Database Users

Convince me! Benefits of Custom ROMs vs Disadvantage of losing OTA

Hi all
Actually the subject speaks it self but,
As you probably know, after you install a custom ROM, you'll lose OTA eligibility which includes flash support for browser, bug fixes and much more.
Still, I know you'll keep on installing custom ROMs... So Convince me to install a custom ROM...

you lose (I was wrong you get OTA on custom roms) ota but anything OTA is gonna be on this site in seconds

When you are ready to void your warranty then install a custom ROM. What makes you think that these OTA updates won't magically find a place into custom ROMs?
With a custom ROM you get root access. You will never have root access with an OTA ROM, if you know enough about android and how to use root access then that should be enough for you.

henihazbay said:
Hi all
Actually the subject speaks it self but,
As you probably know, after you install a custom ROM, you'll lose OTA eligibility which includes flash support for browser, bug fixes and much more.
Still, I know you'll keep on installing custom ROMs... So Convince me to install a custom ROM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chances are, anything included in an OTA update will be on XDA (by way of custom ROMS) before it hits phones via OTA. For example, multi-touch in the browser was already in Cyanogen's Rom (and possibly others). Sure, maps didn't have it, but only cause Cyanogen didn't enable it yet, posssibly because he figured Google would get to it in a short time anyway, who knows. The patch to enable full access to your memory was here first as well, and (at this time) we still don't know if today's OTA update includes this. Lots of other reasons to root, but if all you're worried about is getting OTA updates, you can stop worrying.

In fairness I've not noticed any performance increase on my Nexus One, since adding the Cyanogen rom on Sunday.
There are a few more apps, some extra options, and a really dodgy multitouch in the browser app, but I have to admit I don't really think it was worth it for me.
Fortunately I've got the nandroid backup of my stock rom, so in a week or so I'll probably restore that and get the OTA updates anyway...

the difference between cooked multitouch and the native one in the OTA is quite noticeable.
rather than estimating the pinch to zoom (like on the Hero/Sense UI) the new 2.1-update1 is extremely accurate zooming where your fingers are placed, as well as being smooth as butter.

Raymond77 said:
In fairness I've not noticed any performance increase on my Nexus One, since adding the Cyanogen rom on Sunday.
There are a few more apps, some extra options, and a really dodgy multitouch in the browser app, but I have to admit I don't really think it was worth it for me.
Fortunately I've got the nandroid backup of my stock rom, so in a week or so I'll probably restore that and get the OTA updates anyway...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this possible? I think once you rooted, you can't get the OTAs anymore

if you are rooted but have stock bootloader and stock rom you can receive OTA updates still, and still install them aswell,

You do know that the features included in the official OTA that just was released a few days ago have already been placed into most of the available ROMs, when you root, you're really not "losing" the ability to get OTAs, you just are losing the ability to get them automatically sent to your phone. It just means you must install then manually, or, i.e, update the ROM your using.
When Flash 10.1 comes, do not worry, it will be in every ROM in a matter of hours. Or even before it is officially released - everything is possible after rooting. Also, after rooting, you are allowed to just do "more". Like have custom trackball colors, Nexus Torch, other apps that require ROOT access - and, for those who like installing different Android Builds, like Sense, that is all possible too.

rooting is more of a warranty issue then anything else.

this should do it look at the bottom 281 megs of free memory

gtrplr71 said:
this should do it look at the bottom 281 megs of free memory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. But free memory is memory not being used for anything, so what's the point? It's an e-peen thing, like the guys who build triple SLI I7 gaming rigs with 12 gigs and use it to run WoW.
But one thing to consider is that an OTA update is generally well tested. Cooked ROMs are frequently not. The current Cyanogen 5.0 "stable" one has gone through three revisions in one day or so to correct for things that would normally be caught in a regression test pass for the "real bits."
The advantages of staying stock is that GOOG, HTC and TMO will have releases processes in place, quality gates for changes to pass, etc that the cooked rom scene does not.
The advantage of going rooted with a custom rom is you get new cool stuff sooner.
So. Root, nandroid and then try it out. If you don't like the result, restore. Done.
I'm running Cyan 5 beta 4. Have not installed the "stable" release build as I'm waiting for the bug churn to slow.

gtrplr71 said:
this should do it look at the bottom 281 megs of free memory
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What software is that?

jabreu203 said:
What software is that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Advanced Task Manager.

Looking over the whole net to get an answer to this question.
What are the benefits of going rooted and installing a custom rom?
There is totally NO answer, cause the answer that EVERYBODY gives "you gain all the benefits of have your phone rooted" is just not an answer. What ar those benefits damn?
I know there's no straight answer, but I am looking for some examples....things that will show me some actual benefits in everyday use. And please dont give me the second most popular answer "you are able to install custom Roms"....
Yes...ok....but I want examples of the benefits of that, too...
(I have rooted my phone and installed Leedroid rom......and still trying to figure out why all that fuzz...)

Theres a whole search engine out there.
You serious? You necro'd a year and a half old thread to ask this?
If you go to any custom rom thread in this forum, you will be given access to a list of features.
Or you could google the rom in question, an example might be "Cyanogenmod features"
This was the second result:
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=Features
You say you have leedroid, which makes me suspect that A: you don't have a Nexus One, and B: You should have read the first post of the thread, where the features of the custom rom are included
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=842802
Rooting gives you all the features of the custom rom you choose to install. Every rom has it's own set of features, which may explain why there is no single 'answer' you are looking for.
Rooting without installing a custom rom limits you to extra features like Nandroid back ups, and things like setCPU.

thanks for taking the time to reply. I figured that I was on a wrong phone thread only after I posted (I have HTC desire). I guess I have to spend some time with my rooted+rom phone to understand the real benefits myself.

henihazbay said:
So Convince me to install a custom ROM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like you are just lazy to me. You don't want to go read up like everyone else did. I say stick w/ stock rom so you don't make another thread that asking to convince you to go to a particular rom or just a bunch of random questions that are in stickies.

If you don't root, you don't get the 'H'!! LOL
If you ask everyone the forum, why they rooted their phone, 1/2 will not know why.
Some, surprisingly, believe they need to root their phone to get the 'H' to get faster internet speed.
Some believe their 'stock, non-rooted' phone always gets 'H' and that is how it comes from the store.
Some believe that if you root your phone, it will transform into a power ranger.

There are 2 reasons to root your phone as I see it
To access hardware you otherwise couldn't
To extend the life of your device by installing the latest/greatest custom ROM
For example, a stock N1 without root access can not utilize trackball wake, so if that is important to you, gain root access to the phone.
Also, the N1 is getting a little long in the tooth by smartphone standards and Google will presumably stop pushing updates one day. So if Android v5.0 is important to you, you will need root access to install CyanogenMod 9, which might help you squeeze more functionality from the phone.
The rest is software stuff. Notification power widgets, overclocking, toggle GPS via software are all dependent on root. But these things are just "niceties" and aren't necessarily limiting your hardware, IMO.

before updating radio, looking for clarification

ive read, re-read, and read again how to go about updating the radio to the newest version to be able to flash 2.2 roms. although the instructions are clear, is there a second set, or clearer set available? i just want to make sure im 100% clear about what im doing before i do it. im not new to flashing roms (did it on my moto droid) just never did something that had the potential to brick my device.
secondly, how easy is it to handle all of this on a macbook? my pc doesnt recognize my phone when i plug it in, but my macbook does so i'd be doing this from that laptop.

...
My 2 cents ... wait for the official OTA to come out and then wait a little more for unrEVOked to enable root.
If you are concerned with bricking then I certainly wouldn't go through all the pain, suffering and risk just to install a prerelease radio (which is fairly old, by the way) and then to install beta releases. These forums are now littered with people posting bugs (which no one will fix ... because its a beta/prerelease ROM) and posting workarounds ... but the BEST workaround is to just wait for the actual release instead of playing around here.

jdmba said:
My 2 cents ... wait for the official OTA to come out and then wait a little more for unrEVOked to enable root.
If you are concerned with bricking then I certainly wouldn't go through all the pain, suffering and risk just to install a prerelease radio (which is fairly old, by the way) and then to install beta releases. These forums are now littered with people posting bugs (which no one will fix ... because its a beta/prerelease ROM) and posting workarounds ... but the BEST workaround is to just wait for the actual release instead of playing around here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Market - fixed
Browser - fixed
Gmail - fixed
Facebook - functional
Exchange - functional
What is it that hasn't been fixed? The performance of my phone on 2.1 versus the performance on 2.2 is greatly noticed. Above and beyond that, the "official" 2.2 release has already been stated, by unrevoked directly, that it will be very difficult to root, due to new security measures put into place.
I mean, the walk-throughs that are available on what to do are about as straightforward as can be, there are not "clearer" directions than the step-by-steps you've already read. I was wary of it too, but honestly, once you perform the steps, you'll look back and think "damn, that was alot of fuss about nothing."

Ugh
That's why I said it was my 2 cents.
I stand by my belief ... we now have a forum which is devastated by posts of leaked beta OTA's, people posting bug reports on leaked beta OTA's, people posting solutions to bug reports on leaked beta OTA's, and then the king of them all ... people cooking custom roms based on leaked beta OTA's (which then, in turn creates posts on bugs on cooked roms based on leaked beta OTA's ...).
While this is all well and good, once the OTA comes out *IF IT IS ROOTABLE* what use will any of the beta roms be (or the posts they spawned). The answer is none. While that is ALSO well and good (since this is a dev site), we have a decent amount of people bricking because the steps involve upgrading the radio ... to a beta no less and THAT is where the risk/reward equation is out of whack on this whole exercise.
SO ... I am simply saying, in response to the OP, that the fairly complicated steps and the inherent risk in upgrading the (beta) radio to get the (beta) OTA; may be outweighed by the fact that an OTA will be around the corner and will probably be infinitely less risky for the payoff. The only way there is no payoff is if it can't be (ultimately) rooted.

Thanks for the post, and the answers. I had thought that staying on 2.1, ignoring the OTA 2.2, and wait for the rooted 2.2 to be released before installing it would make things easier. I guess I was wrong.

I installed the new roms without the ota. Camcorder is broken but everything else works.. no risk that way
Sent from my Incredible using XDA App

[Q] To flash or not to flash (Stock ROM to CM7 alpha)

For those who have tried, is the CM7 alpha worth replacing the stock Glacier ROM? What are the benefits over the current stock HTC Sense ROM? What's missing or not quite there?

Wrong Section, good question though
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

Cm7 nightlies - no longer CM7 alpha
It's true that this is probably the wrong section and I'm a noob too but before they bring in the new rules about minimum postings in the developer section, I'll throw in my ten cents.
Background:
US T-Mobile version of Mytouch4G and had no reason to be unhappy with the stock Rom but just love to scratch an itch and see what happens.
In the pursuit of seeing what happens I successfully rooted the phone to the point of permanent S=off (but not complete unlock as I have no need for that yet)
and over the course of the last few weeks systematically installed and tested three of the froyo builds/ports available on this forum.
Each have their strengths and weakness which are clearly listed so I wont catalogue the details I'll just say the following:
It's a lotta lotta fun! there was a geek in me waiting to get out and I finally see what the true potential is with this platform (android) - It's probably unlimited.
Aside from the philosophical point of wanting to have the freedom to do whatever with and put whatever you want on the device, that rooting facilitates (I’m a veteran of two generation of iphones), there is also that practical point that rooting does unlock the full potential of the device available right now which includes a host of apps already on the market only for rooted devices.
I don’t want to go into all those possibilities here because they are covered in detail in any google search but let’s just say that once you’re on the other side of the proverbial fence, the grass really is greener.
I know I’m being vague at this point, but let me continue a little longer.
Having also owned a number of windows based htc devices through 2005-2008 I’m no stranger to htc sense and some of the useful little gadgets that they seem to have evolved to a fairly decent level in android and I’ll say this:
Take away the surface veneer which is not as bad in the MT4G as in some others (bloatware) and you find that the meat and potatoes of the platform/operating system is all android.
And it runs MUCH better without the crap. – forget about overclocking (which helps and is fun) loose the veneer and the device flies.
And what you lose in the process – a couple of apps – you replace immediately with comparable ones for free down at the market.
So – phone runs better, can do more, has a host of better looking ui’s and themes that all the talented developers on this forum are constantly pushing out – then what about the risks?
I haven’t had a single hitch – not one.
I’m as impulsive as the next guy but I just took it steady with the information overload – carefully rooted the phone and from there, flashing one rom after another has become no more complicated than booting into recovery – case closed.
It’s become second nature.
And I’ve had to do a double take once or twice when something didn’t play out exactly as described but I’ve discovered that I had overlooked a detail here and there and it’s an easy fix.
Point being that there are constant warnings and disclaimers for obvious reasons, but my device at least has turned out to be very hardy – no scares here.
So finally, I’ve been eyeing developments in the gingerbread camp like everyone else and I’ve been wary of the alpha builds because my zero level of expertise keeps me from playing in that league and I see early this morning that an official CM7 release is out for my model the glacier.
At first I run I into problems flashing Clockworkmod to 3.0 and even try to flash the rom and boot from 2.5 with the predictable conclusion of a stuck boot loop all the while not really knowing what to expect from this ginger hype and whether it’s really worth the trouble of leaving my now very stable cooked froyo rom.
Someone then creates the thread a few lines up describing how to simply use rom manager to install the update for CWM 3.0 and at 2am I’m on my way.
I flash the rom and install the additional google apps and what do I find?
GINGERBREAD IS **** HOT!
Nuff said.
I won’t be overclocking it as a rule but I get 2805 on quadrant – previous high being in the 2500’s (each chip is actually different so I’ve heard that everyones score will vary)
The device has no lags, splutters, and runs quite literally incredibly.
and the look and feel of gingerbread? – I’ll add to what I said earlier – it’s amazing – it’s a moving graphical, visual feast.
It will seriously rain on apple’s parade when this thing hits the main stream and I think quite honestly that it’s the greatest mobile device operating system ever created.
I know I’m gushing but it really is that good and considerably more impressive than froyo while having the same core navigation and other functionality.
I won’t be going back.
I won’t endorse taking risks with your device but I’ll say it’s worth taking a look.
A few afterthoughts for those asking the questions:
There is a brand new version of the market packaged with the 20110115 version of the larger gapps file floating around on this forum – it also rocks!
Although most apps available on the market have not yet been updated for gb 2.3, they all work so far on my machine with one or two unimportant exeptions.
I’ve replaced all sense functionality with free apps off the market – no loss there.
The device runs smoothly and all functionality is tested and working in the latest release - great job guys doing the work here.
Long and the short of it being …it’s all good.
hope that helps.

Definitely worth a flash to try yourself. I mean it's CyanogenMod so how could it not be good?
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

matkam said:
For those who have tried, is the CM7 alpha worth replacing the stock Glacier ROM? What are the benefits over the current stock HTC Sense ROM? What's missing or not quite there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would be very surprised at how extremely stable these roms are. I've been running them for a few weeks now and they're definitely stable enough to be your daily driver.
The main thing to consider is that Sense is a highly customized ROM while CyanogenMod is based on Pure Google with some additional configurations available.
Try it out, it's pretty easy to go back if you don't like it. For a while there I was nandroiding back and forth between Sense and CM6 about twice a week, lol.

CM7 some after thoughts
Continuing from my earlier post, I thought I would head off a few questions about observable differences in gingerbread - well the CM7 incarnation:
Android market loads and populates faster.
The wireless radio picks up signals/networks faster and connects gracefully and quickly.
All aspects of the functionality of the whole system and each individual app seems to be smoother and more efficient.
Youtube no longer has that annoying glitch coming out of landscape.
My new 16bg class 6 mini sdhc card finally works and no longer gives me the blank card or damaged card bull crap every time I unmount or remount from usb mode – didn’t expect that one and had resigned myself to going back to the stock 8gb card it shipped with.
The app drawer pops out at you in what seems like 3d while leaving the background wallpaper intact. – so the app drawer just floats while you scroll through it.
Every aspect of the device and systems are customizable – I mean everything – probably in part due to the efforts of the CM7 team.
The stock gingerbread phone dialer app is changed for the better and is obviously one of many enhancements including the ability to program your sip (voip) settings straight into the phone doing away with third party apps altogether to make or receive calls (if you’re into voip)
You’ll have to dig around to find the .apk for the stock car/navigation mode app and I solved that riddle by downloading the free android app(car home) from the market and also installing a third party app (car mode control) which is used to launch it – I’ve been lazy and haven’t investigated yet whether it’s actually necessary to have the go between, but it works.
and swype, if you want it, can be downloaded direct from the guys that developed it at the beta.swype page (wasn't allowed to post the link) - by simply registering to test the latest beta, which is better than in the stock MT4G rom.

Someone report the first post to have this moved.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Whosdaman said:
Someone report the first post to have this moved.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't realize it had to be reported. I always assumed that because you're a mod you can do whatever the hell you want.

Well in your case just pick current RC fork from repository and use it normally you don't have to wait for the SR fork. Unless you are dev I don't see why you would want to flash it every night unless you understand basic and even in that case weekly might be fine. I been there done that as flashing new rom everyday as it came down the pipe I tried few CM7A few times let the dev do more work as ill make that my rom when SR is out, ATM have IGv1.1.6 as I flashed it this afternoon.

matkam said:
For those who have tried, is the CM7 alpha worth replacing the stock Glacier ROM? What are the benefits over the current stock HTC Sense ROM? What's missing or not quite there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you thought your phone was fast out of the box, this is faster. If you thought it was a bit laggy (like me), it's like getting a brand new phone.
Also, having better experiences with CM7 GB on MT4G than I ever did on my Nexus S. This is saying a lot.

ZeroSX said:
Also, having better experiences with CM7 GB on MT4G than I ever did on my Nexus S. This is saying a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same for me. Such a smoother experience all around.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

I just flashed & I must say it is a much smoother expericence. I love it & its not even a stable build.

matkam said:
For those who have tried, is the CM7 alpha worth replacing the stock Glacier ROM? What are the benefits over the current stock HTC Sense ROM? What's missing or not quite there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this your first Android phone? Have you ever played with a Pure Google Experience Android phone? If you're nervous about the CM7 builds, try CM6. Easier to flash since you don't need to manually flash the recovery and it will give you a feel for CyanogenMod and the Pure Android feel.
Think of the G2, that comes with plain Android right out of the box. Go to a T-mobile store and poke around with it to see if you like it.

I simply cannot stand the HTC Sense stuff... Personal preference.
I had CM6.1 for a couple weeks and I am VERY happy with it. I am waiting another week or so to start using the CM7 builds just because I have been too busy with other stuff.

neuralboy said:
It's true that this is probably the wrong section and I'm a noob too but before they bring in the new rules about minimum postings in the developer section, I'll throw in my ten cents.
Background:
US T-Mobile version of Mytouch4G and had no reason to be unhappy with the stock Rom but just love to scratch an itch and see what happens.
In the pursuit of seeing what happens I successfully rooted the phone to the point of permanent S=off (but not complete unlock as I have no need for that yet)
and over the course of the last few weeks systematically installed and tested three of the froyo builds/ports available on this forum.
Each have their strengths and weakness which are clearly listed so I wont catalogue the details I'll just say the following:
It's a lotta lotta fun! there was a geek in me waiting to get out and I finally see what the true potential is with this platform (android) - It's probably unlimited.
Aside from the philosophical point of wanting to have the freedom to do whatever with and put whatever you want on the device, that rooting facilitates (I’m a veteran of two generation of iphones), there is also that practical point that rooting does unlock the full potential of the device available right now which includes a host of apps already on the market only for rooted devices.
I don’t want to go into all those possibilities here because they are covered in detail in any google search but let’s just say that once you’re on the other side of the proverbial fence, the grass really is greener.
I know I’m being vague at this point, but let me continue a little longer.
Having also owned a number of windows based htc devices through 2005-2008 I’m no stranger to htc sense and some of the useful little gadgets that they seem to have evolved to a fairly decent level in android and I’ll say this:
Take away the surface veneer which is not as bad in the MT4G as in some others (bloatware) and you find that the meat and potatoes of the platform/operating system is all android.
And it runs MUCH better without the crap. – forget about overclocking (which helps and is fun) loose the veneer and the device flies.
And what you lose in the process – a couple of apps – you replace immediately with comparable ones for free down at the market.
So – phone runs better, can do more, has a host of better looking ui’s and themes that all the talented developers on this forum are constantly pushing out – then what about the risks?
I haven’t had a single hitch – not one.
I’m as impulsive as the next guy but I just took it steady with the information overload – carefully rooted the phone and from there, flashing one rom after another has become no more complicated than booting into recovery – case closed.
It’s become second nature.
And I’ve had to do a double take once or twice when something didn’t play out exactly as described but I’ve discovered that I had overlooked a detail here and there and it’s an easy fix.
Point being that there are constant warnings and disclaimers for obvious reasons, but my device at least has turned out to be very hardy – no scares here.
So finally, I’ve been eyeing developments in the gingerbread camp like everyone else and I’ve been wary of the alpha builds because my zero level of expertise keeps me from playing in that league and I see early this morning that an official CM7 release is out for my model the glacier.
At first I run I into problems flashing Clockworkmod to 3.0 and even try to flash the rom and boot from 2.5 with the predictable conclusion of a stuck boot loop all the while not really knowing what to expect from this ginger hype and whether it’s really worth the trouble of leaving my now very stable cooked froyo rom.
Someone then creates the thread a few lines up describing how to simply use rom manager to install the update for CWM 3.0 and at 2am I’m on my way.
I flash the rom and install the additional google apps and what do I find?
GINGERBREAD IS **** HOT!
Nuff said.
I won’t be overclocking it as a rule but I get 2805 on quadrant – previous high being in the 2500’s (each chip is actually different so I’ve heard that everyones score will vary)
The device has no lags, splutters, and runs quite literally incredibly.
and the look and feel of gingerbread? – I’ll add to what I said earlier – it’s amazing – it’s a moving graphical, visual feast.
It will seriously rain on apple’s parade when this thing hits the main stream and I think quite honestly that it’s the greatest mobile device operating system ever created.
I know I’m gushing but it really is that good and considerably more impressive than froyo while having the same core navigation and other functionality.
I won’t be going back.
I won’t endorse taking risks with your device but I’ll say it’s worth taking a look.
A few afterthoughts for those asking the questions:
There is a brand new version of the market packaged with the 20110115 version of the larger gapps file floating around on this forum – it also rocks!
Although most apps available on the market have not yet been updated for gb 2.3, they all work so far on my machine with one or two unimportant exeptions.
I’ve replaced all sense functionality with free apps off the market – no loss there.
The device runs smoothly and all functionality is tested and working in the latest release - great job guys doing the work here.
Long and the short of it being …it’s all good.
hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Where did you see a link for an official CM7 release for this phone?!?!

Q.Entity said:
I simply cannot stand the HTC Sense stuff... Personal preference.
I had CM6.1 for a couple weeks and I am VERY happy with it. I am waiting another week or so to start using the CM7 builds just because I have been too busy with other stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know that's how I felt when I bought the phone. I kept thinking about returning it for a G2 just to get plain Android. Ironically, by the time I finally rooted my phone and flashed CM6, Sense had grown on me to the point that I kept nandroiding back and using it by choice. Ha!
Now I've been on cm7 for a few days and I'm pretty happy with it.

CM7 official nightlies
I can't post a link out but the link to the CM7 builds is usually towards the top of the mytouch 4G Android Developement forum page.
It's constantly being updated and it looks like the latest build takes care of a number of little issues including swype, google car home and maybe the apps pack too

To those voting not to flash, have you tried CM7? What's keeping you from being happy with it?
I just flashed it myself and am pretty happy with it. The experience is much more consistent than the stock Sense ROM, gingerbread is really fast/smooth, and CM7 adds a lot of options for customization. Wifi isn't working though.

matkam said:
To those voting not to flash, have you tried CM7? What's keeping you from being happy with it?
I just flashed it myself and am pretty happy with it. The experience is much more consistent than the stock Sense ROM, gingerbread is really fast/smooth, and CM7 adds a lot of options for customization. Wifi isn't working though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Reboot for wifi to work.
BTW, CM7 is slick as an iced glacier.
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

neuralboy said:
GINGERBREAD IS **** HOT!
Nuff said.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has got to be the biggest fanboism i've every heard on any forum. Gingerbread is not that different from FroYo. It looks the same it feels. it acts the same.
To the OP If you want to flash the most current baked variant of Android then by all means flash away. If not FroYo will serve your needs just fine.

ICS Nightlys

Hi All
Seems to be a bit backward to not be able to post in the development section, but rules are rules I suppose.
I bought a Xoom a couple of months ago and put on Moray on a UK wifi Xoom. Very impressed and jumped onto ICS with the initial ICS release then played about with nightlys up to version twelve today.
OTG still not working for me, it crashes USB watcher OTG as well.
Music app does not get mentioned, but its terrible. Only small icons and no proper options ?
Camera and Mic were not tried as they are obviosly broken due to missing binaries.
It also seems backward to have widgets only on the apps page.
Battery options made the battery read zero, then made it disappear from the tray as well.
Browser does seem slicker, but back to Moray and its not a huge difference to be fair.
Have issues with various Apps. This makes sense as they still need to get up to speed with ICS. But it does concern me when people say its the best thing ever, when nothing can work as advertised. HW videos are hit and miss. I am also sure I read a while back that ICS would be all singing, why do I need a Ext mount app to write to an external card, same as OTG ? I thought that this would be part of the main build ?
So from my own personal experience, its a change, but until you have a full package with working apps, hardware, then I think people need to calm down with their plaudits for ICS.
I think I will leave the nightlys for a while, but it was great to try, and thanks for the guys putting the effort in making/updating these things.

I'm going to say this with as much respect as I can:
You have zero idea what the development section is about with statements like that.
Stick to stock software if you want a device that works as intended.
Development and custom roms always have caveats and pitfalls.
Thanks for stopping by!

Regarding not being able to post in dev section - it's for development only not questions and a lot of new users start new threads and ask a lot of questions! It makes sense the way it s.
You have to remember that these are alpha builds which are not supposed to be complete or fully working. A lot of devs wouldn't even put these out at this stage because of instability issues. But I am SOOO glad that the EOS team have decided to share these awesome ICS build with us because it may take weeks or even months to get to a full build release or an official Moto release. I know you aren't trying to bash the devs but I have to disagree with your opinions. I love ICS so far. It's fast, fluid and looks great.
Agreed with the widget option. Think the HC way was better but it's a minor issue compared to the speed improvements.
In essence though, I think if the full product is what you want you should stay away from alpha or even beta builds. Stick with full or official releases. Most people who test these roms understand this.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

aside from the camera and the mic i have had zero problems with anything i do on the xoom on a regular basis.
if it's an alpha build, it's a hell of an alpha build.
the only thing was it took me a bit to get all the gapps working and to the most current versions

Hi
Well my point was I don't have to be a Dev to know when things are not working. OTG is not working, and this is not a statement saying it has to, but merely a way of reporting it.
Nobody has mentioned the battery dissapears if you change the settings.
People seemed to be obsessed with Google Maps working, but since this is a great media player the bugs seem to be getting left out of the threads.
Now I know there is a lot missing, but why no OTG support built in ? Is this just a Motorola thing ?
I think there has to be a devils advocate here, everyone saying its fast is great, but if you are just using this as a browser, then its not a great indication about how good ICS is.
And to the chap who said I had no idea about Dev things, you are 100 % correct. But this is not aimed at anyone doing the nightlys, this is an ICS comparison. I am sure if Motorola release a version of ICS! Then it would get mentioned, how there are also some annoying new things not hardware or nightly release related. As I said the Music player is abysmal, the widgets is hidden away. The apps selector looks smaller, and some other little things.
So all I am trying to say is yes it seems faster, but since its only partly there, and we shrug when things don't work correctly, does not mean that is is the best thing ever. When we have a full version and all the binaries are working, then we will see the real speed ?

xoom68 said:
Hi
Well my point was I don't have to be a Dev to know when things are not working. OTG is not working, and this is not a statement saying it has to, but merely a way of reporting it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tested it but others in the thread have and say it's working.
Nobody has mentioned the battery dissapears if you change the settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's in the official bug tracker.
Now I know there is a lot missing, but why no OTG support built in ? Is this just a Motorola thing ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point the ICS builds are all straight from source so not a moto thing but see above.
So all I am trying to say is yes it seems faster, but since its only partly there, and we shrug when things don't work correctly, does not mean that is is the best thing ever. When we have a full version and all the binaries are working, then we will see the real speed ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's all well and good but if that's the way you think then stay away from alpha and beta builds. If you are only interested in the full working product wait for official release.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

Worst thread ever.

Alpha build!

Thanks for replying.
I don't know what defines a working OTG, but with Moray I used USB Mount watcher and I mounted a 1tb HD no problem. I thought I would not need an app, but no joy. This time when I tried the App it says it was built in. But it hangs at any attempt to identify the HD. Another mount app sees the HD, but can't mount it.
The battery thing I just noticed in the bug tracker, but no one mentioned it in the thread.
No one mentions the poor ICS music player or widgets.
I just see people obsessed with calendar and Google maps ?
And to all saying Alpha Build....considering Motorola never added OTG support to HC, but the custom roms did. My point is who is to say they will add it to ICS. I thought it was supposed to be standard. If people have to Root their device to get OTG and towrite to External SD. We have not come that far forward. And in fact the threads I readprevious to buying a Xoom had people waiting months for updates, are people really expecting a Motorola Ics within the next 6 months. This alpha build will not get any better until there are binaries, soapart from a few settings tweaks, it will stay Alpha for a long time I reckon.
I understand you saying stick to stock, but the built in things to ICS are poorer in relation to HC, I suppose no one mentions things in case they appear to be rude, but I think its better if people know the negatives as well, as it just seems to be people with Ice Cream tinted glasses at the moment

xoom68 said:
I understand you saying stick to stock, but the built in things to ICS are poorer in relation to HC, I suppose no one mentions things in case they appear to be rude, but I think its better if people know the negatives as well, as it just seems to be people with Ice Cream tinted glasses at the moment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again though, this is an alpha build so you cannot expect this to be fully working or all "built in" functions to be bug free.
If the current builds don't work for your daily needs that's fair enough, wait for a more complete build. But you cannot burn ICS on the strengths, or weaknesses, of an alpha build.
Sent from my Xoom using xda premium

Be happy that we are the only tablet that has a ICS build to be bug free enough to be a daily driver for a good portion of users.
(Wifi, GPU acceleration, netflix work perfectly, browser is very much improved)

I can't post in the development section either.
But a thread like this is just the place to boost my post count.
---------- Post added at 08:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 PM ----------
Ten characters.

Honestly, all I can really say to this... one step at a time, one day at a time.
You, as well as others, must understand and respect the fact that the developers here are putting in their own free time and effort to bring us these ROMs and extras, at absolutely no cost to you, the user.
Trying to tear apart tons code that has already been written to troubleshoot, fix problems, and test is hugely tedious and very time consuming.
Right now, I suggest not trying to put the cart before the horse. Simple things like asethetics, minor functionality (I.e. OTG, etc.) that is not crucial to the operation of the device is going to have to wait.
Important parts, like 3G/4G radio functionality, Google apps, video playback - the essentials come first.
Truthfully, I would not waste my time reporting the smaller issues, we know that they are there. When the developers get the foundation built and stable enough to work with, THEN will they ask for help with bug reporting and suggestions and such. No need to overwhelm the developers at this stage of the game.
Just my 2 cents.

xxspark89xx said:
Honestly, all I can really say to this... one step at a time, one day at a time.
You, as well as others, must understand and respect the fact that the developers here are putting in their own free time and effort to bring us these ROMs and extras, at absolutely no cost to you, the user.
Trying to tear apart tons code that has already been written to troubleshoot, fix problems, and test is hugely tedious and very time consuming.
Right now, I suggest not trying to put the cart before the horse. Simple things like asethetics, minor functionality (I.e. OTG, etc.) that is not crucial to the operation of the device is going to have to wait.
Important parts, like 3G/4G radio functionality, Google apps, video playback - the essentials come first.
Truthfully, I would not waste my time reporting the smaller issues, we know that they are there. When the developers get the foundation built and stable enough to work with, THEN will they ask for help with bug reporting and suggestions and such. No need to overwhelm the developers at this stage of the game.
Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for the great work you are doing on this. I can see that it can be slow going but you seem to be making good progress.

Is there a SINGLE rom that will work properly?

Hello XDA'ers.
First let me say that this will be somewhat a post about frustration with Android devices, but it's not meant to be misconstrued as disrespect to those who contribute to the development community. I know you guys work hard at this and I do appreciate your efforts. Your ROMs have been lightyears ahead of what Samsung stock offers.
But with that said, here's my question: is there a single rom that will work properly, is stable, wont crash, etc? I have been through over a dozen different ROMs across two devices, and there's always been something small or large wrong with them. The one I'm using on my i9505 right now is by Antares One and yesterday it decided to show me three or four notifications that "Google Play Services has stopped working" per minute and today none of my SMS messages are being sent.
But it's not limited that, rather, there's always been something or other that the Android ROM didn't like, or I had to find a workaround, or had to completely reflash with something else.
Has anyone experienced this? Why can't Android just be a stable OS? I'm really thinking about switching to a Microsoft phone for my next upgrade.
DJ

Even stock roms have their problems and stability issues. If you look through the Q&A section you'll find several threads about stock rom issues.
It's not Android's fault entirely. It has to do with the phone too. Roms on my device are always stable. Yet another user running the same rom on the same device has various problems.
I am currently running AOSP Marshmallow by the JDCTeam, no problems. Bluetooth works, wifi works, mobile data works, battery is fine (I went to sleep with 70% left and when I woke up 8 hours later it still was at 70%).

the problem here is the impossible fix of many problems by developers..why? many developers are not soft engineer and maybe they dont even know how to program just know how to port and replace files and thats all..a big team for every single phone are just impossible..
so a stable rom will never come..just find the one "flawless" and keep it..
for me the stable roms are not cm..or aosp..stock rom debloated are very stable..like s6 port to s4 and debloated..is a good one

Use stock ROM for stability. Although they are not fast as AOSP but they dont exhibit strange behaviors.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

DJRepresent said:
Hello XDA'ers.
First let me say that this will be somewhat a post about frustration with Android devices, but it's not meant to be misconstrued as disrespect to those who contribute to the development community. I know you guys work hard at this and I do appreciate your efforts. Your ROMs have been lightyears ahead of what Samsung stock offers.
But with that said, here's my question: is there a single rom that will work properly, is stable, wont crash, etc? I have been through over a dozen different ROMs across two devices, and there's always been something small or large wrong with them. The one I'm using on my i9505 right now is by Antares One and yesterday it decided to show me three or four notifications that "Google Play Services has stopped working" per minute and today none of my SMS messages are being sent.
But it's not limited that, rather, there's always been something or other that the Android ROM didn't like, or I had to find a workaround, or had to completely reflash with something else.
Has anyone experienced this? Why can't Android just be a stable OS? I'm really thinking about switching to a Microsoft phone for my next upgrade.
DJ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like GDReaper said in his post. For us those roms run perfectly fine. Sure there are bugs, but most issues are known before you decide to flash the rom. Besides the obvious bugs that are present there is also the user. A lot of problems are caused by inexperienced users. They don't know how to set up their phone, they flash shady apps, or use modifycations of their own (Xposed for example).
Then they come to XDA and provide no usefull information at all. For example:
"The one I'm using on my i9505 right now is by Antares One and yesterday it decided to show me three or four notifications that "Google Play Services has stopped working" per minute and today none of my SMS messages are being sent."
- For example you say you use a rom by Antares One. This gives us no information at all. He has made like 4 roms for the I9505. What build? What android version?
- Google Play Services has stopped working. What gapps package did you use?
- Have you made modifications of your own?
- Are you running an up to date modem and bootloader?
Also keep in mind that if you use for example a MM build that it's a work in progress. It has to be coded from scratch. So surely there will be some bugs, but you will get the latest Android version in return with all the latest security patches.
This post is not intended to flame you in any way. I think most of your frustration comes from the expectations that you have. You cannot expect that a CM based rom will work flawlessly out of the box. It's a work in progress.

This is a very good observation. I was thinking to write this kind of post in december.
A lot of Roms are abandoned or never pass nightly and you have to flash and flash again. Then suddenly all people jump to MM as if the world is ending tomorow. It is hard to find a good rom starting with Lollipop. I see a lot of people crying after KK stability and downgrading.
People are in a hurry, devs too, to flash the newest rom.
I prefer stability. A phone is not a camera, nor a battle field for flashing.. My 2C opinion.

I like custom roms, but sadly i need stability before customisation or performance. The only rom that delivers in this is Stock TW 4.4.2. If you want to go back to Kitkat use the latest firmware for your region.
It's very hard to deliver stability with a custom rom as stability is achieved through manpower, time and resources, which can't be provided through just donations.

Roms are abandoned because people move to other devices at some point.
And you can't stay on the same android version. Most of the roms are built from other sources. Like Resurrection Remix. The developer is wescrip, and he owns an LG device. The version for our S4 is built from his sources by TJSteveMX. If wescrip switched to Marshmallow it's pretty much impossible to for TJ to keep it Lollipop.

DJRepresent said:
(...)Why can't Android just be a stable OS? I'm really thinking about switching to a Microsoft phone for my next upgrade.DJ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a more general answer:
In the Android world there is a huge diversity of devices (--> hardware) and Android versions. The next thing, you have to keep in mind: A lot of vendors and telecommunications companies include their modifications into the ROMs.
I think that due to the availability of new devices each year and all these modifications, which also include the full stop in official updates after 6 months after the release of the device, will lead to unstable (official) ROMs.
The community then tries to update the devices in their spare time to the newest versions. But they have to figure out some special settings and modifications per device. And this is a long way as it seems.
In my opinion, you should not blame the community and the developers. I think, it is more Google or the vendors that can´t agree on a good way to distribute newer Android versions (e.g. a new API layer between OS and Hardware).