This is not the droid forum and this is how it is done here in the Captivate forum. There is more to each of these ROMs that separates it from one and other. Try running them one by one and you will see what I mean. Some are heavy, some are light, some are slower and some burn your freaden hand(hypothetically speaking of course.) A lot of hard work goes into each and every ROM and you will get a lot of crap for this post. Also, look at each ROM, do you see anything that is different among them? check out the firmware they are based on. Some are I9000, some are Vibrant and some are the new GB from the Nexus firmware. There is plenty that make them unique to the dev. Please consider removing this post, we want the Captivate forum to be a friendly place and this is definitely going to cause some issues.

adamholden85 said:
No disrespect intended but I would take this down before you get shut down. This is not the droid forum and this is how it is done here in the Captivate forum. There is more to each of these ROMs that separates it from one and other. Try running them one by one and you will see what I mean. Some are heavy, some are light, some are slower and some burn your freaden hand(hypothetically speaking of course.) A lot of hard work goes into each and every ROM and you will get a lot of crap for this post. Also, look at each ROM, do you see anything that is different among them? check out the firmware they are based on. Some are I9000, some are Vibrant and some are the new GB from the Nexus firmware. There is plenty that make them unique to the dev. Please consider removing this post, we want the Captivate forum to be a friendly place and this is definitely going to cause some issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Based on this post you should consider yourself lucky only one person saw the original post.
Sent from my Captivate.

I always miss the good posts! It definitely must have been something for you to respond like that, Adam.

Delgoth said:
Removed by me.
Still something that should be considered though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Given only a very small number of people saw your original post, whatever it was is a bit hard to consider, isn't it?

I am constantly amazed at how many people have the gall to complain about ROMs. ROMs that the devs build for free, in their personal time.
Spend less time whining and more time flashing, you will see how little overlap there is.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I wasn't complaining i was suggesting that more of the devs work together rather than alone. As in there seems to be some overlap in some roms.

Delgoth said:
I wasn't complaining i was suggesting that more of the devs work together rather than alone. As in there seems to be some overlap in some roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So develop your own ROM with no overlap whatsoever.

polarbee said:
So develop your own ROM with no overlap whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In binary.
On an abacus.
That you made from sticks.
Won't overlap a thing in existence that way.

God forbid some things overlap with limited sources i.e. i9000 ish and NO source for FROYO on the captivate... REALLY man? like 5 people actually DEV for the captivate and they all put out some good stuff. A few more port stuff from other galaxy s phones. Be thankful we have these guys. Or better yet, sell your captivate and go get an EVO there are TONS of roms for that. Then you can flash something totally different everyday so you get no overlap. You NOTICE how i randomly CAPITALIZE words? FAIL to you buddy.

[ATTN] Devs/Chefs/UberGeniuses

SLOW THE %&*$ DOWN!
Just Kidding... but in all seriousness, the variety of roms for the Cappy is amazing. It all comes down to preference; however, I must say that with all of the updates, and new roms, I'm flashing at least twice a day and sometimes even losing track of what I'm running. (Although I know I'm currently running Andromeda and it is by far the best I've had on my Cappy. Awesome GPS lock in seconds, fast, stable.)
The point is... can we consolidate, or come up with a legit thread/wiki that clarifies the pros, cons, features, and specifications on roms. Reading 20 pages of forum after a new ROM is released is getting tiring.

Theodor911 said:
SLOW THE %&*$ DOWN!
Just Kidding... but in all seriousness, the variety of roms for the Cappy is amazing. It all comes down to preference; however, I must say that with all of the updates, and new roms, I'm flashing at least twice a day and sometimes even losing track of what I'm running. (Although I know I'm currently running Andromeda and it is by far the best I've had on my Cappy. Awesome GPS lock in seconds, fast, stable.)
The point is... can we consolidate, or come up with a legit thread/wiki that clarifies the pros, cons, features, and specifications on roms. Reading 20 pages of forum after a new ROM is released is getting tiring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well you shouldnt have posted in the DEV section.... See here
But since you have. Just be glad that we have all of them to chose from. Not long ago it was slow here. And no. That thread idea has never worked.....In all the time i have been here.

smokestack76 said:
Well you shouldnt have posted in the DEV section.... See here
But since you have. Just be glad that we have all of them to chose from. Not long ago it was slow here. And no. That thread idea has never worked.....In all the time i have been here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, it will never work. XDA is here for a reason. lets just keep doing what were doing. Also, where the hell have you been Smoke?

Theodor911 said:
SLOW THE %&*$ DOWN!
Just Kidding... but in all seriousness, the variety of roms for the Cappy is amazing. It all comes down to preference; however, I must say that with all of the updates, and new roms, I'm flashing at least twice a day and sometimes even losing track of what I'm running. (Although I know I'm currently running Andromeda and it is by far the best I've had on my Cappy. Awesome GPS lock in seconds, fast, stable.)
The point is... can we consolidate, or come up with a legit thread/wiki that clarifies the pros, cons, features, and specifications on roms. Reading 20 pages of forum after a new ROM is released is getting tiring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you look at the feature sets, most of them are the same, just different skins, apps, etc included...
everything is pretty common knowledge since we are all running the same mods... additional apps, skins, etc are just fluff, which is why I personally don't include that kinda stuff. I will leave that to the theme and app section and the person running the rom to make it look how they want.
as far as all of us working together, I respond to all the devs who ask for help, I have joined up and help the team efforts, as well as individuals putting roms out that have asked how to do various things.
Putting it all into a wiki? No thanks, that stuff changes to much to want to deal with updating a wiki with 20 different variations on how to do a smali edit for X feature.
If you take donations, in a community based team, this always becomes a stress point, best not to take donations at that point. I won't accept a cut of team donations, someone will ***** about it if they get less or more, not worth it. (just noticed adam sent me a donation, KNOCK THAT OFF! lol)
As far as you not liking to flash a lot, get help, you are a flash addict
I wont be slowing down anytime soon, get used to it
/random thoughts

designgears said:
If you look at the feature sets, most of them are the same, just different skins, apps, etc included...
everything is pretty common knowledge since we are all running the same mods... additional apps, skins, etc are just fluff, which is why I personally don't include that kinda stuff. I will leave that to the theme and app section and the person running the rom to make it look how they want.
as far as all of us working together, I respond to all the devs who ask for help, I have joined up and help the team efforts, as well as individuals putting roms out that have asked how to do various things.
Putting it all into a wiki? No thanks, that stuff changes to much to want to deal with updating a wiki with 20 different variations on how to do a smali edit for X feature.
If you take donations, in a community based team, this always becomes a stress point, best not to take donations at that point. I won't accept a cut of team donations, someone will ***** about it if they get less or more, not worth it. (just noticed adam sent me a donation, KNOCK THAT OFF! lol)
As far as you not liking to flash a lot, get help, you are a flash addict
I wont be slowing down anytime soon, get used to it
/random thoughts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I feel the same. So many roms are including everything everyone else is. Just skinning and a few differences. I stick to a select few toms and just go frombthere because there is just too much to keep track of right now.
DG you are an idol of a great developer.
It would be great if more.devastating would get together to lighten the load and make it a little easier on all involved, but then again I am excited to.see so.many great revs making a rom all their own.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I think its just crazy that this thread even got other post
I would have thought it was over with mine. But oh well. I have been in the shadows adam
Im always here. Or kinda.... haha

i think a wiki would be convenient in some ways but more trouble than its worth. I mean who would wanna volunteer to keep up with every single rom, and update it daily?
It might help a lil with noobs trying to learn, but honestly reading through 100s of pages in one thread usually ends up helping you learn more than just the rom itself. When i first registered on this forum all i did was read for the first few months before even making a post

Guess I will jump on the bandwagon before this gets moved to the general section.
There was a point in time not so long ago where there were only about 3 ROMs for the captivate and a lot of drooling over what the other SGS variants had going on.
I for one am very happy to see the Captivate community grow and put out some good stuff. The variety and choices really help enable the end-user to get their phone to look and work how they want, end-user empowerment tends to make people happy.
Taco Bell has maybe a dozen individual ingredients but it's the way they are combined that makes each product special.
As for having to read the threads of each ROM, yea it can be a pain, but it is good for you. You are informed, can make the best choice, and know what to expect from what you are about to put on your phone.

designgears said:
If you look at the feature sets, most of them are the same, just different skins, apps, etc included...
everything is pretty common knowledge since we are all running the same mods... additional apps, skins, etc are just fluff, which is why I personally don't include that kinda stuff. I will leave that to the theme and app section and the person running the rom to make it look how they want.
as far as all of us working together, I respond to all the devs who ask for help, I have joined up and help the team efforts, as well as individuals putting roms out that have asked how to do various things.
Putting it all into a wiki? No thanks, that stuff changes to much to want to deal with updating a wiki with 20 different variations on how to do a smali edit for X feature.
If you take donations, in a community based team, this always becomes a stress point, best not to take donations at that point. I won't accept a cut of team donations, someone will ***** about it if they get less or more, not worth it. (just noticed adam sent me a donation, KNOCK THAT OFF! lol)
As far as you not liking to flash a lot, get help, you are a flash addict
I wont be slowing down anytime soon, get used to it
/random thoughts
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Click to collapse
The note you made about the themes and such is exactly why I love Andromeda. I personally do not like the 2.0 theme, but the fact that there is an unthemed version as well as a themed version makes me the happiest panda in the world, and I think more ROM cookers should adopt this policy.
What I'd love more than anything else though, is a ROM that supports the hardware voice processing of the Captivate, as well as any custom kernels/modems the user wants. That would be the ultimate ROM in my opinion. Oh, and the 4 lockscreen mod is a must as well. I do not like the glass lockscreen

chrisz5z said:
i think a wiki would be convenient in some ways but more trouble than its worth. I mean who would wanna volunteer to keep up with every single rom, and update it daily?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FYI-
Captivate Wiki:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I897
Looks like it is not too far out of date.

People complain too much....

I understand your post OP but as mentioned it won't work. What get's the me the most is when people ask, "what's changed?"...
There are CHANGE LOGS ON EVERY THREAD FOR EVERY ROM.

xcaliburinhand said:
FYI-
Captivate Wiki:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_S/SGH-I897
Looks like it is not too far out of date.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
maybe i interpreted the OP wrong, but it sounds like hes talking about a wiki with more detail than the one we already have

xcaliburinhand said:
Taco Bell has maybe a dozen individual ingredients but it's the way they are combined that makes each product special.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Taco Bell.. I'm hungry.

It really cracks me up that this thread is still going
Every ROM is made for a handfull of people. AS it seems. So to really make a wiki and save all the Info from a few thousand users is just nutz. even to have a WiKi just for the ROMs is kinda nutz as others have said. Just so much changes daily it would be so hard to keep up with
So i guess....Like all the others. We can let this thread die now

I agree with you Smoke. With the way updates come out sometimes daily for fixes or depending on an issues hourly a Wiki would just be too hard to maintain. If some one is up for it then go for it. I just see it as a way for people not to have to read the roms thread and doing research before they flash a rom to their $500 device.
Thread closed

Database Info

welcome