Related
Hey Guys at first sorry for my english i'm not good in it. And I'm a Android newbie I just gained a bit exerience with my Touch Diamond but it's broken now..okay but that's not the probleme....
If got a question:
After about 2 days of searching for an android 2.0 or 2.1 ROM I was a little bit confused of the diffrent news everybody was talking about. I'm root on my Hero. That was the first an last thing I made with my device.
1. Everybody is gonna talk about MoDaCo 3.0 but when I was trying to download his ROM my browser never got a request. Is the site down, where that ROM is hosted ?? Could someone give me a working link with this ROM ??
2. Is there a ROM with Android 2.0 or 2.1 outside or even not ??? And if yes are they working well ???
Would be nice if someone can help me =) thanks a lot.
Please answer soon if you know something about that =)
Greetz BassdoxXx
you can get modaco's roms at his website, www.modaco.com.
in the android development section there are some 2.0/1 roms, none of them works flawless, see for yourself if it fits your needs.
Thanks a lot for your fast answer. =)
The problem that i couldn't open the modaco page was my isp -.- i downloaded it at school
BassdoxXx said:
Thanks a lot for your fast answer. =)
The problem that i couldn't open the modaco page was my isp -.- i downloaded it at school
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What? Does ISP's block that site? Lol, would never happened in Norway
there is a few 2.0+ roms out there for the hero.
most seem to be very usable now.
best sense ui would be lox/behnaam community release on 1.6.
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1448
there are two aosp roms worth looking at.
lox aosp ( im using that on a daily basis)
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1416
jnwhiteh aosp
http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1528
Hello all,
I am having very specific request when it comes to choosing a proper rom for install on to my hero.
I am blind. Stock roms are only running Android 1.5. More robust accessibility features are available starting with Android 1.6 and improving even more with Android 2.0.
So for sure I am forced to upgrade my hand set.
There are various roms, some of their authors have even disable google specific features so I know I can't install such a rom.
All the accessibility efforts are being lead by the google developers.
Most likely these accessibility tools won't be usefull to most of you but please can anyone recommend me a rom where market is working and where the following applications can be installed and used?
- eyesfree suite of applications,
- talkback - the google screen reader for android,
- tts service.
All possible help is already appreciated.
sorry for the double posting. I've accidentally posted twice and I am unable to remove the post.
Hope anybody can help me please.
pvdeejay said:
Hello all,
I am having very specific request when it comes to choosing a proper rom for install on to my hero.
I am blind. Stock roms are only running Android 1.5. More robust accessibility features are available starting with Android 1.6 and improving even more with Android 2.0.
So for sure I am forced to upgrade my hand set.
There are various roms, some of their authors have even disable google specific features so I know I can't install such a rom.
All the accessibility efforts are being lead by the google developers.
Most likely these accessibility tools won't be usefull to most of you but please can anyone recommend me a rom where market is working and where the following applications can be installed and used?
- eyesfree suite of applications,
- talkback - the google screen reader for android,
- tts service.
All possible help is already appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i am on mcr3.0, i looked in the market, i can find 8 apps for eyesfree, tts is one of these. i didn't try to install one of these, but usually it works. the search for talkback returned nothing.
not that i want to be rude, but wouldn't you be better off with another phone if you are blind? i can not imagine a touchscreen only phone would be suitable for someone who is not able to see... especially because there are great devices out there that have a full qwerty keyboard, and come with android 2.0 out of the box... imho this would be a better solution.
again, the last thing i want to be is rude, but maybe this was your mistake: you posted in the htc hero section of this forum, the hero is a touch screen only device, including a virtual keyboard on the screen. it has only six buttons and a trackball, and two rocker buttons for the volume. just to make clear we are talking about the same device
if you are still up for the hero you could try the 2.1 rom from here: http://htcpedia.com/forum/showthread.php?p=30418&posted=1#post30418
best you try for yourself, it has some drawbacks, but maybe in areas you don't need (afaik syncing with exchange does not work for example, which wouldn't be a problem for me...). otherwise it might be worth to wait another week or two, we all are waiting unpatiently for the official eclair release from htc
keep asking if you need to know more, but maybe open a new thread, since your problems are very specific, and might drown between all the newbies question about "how to root my phone".
Hello,
Thanks for your reply and a great attitude.
Yes it may sound strange I have really got HTC Hero here. I know I'll be having problems with virtual keyboard but also I am afraid accessibility features of Android phones are not really such mastered one can use it daily. For example reading emails and content from the web browser is not yet possible. I just want to try how things work and I would also like to touch the virtual keyboard. If I can memorize computer keyboard and use it daily, typewriter keyboard, nokia mobile phone keyboard, then perhaps I might be able to make some use of this too.
I am sory but here are some more questions:
I haven't yet verified with some sighted friends but... is it possible my hero is running even older version of android like Android 1.5? I've based the assumption that it's most likelly running 1.5 because majority of the devices I was reading on the net are running it.
You've been triyng to locate eyes-free applications on the market but you were unable to find talkback. Are you sure you are running newer version of Android than 1.5?
Talkback is supposed to be installed with Android 1.6 andd 2.0 by default and you should be able to find it in the accessibility menu of your phone. I am not sure how well this applies to the custom roms.
Talkback requires google's accessibility api which is reported to be available on Android 1.6 upwards.
To tell you the full story first I've asked on the eyes-free google group whether some accessibility experts from there can help me but no one knowledgeable enough has replied to my query, so I'm trying my luck here then.
Oh I am really excited since I've got really well formed informative reply.
Thanks again
Edit:
Also, I've seen somewhere in the forums here this leaked HTC rom does not support the market. Has this been rectified already? You know if market does not work then most likelly I won't be able to install these applications I am tallking about.
Also you are mentioning possibility to wait a few weeks until HTC guys role out the official update for Hero. Wouldn't that break chances I will be able to root my device later?
Edit2:
Ooops, I should read better next time. Market works on this rom. The problem is paid apps can't be installed which is hopefully not a big issue for me since most of the accessibility enabled applications are free.
Which of the downloads from Hero 21 do I need?
63.18.55.06JU_6.35.09.26) or No Wipe Download. I will need a wipe I am sure but since this link says nowipe I am ehmmm. confused.
pvdeejay,
Unfortunately there is not an 'official' update for Android 1.6, 2.0 or 2.1 as of yet. There are rumours of one coming out soon, but nothing cast-iron yet.
You are correct in that the Hero runs 1.5. It does say it under Settings | About Phone (bottom item on list)| Firmware Version (bottom on list again), although without a working screen reader, there is probably little use in knowing how to find that.
If you did want to upgrade, I'm sure plenty of people could help find a ROM that would suit. The only issue with that is that you would need a rooted phone with a custom recovery image installed. Unfortunately, a lot of the procedures would not be easy for you, as the software that you might need to use to go through the procedure is probably not designed that well for accessibility tools. I don't know what kind of software you are using, but some of the instructions for making goldcards are quite complex, and involve editing some numbers in a 'table' which could be quite difficult for you, I would imagine.
I'm sure a friend would be able to help you out with making a goldcard/rooting if you did want to install a custom ROM (you'll probably be waiting a while otherwise ). They could even root their phone while doing yours (just share the goldcard between the devices).
Nonetheless, there is probably a ROM out there with little removed from it. I'll have a look just now, but you would need to have your phone rooted to do anything just now.
When it comes to rooting and installing custom recovery image. Do you thing the following instructions might work for me?
These instructions don't require a gold card:
- How to Root HTC Hero and Install Amon Ra Recovery Image
- How to install a custom rom on a HTC Hero
Hello,
Here are some numbers I've asked my friend to read from system -> about screen. The phone interface is in czech so I am unable to get some names translated to english, but I believe some of the geeks will understand these identifiers and might be able to help me what is best:
Code:
firmware: 1,5
63.118.55.O6U|6.35.04.25
2.6.27-a5504199
Build number: 1.76.405.6 146733 CL# 47214 release-keys
Software version: 1.0.0.A6288
pvdeejay,
to sum it up:
the hero definitly runs on android 1.5. there are no roms for older android versions, and a few homebrewn for newer versions, as we said already.
i searched for talkbalk on my 1.5 rom, so it is obvious that i couldn't find it...
about rooting of newer roms: it is just a matter of time, sooner or later there will be always methods of rooting a rom. what i meant by waiting is: wait until the official update is out, then wait a few more hours until the first rooted and customized rom is out
@pvdeejay,
I would have to agree with kendong2 that waiting for the official ROM is probably the best idea for you at the moment. There are no guarantees that an unofficial ROM would help, and it would be another user interface to try and learn.
@kendon,
I noticed he has the original, easily rooted version of the hero. IIRC, that is what I had on my G2 (and had the security unlocked bootloader out the box). If that's the case, would pvdeejay be able to 'fastboot boot' a full system img file for the purposes of testing it out to see if it meets the requirements.
The reason I ask is that I've only ever fastbooted my AmonRA recovery (I didn't flash it, because I never felt any need to). I'm guessing you could fastboot a full img, but I'm not sure about the practical issues of where it would be stored in memory...
Sorry guys originally I believed I am slowly getting into the matter and am begining to understand how flashing / rooting / upgrading home brew firmwares works on these phones.
After these 2 posts I feel like a total noob again.
Now again some very concrete questions:
What about these 2 guides I've posted links to?
Can I somehow got [Recovery] [13-Dec-2009] RA-hero-v1.5.2 installed so I will be able to do nandroid backup and then possibly flash some new roms?
Can I really brick my phone by trying to install amon ra?
Originally I thought the process works as follows:
1) get the custom recovery image installed (that's the amon ra in this case),
2) do a nandroid backup which will dump everything usefull on to the memory card,
3) backup and reformat the card,
4) download a rom, rename it to update.zip, put it onto the root folder of the cart, reboot the hero in recovery mode, do the wipe of the data partition, and run update,
5) reboot again and believe it's good.
Also some very significant bit is the thing you are all calling the radio. I am afraid I've not identified this bit thus it's missing in this summary.
Which files will I need to download if I decide to try Android 2.1 community edition 1.8? Are these files I've copied links to a few posts earlier both needed?
Can you please check this list, identify the things I am missing, and make suggestions and corrections why this may not work on my device based off of those number I tried to put down here?
Even if I won't be able to do this right now I'd be happy to get corrections as I can learn something new.
Of course I won't be doing all this on my own. I will ask my bro to read all the stuff to me and we'll do it according to your advices.
To give some bits about me and my computer skills, I believe I am a Windows power user, Basically I do also understand unix, I know what's bash how the files are arranged in a file system, can use command-line tools, telnet, ssh. I am working as a network administrator here so some background is there really.
Hi pvdeejay,
Answers to your questions here.
You can actually use fastboot to 'temporarily' load up the AmonRA recovery image into memory and run it from there. I do that on my phone, for the simple reason that I can't be bothered ) ) to flash the recovery. Once you get AmonRA running, the first thing you should do is make a Nandroid backup. It will be saved to your SD card, so then get the nandroid directory of your card and save it to your PC (just in case!)
So, here's how you'd go about this.
(Make sure you have the android sdk installed, and that adb and fastboot commands are working). USB cable should be plugged in throughout.
Before you begin, put the ROM you want (ie. Android 2.1 community edition 1.8) into the root of the microSD card (a .zip file).
Code:
adb devices
Should list your phone's serial number
Now turn off the phone, and turn it on with the back key held down (the one at the very bottom right of the device).
You should enter fastboot mode. Now type
Code:
fastboot devices
and you should see the serial number again.
Now type
Code:
fastboot boot AmonRA.img
where AmonRA.img is a file in your present working directory that is the filename of the latest custom recovery image. This does NOT flash your phone, it merely runs the image (pretty much as close as you get to risk free, other than sitting there with a tinfoil hat on )
See screenshot of the recovery image here:
http://www.sizzledcore.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/RA-hero-recovery-image-500x375.jpg
Make the Nandroid backup by choosing 'Nandroid Vx.x Backup' and waiting a while.
If your ROM needs a wipe first (most new ones do), select Wipe data/factory reset. You will lose all your user data on the device (but you've got a nandroid backup just in case)
You're now good to go. So choose "Apply sdcard:choose zip"
Now select the custom ROM zip file you downloaded. It doesn't even need to be called update.zip! Choose it from the list and push trackball.
Wait for the update.zip to go in. Do NOT turn off the device or pull the battery. First boot can take a very long time (upto 30 minutes). Just keep it plugged in via USB and wait...
As for radios, see http://android.modaco.com/content/h...-24-11-hero-roms-radios-in-update-zip-format/ and look at the section titled radios. The latest one is in bold. It is a .zip file as well, that you use these exact same instructions for to install (don't do the wipe or anything like that. Just install the .zip file)
anon2122 said:
@kendon,
I noticed he has the original, easily rooted version of the hero. IIRC, that is what I had on my G2 (and had the security unlocked bootloader out the box). If that's the case, would pvdeejay be able to 'fastboot boot' a full system img file for the purposes of testing it out to see if it meets the requirements.
The reason I ask is that I've only ever fastbooted my AmonRA recovery (I didn't flash it, because I never felt any need to). I'm guessing you could fastboot a full img, but I'm not sure about the practical issues of where it would be stored in memory...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this is correct so far, i did the same, except i installed the recovery. i play a lot with my phone, the installed recovery image with the nandroid backup is the best i have ever seen for a phone...
@pvdeejay
you always write so much...
i try to answer everything:
the two guides you posted are good for your situation. i never tried flashrec, but from what i read it is safe to use. i installed my recovery image through fastboot, the guide is here: http://android.modaco.com/content/h...ng-the-patched-recovery-image-on-your-device/
i have no idea how this works out for you, but my honest suggestion would be that you have someone seeing assisting you, you CAN brick your phone, though it is not likely if you follow the instructions precisely. the process is not very time consuming at all, so you don't need to bother anyone for days of their time.
edit: and now i read your post to the end and saw that your brother will be helping you, so you are on the right track
once you have the recovery installed you can make nandroid backups, and i would suggest that you do this first thing after installing the recovery, better make a backup too much than one too less...
the 5 steps you described are correct, except there is no need to rename the zipfile anymore, you can select any .zip from your sdcard.
the radio part is the number that begins with 63.18.55.06, then comes two letters and then more numbers. as by now the version can be identified by the letters, with JU being the up-to-date one. in general you can say the newer the better, but you have to try for yourself. start with the newest one, if you have problems go back.
thanks this seems to be pretty doable plus I will easily be able to restore the current data backed using nandroid backup.
Which android SDK do I need the latest one?
The commands I need to type are supposed to be typed on the PC or on the phone? I assume on the PC but I just would like to ensure.
Hero21 1.8 community edition has a recommended radio listed in the first post. Is it necessary to install that one as well? What should I install first the actual rom or the radio? Do I need installing radio at all? Should i do the same with radio i.e. renaming it to update.zip and using amonra to install it?
Also will I be able to use this method even if I install another rom (running amonra without actually flashing it)?
Edit:
sorry guys did not realize renaming to update.zip is no longer needed.
Edit2:
is there an easy way on how to access sd card from windows? I can't just remove the card from phone and insert it into my laptop because I don't have the proper adapter. Previously my boss was using the hero and perhaps it would be nice to backup the sd card first.
Edit3:
uhmmm, installing android sdk is perhaps not as simple as it sounds.
I have just seen this article.
I am on a limited gprs internet connection, can you please suggest sdk features I won't need to save some download bandwith?
- you need only the adb binary (thats adb.exe for windows) from the sdk, the rest is not needed for this.
- install the radio from the 2.1community-rom-thread, it is the newest. install the radio first. DO NOT PULL THE BATTERY until the phone has rebooted completely. if you pull the battery during radio upgrade your phone will be dead. it takes a few minutes, do not panic!
- you can copy the contents of the sdcard via the usb-cable, plug it into your pc and pull down the notification bar...
Do I need to run SDK Setup.exe when I have downloaded android sdk for windows?
Or can I simply run that binary from the command-line without the installation?
Do I need any USB drivers so my phone can be recognized?
To save me "re-inventing the wheel" can any one advise me on the propriety files needed from the N1 to build a custom ROM for it? e.g. libhtc_acustic.so and libhtc_ril.so
I am trying build a ROM from the open source project, so if anyone has advice for me please let me know.
Before you ask, the only reason i am doing this is because i have system apps i want to try on it and they need to be signed with the same key as the shared system uid. If you no a way i can build a ROM from the Nexus to do this please let me know.
Ne0
I don't believe the 2.1 source has hit the AOSP repos yet. So you won't be able to build a complete framework/kernel until that is released.
You could dump your N1 and then just unarchive and resign everything, but it would be a hell of a job I think
I realise 2.1 is not a public resource yet, but i am attempting to roll back to Eclair, just for the purpose of testing my system apps.
I want to resign everything and i dont mind if its a hell of a job!! What do you mean by unarchive? and whats the best way to get a complete dump?
Thanks for your help.
Ne0
Roll back to eclair won't work. The binary blob drivers are tied to a kernel and the kernels are (kinda) tied to the platform releases. So the N1 can only house 2.1 right now (IIRC)
What I was alluding to is that each APK/JAR contains a signature that you want to replace with a sig made by the test keys right?
So if you pulled /system from you're N1 and re-signed each apk and the framework with test keys and pushed that back or made and update.zip holding the re-signed apks (like the theme-makers) you should then be able to test your platform app that is also signed with test keys and a shared UID.
I too would like to know the answer to this.
SilentMobius said:
Roll back to eclair won't work. The binary blob drivers are tied to a kernel and the kernels are (kinda) tied to the platform releases. So the N1 can only house 2.1 right now (IIRC)
What I was alluding to is that each APK/JAR contains a signature that you want to replace with a sig made by the test keys right?
So if you pulled /system from you're N1 and re-signed each apk and the framework with test keys and pushed that back or made and update.zip holding the re-signed apks (like the theme-makers) you should then be able to test your platform app that is also signed with test keys and a shared UID.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SilentMobius said:
I don't believe the 2.1 source has hit the AOSP repos yet. So you won't be able to build a complete framework/kernel until that is released.
You could dump your N1 and then just unarchive and resign everything, but it would be a hell of a job I think
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct ... resigning everything with test keys would enable some1 to test out said system apps (also signed with testkeys) ... but only as a test, as it would not be suitable for everyday ROM use.
Resigning with test keys is trivial (search for it) ... but I'd recommend you use the de-odex'd system (see the nexus1 theme templates in my sig).
The reason this is not a everyday solution is b/c resigning everything with testkeys will break the google checkin process, meaning signing into google and using the market will largely break.
But if this is truly just for some sorta system app test, that shouldn't matter.
Other than that, the OP's question is fairly broad in scope. A question like "how to create a custom ROM for nexus1" ... implies many things and many answers.
~enom~
enomther said:
Resigning with test keys is trivial (search for it) ... but I'd recommend you use the de-odex'd system (see the nexus1 theme templates in my sig).
The reason this is not a everyday solution is b/c resigning everything with testkeys will break the google checkin process, meaning signing into google and using the market will largely break.
~enom~
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks enom, great work. My system apps are just for testing, though it would be handy to make it into a complete ROM so i dont have to keep reflashing when i need to use them. Are you saying that it is not possible to get google checkin working this way? or just that no one has done it yet?
Ne0
Just resigned, sync'd with google, market works and i can install my system apps. All thanks to ~enom~, thanks for posting the deodexed system, saved me a bit of time!
Well hello everyone.
I am an application development student from Belgium.
I am proficient in Java, VB.NET, some c/c++ and also PHP/JS/HTML/CSS
Anyways, my recent interest has been going out to creating custom roms for the galaxy S!
The problem now is though, I was able to find some guides and such, but most were incomplete, and for HTC(and other) devices.
I have no idea what is different between making a ROM for galaxy S or a ROM for an HTC device.
If anyone would like to link me to some good resources that can help me on my way, or would like to collaborate (and in the meanwhile teach me a bit) I would be more than happy! (I am open for collaboration as I am pretty proficient in Java and I'm always happy to code and learn more about coding!)
I think the question is really want you want to do!
Custom ROMs for Android are as simple as using recovery console to replace files on the system with your own versions.
ie. Replace the framework.apk which contains all theme images with your own modified one, which you can use to skin the device. Same for replacing other system apps.
Unfortunately, most of these apps are closed source, so modifying them is difficult. The stock android system has open source versions of most of them though, and you can modify those and build them, and then replace the ones on the device. I'm not entirely sure how to build them up though, but it probably isn't too hard.
Then there are custom kernels, which let you actually change the underlying linux system underneath android - Samsung has an open source version of the kernel available that you can compile, and then flash to your phone using Odin or other tools. Compiling the kernel is pretty tricky though.
Well i'm really talking about stuff like SamSet, MoDaCo, Doc's ROM and others.
I'm not saying I want to create a pro ROM in a day or anything, but i'd really love to learn more to get better (always looking for more stuff to put on the resume, I guess?!)
Thanks a lot,
Kenny
Bump for some help
(sorry for the double post but i'm really eager to learn)
I don't have time to give a detailed response right now. However you will want to read up on yaffs (file system) and odexing/deodexing ROMs.
Thank you I will definately do that,
I am following a guide now to start out creating custom ROMs for android, however it was written for Motorola Droid and I have no idea what you have to do different for a samsung galaxy s.
I am a good coder, even though I say so myself, with a lot of experience. I also have a lot of linux experience, you name it
Only the problem is the old, and much known "where do I get started?"
So if anyone can point me out in the right direction on that, tell me how/where you started out, I would appreciate it greatly!
Thanks!
Very sorry to bump again
I set up my environment in ubuntu today to get started (just gotta fix a few errors, didn't know android wouldn't compile on java 1.6, only on 1.5)
Anyways, still need some help here! thanks!
Again I am awefully sorry for the bump here but i'd really like some help.
Note that i'm not a newbie at coding whatsoever and i'm not unfamiliar with some hardcore java, c/c++ and other languages, I'm just having trouble getting started when it comes to modding an existing android release (there are tutorials on HTC and other devices but some methods do not apply to the galaxy S)
If you're trying to create a ROM from scratch then unfortunately you're out of luck at the moment. No one has really managed to do so yet. By "from scratch" I mean the Android Open Source Project (i.e. official Android git repository).
What you can do is grab an existing firmware. Extract the contents, de-odex the apks, modify them or add new apks, optionally you can also compile a custom SGS kernel using Samsung's kernel source. Then you can re-odex the ROM, pack it back up and distribute it.
There's no real "starting place" as such and you won't yet find any tutorials about how to create SGS ROMs. Just give it a go and see where you get.
Yes, I do mean creating a ROM from stock samsung firmware, of course.
So my next logical question would be now:
How do I go over extracting contents from the existing samsung firmware, de-odexing and so on?
Any links/guides/tips are greatly appreciated, as long as they are applicable to this cell phone and not totally crap, thanks!
Samsung uses rfs, I think you should know. There is a thread somewhere in this forum regarding extracting .rfs file. Understood you need Debian though.
For some readup, go search for a famous guy named JesusFreke. Tons of materials...
Hope that from here onwards, this can lead you on, and to find out more. Google is your friend too...
I'm afraid my biggest problems already occur in setting up the environment, so it's really the very beginning that gets me stuck, i'm sure coding would be a bikeride compared to setting up the environment for me (i'm no hero in linux,not at all, i'm afraid)
How the hell do I get from point A (being downloading the full source) to point B (starting to create a custom ROM?)
thanks
of course if anyone has the time, and wants to, you can PM me your msn or something, if anyone is up to it
Raykoid666 said:
I'm afraid my biggest problems already occur in setting up the environment, so it's really the very beginning that gets me stuck, i'm sure coding would be a bikeride compared to setting up the environment for me (i'm no hero in linux,not at all, i'm afraid)
How the hell do I get from point A (being downloading the full source) to point B (starting to create a custom ROM?)
thanks
of course if anyone has the time, and wants to, you can PM me your msn or something, if anyone is up to it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed completely! Getting a full cross-compilation to Samsung's Android going is seriously difficult! There have been some promises for tutorials and guides for setting things up though, but none have appeared yet. Probably because it's hard!
Well thank you for agreeing with me on that.
I am really hoping for anyone that can help me out here, either on here or in private, and give some detailed instructions on how to get started.
Hell there is enough information on creating roms alread, deodexing, adding/removing apps etc etc etc... The real problem lies in setting everything up properly.
I think I have gotten to the point where I'm compiling the android source (without samsung specific files)
note i'm saying "i think i am compiling" because i'm hoping it won't error out on me again after an hour of compiling!
But once that is done... I have no idea where to go next, where to get the samsung specific files, or what to do with them whatsoever once i have them
thanks!
Android generic source won't actually help you much. Samsung has made a huge number of changes to it, and while it is all open source, backporting their changes to get your stock source running on the phone is a major undertaking. I believe cyanogenmod was actually working on this, but it seems without much success so far.
What the other rom makers you see are doing is taking a snapshot of a running rom, copying over all of the APKs and the files on a running device, and then tweaking those. ie. Opening up framework-res.apk and changing the image files inside.
The update.zip roms that are what most people are doing are really just using the Android recovery to replace files on the phone with their own versions. Since the underlying system is linux, and everything is a file, this actually works pretty well.
The kernel development effort is completely separate from the rest of the system though, and Samsung has provided the entire source tree that just has to be compiled. I'm a bit stumped myself on all the details of setting it up, but I have seen some threads on this forum about it, and it didn't seem too bad to set up. Apparently you shouldn't use the codesourcery toolchain though, or something. Not too clued up on it, sorry. Hopefully someone with the details can chime in, or give us a link to the old post on it (I'm failing to find it using the search function! )
Alright sounds good!
So these recovery files you are talking about (the contents of /system) how do i retrieve those from a base ROM such as JM7 or the likes after a clean flash?)
Raykoid666 said:
Alright sounds good!
So these recovery files you are talking about (the contents of /system) how do i retrieve those from a base ROM such as JM7 or the likes after a clean flash?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root your phone, zip them up onto the sdcard, and then copy them off.
There are probably better methods, but this works fine.
Also, with credits to Unhelpful, he has told me that the correct toolchain to be using is 'uClibc or eglibc toolchain with ct-ng'. I have no idea what to do with that yet, but it's a start.
RyanZA said:
Root your phone, zip them up onto the sdcard, and then copy them off.
There are probably better methods, but this works fine.
Also, with credits to Unhelpful, he has told me that the correct toolchain to be using is 'uClibc or eglibc toolchain with ct-ng'. I have no idea what to do with that yet, but it's a start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't even need to root your phone to pull /system Ryan
adb pull /system <random folder>
is all you need ^^
Alright thank you, I managed to get all the /system files using abd pull /system
now next thing up would be de-odexing right, before I go editing stuff?
Now before I go de-odexing. Can anyone tell me what exactly de-odexing is and why I need it?
and what do I need to do to create an update.zip again?
thanks a lot all!
Tayutama said:
You don't even need to root your phone to pull /system Ryan
adb pull /system <random folder>
is all you need ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha cool, didn't know you could pull whole folders!
Raykoid666 said:
Alright thank you, I managed to get all the /system files using abd pull /system
now next thing up would be de-odexing right, before I go editing stuff?
Now before I go de-odexing. Can anyone tell me what exactly de-odexing is and why I need it?
and what do I need to do to create an update.zip again?
thanks a lot all!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The apk files in Android are odexed - that means they have a special index applied for dalvik that speeds them up somehow! I don't know how, I haven't checked how it actually works.
The important point is though:
odexed is faster, but you can't edit it because of signatures or something technical
deodexed means you can change it however you want
More useful info can be found from google - lots of it!
update.zip is easy - it's a zip file in a special format that can be understood by Android's recovery console. The easiest way to do it is to grab an existing update.zip and modify it as needed. Tayutama has millions of em around, so use his!
Then you need to sign it once you're finished with it so that the SGS will accept it. Samsung made a boo-boo and didn't disable the test keys for the 2.1 SGS firmwares. That makes it easy!
http://www.londatiga.net/it/how-to-sign-apk-zip-files/
Just use the test keys to sign it, and then copy it to /sdcard/update.zip and reboot into recovery and it'll work.
NOTE: This is a thread for the build devs.
Users who want to try this solution themselves should head over to TheAgent1982's thread: RTL Support Project, or go to the Hebrew guide at htcaddicts.com.
Update: Hey devs. Just so you'd know, we're even willing to do the framework.jar patching for you!
All we ask from you is to deodex your builds, and include the patched framework.jar (which appears to be almost the same for all builds, barring sense/non-sense differences).
PM if you're willing to let us help
Hey devs
First of all, thanks to all the devs who are doing a great work with everything!
There's one thing though that's a pox on all Android builds (even native android devices), and that is full-on right-to-left support. What do I mean?
Sure, there are Hebrew (and I assume Arabic) fonts in Android, and MOST applications work just fine, with the notable exceptions of Gmail, Google maps, and most native Google-apps, who all display Hebrew backwards.
A far more stressing issue, however, is that ALL android applications without exception display numbers backwards in right-to-left texts (so 10 becomes 01, 12 becomes 21, etc. It can get really confusing really fast).
Any way, there exists a solution for both these problems that can USUALLY be fixed with a medium amount of experience on native Android devices, but requires a bit of a hassle for HD2 owners.
Hopefully, you devs can incorporate this fix to future releases, once the fixed files are obtained it shouldn't be too hard to spread in the future.
Here's the process:
BTW, This only works on completely deodexed builds!
First, you have to download this zip file. It basically contains the fixed files and some other stuff you devs probably won't need.
The fix then involves extracting 'framework.jar' from the phone, and extracting the 'classes' file thusly:
Code:
java -jar baksmali-1.2.2.jar -o classes classes.dex
Then, in the subsequently created "classes" folder, you need to replace the files in "/classes/android/graphics/" and "classes/android/text" with the relevant files in the aforementioned zip file (from the corresponding folders, of course, under "files/froyo/")
After that is done, you need to re-create 'classes.dex' using:
Code:
java -Xmx512M -jar smali-1.2.2.jar classes -o classes_new.dex
Then, replace the old 'classes.dex' in 'framework.jar' with the new one (after renaming it back to 'classes.dex', of course), and push the new and fixed 'framework.jar' back to the phone.
Reboot, and voila: full-on Left-to-Right support!
I'm sure you devs have far better ways of including these fixed files without having to edit the entire thing every time, but what would I know?
We would be extremely appreciative to all you builds devs if you could incorporate those fixed 'classes' files in future builds, it'll save us a ton of work.
Also, if any of you guys also need volunteers for beta-testing this solution (as I'm sure you don't have Hebrew content to test it with), feel free to PM me.
Thank you for listening, and keep up the great work!
((PS, thanks to member silverbluem who helped simplify the process))
+1
i use the htc sense to read sms so
the msg wont appear word4 word3 word2 word1
+1 for that. although i am using bifbif ver 1.2 with CM6 and its OK here.
i've test it on Mdj Evolution 2.3 and it work perfect:
i never copied the files to /graphic only to /text folder
to put the Framework.jar in the device because we dont have recovery mode
use this commands:
to pull the file:
adb pull system/framework/framework.jar
install the attached files
adb push (your file location/framework.jar) system/framework/framework.jar
after putting the file restart the device
restart might take 5-10 min first run after applying the file
thanks
silverbluem said:
i've test it on Mdj Evolution 2.3 and it work perfect:
i never copied the files to /graphic only to /text folder
to put the Framework.jar in the device because we dont have recovery mode
use this commands:
to pull the file:
adb pull system/framework/framework.jar
install the attached files
adb push (your file location/framework.jar) system/framework/framework.jar
after putting the file restart the device
restart might take 5-10 min first run after applying the file
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This sure does absolve us of needing to use Linux and needing all that messy system.ext2 stuff. I'll give it a try.
Still, it'd be nice to have these updated files already incorporated into future builds.
Ambious said:
This sure does absolve us of needing to use Linux and needing all that messy system.ext2 stuff. I'll give it a try.
Still, it'd be nice to have these updated files already incorporated into future builds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
still need to figure out how to replace the graphic file
cause the view is not perfect without it...
Ambious said:
Edit: I tried this method, and while it DID boot, the solution didn't work - numbers still backwards, Google applications still reverse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what rom are you using?
EDIT: the only thing that need to change to you is the phone book is now need to be RTL and the number backwards
Gmail need the Graphic file
silverbluem said:
what rom are you using?
EDIT: the only thing that need to change to you is the phone book is now need to be RTL and the number backwards
Gmail need the Graphic file
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My WM rom is OzDROID2.0, my Android rom is MDJ FroyoHD 3.7
Well, the phone book was never a problem for me, only hybrid text/numbers like in text messages etc.
Anyway, turns out I didn't modify framework.jar correctly, so I tried again using the script, and this time the phone just won't boot (like when I used Linux, it just hangs at boot screen).
Edit: Tried all day, all combinations of 'texts' files and with or w/o the 'graphics' file, and it always either just didn't fix anything (when I did the fix manually), or didn't boot at all (when I tried the script). This got me to conclude that I must not be doing it right, or else it would fail to boot for me as well (at least, I'm not even considering me being able to totally fix it myself )
Not a week ago, i was referred to the Samsung Galaxy S's newest ROM which came from Orange..
The rom includes (to my understanding) all the latest fixes regarding left to right text and even a hebrew version of Swype
It is easily retrievable. Obviously, it isn't legal to extract their work and use it to manutfacture a widespread ROM... but you can use it for personal use if you want to check how to fix that annoying hebrew thing.
+1000
Thanks
nir36 said:
Not a week ago, i was referred to the Samsung Galaxy S's newest ROM which came from Orange..
The rom includes (to my understanding) all the latest fixes regarding left to right text and even a hebrew version of Swype
It is easily retrievable. Obviously, it isn't legal to extract their work and use it to manutfacture a widespread ROM... but you can use it for personal use if you want to check how to fix that annoying hebrew thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It COULD be used to reverse engineer some of the stuff, but I doubt it's similar enough to the HD2 builds to use it.
+1
Thanks
Hebrew RTL Support
For those who are asking, i have made a working framework.jar , time ago.
It is working for most FROYO Sence, CM6.+ does not need it...
BUT NOT Desire HD Sence ( Because is is odex files, not only *.jar).
If needed i will upload it, and put a tutorial how to make it work...
Good Day!
RTL HEbrew
Please do that !
Thanks
Framework.jar
Tomorrow i will post the file with short tut how to put it, i must say that Ambious bring a good tut directly from iAndroid
Any way, Ambious, if i will upload the file please stick it to 1st page.
For now, good night...
This fix is a must for all RTL language users.
As mentioned, CM6+ already includes the fix and is working pretty good!
Problem is, for some reason, CM6 builds are rare...
I tried a few Sense builds but eventually i came back to a CM6 based build
because of it's support for RTL languages.
Devs, please include this fix in you builds, to make them as much accessible
as possible.
Thanks.
TheAgent1982 said:
Tomorrow i will post the file with short tut how to put it, i must say that Ambious bring a good tut directly from iAndroid
Any way, Ambious, if i will upload the file please stick it to 1st page.
For now, good night...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I sure will!
Thank you
However, as a Sense user myself, I'm pretty anxious to see if a fix can be applied to any of the Sense builds (especially DesireHD, which is my current build).
Well Organized Post
I have made well organized post for it:
RTL Support Post.
I must say, it will NOT Work for Desire HD for now, because it is ODEX and jar combined, and as you have read at iAndroid, for now there is NO solution for it,
and i do not have the experience and time to learn and convert it, since i am a student.
But i will give it a try between the semesters...
Hey,
The HD2 Desire HD builds are fully deodexed.
Froyo HD 3.7 for example: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=795914
Maybe you could use them for preparing a RTL fix for when the deodexed desire HD ROMS come and for us HD2 android users.
Cheers.
It may be my semi-n00bness, but all my attempts to create a fix for DesireHD 3.7 failed.
Also, trying the supplied fix in the thread above on MDJ Sense Clean (non HD based) failed, wouldn't boot.
Hopefully someone can get it to work, and better yet - that the devs will incorporate those fixes in their builds.
My tablet was runnin dexter mod 1.4 with all the patches, buy always had problems with the sd card and the usb thumb and I also had problems running some applications. Right now my A7 is running [mod] update04-19 patched market + google apps and my tablet is working almost perfect. I think this mod is better that dexter mode.
I hope everybody use this mode in their tablets.
Thanks Bestialbub for your great job.
i jus got my elocity a7
i tried to mod mine with the dexter mod 1.41 and mines wont work,
1st- i download the file didn't unzip it then i sent it to the SD card and rename it "update.zip".
2nd- i did the factory wipe/reset then i select to wipe all data
3rd- i select update.zip but i notice an message saying( E. can't read from SD card). i dont know if that is apart of the mod or what.
4th- when it is finish then i select reboot option and when it is done rebooting i get nothing new. can you help me out are do you know something that i might be doing wrong. i also did do the 1.42 patch aswell didn't work. are is there another mod that you can tell me how to get it.
hasn't been tested for application on dexter's rom, though i don't know of reason they shouldn't work. gapps can be flakey like that; actually, the files are all stock as they come from cyanogen, minus my patched market, which doesn't have any reason not to work on dexter's rom and has nothing to to with the installation of the rest of google applications, including the calendar and text messaging services; i introduced no signature issues else it wouldn't install on stock firmware.
what i can suggest, is that if you're doing this under wiped conditions; is that you need to do a "factory reset" in recovery AFTER applying my gapps update.
if you don't do the factory reset, there will be settings put in place by the provision.apk in dexter's rom (not sure if this has changed in 1.42) that may conflict with the setup of google-apps. it didn't w/ the gapps in v1 i ported from dexters rom in previous tests, but i was going for a vanilla install w/out mixed signatures/versions/dates. provision.apk is generally suggested to be removed when google-apps is intended to be installed, and it is by my installer, but not the changes done in the data folders, which is why the wipe is suggested. i think its role is replaced by the googlepartnersetup.apk, but i could be wrong.
theres also some build prop differences; some unnecessary (gsm provider info), some improved (fingerprint for added apps in addition to patched market and added permissions), and the same ones necessary for apps like skype to run.
sorry if that was too much info. i do that.
EDIT: i reviewed my original post, its step *2B*. i did update it to underline it, and provide explanation for its probable necessity.
bestialbub said:
provision.apk is generally suggested to be removed when google-apps is intended to be installed, and it is by my installer, but not the changes done in the data folders, which is why the wipe is suggested. i think its role is replaced by the googlepartnersetup.apk, but i could be wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SetupWizard.apk replaces "provision.apk".
bestialbub said:
theres also some build prop differences; some unnecessary (gsm provider info), some improved (fingerprint for added apps in addition to patched market and added permissions), and the same ones necessary for apps like skype to run.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Audio fix, which enhances EQUlizer and probably a 10% audio increase, and rotation support for games is another one..
the gsm props were actually very much needed, as Google for a period enabled provider checking, so if no gsm provider was there, you could not activate a google account, so instead of ppl getting lost without MarketEnabler on a clean device, i included it for safety reasons so next time, we're prepared for such checks.. so it all serves a purpose, if you like to know more, XDA has excellent information on those topics.
SetupWizard.apk replaces "provision.apk".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for the tip. i did concede i could be wrong, and you're right, i could find that small detail that setupwizard is known to replace functions for provision.apk. the same posts i'm finding on xda and cyanogenmod don't say anything about googlepartnersetup, however, yet its provided with gapps packages..
i also learn from demonstrated and practiced examples..
demonstrated examples i learned from, including your 1.2 rom shows your remove provision.apk and provide googlepartnersetup.apk, then reverse the decision in 1.4, i ASSUME based on signiture issues you had stated (i generally don't have those as i know i can re-use existing containers without having signature issues).
i also learned/ported from various sdk's, including google's sdk for gapp imports, and neither is required, but what is provided is sdksetup.apk.. me seeing a relation from sdksetup for an sdk/emu android device kinda indicates one might want googlepartnersetup as a counterpart on a physical device. (your 1.4 example does prove that doesn't have to be true).. but the google sdk shows that i don't need setupwizard.apk for google services either.
thought i'd relate, since most the general posted information i've seen on xda and cyanogenmod seem like vague gueses at best. though i suspect the people posting this information aren't necessarily the devs working closely with the files. just hobbists and modders making educated guesses like me.
Audio fix, which enhances EQUlizer and probably a 10% audio increase, and rotation support for games is another one..
the gsm props were actually very much needed, as Google for a period enabled provider checking, so if no gsm provider was there, you could not activate a google account, so instead of ppl getting lost without MarketEnabler on a clean device, i included it for safety reasons so next time, we're prepared for such checks.. so it all serves a purpose, if you like to know more, XDA has excellent information on those topics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was refering to MY gsm provided build prop information, i wasn't ragging on your build prop or rom addons. i followed suit to the gtab tnt modrom and added DIFFERENT gsm provider information than yourself (service provider id, not google client information). but it made no difference in gapps present demonstrated performance as this information DOES NOT (the stuff i provided/borrowed from tntlite) get passed into the android system or database files, as no service provider id is listed when opening marketaccess.apk, as it does on a phone device that does genuinely have this information.
i do concede to the thread discussion, tho, DEXTERS ROM IS THE BEST AND ONLY FULL ROM MOD FOR THE A7 TABLET!!!
my gapps mod is only intended to provide google applications ommitted by the manufacture. nothing more.
thanks for the indirect market patching instructions!
thanks am going to retry and see what happends
bestialbub said:
but it made no difference in gapps present demonstrated performance as this information DOES NOT (the stuff i provided/borrowed from tntlite) get passed into the android system or database files, as no service provider id is listed when opening marketaccess.apk, as it does on a phone device that does genuinely have this information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had the same issues, so i found the trick to be adding it in the boot.img using the default.prop, and it is added during bootup.. but now we're OT! so let's leave it at that.
a7 installation problem
these are the exat message i got (E:can't open/usb/update.zip)
(E:Can't mount USB:update.zip)
then underneath that it say (Finding update package)
then it say (Wait for 5 second)
(Installation time out)
(installation aborted)
(Formatting MISC)
these are all the thing it say during installation
these are the exat message i got was (E:can't open/usb/update.zip)
(E:Can't mount USB:update.zip)
then underneath that it say (Finding update package)
then it say (Wait for 5 second)
(Installation time out)
(installation aborted)
(Formatting MISC)
these are all the thing it say during installation
why post the same thing every 10 minutes?
.............................
demamalu said:
My tablet was runnin dexter mod 1.4 with all the patches, buy always had problems with the sd card and the usb thumb and I also had problems running some applications. Right now my A7 is running [mod] update04-19 patched market + google apps and my tablet is working almost perfect. I think this mod is better that dexter mode.
I hope everybody use this mode in their tablets.
Thanks Bestialbub for your great job.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is not a mod it's the factory firmware with a patch to get market, I don't see in what way it is better than Dexter mod.
kevinppk said:
these are the exat message i got was (E:can't open/usb/update.zip)
(E:Can't mount USB:update.zip)
then underneath that it say (Finding update package)
then it say (Wait for 5 second)
(Installation time out)
(installation aborted)
(Formatting MISC)
these are all the thing it say during installation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When this happen I remove the .zip from file name or just rename the file but most time removing. .zip does the job...