Hey
Im kind of behind with Smartphones because I had a Samsung D500 for several years, it was only a few months ago I upgraded and got myself a HTC Desire HD on Contract. Ive been using it completly standard, with all the official software etc..
Im beginning to get quite bored of it now though and I still have like 1 and a half years left on my contract.
All I seem to do with the phone is... standard SMS texting, phone calls, facebook, twitter and check a couple of websites every now and then.
I have read around and hear things about "ROMS" and "ROOTS", but dont really know what that means.
Im just wondering, if you had this phone.. What would you do with it exactly?
Something to make it look/feel like a new phone maybe..... I duno
Just want some opinions, recommendations really
Thanks
Custom ROMs
A stock ROM is the version of the phone's operating system that comes with your phone when you buy it.
A custom ROM is a fully standalone version of the OS, including the kernel (which makes everything run), apps, services, etc - everything you need to operate the device, except it's customized by someone in some way.
So what does the "customized" part mean? Since Android is open source, developers are free to take stock ROMs, modify them, strip them of garbage, optimize them, add things, and pretty much do whatever their imagination and skills allow.
Custom ROMs are oftentimes faster, more efficient, and use less memory because:
- the developer ripped out useless garbage, such as carrier installed apps or
- the developer optimized the kernel. For example, an undervolted kernel can provide a much better battery life than the stock one.
You can upgrade to a version of the OS that has not yet been released for your device, or never will be. This is possible in 2 situations:
- A leaked version of the new ROM showed up online, and the developer got on it like the fat kid chasing an ice cream truck.
- A ROM from another phone was ported by the developer to work on yours. For example, G1 and MyTouch 3G users may never see Android 2.1 officially released on their phones, but Cyanogen, one of the most respected Android developers, was able to create a custom ROM running 2.1 for those devices.
ROOTING:
Getting root or rooting your phone is the process of modifying the operating system that shipped with your device to grant you complete control over it.
This means you can overcome limitations that the carriers and manufacturers put on your phone, extend system functionality, and even upgrade it to a custom flavor of Android.
The name root comes from the Linux operating system world, where the most privileged user on the system (otherwise known as Administrator on Windows) is called root.
You have access to alter any system files, use themes, change boot images, delete annoying stock apps, such as Sprint's NFL Mobile live and Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, and other various native applications that might drive you crazy (Footprints, Voice Dialer, etc).
On most rooted Android devices, you can back up your entire system to an SD card, much in the same way you can image a hard drive. This is great if you’d like to try a new ROM, as you can back up your phone, wipe it completely, flash the new ROM, and if you don’t like it, just restore from your backup to get your device back to exactly how it was before you wiped it.
The easiest way to do this at the moment is by using ROM Manager.
ROM Manager allows you to easily flash a custom recovery image which is what you will need in order to backup and restore your phone. The recovery image is a special program that can be booted into outside of the phone's main operating system, sort of like an OS recovery console on a PC. By default, the recovery image on most Android phones only gives you a few options, mainly related to wiping the phone. Custom recovery images expand upon these options and usually include scripts that can do things like backup and restore your system, fix file permissions, or allow you to flash custom ROMs that the normal recovery image would otherwise reject.
Normally, flashing a custom recovery image requires some command line work, either on your PC, or on a terminal emulator directly on the phone, but Koush's ROM Manager should automatically flash his custom recovery image (known as ClockworkMod Recovery) for you, provided you're on one of the supported phones and that it is already rooted.
Using ROM Manager is pretty simple. Download and install the application from the market, fire it up, and you’ll be prompted to allow the application superuser permissions - make sure you approve it.
The first thing you’ll need to do is flash the ClockworkMod recovery image that I mentioned earlier, which can be done right in the app (it’s the first option). ROM Manager should automatically find the latest version of the right image for your phone, download, and install it - the whole process is seamless.
After that is done, you can simply use the ‘Manage and Restore Backups’, and ‘Backup current ROM’ options to, well, backup your current ROM or restore from an existing backup.
Rooting Guide for Desire HD
Desire HD ROMs
If you're bored with the look and feel of the phone then by all means customize it. Custom ROMs etc can help with that, or even just trying another Launcher like ADW EX. Make it a project to do something creative and artsy and then post your work here. Rooting will allow greater scope of what you can accomplish, like changing the system Fonts, for example.
Really though, if you're not interested in that kinda thing, i'd suggest just doing more of what the phones are designed for in the first place, which is running applications. Perhaps you might edit your OP to request a list of entertaining apps so that people can throw out suggestions?
A few time killers that i enjoy:
IMDb (For watching trailers and reading about movies)
Cracked Lite (Funny and informative articles)
Amazon Kindle (Reading books on the go)
Wimp.com (Fantastic collection of videos. Think of it as youtube's greatest hits)
Heya thanks for that reply
Well I am interested in a custom ROM, it sounds cool. Especially if it removes crap I dont need to save my battery life etc
Id like to try a new ROM, I had a go last night and installed ROM Manager but it said something about it couldnt find superuser and told me to google it lol, so I went to sleep
Now I am awake I am willing to give it a bash and would like to do it
Dont think Id be much use trying to do my own though,would rather use someone elses if Im allowed too? A very fast/power efficient/nicelooking/stable one etc.. Any you recommend?
Just doing that successfully would be a big enough project for myself as its my first time Heh
Before I go ahead and break my phone, are these instructions the correct ones for me?
Shall I do what this says to setup superuser?
pocketnow.com/android/how-to-root-your-htc-desire-hd
Sorry I just noticed you have a big massive link with a guide for rooting my phone lol
I am going to do that now then thanks
As for ROMS, for my phone, is:
[ROM] MIUI 1.9.16 v.1: Freshly Squeezed Edition™ 16/09/11
The main custom ROM for me?
Would you recommend that one, from that link you posted, that one seems to be the only main one I can see
Need abit of help, got visionary on my phone. Ticked box r/w after boot or whatever and then when I click on Temproot now, it says rooting device etc.... but then it just goes to a black screen and stays a black screen.
Is this normal or is something going wrong?
- Apparently the latest firmware doesnt allow Visionary to work. I need to downgrade to an earlier firmware? How do I do that lol
Or should I just give up and stop now?
You have to downgrade to Froyo 1.3.2 first. Follow this guide.
Here's a guide for rooting, ENG and Radio S-OFF, Flashing radio and ROM
Flashing a radio?
Um this sounds abit to risky actually for my first time.
So from what I understand is, I could successfully flash my chosen custom ROM but the radio signal for phone calls/SMS texting and stuff.... could not work ?
I dont think I want to take that risk now Ive read that
dont flash any radios the one you have will work fine also have a look around in the dev forums.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=765
Im quite happy with what Ive done, someone mentioned to do it earlier on in this topic and its basically all I wanted, just a fresh look
I changed the HTC Skin to Slate, and then used the GO Launcher and using a green + black theme, done abit of customizing. Before all this I did a hard reset on the phone too, and using JuiceDefender. I like it, happy with it, feels fresh
Thanks for all the help and advice though I do appreciate
Greetings. I just picked up a used MT4GS because I had to have a hwkbd and want to get it into top fighting condition. I've read through the posts on Bulletproof and MikTouch ROMs and am trying to understand what the real differences are. I'd appreciate any comments on features that one has that the other doesn't.
So far i have been able to determine:
In MikTouch, the screen capture is broken
This is my first Android phone, so i'm lacking context to understand a lot of the descriptions of changes.
Thanks
This phone is an oldie but a goodie, and welcome to the board.
I just came off of miktouch, which is a clean sense experience, but I was getting reboots on this ROM (don't know why, could have been a problem on my end). My understanding is the miktouch is slightly newer than bulletproof, and is based on a newer HTC firmware (this is for the version 0.7 miktouch, which is the most recent and the one you want to use).
If you need sense, then I think this is a good rom, but probably either one is good. They are both widely reported as stable, so I am not sure if my own experience regarding reboots is just a rare exception.
If you are not committed to the sense framework, I highly recommend scverhagen's CM9.1, which is very solid in my experience. I have used v12 for at least a month, and v13 came out yesterday, and is so far (knock wood) rock solid.
There are quite a few CM10.X variations available, and I've tried several. In my experience (and on my device) they are not as completely rock solid as the CM9.1, which is the only reason I am not using one as a DD. That said, they are quite mature, and are in wide use by many who want to be on the later CM versions.
nosuchfile said:
If you are not committed to the sense framework, I highly recommend scverhagen's CM9.1, which is very solid in my experience. I have used v12 for at least a month, and v13 came out yesterday, and is so far (knock wood) rock solid.
There are quite a few CM10.X variations available, and I've tried several. In my experience (and on my device) they are not as completely rock solid as the CM9.1, which is the only reason I am not using one as a DD. That said, they are quite mature, and are in wide use by many who want to be on the later CM versions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your comments. Having almost no experience with Android, i don't really know if i object to the Sense overlay or not. I have read that losing Sense loses a lot of the capabilities of the camera, and the camera is the other reason i got this phone (with the keyboard).
Anyway, i just finished unlocking the phone now. Did you get S-Off on yours?
Flandry said:
Thanks for your comments. Having almost no experience with Android, i don't really know if i object to the Sense overlay or not. I have read that losing Sense loses a lot of the capabilities of the camera, and the camera is the other reason i got this phone (with the keyboard).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe that was once true, but I think most of the camera issues have since been solved. I don't use the high end functions of the camera much. I think also there were some problems with 1080p video, which have also since been solved.
The CM roms are based off of the google android base code, and so they are able to work with certain apps that may not work with the version on which both bulletproof and miktouch are based, which is version gingerbread, android 2.3. CM 9.1 is based on android 4.0 (icecream sandwich). and CM 10.X is based on android 4.1-4.3. Chrome browser requires min android 4.0, and is probably the best browser.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history
Flandry said:
Anyway, i just finished unlocking the phone now. Did you get S-Off on yours?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did S-off mine. There is a post that describes the procedure using a wire to short between a spare uSD card and a very small hole at a precise time. The S-off is somewhat handy as it eliminates one step in flashing ROMs, namely, extracting a file from the ROM and separately flashing that single file (using fastboot) after flashing the ROM itself the 'normal' way, but is not necessary, and I would not suggest it as it is kind of tricky (but if you feel lucky...). I think it took me around 20 tries to finally get it right.
Hope this helps, and I would suggest starting with CM 9.1, as it will give you a more 'pure' android experience. Although some do like the Sense overlay, I don't care for it, and it is a lot less customizable.
Yes, the original sense camera produced excellent photos and videos, especially in low light, which I've never matched with others since. One person (can't remember who) who used later ROMs on a daily basis said he used to swap back to sense whenever he wanted to use the camera at a particular event. So I guess that's another option for you. For me, I've stuck mainly with CM9.1 for daily use (camera wasn't central to my 'buy' decision), and dabbled with other ROMs evenings and weekends.
davidf9 said:
Yes, the original sense camera produced excellent photos and videos, especially in low light, which I've never matched with others since. One person (can't remember who) who used later ROMs on a daily basis said he used to swap back to sense whenever he wanted to use the camera at a particular event. So I guess that's another option for you. For me, I've stuck mainly with CM9.1 for daily use (camera wasn't central to my 'buy' decision), and dabbled with other ROMs evenings and weekends.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I actually did a simple comparison (talk.maemo .org /showpost.php?p=1378114&postcount=27) between the camera and my previous phone's camera to see which handled low light better, and my results agree with your experience. This is a pretty high priority for me.
I think your comments confirm for me that i do want to stick with GB + Sense for now. That brings me back to the OP though. From reading through the threads for the respective ROMs i think i have another difference:
* Bulletproof has a more colorful customized theme/paradigm.
* Bulletproof has some geeky utilities like bash shell and nano editor
Still wondering about substantive differences. I'll probably flash Bulletproof unless i hear of any disadvantages of it relative to Miktouch.
Edit: meh can't post links blah blah.
Fuzi0719 said:
... For an updated version, try the Miktouch ROM. It is based on the last HTC stock ROM, 1.63.531.2 and thus has a bit better performance in several key areas (GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi) and has more updated tweaks, as well. Bulletproof is based on the original stock ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
siani_8 said:
As a long time Bulletproof user and probably the biggest Bulletproof cheerleader from day one, I will agree that the MikTouch ROM is a smoother experience.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm i thought that the fixes had gotten incorporated in Bulletproof in the later revision (1.1). :/
From what I read on another forum, Bloater is no longer being developed or supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This may be a problem because i need e.g. Exchange Mail and i read that it's been removed in the custom ROMs.
Well i've used clockworkmod recovery to make a nandroid of the stock system and have flashed Bulletproof 1.1 and the UV5 undervolting kernel. I'll see if it can be made to do what i want/need. Kudos to WeekendsR2Short for archiving the files so they are still available and to the hackers who put the ROM together.
I'm still looking for comments on current, real differences between the two ROMs, particularly from those in the know about whether there are meaningful differences in performance due to the origin of each. I would expect the fixes that went into the later stock ROMs also could be incorporated into Bulletproof, regardless of whether it was based on that ROM, but were they? I see guides from Blue6 on tweaks for network performance and GPS performance, so it seems he was aware of the issues.
Edit: I don't have working wifi so i'm guessing a custom kernel is a no go without S-off. That's what i thought but then i couldn't understand how people can run ICS without S-off. Obviously my assumptions are wrong somewhere... I'll reflash the boot image from Bulletproof 1.1.
Flandry said:
Well i've used clockworkmod recovery to make a nandroid of the stock system and have flashed Bulletproof 1.1 and the UV5 undervolting kernel. I'll see if it can be made to do what i want/need. Kudos to WeekendsR2Short for archiving the files so they are still available and to the hackers who put the ROM together.
I'm still looking for comments on current, real differences between the two ROMs, particularly from those in the know about whether there are meaningful differences in performance due to the origin of each. I would expect the fixes that went into the later stock ROMs also could be incorporated into Bulletproof, regardless of whether it was based on that ROM, but were they? I see guides from Blue6 on tweaks for network performance and GPS performance, so it seems he was aware of the issues.
Edit: I don't have working wifi so i'm guessing a custom kernel is a no go without S-off. That's what i thought but then i couldn't understand how people can run ICS without S-off. Obviously my assumptions are wrong somewhere... I'll reflash the boot image from Bulletproof 1.1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bulletproof 1.1 is still based on the original stock ROM (1.28), whereas Miktouch is based on the 1.63 release. In the 1.63 release, HTC made some major improvements in GPS, Bluetooth, and overall smoothness of the ROM as well as closed some security issues. Miktouch retains all the base stuff, including the Genius subsystem. By default, however, the Genius button has been remapped to do search, but there is a small patch that can be applied to revert the mapping back to the Genius function.
I've tried Bulletproof and though it is very stable, I still prefer Miktouch. It just seems more "fluid", especially with the patches like Liquidsmooth Rosie, and No-scrolling Cache. I also like the CM9.1 version from sverhagen, now on r13 release. It is very stable and works very well.
But, as others have stated, if the camera is very important, only the stock-based ROMs like Miktouch are going to give you 100% of what this phone can do. That's because HTC put a lot of the control of the image processor directly into the Sense framework, which of course is lacking in other ROMs. Other ROMs can access basic functions and do processing using the CPU, but cannot access some of the higher functions of the dedicated image processor. The CM9.1 camera is good, but if you look at photos side-by-side with those taken with Miktouch, for instance, you can see a difference in depth of field, exposure, lighting, compression. It is subtle, but visible. Most people probably would not care or even notice, so it is a personal choice.
Fuzi0719 said:
Bulletproof 1.1 is still based on the original stock ROM (1.28), whereas Miktouch is based on the 1.63 release. In the 1.63 release, HTC made some major improvements in GPS, Bluetooth, and overall smoothness of the ROM as well as closed some security issues. Miktouch retains all the base stuff, including the Genius subsystem. By default, however, the Genius button has been remapped to do search, but there is a small patch that can be applied to revert the mapping back to the Genius function.
I've tried Bulletproof and though it is very stable, I still prefer Miktouch. It just seems more "fluid", especially with the patches like Liquidsmooth Rosie, and No-scrolling Cache. I also like the CM9.1 version from sverhagen, now on r13 release. It is very stable and works very well.
But, as others have stated, if the camera is very important, only the stock-based ROMs like Miktouch are going to give you 100% of what this phone can do. That's because HTC put a lot of the control of the image processor directly into the Sense framework, which of course is lacking in other ROMs. Other ROMs can access basic functions and do processing using the CPU, but cannot access some of the higher functions of the dedicated image processor. The CM9.1 camera is good, but if you look at photos side-by-side with those taken with Miktouch, for instance, you can see a difference in depth of field, exposure, lighting, compression. It is subtle, but visible. Most people probably would not care or even notice, so it is a personal choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Best description of the differences between Miktouch and Bulletproof I've read on the XDA forums! :good:
Thanks
Fuzi0719 said:
Bulletproof 1.1 is still based on the original stock ROM (1.28), whereas Miktouch is based on the 1.63 release. In the 1.63 release, HTC made some major improvements in GPS, Bluetooth, and overall smoothness of the ROM as well as closed some security issues. Miktouch retains all the base stuff, including the Genius subsystem. By default, however, the Genius button has been remapped to do search, but there is a small patch that can be applied to revert the mapping back to the Genius function.
I've tried Bulletproof and though it is very stable, I still prefer Miktouch. It just seems more "fluid", especially with the patches like Liquidsmooth Rosie, and No-scrolling Cache. I also like the CM9.1 version from sverhagen, now on r13 release. It is very stable and works very well.
But, as others have stated, if the camera is very important, only the stock-based ROMs like Miktouch are going to give you 100% of what this phone can do. That's because HTC put a lot of the control of the image processor directly into the Sense framework, which of course is lacking in other ROMs. Other ROMs can access basic functions and do processing using the CPU, but cannot access some of the higher functions of the dedicated image processor. The CM9.1 camera is good, but if you look at photos side-by-side with those taken with Miktouch, for instance, you can see a difference in depth of field, exposure, lighting, compression. It is subtle, but visible. Most people probably would not care or even notice, so it is a personal choice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that's a very useful summary.
OT:
I flashed the MikTouch 0.7 ROM and most of the patches that you uploaded in its thread. What difference do you see with the MikTouch-No-Scrolling-Cache patch? From my understanding of scrolling caches, disabling them would make it less smooth rather than more.
Answering my own question (OP):
Now that i have flashed both ROMs i can mostly answer my own question about the differences. As i had guessed from my reading, Bulletproof is a more complete or thorough mod. It provides some nice options for the quick settings and the status icons that sit at the top right. It has cut out most of the extra apps, and hidden the Kid's Zone icon. It has a custom theme and keeps the other themes.
A brief play with some network access suggests that MikTouch may be smoother more optimized due to its more updated origins. On the other hand, it feels less cohesive and polished.
It might be summed up by saying that, in terms of visible modifications, Bulletproof goes overboard, while MikTouch isn't quite enough.
So if Bulletproof were based on the latest stock ROM and wasn't missing a couple "bloatware" features that i want to keep, i would reflash it now. Because it's not, i'll give MikTouch a go for a while.
I'm trying to establish, as much as possible, the functionality my Maemo device had. I'm going to post my progress here for any to whom it might be useful.
notes
I've copied my Conboy notes to Tomdroid, but the ancient stable version doesn't support editing and the beta version (0.7.2) corrupts notes with bulleted lists. I really liked Conboy, so i hope the devs can get things sorted. Development seems to be really slow, which surprises me considering the popularity of Tomboy.
terminal
I encountered the hilarious problem with Terminal Emulator that others have: the forward slash key (of all things) only produces tildes, making the hwkb completely useless for terminal work. Someone suggested a Connectbot connection to local, and that versatile little app seems like a little slice of home coming from a linux environment. You can put an icon on your desktop that will open you right to that connection, too.
I'm still trying to figure out the best way to modify my keyboard mapping. I'd like to make the www. a Tab and repurpose the android keys and extra (right) shift, perhaps as arrows and a CTRL. The spacebar is also obnoxiously out of reach so i might move it to the Back key. Fortunately, Connectbot has some sensible workarounds that make these changes less urgent.
I have the latest ES File Explorer but the locked down nature of Android seems to make any kind of file system activities hopelessly complicated compared with a more conventional linux system. I was trying to install this nano editor binary but am not sure if remounting root R/W and unzipping it to / is going to cause issues.
spreadsheet
I've been using gnumeric on my N900. TBD
e-reader
FB Reader and PDF reader on the N900. TBD
offline maps
Used Modrana and Navit on N900. Both have strengths and weaknesses. TBD
misc.
It's nice that Flashlight is pre-loaded but i can't see any way to leave it on while i do something else on the phone. I think the custom setting in the quick settings of Bulletproof could do that. :/ It is a nice bright flash we have here.
The stock camera app combines the functionality of three separate apps on N900: BlessN900, Panorama, and the stock camera app, and in a much snappier interface, albeit with fewer options. I'm excited about that. I need to find an app that will simulate a scan from a photo (perspective correction), though.
Offline dictionary, wikipedia, and a gps recorder are also needed. TBD
Of course, porting a few classic games and apps (e.g. Doom, Starcon2, Gweled, MAME) with a few hours work each isn't going to happen in Android like it did with Maemo and its SDL framework. The ability to achieve feature parity ends with the software selection...
Will edit when i have made more progress.
ETA: I have S-OFF now. I thought i could leave it alone until i tired of GB and/or stock kernel, but i should have known better. I used my Linux Mint14 (64 bit) box, a random USB cable (original HTC one is presumably with the original owner), and a twist-tie, and to be safe i flashed back my nandroid of stock first. After all the wind up about original this, 32 bit os, and precise that, i got it on the first try and it didn't wipe my SD card.
First thing i did is flash a custom splash screen. I made one and it was realizing it wouldn't work without S-OFF that pushed me over the edge.
Flandry said:
I'm trying to establish, as much as possible, the functionality my Maemo device had. I'm going to post my progress here for any to whom it might be useful.
notes
I've copied my Conboy notes to Tomdroid, but the ancient stable version doesn't support editing and the beta version (0.7.2) corrupts notes with bulleted lists. I really liked Conboy, so i hope the devs can get things sorted. Development seems to be really slow, which surprises me considering the popularity of Tomboy.
terminal
I encountered the hilarious problem with Terminal Emulator that others have: the forward slash key (of all things) only produces tildes, making the hwkb completely useless for terminal work. Someone suggested a Connectbot connection to local, and that versatile little app seems like a little slice of home coming from a linux environment. You can put an icon on your desktop that will open you right to that connection, too.
I'm still trying to figure out the best way to modify my keyboard mapping. I'd like to make the www. a Tab and repurpose the android keys and extra (right) shift, perhaps as arrows and a CTRL. The spacebar is also obnoxiously out of reach so i might move it to the Back key. Fortunately, Connectbot has some sensible workarounds that make these changes less urgent.
I have the latest ES File Explorer but the locked down nature of Android seems to make any kind of file system activities hopelessly complicated compared with a more conventional linux system. I was trying to install this nano editor binary but am not sure if remounting root R/W and unzipping it to / is going to cause issues.
spreadsheet
I've been using gnumeric on my N900. TBD
e-reader
FB Reader and PDF reader on the N900. TBD
offline maps
Used Modrana and Navit on N900. Both have strengths and weaknesses. TBD
misc.
It's nice that Flashlight is pre-loaded but i can't see any way to leave it on while i do something else on the phone. I think the custom setting in the quick settings of Bulletproof could do that. :/ It is a nice bright flash we have here.
The stock camera app combines the functionality of three separate apps on N900: BlessN900, Panorama, and the stock camera app, and in a much snappier interface, albeit with fewer options. I'm excited about that. I need to find an app that will simulate a scan from a photo (perspective correction), though.
Offline dictionary, wikipedia, and a gps recorder are also needed. TBD
Of course, porting a few classic games and apps (e.g. Doom, Starcon2, Gweled, MAME) with a few hours work each isn't going to happen in Android like it did with Maemo and its SDL framework. The ability to achieve feature parity ends with the software selection...
Will edit when i have made more progress.
ETA: I have S-OFF now. I thought i could leave it alone until i tired of GB and/or stock kernel, but i should have known better. I used my Linux Mint14 (64 bit) box, a random USB cable (original HTC one is presumably with the original owner), and a twist-tie, and to be safe i flashed back my nandroid of stock first. After all the wind up about original this, 32 bit os, and precise that, i got it on the first try and it didn't wipe my SD card.
First thing i did is flash a custom splash screen. I made one and it was realizing it wouldn't work without S-OFF that pushed me over the edge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what your needs are as for a notes app, but I use the one HTC included in the ROM simply called Notes. It can import/export but I haven't used that feature or know the format. Also, Adobe PDF reader comes with the ROM, too. These are both in Miktouch. I have also run into that keyboard issue with Terminal, someone posted a revised Terminal app that fixed that issue but now I don't know where it is located. Perhaps look around on the Play Store. As to spreadsheets and other office-type apps, QuickOffice is now owned by Google and was made free in the Play Store. It can read/write most MS Office documents. And Google Maps now has the feature of storing offline maps for when you don't have network access.
Fuzi0719 said:
Not sure what your needs are as for a notes app, but I use the one HTC included in the ROM simply called Notes. It can import/export but I haven't used that feature or know the format. Also, Adobe PDF reader comes with the ROM, too. These are both in Miktouch. I have also run into that keyboard issue with Terminal, someone posted a revised Terminal app that fixed that issue but now I don't know where it is located. Perhaps look around on the Play Store. As to spreadsheets and other office-type apps, QuickOffice is now owned by Google and was made free in the Play Store. It can read/write most MS Office documents. And Google Maps now has the feature of storing offline maps for when you don't have network access.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah i had just discovered QuickOffice was free after finding the usual subjects (Gnu apps, OO, etc) aren't available and presumably decent since Google decided to buy it. I vaguely remember there being a QuickOffice on my Handera(?) a decade ago. Wonder if it's the same thing.
The attention to detail in the ConnectBot app makes it actually possible to hack system files, and its support for copy and paste, combined with that nano binary i got installed, lets me copy-paste text into files. The lack of universal clipboard and general lack of time-honored keyboard shortcuts is driving me up the wall. I sure took that for granted on maemo. Android just isn't designed with a hardware keyboard in mind. :/
Nano is super flaky with poor refresh, and without keyboard arrows it's a bit hard to use. It would be impossible without ConnectBot's workaround for lack of CTRL, though. Can anyone recommend a good simple GUI text editor for editing config files etc.? One that supports copy/paste, unlike that half-assed ES File Explorer note editor atrocity.
Anyway, I used the above setup to make the changes to the gps.conf file recommended here.
I'm also finding the long-press on Home is a passable imitation of the camera-button or CTRL-BACKSPACE shortcut to task switcher on the N900 too.
I'm going to give the Sneaky Pete kernel a try now.
Flandry said:
Yeah i had just discovered QuickOffice was free after finding the usual subjects (Gnu apps, OO, etc) aren't available and presumably decent since Google decided to buy it. I vaguely remember there being a QuickOffice on my Handera(?) a decade ago. Wonder if it's the same thing.
The attention to detail in the ConnectBot app makes it actually possible to hack system files, and its support for copy and paste, combined with that nano binary i got installed, lets me copy-paste text into files. The lack of universal clipboard and general lack of time-honored keyboard shortcuts is driving me up the wall. I sure took that for granted on maemo. Android just isn't designed with a hardware keyboard in mind. :/
Nano is super flaky with poor refresh, and without keyboard arrows it's a bit hard to use. It would be impossible without ConnectBot's workaround for lack of CTRL, though. Can anyone recommend a good simple GUI text editor for editing config files etc.? One that supports copy/paste, unlike that half-assed ES File Explorer note editor atrocity.
Anyway, I used the above setup to make the changes to the gps.conf file recommended here.
I'm also finding the long-press on Home is a passable imitation of the camera-button or CTRL-BACKSPACE shortcut to task switcher on the N900 too.
I'm going to give the Sneaky Pete kernel a try now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For hacking system files, an easy app to use is Kernel Tuner. Even though I'm using the stock kernel on Miktouch, I use Kernel Tuner to set my min CPU and governor (I have 1134 max/192 min and conservative governor on both cores) and I set the I/O scheduler to noop with a 2048kb cache. The app has the built in ability to make edits to system files and is geared for Sense ROMs.
Also, you might want to download/install the newer Swype keyboard from Play Store. It is newer/better than the Swype that is built in to the HTC ROM. The built in Swype can be disabled (I use MyBackup Pro to freeze certain things that are built in, like the Group messaging and Tmobile ID stuff that I never use).
Flandry said:
)
The attention to detail in the ConnectBot app makes it actually possible to hack system files, and its support for copy and paste, combined with that nano binary i got installed, lets me copy-paste text into files. The lack of universal clipboard and general lack of time-honored keyboard shortcuts is driving me up the wall. I sure took that for granted on maemo. Android just isn't designed with a hardware keyboard in mind. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you found some of Blue6ix' posts yet? He listed ways to remap the keys to whatever you wanted, and I seem to recall keyboard shortcuts was one of the things lamented when he moved to a phone without a hardware keyboard. (though I don't use shortcuts myself so can't say more)
davidf9 said:
Have you found some of Blue6ix' posts yet? He listed ways to remap the keys to whatever you wanted, and I seem to recall keyboard shortcuts was one of the things lamented when he moved to a phone without a hardware keyboard. (though I don't use shortcuts myself so can't say more)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's what i linked to a few posts back when i mentioned it. I've spent a while playing around with it now that i have a functioning nano editor and bash. I found, to my disappointment, that CTRL can't be used as a modifier until Android 3. At least that's what i gathered. The amount of conflicting information on every thing i search for is mind-boggling, both due to vendor and device differences and android API differences, i assume. Anyway, no CTRL isn't too big of a deal since the standard CTRL-+ shortcuts aren't really standard on it, and VX Connectbot makes it easy to generate CTRL+? inputs. I switched to VX, an improved Connectbot fork, when i realized i had no way to generate angle brackets or pipe characters. VX Connectbot enables the SYM selector pop-up and and lets you map most buttons. It's really quite nice.
The more amusing/aggravating thing i discovered is that if you map a key to TAB, it actually is "symlinked" to DPAD_DOWN (keycode 20). That means it behaves vaguely TAB-like in the browser, but not in text editors. I found this out using the debug show keycode option in VX Connectbot. So the obvious system remap for the asinine www./.com key is pointless, and there doesn't seem to be any way to get a real tab input using just a remap. I'm not sure how much further up the pipeline you can go with a closed ROM -- really have no idea -- but again at least there's a way to get TAB in a shell with VX. I did, in desperation, try just entering the keycode for TAB (61) in the key layout file, instead of the enum name. Hilarity and a dead keyboard ensued... yay for cwm recovery. :silly:
So now most of my grand plans for modding the keyboard layout are sort of in tatters. I think I will
map the right shift, genius, sym, and alt keys to cursor keys (just too hard to consistently press the dpad left or right without getting an up or down in there somewhere). That's similar to the layout i'm used to on my N900.
I'd move sym to Home and make Back another spacebar. The spacebar has to be pushed close to its middle on this keyboard, and it's too far away to make sense.
probably remap www. to SHIFT_RIGHT so that it can be tab in Connectbot (built in option)
that leaves just the menu key as redundant (well, and two shifts and space bars after the changes). TBD
Edit: After reading through this, it is clear that if i went with an ICS ROM i could remap as intended. Prior to Froyo the key map files were much less versatile. I think i could get TAB working if i modded the binary keymap file, but it's probably not worth it.
Flandry said:
Edit: After reading through this, it is clear that if i went with an ICS ROM i could remap as intended. Prior to Froyo the key map files were much less versatile. I think i could get TAB working if i modded the binary keymap file, but it's probably not worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best ICS w/Sense ROM for this phone, in my opinion, was one from sun_dream. It was a direct port from the Sensation, using that phone's 3.3.2 ROM release as the base. There was an 3.3.3 release port but I found it to be much less usable/stable. The best ICS ROM, though, is scverhagen's CM9.1r13. It isn't Sense based, but it is very stable, excellent battery, and everything works as it should (for a CM ROM).
Fuzi0719 said:
The best ICS w/Sense ROM for this phone, in my opinion, was one from sun_dream. It was a direct port from the Sensation, using that phone's 3.3.2 ROM release as the base. There was an 3.3.3 release port but I found it to be much less usable/stable. The best ICS ROM, though, is scverhagen's CM9.1r13. It isn't Sense based, but it is very stable, excellent battery, and everything works as it should (for a CM ROM).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without having even used an Android phone before, i'm not partial to Sense, but i decided after the previous discussion that i'm going to stick with GB for now for the extra camera quality. However, after this tweaking i think i will make a final nandroid and then flash scverhagen's CM9.1r13 to see if the android really is greener on the other side.
Is it worth going all the way to JB, or are those much less functional?
I've set the Miktouch keyboard layout up with relatively minor changes for now:
www. = SYM
Home key = SPACE
SYM = Left Up (caught again by the limited keymapping vocabulary of GB. If you set to DPAD_LEFT, it registers as DPAD_DOWN when the device is in landscape mode...
ALT (right) = Right Down " " "
Genius key = ALT (right)
I found this post and this post to be useful references when changing the layout.
Flandry said:
Without having even used an Android phone before, i'm not partial to Sense, but i decided after the previous discussion that i'm going to stick with GB for now for the extra camera quality. However, after this tweaking i think i will make a final nandroid and then flash scverhagen's CM9.1r13 to see if the android really is greener on the other side.
Is it worth going all the way to JB, or are those much less functional?
I've set the Miktouch keyboard layout up with relatively minor changes for now:
www. = SYM
Home key = SPACE
SYM = Left Up (caught again by the limited keymapping vocabulary of GB. If you set to DPAD_LEFT, it registers as DPAD_DOWN when the device is in landscape mode...
ALT (right) = Right Down " " "
Genius key = ALT (right)
I found this post and this post to be useful references when changing the layout.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can only speak for my own tastes and experiences when discussing a ROM. I personally run Miktouch on my MT4GS. I've tried nearly every ROM available, and given them a good try out. For Sense, I'm gonna run Miktouch, just nothing else comes close to the stability. If I were using a non-sense ROM, I would use scverhagen's CM9.1r13, which is as close to the stability of Miktouch as I've found in a non-stock ROM. I've tried the CM10, 10.1, and 10.2 ROMs but for me the differences just aren't worth the little quirks and issues. Now, many people don't mind those things, or may not even face those same quirks as they might use their phone differently than me. On my Nook Tablet, I use the CM10.1.3 Stable release, as it is so rock-solid. But on this phone, I want 100% (or as close to 100% as is possible) uptime without having to make excuses for why that call got dropped or that text didn't send or my Bluetooth disconnected, etc.