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*If you find this Guide Thread helpful, feel free to hit the "thanks" button below!
Okay, so I know this has been done before, but I felt it helpful to plant the seed of knowledge and guidance for those new to xda who, rather than being subjected to flaming and accidental trolling here as result of their own inexperience, and more specifically, here within the ATRIX 2 forums could find an advantage by reading and understanding this guide. That said, the purpose of this and my intent (along with the Senior Members, Members, and others) is that this will be a 'must read' here in the General Section of our beloved ATRIX 2 community, and that the guidelines I am about to share will benefit those new to xda to learn how to be contributing, helpful, rule-abiding citizens who will one day -sooner, rather than later- become "New Members" (Junior Members) and who will evolve and grow to benefit the entire ATRIX 2 community.
Now, aside from a certain sliver of members here, we all started out as "n00bs", including myself. So, don't feel as though you are some kind of plague to the societal ecosystem that is xda, you are simply at your infant stage. However, this is not an excuse for not following the rules of xda, which I will reiterate again shortly, nor is it cause for you to come in here as if you own the place. This isn't my forum, or your forum, it is our forum, and many people such as myself have a certain affinity toward it, and regard it highly for both continuing education, fellowship with friends, and causative shared knowledge. You can learn a great deal here on xda about your phone, what possibilities you can reach in terms of customizations and so forth, and if interested, how you can do your own developmental work with Android. However, all of these have one very imperative precursory requirement: read, search, read, and search. Your best companion, besides the help you may receive in your journey here on xda, will be that of Google. Use it, use it some more, and when you think you've exhausted all of your own resources to find answers for any questions, concerns, or confusions, keep using it! You will only thank yourself (and have a certain sense of self accomplishment) when you can solve your own quandaries or quagmires. Trust me, you are not the first person to have the issue your may be faced with, or will face at some point down the line, so the probability that your problems have been addressed here or elsewhere within the nether-webs, is extremely high.
Before diving right in, let me overview the rules set by xda:
*Search Before Posting, Maintain Proper Member Conduct, Post Only Using A Clear Subject And Message, Use The English Language, Post A Message Only Once, Do Not Post Warez (I'll explain what this means later), Do Not Spam (again, more explanation to come regarding this), No Requests For Donations Up Front, Do Not Use Copyrighted Materials Or Anything That Does NOT Belong To You, Be Helpful To Others When You Are Able, Do Not Post With Intent To Sell Something, Using The Work Of Others MUST Be Approved, Do Not Post For Your Own Monetary Gain, Do NOT Create More Than One User Account, Keep On Topic In Threads And With Your Posts, and Do Not Bump A Thread More Than Once In A 24 Hour Period.
For a full description of rules for xda forums, please refer to THIS THREAD.
*STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I cannot be held responsible for any and all damage related to Hardware loss or Data or Software, which the user might cause while attempting any procedures or methods found on xda. Additionally, I am taking the liberty to assume that anyone who attempts these procedures understands the potential risks involved. This guide thread is intended for aiding new members so as to have a better user experience here, and no risks of any aforementioned damages will arise from following this guide, I am still exempting myself from any liability as result of anything anyone does to their device(s).
(You will see disclaimers such as these, which I myself employ, to indemnify one's own responsibilities for that which you or anyone else may do as result of following guides/ROM installations/theming/modding/rooting/etc.)
---Getting Started (With The Basics)---
So for the sake of everyone's time here, I have to assume that you (yeah, you!) have already registered and read the forum rules, as well as watched that lovely "You're A n00b On XDA" video, so I don't feel compelled to do the entire rundown of the full length version of rules. However, I will briefly recap them here. Please keep these in mind when within the forum, and exercise your own abilities before enlisting the help of others here. Granted, we are here to help you, but if it is apparent that you have not helped yourself, we will let you know in a way that *hopefully would eliminate the need to call you out on your lack of reading, searching, reading, and searching some more. Now that we have that out of the way, let's begin:
1) Reading Is Invaluable, Searching Is Imperative:
As I mentioned before, reading is your most powerful tool that will give you the advantage to avoid being called that "N" word and more of a "New Member". Along with this, is searching. I recommend you read ALL of the stickies in each of the sections of this forum. They have been 'stickied' by our forum moderators for reasons that prove advantageous to everyone, and those who wrote these 'stickied' threads put in their own time and efforts in compiling information to be used and/or observed by the entire community. Please refrain from posting new threads, unless undoubtedly necessary. Even if your questions or concerns are not exactly in line with what's being/been discussed within another thread, but is even remotely similar, start by posting in that exiting thread. This keeps our forum clean and free of clutter, as well as avoids wasting the time of others, along with your own. You should consider the question or concern you may have, and choose keywords when searching for answers. Try several times with different keywords if your answer(s) didn't magically appear from your first attempt with utilizing the search bar. If you are unclear as to what term or acronym you need assistance with, please refer to THIS THREAD by stempox for a better understanding of what it is you are looking for. Other useful threads for New Members are found here: New Member Guide-Get the most out of XDA!! and Search guide video.
2) Proper Posting Protocol:
Posting is something that you might find yourself doing a lot of, and is your privilege as New Member here on xda. However, you should avoid posting to drive your post count up, and refrain from re-posting what others have already posted by re-wording their statements. Excessive posting is annoying, especially when the above Rule #1 is neglected to be followed. You get no special treatment for the most posts in any forum, nor do you gain any respect if you prove yourself unable or unwilling to read, search, read and search some more on your own. The most important three aspects of your new user experience will be found by reading, and searching, and along with this is posting. These all go hand in hand, and if you think about it for a second or two, make absolute sense that these are all tied in with each other, relying on each other, and benefiting each other as well. Also, take your time when posting by giving every little strand of information you can possibly thing of. Example: your firmware, your current ROM, what procedures you used, what methods you've tried, what country you're in (sound silly, but sometimes extremely important), what you're trying to do, etc, etc, etc. The more information you give initially, the less time we have to take to fish for leads to track down your problem(s), and the less time you have to take responding to our requests for more info. Don't go into "panic mode", just read and post accordingly. Also, xda has some implementations for keeping our forums legitimate, and free of junk advertisement (SPAM), and in doing so you will find that for your first 7 posts will be accompanied by irritating CAPTCHA prompt entries. You will also see a 2 minute restriction from posting again or editing your existing posts. This all will end once you have reached 30 posts, making your evolution from Junior Member to Member. Remember, don't post rubbish just to quickly scoot through this process. We all see what you post, and we all pay attention to these things here. You don't want to make yourself look like a "Johnny Cutcorners" here, just do your part by abiding and respecting others, and for goodness sake, respect for yourself as well.
General Section: This section of the Atrix 2 forum should be used for all discussion regarding the Motorola Atrix 2 (general chat, tips & tricks, etc...)
Atrix 2 Q&A: This section should be used for all of your questions relating to the Motorola Atrix 2. Please refrain from posting questions in the General Section, as we now have the Q&A for this purpose.
3) The Question Posting Conundrum:
So, you've spent hours upon hours searching xda forums, Google'ing your fingers to the bones and typing all the different keywords you can possibly imagine in that handy little search bar at the top right found on each xda forum page you visit, and still come up empty handed. Now, where do you post your question or concern? If you've reached your 10 post minimum and feel your issue is of a 'development' nature, or more specifically regarding a certain ROM or mod or theme, post in that Rom or mod or theme's existing thread! Do yourself a favor and post in the appropriate sections for whatever your topic may be. If you still have doubts, post in the General Section, but only after what (?) :searching, reading, searching and reading some more! Also, give your new post some time to be read, thought over, and responded to. Don't be so impatient that you bump (Bring Up My Post) your own post for answers, and don't post frantically calling for -or expecting an immediate answer. There are thousands and thousands of members on xda who live all over the world, so exercise your placidity by affording your post to be read and addressed in a reasonable time. A good suggestion is to subscribe to your own threads that you may post, along with any that you feel you'd like to "keep up with" that you have posted to by clicking on the Thread Tools Button and receive email notifications once a member replies. This is your indication that you have someone who has responded, and hopefully helped you along your way (assuming you have given all the necessary information for them to be of help!)
4) Thanking Those That Talk You Through It:
You've seen each member's username and avatar, and below those are the member's "thanks meter". This was put in place as an easy to recognize indication of a member's useful posts here on xda. It is a way to see those who have contributed much of their own time and knowledge and/or talents or abilities with their own development with Android, or by simply being one who gives useful answers or tips to others. It is by no means a measure of superiority, but rather an identifiable way to distinguish those who are more apt to be someone to provide helpful insight. If you have been given such insight or helpful tips/solutions by anyone here, click that member's "thanks button". Please forgo the formalities of a written 'thank you', though is you feel you must, accompany it with a click of that mouse as well! It means more to us when you do, and as you see yourself becoming more fluent in your understanding of things, you will notice that it feels better when someone takes the time to click YOUR thanks button. This signifies that our work here is appreciated, and our answers or help is valued. After all, we do this on our own free time, and have no obligations to you. Again, the number of thanks a member has is no significant measure of their status or stature, and many of the more helpful ones here are those with fewer than expected thanks in their "thanks meter". You must have at least one post in order to give someone a "proper" thanking, and you can gain the first one in The Say "Hi" Thread. You are limited to only 8 thanks per day, but you can work around this if you have both the mobile app for xda developers and a PC.
Getting Thanks:
You will see that everyone here has a "Thanks Meter" above their avatar. Here are the thanks counts needed to get to the next bar:
1st bar - 26
2nd bar - 51
3rd bar - 101
4th bar - 201
5th bar - 501
(There's a a bug here, never gets to 5 bars)
6th bar - 1001
7th bar - 2001
8th bar - 5001
9th bar - 8001
Maxed! - 10000
5) Flaming Firestorms And Trolling Treacheries:
While many members here have quite the sense of humor, New Member, you need to take that into consideration. You may be referred to as that "N" word, but please don't take offense to it. Though you may find yourself posting something that has been discussed previously, you may also find your self seeing a barrage or comments that you may take personally. I advise you not to, as most -if not all- joking is done in a good nature. Let's face it, we're here because we like to play with our phones, right? If you can't have a sense of humor about things, maybe you need a different toy to play with. Sometimes, members will spout off something that can very easily be taken as an attack, in which case you need to understand that the reason for this is most likely due to the fact that the comments posted reflect something that has been posted a gazillion times before. If you sense frustration, it is wise not to engage in a childish battle of insults and name calling. This can get you reprimanded, up to, but not limited to a temporary ban of this site. Avoid confrontation with others, that may escalate to something which you may regret later. If you feel a member is unnecessarily flaming you or others, please do not hesitate to click that little triangle at the top right of that member's post and report this to the forum moderators. Albeit, this is a handy way to bring an end to conflict before it can really get full swing, this is by no means your personal badge to wear as a "pseudo forum cop".
6) Weeding Out The Warez:
If you understand what you've signed up for as a new user here on xda, you know that this site is primarily for the developers, their work, and their contributions. That being so, it is highly against xda forum rules to post anything that avoids the payment of a software. There will be zero tolerance for people trying to avoid paying for software by asking for or advertising cheats, cracks, serial codes, or other methods of skirting the purchase of software. This is a site made up of thousands upon thousands of developers from around the world, and when you try to cheat the system by not paying for something a developer has worked on and released for purchase, you end up cheating the entire xda community. Just don't do it!
7) Admission To The Development Section:
Noobs seem to have an uncanny inkling to want to jump right in and have access to posting in the development section right off the bat. Fact of the matter is this, you can't! This is not to try to ostracize or "haze" the new recruits for a while, this was put in place by xda if members who have joined xda on or after March 11, 2012. The real reason for this is that xda tries to keep from having the Development Sections of every forum from being flooded with inexperienced New Members, and allow the Development Section to be left for the 'real' work of our beloved devs (developers). For New Members who wish to say "thank you" for the awesome new ROM or mod or theme their using in its corresponding thread may make you feel like a nice guy, it does nothing but add necessary "junk posts" to the otherwise important threads, and adds no valuable conversation to them. Think about what you are wishing to express in the Development Sections, and if you feel it is important, think again. The devs here appreciate hearing bug reports about whatever they have released to the general community, but doing so by simply replying, "GPS don't work no more" or "Don't get no text notification on my fone" doesn't help. Unless you are able to provide useful information to go along with your post, such as a logcat output, kmsg, debug log, etc., don't bother. Remember what I said earlier about providing as much information as you possibly can? This holds true here in the Development Section as well. Here's a great thread regarding this, [GUIDE] How to give constructive feedback to developers. You can also show your appreciation by rating a dev's thread by clicking the dropdown at the top of each of these threads (same goes for any other section within these forums) or by making a donation to them. Still think we're being unfair? Here's a summarization by Fallen Spartan: "The 10 post rule was put in place to make new users think, and hopefully contribute and help others by making useful posts rather than the usual crap like "thanks", "kewl" etc or ask questions which have been asked countless times before. They still have access to dev forums, just cannot post in them. Its not a massive restriction and to provide 10 useful/helpful posts is not hard." Now, don't attempt to cheat the system here either by jumping your post count up with junk posts just to get to have the privilege of having the access to the Development Sections, because believe it or not, these sections are the most watched sections by the forum moderators, and if caught you could lose your post count. Just go out and participate in xda the "right" way, you and the forums will be better for it. Read this thread for more: 10 post count rule for Dev threads.
8) User Title Territory:
Ever wonder what it means when you see a member's "title" under their avatar? Well, I can explain this also -at least with the words of juzz86: "I'll sum it up for you (or try, anyway!) There are Junior Members, Members, Senior Members first. These make up the vast majority of XDAs userbase. Recognised Contributors are nominated by other users and/or Mods/Developers. They are recognised for their contributions which are not specifically Development, such as detailed guides, one-click utilities and other tools/mods. Recognised Themers are also nominated by users/Mods/Developers, for their work themeing custom ROMs and providing standalone themes for flashing. Recognised Developers are nominated and approved by the Developer Committee, for their work in Development whether it be ROMs, Root methods, bootloader unlocks etc. Elite Recognised Developers are again assessed by the Developer Committee, and are deemed to have gone above-and-beyond in providing knowledge/hacks/tools/apps/ROMs for the XDA community. Forum Moderators are appointed by the Moderator Committee, after submitting an application (see the 'sticky' at the top of this forum - currently applications are not open). They are the first-line of keeping the forums tidy, friendly and orderly. Senior Moderators are the next step up the ladder, providing site-wide support for Forum Mods and looking after the nitty-gritty issues, as well as areas of XDA not policed by FSMs, such as the Marketplace. Administrators are next. There are several Admins - each look after a specific part of XDA such as the Portal, the Members and the User Experience of XDA as a whole. At the top is Mike Channon, who is overall Forum Administrator. Other titles you may come across:
Moderator Committee - sits on the Mod Committee
Developer Committee - as above, but for Developer Committee
XDA News writer - publishes articles for the Portal (front page)
Retired xxxx - have since officially 'left' their XDA position
Hopefully that clears most of them up for you. Contrary to what a lot of people expect, the thanks-meter does not figure at all in determining a users tag."
0 to 29 posts - Junior Member
30 to 99 posts - Member
100 + posts - Senior Member
9) Sport A Spiffy Signature:
Having a nice signature helps identify you both in your geographic location (helpful, for many reasons), what type of device you are using, any modifications or current software versions you are running, which carrier you are with, and other important information that could alleviate the annoying need to ask you for further information. A signature should inform others about your phone when you post a question. A good signature will include information helpful to others beyond the direct target of the question/reply. A great signature will inform the community with important information and potentially answer questions which have not been asked yet, avoiding repetitive posts. Please click here to make a signature (5-8 posts minimum) It's cool and you will get more help and respect from us.
10) Other Helpful Links:
Chef Central
[Tutorial] How To Logcat
QUESTIONS BELONG IN Q&A!!!
[INFO]FXZ what? An explanation
[GUIDE] How to give constructive feedback to developers
[INFO] What you need to know about ICS and your Atrix 2
Brief synopsis on basic rules and how to help the community
[HELP THREAD] Any Question Answered Here (NØØB Friendly)
The Beginners Guide !!! (NOOBS)[ALL IN 1 RESOURCE GUIDE]
---Welcome To The ATRIX 2 Community---
Now that we have that out of the way, it's time to start getting out there and showing the community that though you may be a "Junior Member" in rank, you are by no means nothing but a New User because you understand the rules, follow them, and help other New Members to do the same! So, enjoy all that you can gain from xda, and give all you can. It is a great place to be, to learn, and to grow in your Android experience. If you have any problems or questions or concerns, you can always PM (Personal Message) any member here on xda, and they will gladly give you their time in reply. This may bode well for those how still feel a bit uncomfortable with creating new thread posts, or simply would rather not clutter up our forum with useless or repetitive posts (I thank you, as well as any member whom you chose to PM for help!).
An while I'm mentioning other Members here, I feel that it would benefit you all to get to know some of the more predominant Members here in the Atrix 2 community. There are many great people here, but I will list some for you that have a strong presence here, and so that you might have a nice directory to refer to. I will start by listing our forum's Moderators (those who help keep the forum clean, organized, and in order), then Developers (those responsible for releasing all those great ROMs, themes, mods, scripts, and so on) and then some of the key Senior Members (those that have been contemporaneous and well versed in the Atrix 2's basics, and more complex issues). Please take some time to get to know these folks, they will be as helpful and as patient with you as long as you are conducting yourself in a "New Member" fashion.
Atrix 2 Moderators:
Moscow Desire
Mr. Clown
prbassplayer
Atrix 2 Current Developers:
alteredlikeness
cogeary
farshad525hou
jimbridgman
JRW 28
lkrasner
lukensteinz
rdavisct
Atrix 2 Developers From Chinese Forums:
socialx
xmsh
Atrix 2 Developers: (Past)
lfaber06
Atrix 2 Senior Members:
Archmag3
CapnPez
daavvis
Deliberate
Deveshmanish
dicksteele
DX2Trip
Fall of Enosis
hankbizzo5
jboxer
jfrank1485
Jimmy273
KEB64
lilhaiti
mtnlion
nephillim
PhoenixNghi
PRichardson
shinydesert
souljaboy
tmease1
X-jo
And, just in case, here in the video of the rules of xda developers site. Doesn't hurt to watch it more than the obligatory first time for your registration process. Enjoy xda, and I welcome you to our community!
I hope this guide helps you make your experience on XDA a better one. While I appreciate you clicking the thanks button below, I appreciate it more if you take what I have written here and keep it in mind when visiting our forum, and pass it along whenever possible to help out others here who are New Members!
Thank you for reading, and happy forum'ing! :good:
Credits: mf2112, juzz86, Fallen Spartan
New Member's Guide To Android Terminologies
Also, here is a list of commonly used terminologies and lingo used here in the forum, and since you are a New Member here, you'll need to learn how to use them! In order to fully understand the lessons that are being taught here, you’ll to need to learn a few of the more popular terms that are used when discussing the Android OS. When someone tells you to add a widget to your home screen, I don’t want you to have that dazed look on your face. You can learn this stuff! It’s easy. The first thing you need to do is learn the popular terminology used to describe things in the Android world. So here we go…
ADK: Android Development Kit, What people use to develop anything for the droid such as ROM's
AOSP: Short for Android Open Source Project, and when the term is used in ROM descriptions, it usually indicates that the ROM in question is based on the Android source code provided by Google itself, and not on some other ROM project or a company’s firmware.
Baseband: In communications and signal processing, the baseband describes signals and systems whose range of the frequencies measured from close to 0 hertz to a cut-off frequency, a maximum bandwidth or highest signal frequency; it is sometimes used to describe frequencies starting close to zero
Boot Loader: Executes code before any operating system is launched. On Android devices, the bootloader is usually locked because manufacturers want you to use the version of Android they’ve provided. With a locked bootloader on Android phones, custom ROMs cannot be flashed.
Boot Loop: simply means something is preventing the phone from completing it's boot cycle and is stuck between the boot animation and the unlock screen, creating a looped animation. This is often fixed by either reloading a Nandroid, or Reflashing a rom from the Boot Loader.
Brick or Bricked: Jargon for a completely unrecoverable device, (no more than a brick or paperweight).
Bug or Software Bug: an Error or flaw in software that produces a failure or unexpected/unwanted result. Typically created from incorrect code, this is why some ROMs are better and smoother running than others because certain developers have taken the time to input "perfect" code
Busybox: An app on your phone that will give you access to additional Linux/Unix based commands. You may need BusyBox installed to perform some root level tasks, and some other apps that require root access may need BusyBox installed as well. BusyBox is self-dubbed “The Swiss Army Knife of Embedded Linux.”
ClockworkMod or CWM: A recovery program that is often used to apply updates, ROMs, or create a back up or restore a backup file
Dalvik: is the cryptic name of the virtual machine (VM) in Android, and it’s the basis for running apps (with the .apk filename extension) on the platform. Before Android apps are launched, they’re converted into the compact Dalvik Executable (.dex) format, which is designed to be suitable for systems that are constrained in terms of memory and processor speed. Dalvik was originally written by Dan Bornstein, who named it after the fishing village of Dalvík in Eyjafjörður, Iceland, where some of his ancestors lived.
Dalvik Cache: Simply put it is the cache used by Dalvik, and it’s the result of Dalvik doing optimizations of running apps. Some Android ROMs allow you to move the Dalvik cache to your SD card, in order to free up internal storage.
De-odex: Apk files have respective odexes that devs use to supposedly save space. Deodexing means you convert it back to a .dex file and put it back inside the apk. This allows you to easily replace files (not having to worry about odexes), but the main point was to deodex services.jar so that you can change all text to different colors (such as the clock color to white) and to deodex services.jar, you need to deodex everything.
What the heck does it mean, exactly? Well, it’s probably the hardest term to explain in this rooting dictionary...
When a ROM has been deodexed, it means that its apps have been prepared so they can be modified. Deodexed ROMs feature apps that have been repackaged in a certain way. Android applications (.apk's) contain .odex files that devs supposedly use to save space. These .odex files are extracted from the application packages and put in the /system/ folder on your phone, to speed up boot processes and to allow parts of applications to be preloaded.
However, this makes hacking and modifying those apps difficult because parts of the apps have been extracted to another location. Deodexing means that all pieces of an application package are put back together into one file, and it makes sure that a modified .apk won’t conflict with some separate odexed parts located somewhere else. Developers of custom ROMs choose to deodex their ROM packages, since it lets them modify various .APKs, and it also makes theming possible after the ROMs have been installed.
Dev. or Developer: An individual that creates, or alters a file in such a manner as to advance the program
Ext2/3/4: This refers to partitions on your SD card. They’re extended file systems for Linux that can be used by Android, usually in order to preserve internal storage space. Many custom Android ROMs require that you have an Ext2, Ext3 or Ext4 partition on your memory card. Ext2 is the oldest type of extended file system, and Ext4 is the newest.
So what exactly is a partition? It’s a part of a hard disk, or a SD card in this case, that’s separated from the other parts. Think of partitioning as dividing your SD card into two sections that have different purposes.
Firmware: A phone’s firmware is basically its operating system. A “firmware update” means that the operating system, the software that controls the phone, is updated. “Stock firmware” means that the firmware is unmodified: it’s the version of the operating system the phone’s manufacturer delivers.
Flash or Flash Memory: To flash a custom ROM, or a firmware, simply means that you install it. So, flashing is the process of installing a new version of the Android operating system, or just parts of it, like such as the radio and/or kernel. Flashing new ROMs is done via the Recovery Mode, usually with ClockworkMod Recovery.
FXZ: FXZ is an acronym for Full XML Zip file and is the format for most dual core Motorola firmware files. They are an archive of all of the stock partition images for a given device to be flashed in fastboot with either RSD lite or using adb and the fastboot binary.
Kernel: Central component of most operating systems: it’s a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. Android kernels are often customized, optimized and modified for different purposes, such as over-clocking the processor or extending the battery life. Custom ROMs usually include a new kernel.
NanDroid or Nandroid Backup: Anyone with root access make a complete system backup. It lets you create a backup of every piece of information on your phone, and it can be restored later whenever you want. NANDroid backups are usually performed before flashing a new ROM, in case anything goes wrong with an update or when flashing, or if you want to return to your previous setup later. NANDroid backups are created from the Recovery Mode often found with CWM.
Odexed: See Deodexed
Radio: It’s the radio on your phone that handles communication, the radio that sends and receives voice and data. Flashing (installing) a new radio can improve your reception, and bring other benefits.
Root: Common word associated with giving a user "super user" access to their phones programming and other various aspects that would normaly not be possible, also known as "Jailbroken" for iPhones.
OS: Operating system, I.E. Windows, Mac, Ubuntu...and Android.
Overclocking: Speeding up the CPU past the factory presets to achieve a faster and more responsive device
ROM: Read Only Memory, a program used to make changes to anything from the look of the home screen, to icons to custom boot animation
RSD Lite: This stands for "Remote Software Download", and is Motorola’s own tool in flashing virtually any type of program, (so long as its in .sbf form) to the Android OS
SetCPU: This is a popular application for overclocking or underclocking your phone’s processor, making it faster or slower. It may require a special kernel in order to work.
Shell or SSH:secure shell or ssh is a network protocol that allows data to be exchanged using a secure channel between two networked devices
SPR or SPRecovery: A recovery program that is often used to apply updates, ROMs, or create a back up or restore a backup file
Stock:Simply means an unaltered state, such as when you first purchase your phone from Verizon, or when you do a factory reset to "go back to stock."
SU or Superuser: When you root your Android phone, you will get superuser access. The superuser or root user is sort of a special user account for system administration.
Terminal or Terminal Emulator: An app that lets users access Android’s built-in Linux command line shell. It’s useful for programmers and for those with root access. There are some Roms that have built in theme and/or tools that are accessed from Terminal.
Theme: A set of icons, backgrounds and app trays that change the aesthetics of the overall look of the droid and its applications
TUN/TAP: Refers to a network TUNnel, operates within layer 3 packets, or ip packets. Packets sent by a system via a TUN/TAP device are delivered to a user-space program that attaches itself to the device. A user space program may also pass packets into a TUN/TAP device. In this case TUN/TAP device delivers (or "injects") these packets to the operating system's network stack thus emulating their reception from an external source.
Underclocking: Slowing down the CPU mainly to limit battery usage
.sbf: Summation Briefcase File
.apk or APK's: An .apk file extension denotes an Android Package (APK) file, an .apk file can be opened and inspected using common archive tools
.tar: Similar to a zip file, a tar file archives multiple files into one file
.tgz: TGZ files are commonly used as install packages for Slackware Linux.
Reference source: droidforums.net
Credits: da2zoe, Sam Fisher
You sir are determined to get us out of the stupidity waves!! Thanks for the write up.
Edit: I should have screamed "Sticky" when I have seen something like this, but learnt the hard way that, people tend to ignore stickies
so better keep it this way and lets not let it get lost in the pile of other threads and make it floating, bumping and hope the n00bs read this.
Apex you're awesome. You should write for a living.
Edit:totally sarcastic. I've read his articles not too shabby.
mtnlion said:
Apex you're awesome. You should write for a living.
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I think he does!
Edit: My bad I didnt recognize the sarcasm in it
Sent from my MB865 using xda app-developers app
Thanks guys! If I could forge a decent living being a writer, I'd quit my job in a second. And if I were to really have a wish cone true, I'd go at it HST style and buy myself a cabin in the mountains of Colorado and drink myself stupid while hammering out pieces on my typewriter. Though, in my case it would be a computer rather than typewriter, but the booze would still be in the equation. Oh, and the guns...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Maybe add to this a list who the dev team and the more Sr. members are in here, so that noobs recognize those immediately, and may see the value of those posters quicker in replies to new users quests for help.
If you want a list I can help with that through PM if you would like.
This is absolutely AWESOME!!!! Great job!!!
Sticky!!
jimbridgman said:
Maybe add to this a list who the dev team and the more Sr. members are in here, so that noobs recognize those immediately, and may see the value of those posters quicker in replies to new users quests for help.
If you want a list I can help with that through PM if you would like.
This is absolutely AWESOME!!!! Great job!!!
Sticky!!
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Ah, great suggestion! I'll update the OP with this. Would you mind helping me out with a list? I'd be much appreciative. I tried to cover all the "basics" and am still running things through my thinker to make this as comprehensive as possible. Thanks Jim!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Good for everyone
I think everyone should be encouraged to read, including us senior members. We were all noob -er new users once, and I've seen more than a few senior members devolve into name calling and/or borderline posts in my short time in this forum as well as in other forums.
troycarpenter said:
I think everyone should be encouraged to read, including us senior members. We were all noob -er new users once, and I've seen more than a few senior members devolve into name calling and/or borderline posts in my short time in this forum as well as in other forums.
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I can agree with this. We all get frustrated at times, irritated at others, and I myself have been inclusive to that. However, the simple things in life (such as the rules of this forum) are what keep us all from becoming a bunch of Mongoloids. It's true that recent events, though now becoming more of a minor speed bump in the rear view mirror, had many of us rather edgy. I'm sure I was one of them, and my apologies have been extended. Now, I'm just trying to make the forum a better place for us all, and for myself. Hopefully this will have some impact, if only just a small one...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
I think I'm a pretty non-noobish new member lol
Sent from my locked MB865 on Ice Cream Sandwich.
Thanks for the great write up as usual. Consider yourself nominated and highly recommended for recognized contributor status.
If you agree with this put in a good word to our mods for Apex_Strider.
You should see if xda has any portal writing positions open. you would be great
lkrasner said:
Thanks for the great write up as usual. Consider yourself nominated and highly recommended for recognized contributor status.
If you agree with this put in a good word to our mods for Apex_Strider.
You should see if xda has any portal writing positions open. you would be great
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+1 cant agree more..
Sent from my MB865 using xda app-developers app
lkrasner said:
Thanks for the great write up as usual. Consider yourself nominated and highly recommended for recognized contributor status.
If you agree with this put in a good word to our mods for Apex_Strider.
You should see if xda has any portal writing positions open. you would be great
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Thanks, lkrasner! I appreciate that, and would be quite the honor and privilege to be a Recognized Contributor for the Atrix 2 community. And many thanks to Jim, and the others who have recommended me to our moderators as well, along anyone else who does so. You guys are great, and this is an awesome community here.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Lol I just noticed I'm a Senior Member? I thought I was still junior. Always on Mobile.
Great read. Everybody should follow these rules and it should be stickied!
Sent from my locked MB865 on Ice Cream Sandwich.
DemosZevasa said:
Lol I just noticed I'm a Senior Member? I thought I was still junior. Always on Mobile.
Great read. Everybody should follow these rules and it should be stickied!
Sent from my locked MB865 on Ice Cream Sandwich.
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Well, congratulations on the ranking up! I'm going to be adding a "Get To Know Your Community" sub-section to the OP, inclusive to that will be a list of Moderators, Developers, and Senior Members, so as to be easily recognizable for new members. Your name can now be supplementary to said list...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium
Apex_Strider said:
...Reading Is Invaluable, Searching Is Imperative...
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Perhaps the site should fix its search functionality. Currently, search does not honor quotes. So searching for "Encrypted APK" returns the phone book - everything with "encrypted" or "apk" (and not the union), when in realitly there are less than 3 threads on the topic.
Awe, I'm on the senior list. Thanks mate.
Sent from my MB865 using xda premium
Fall of Enosis said:
Awe, I'm on the senior list. Thanks mate.
Sent from my MB865 using xda premium
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Not just on the Senior Member list, but "key" Seniors list (paragraph just above explains). This, hopefully will help n00bs and nons to acknowledge the more prevalent ones.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 Anti-Motorola Ballistic Missile
Fall of Enosis said:
Awe, I'm on the senior list. Thanks mate.
Sent from my MB865 using xda premium
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and i'm not *sniff*
I have had many people ask questions about how to use this website, so i thought i would take the time to make a guide to help out newer members that may be confused or overwhelmed by the wealth of information here. Hopefully this will help you to make a quick transition from a new member to an experienced member. I am basing this off of the website version (Dark theme 2015) on PC as it seems to be the most confusing for people. If you are using the mobile site, or app, then some of these options may not be available or may be located in a slightly different place. I have also left a few things out for the sake of simplicity. After reading this thread feel free to ask any questions that you have and i will try my best to clear things up. Some of the things we will discuss are...
~Settings
~How to set up your profile and preferences
~How to make friends
~How to graduate to a Member, Senior Member, and more
~How to make a signature
~What does my profile look like to others?
~Notifications
~How to change thread display options
~How to change the theme
~How to keep up to date with interesting threads
~How to find your previous posts
~XDA forum rules
~How to search for what you are looking for
~Your device page
~How to find the right download for your device in threads
~How to get help when you cant find the threads or answers that you are looking for
~How to post, reply, give thanks, etc. in threads
~How to rate threads and participate in polls
~How to report bad behavior
~How to attach photos to a thread
~How to donate to developers
~XDA Assist
~How to start a new thread
~Sending private messages
~How to upload photos to a private message
~And more!
Settings:I think setting this up first is best. Click on settings button near the top right of your screen. Then you will find the XDA control panel on the left. Here you can setup/edit your XDA experience. Now we will take a look at some of the options available in "Settings"...
Edit Your Details
Here you will find a quick link to change the email affiliated with your XDA account or change your password. You can also add information that will show up to others when they view your profile such as your birthday, what device you are using, your personal website link, how to instant message you on other messaging networks, links to your social media accounts, the phone carrier that you are using, what city and country you are from, a short biography of yourself, your interests and hobbies, your work occupation, and how to donate to you (if you think your contributions to XDA will be worth a donation).
Profile Privacy
Here you can edit what information you will allow others to see about you just in case you would like to keep some information more private.
Edit Profile Picture
Here you can add/edit a profile picture by either uploading a photo from your computer or phone, or entering a link to a photo from another website that you use such as dropbox.
Contacts & Friends
Here you can select XDA users to add to your contacts or friends list. You can also find information on how to delete contacts here.
Social Groups
Here you can search for social groups to join or start your own social group. Social groups are usually a grouping of people that have the same device, same interests, same cultural background, etc.
Pictures & Albums
Here you can add picture albums to upload photos to for sharing with others here on XDA.
Edit Avatar
Here you can add a photo that will appear under your username whenever you make a post.
Edit Signature
Here you can add/edit a signature (text and/or photo) that will appear at the bottom of every post you make. You can hover over edit options with your cursor to see a description of what they do (like change color of text, change size of text, etc.). You can highlight a part of your signature and select an edit option to change only that part. For a complete guide to all the cool things you can do in a signature, go here! Things that would be great to include in your signature would be your device model number, which ROM version you are using (stock is what came on your phone from the store, and custom ROM is like Cyanogenmod or other aftermarket ROM that was flashed by you or previous owner of device), which kernel version you are using, which android version you have (like 4.4.2 or 5.1.1), which baseband version you are using, which recovery version you are using (stock is what came on your phone from the store, and custom recovery is like Clockworkmod, team win recovery project, etc), any additional custom framework or modules that have been added to your device (like Xposed, Lspeed, etc. Do not list apps), or anything else that you think is important related to your device. If you are unsure, most of this info is available in android settings-about phone. Entering this info will help us to quickly answer your questions.
Edit Email & Password
Here you can change the email affiliated with your XDA account, change your password, or connect a Google+ account to your XDA profile.
Edit Options
Here you can find additional privacy options, messaging and notification options to keep up with interesting threads, private messaging options, date and time options, and customize how the website looks to you including the theme.
Edit Ignore List
Here you can add or delete contacts that you wish to ignore during your XDA experience.
List Messages
Here you can see any private messages that you have received or sent. You can also delete or save messages here as well as change the display options for your message list. An easier way to get to this list is by going into messages from the box labeled "messages" near the top right of your screen.
List Subscriptions
Here you can view the threads that you have subscribed to in a nice and neat list.
Edit Folders
Here you can add/edit folders that you want to keep subscribed threads organized in case you have a lot of them.
Attachments
Here you can view or delete any attachments that you have attached in previous posts.
You may find that you are unable to post replies or threads in some places at first. Please make 10 meaningful or helpful posts elsewhere first and then you will be able to. You will graduate from a Junior Member to a Member at 30 posts. You will graduate from a Member to a Senior Member at 100 posts. To graduate to a Recognized Contributor, Recognized Developer, or Moderator, please search in the "Search all forums" box near the top middle of the screen, and type "How to become a (which ever one of these I mentioned that you are curious about)"
Near the top right of the screen there will be a button labeled "Notifications". Here you will get quick access to messages, mentions, quotes and statistics (statistics will be shown on same page as quotes. Here you can also find all posts made by you in the past, and all thanked posts made by you in the past), and update alerts for software you are using from subscribed threads. Also towards the right of the screen you will see easy access tabs to quickly view unread messages, and threads that you subscribed to.
Near the top right of the screen you will see the button for "Swappa". This is an online store for buying and selling devices and is recommended by XDA.
Next read XDA Forum Rules if you haven't yet before going any further. Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the webpage and you will find a link for this as well as some other useful links. Or you can click here.
Finding The Forums And Threads That You Are Looking For
Now to find the best forums and threads related to your device, click on the search box near the top left of your screen and start typing any identifying words that relate to your device until you find it. Once your device is selected you will find specifications, forums, threads, information on how to root, ROM's, kernels, and tools/utilities that are related to your device. If you are not able to find your device, then use the search box for searching all forums to find forums and threads that may be related to your device. This may be needed if you have a very new, old, or less common device. You may have to select the settings icon to the right of this search box for advanced search options. For a complete guide to using XDA's search features, check out this thread by my friend @TheMerovingian. If you are still not finding the information you need, read below for what to do next.
XDA Assist And How To Start Your Own Thread
If you are still not finding the information you need after following the steps above, then click on the XDA assist tab near the top left of your screen. Here you can start a new thread requesting help to find the information you are looking for. You can find the new thread button near the top left of your screen. If you did find the forum you were looking for, then you can start a thread there the same way by selecting the new thread button near the top left of your screen. If you are unsure if this is the right forum to start your thread, then select the moderator tab near the top middle of the screen and send a private message to one of the moderators telling them what your thread is about, the name of your thread, where you think it should go, and politely ask if that is the right thing to do.
How To Operate Within Threads
Now that you have found a thread that interests you, here is some information on how to utilize your resources to get the most out of it. The original post or OP is where you are going to find the most info and usually any downloads that are related to the thread. This is on the first page of the thread (sdk version is related to which android version you are running. Arm, arm64, and x86 version is related to which processor you have in your device). If you cannot find this info in your android settings, then search for your device specifications online. Read all of the first page now. If you still have questions about the thread, next use the search box at the top of the original post to find specific info within the thread. If you still have questions read through a majority of the thread before posting questions. Unless it is a new thread, most likely the answer to your question is in there somewhere. The newest posts will be towards the last page of the thread. If you still have questions its time to make a post in the thread.
Making A Post In A Thread
At the bottom of the thread page you will see an option for a quick reply. This is a basic reply with limited options. Not many people are going to notice this post especially in a busy thread. If you want a specific person to be alerted that you have made a post then you either need to mention them by adding text in your post like this... @ZipAddict or you need to quote another persons post by selecting the "reply" button at the bottom right of the post that you are replying to. If you would like to alert multiple people that you have posted, then you need to select the "multi-quote" button at the bottom right of each persons post that you are replying to followed by selecting reply. Once again if you hover over edit options at the top of the reply you are making, you will see a description of what each one does (like change the font, or hide text like in my signature). For a complete guide on all the cool things you can do in a post, go here! Additional options are available below the text box and this is where you can add attachments to your post. If you are wanting to post several photos or videos, it can be easier to post a link to an offsite photo gallery like dropbox in your post itself.
Sending Private Messages
To send someone a private message you can either click on their username and select "send message", or you can go to your message list and start a new message by manually entering the username/s of who you wish to send a message to. If you are wanting to send attachments in a private message, then you can include a link to your offsite gallery just like we discussed above.
~If someone has posted something that has helped you, then you are urged to hit the "thanks" button under that post regardless if you post a thank you.
~If someone is breaking the forum rules, then you are urged to hit the "!" button at the bottom left of their post and report them.
~If the thread has a poll (at the top of the thread), then you should participate. It only takes a second, and your opinion matters.
~You should rate the thread (at the top of the thread) immediately if it has helped you a lot. If not, give it a little time before rating and dont be quick to give a bad rating.
~If you benefit from software that you have used here, you should donate to the developer. Any amount is appreciated, and this will motivate them to keep providing the service that you use.
~Be patient and do not make another post about the same thing twice. If no one answers within 24 hours you could send a private message to the maker of the thread politely asking for direction.
This is something I put together real quickly to point new members in the right direction and once again i did not go over every single option or detail. Feel free to ask any questions here, or to request more information regarding a certain topic though. And if you see any mistakes please point them out so that i can correct them. Also, if anyone would like to make photos or videos outlining these things, then i will be happy to add them and give credit. In the meantime i will attach photos as requested. Thank you for reading and good luck on your XDA adventures!:good::good:
Thank you.
Helpful
Very helpful ! Thank you !
Very well done. Excellent guide and very helpful for new members. :victory:
The_Merovingian said:
Very well done. Excellent guide and very helpful for new members. :victory:
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Thank you friend!
I urge everyone to look through his threads as well ^ as he has some very informative ones that cover many topics, and is extremely helpful and kind to all members! :good::good:
Very useful information for every member, Thank you so much !
Thanks for the heads up, new member today
J.I. Shawon said:
Thank you.
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Megamachine said:
Very helpful ! Thank you !
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Sparkia said:
Very useful information for every member, Thank you so much !
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ULTRA777 said:
Thanks for the heads up, new member today
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
thank you very much. will read then go ahead
blackview said:
thank you very much. will read then go ahead
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
Newbie here. Thanks for the guide, it's informative and helpful for me.
Thank's for guide bro
Thank you...it's really Helpful.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
Anders81 said:
Newbie here. Thanks for the guide, it's informative and helpful for me.
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Anonymous94 said:
Thank's for guide bro
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jhalayashraj said:
Thank you...it's really Helpful.
Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
Thanks for the info its always nice to get friendly advice on your first day at school
@ZipAddict great job here
I'm so proud on you heheh
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
davyro said:
Thanks for the info its always nice to get friendly advice on your first day at school
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
Paget96 said:
@ZipAddict great job here
I'm so proud on you heheh
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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Thank u friend! Great work on LSpeed! I love it! Have a good day!
Thank you!
Really thank you!
It is very helpful to newcomers like me
L-K said:
Really thank you!
It is very helpful to newcomers like me
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! Let me know if you need anything!
kanesimicart said:
Thank You !
It's Very useful information for every member.
I'm Kane
Happy to be here also. I hope that we can build better community here.
Nice to meet you !
Regards!
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Welcome to XDA and thank you for reading! I like that attitude! You will be able to help build a better community here (even though it is already awesome!) Nice to meet you as well! Let me know if you need anything!