I've been pondering for some time that if Android has the most customization on the earth for a Mobile OS why doesn't the rooted community make a rom? All the current roms out there Whether it be Cyanogenmod, MIUI, Sense, Touchwiz, Motoblur, it's all based and still resembles of what the manufacturers or companies have given us. Even though MIUI has a company behind it, it shows that you can use the rooted community to make something great. We have an abundance of Developers, Themers, Idealists, testers, etc. to do something like this.They could design it, port it, test it, and put more ideas forward. Even though I have nothing of value to offer, I was just wondering why this has not been done, so my pondering can stop.
imagine how many phones you would have to port it to
Not trying to be rude or anything, but think about that statement.
He has a point. A ROM alone doesn't do much if the drivers are missing... and those are not generally available unless you sign a deal with the hardware maker, which isn't exactly trivial for opensource projects. I don't really see any other way than what people are doing now: What other way than grabbing the drivers from the previously installed system is there to get anything to run on the actual hardware?
Cimer said:
Not trying to be rude or anything, but think about that statement.
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yeah i know your first post says we have a lot of developers to do it, but porting isnt an easy job. each phone has their own specifications. some phones cant handle what other phones can. and even if you manage to port most of the rom, there are bound to be bugs. and maybe you dont know how many phones we have here on xda. we're talking about all the phones here and here
Well since it's off of AOSP...? I don't see where you're getting this whole making deals with manufacturers. How ever since most brands have been ported to Cyanogenmod it's not impossible.
Also you would not need to port it to those devices. Not trying to exclude people but I'm just going to take Cyanogen's stance...It's been two years, most people have updated to new devices. Also most of those are not even Android..cmon
How else do you want to get the drivers... you either have to take them from the device, which means leaving enough of the system in place that they'll function (which is what CyanogenMod is doing now), or make a deal with the people who have the original drivers. I just don't see any other ways, do you?
Cyanogen does not make deals with manufacturers and it's well Cyanogenmod not Cyanogenmod+motoblur or Cyanogenmod + touchwiz.
Look I know you guys are pessimistic about it, but it's a interesting and real possibility.
Drivers, not frontends. What I mean is Cellphone chipsets, battery stats and so on... they're still there when you install Cyanogenmod, since they can't include their own... I thought that was part of what you meant with "Community ROM", that these "leftovers" from the original system should go. I'm not pessimistic, just confused.
Well you're only confusing your self. It's a straight forward idea..The community designs it's own UI and from there it is dependent on specific devices developers. It's not impossible, It's only as possible as the community makes it out to because this community is very talented.
Ah... you just want to change the frontend, not the "bowels" of the system... sorry, simple misunderstanding. I read "community ROM" and thought you wanted to go further than what Cyanogenmod is doing, essentially building a full working ROM instead of what is essentially a kind of patch for the system already in place...
Sort of..Think MIUI but by the community
Hmm... could you be a little more specific what you think should be part of such an alternative main user interface? For example, should it do away with the widgets concept if it feels inadequate? Or remap controls and so on. Or should it be "just" a launcher and a fancy keylock?
Well that's not up to me to be frank. The reason why I can't be specific is because it's a community rom, not a Cimer rom
There always has to be a starting point and you (hopefully) have some thoughts on this, otherwise you wouldn't have created this thread, right?
For me, it's mostly about the launcher and "Task Switcher" or whatever you want to call it ("Recent Applications"). Lock screens for me serve only a single purpose and any more than that usually gets in the way. For example, if you place a lot information on it, you have to keep the screen on for a longer period, which will eventually drain the battery if you keep the phone in your trouser's pockets.
Well yes...I have thought about it. Through thinking about it I came to the conclusion that I don't know what everyone wants, and how it will work out. Now I could be the starting point, but to be realistic I can't do it by myself I would need the previous mentioned people in my first post, and the community to get this rolling. This could either be revolutionary or it could just be lost in XDA's countless topics. It will also be hard because everyone has something they're working on.
You need to give people something to discuss
OK, then I'll start.
As I said, the core functions for me are home screen and task switching.
Let's start with the launcher.
Launchers fall mainly into two categories:
1. Searcher
2. Finder
A "Searcher" allows the user to specify more and more precisely what he wants to do. This can either be key presses, categories/labels or anything really that asks the user for traits of the activity he wants to perform.
A "Finder" on the other hand presents most available functions at once and lets the user pick the one he wants immediately.
There are many shades of gray between those two, but that's the spectrum.
For me one level of "Searcher" functionality has proven the optimal level of traits that I can navigate through without ending up at the wrong point too often. Categories, à la PalmOS are still the best thing I can think of, but obviously that's partly due to my history with mobile devices, which has been dominated by PalmOS. How do other people reach their applications?
P.S. May I suggest a title change for the thread? Something along the lines of "What User-Interface 'Experience' would you like on Android?". The "CustomROM" title still confuses me
Done.
If you think about it All roms basically have icons on their home screen in a grid or on a dock of some sort..How would you change that to have the greatest eye candy and functionality.
Well to be honest you can't get away from icons on the home screen judging from other mobile and computer operating systems. So they next question would be how do you optimize that "dock" to be to the user's liking. ADW, Launcher Pro, and somewhat MIUI has provided a little answer to that. You can theme the dock, put 1 to 5 icons on it..But the trouble is to not make it look iPhoneish yet allow the possibility in case someone want to...we don't want that. So what do you do? Also perhaps we could not get rid of the app drawer, but the app drawer short cut. Like there is a little bar or line (depends what shape your dock is) above the dock and you have to drag that up.
Or perhaps having the notification bar on the bottom (top if you wanted to) and improve the notification system
Cimer said:
The community designs it's own UI and from there it is dependent on specific devices developers.
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ah i see now, sorry for the misunderstanding
Cimer said:
If you think about it All roms basically have icons on their home screen in a grid or on a dock of some sort..How would you change that to have the greatest eye candy and functionality.
Well to be honest you can't get away from icons on the home screen judging from other mobile and computer operating systems.
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i came across this...looks pretty interesting to me
I also like this idea, MIUI has done an outstanding job with android, they've added so many things that were never made, but even CM is superior to AOSP or any stock ROM out there. I would like a cool homescreen that's 2D w/ 3D like effect similar to sense 3.0. And the setting menus should resemble honeycomb, it should have extensive theming down to every app. These are just some things I would like to see.
Related
Ok guys, alot of you have been making various requests on my Galaxy S threads, and I have a huge fork in the road I need to navigate. I have two theme routes to take, and if I take one, then the other must be abandoned without looking back, because there is just so much work involved in either one. I honestly wouldn't mind having someone help me with this, taking the other fork where I take the winning one from this poll. I have all the files you need & instructions, etc. I have a very well organized set up when it comes to these themes, and will make the work process as simple as possible
Ok, the two options I am facing revolve around a very minor difference, but impacts two completely different user bases.
First choice, is to make my current themes international, meaning they will have support for azerty, greek, and other languages.
Second choice, is to modify all the current themes I have to work with the voice input version of Swype (2.2.42.xxxxx). I will continue to fulfill requests as best as I can while maintaining a wide variety of usable, manageable, interchangeable (with Swype trail line colors) themes.
I'm not sure what you think, but my vote is on the Second option, mainly because Swype capability coupled with voice input is the perfect keyboard IMHO, but I am asking this because I DO have so much following wanting both, but I can only do one... I am just one guy
I am allowing 5 days for this poll, and the answer at the end of it will determine what I work on. So, let the voting begin!
I vote for the second as well. I think that it'd be a more efficient method. The first choice would still be on the table but that can be something in the future.
I vote second one also.
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I also vote for the second!
Sent from Monnie's Vibrant.. oops, force close.
i can see which ones of you voted for what in the poll... that's what it's there for.
lets leave the thread clear of vote choices so a discussion can be had. this might also be a good place for me to find a partner or a few to help me build a huge Swype theme library, and hopefully in the future, implement it in some sort of convenient Android app-type library that we can distribute to the millions and millions and millions of Android users around the world, and possibly make a few bucks while we're at it.
I have been doing this for quite some time in relation to how long Swype has been available for Android users. Once I have established a solid base for Android, I expect to make a leap into other OS versions of the software, and even further extend my reach. I don't see why the most commonly used software on ANY phone shouldn't have the option to use a touch of some of mine or someone else's style with just the click of a button.
edit: unrelated, but I just noticed, I joined the XDA forums within a few days of the Swype official beta's release date for Android... Scary. My initial experiences with XDA were totally ROM and G1 functionality related, but around my 25th post, I started tinkering with Swype. Fate, anyone?
Does anyone know of an android launcher which is like the new Nokia N9?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LphiRFvd40I&feature=related
It just seems like a nice fast way to get around the things you do most often and would be interesting to try it.
Thanks in advance..
Taijohnsen said:
Does anyone know of an android launcher which is like the new Nokia N9?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LphiRFvd40I&feature=related
It just seems like a nice fast way to get around the things you do most often and would be interesting to try it.
Thanks in advance..
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+1 this, very interesting way to multitask
I searched but found nothing except this theme : https://market.android.com/details?id=net.jaspp.ADWThemeOldNokiaStyle&feature=search_result and https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gau.go.launcherex.theme.anna&feature=search_result
(Sorry for bad english)
Taijohnsen said:
Does anyone know of an android launcher which is like the new Nokia N9?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LphiRFvd40I&feature=related
It just seems like a nice fast way to get around the things you do most often and would be interesting to try it.
Thanks in advance..
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1+................
Please! Make it so.
Willing to pay for a launcher that would look and behave like the N9 launcher.
it's so awesome
I would too be willing to pay for an android launcher working the same way as Nokia N9.
It would be great!
i have a couple comments on that.
firstly, being a galaxy S user, and having played with the Nokia N9, i can say that my phone, older than the N9, is far smoother and more responsive. Secondly, Meego is a bastardization of Android. The similarities are many, but very few characteristics of Meego measure up to the brilliance of Android.
secondly, the failings of Meego aside, the multitasking in the clip is certainly interesting. However I'm not sure i like the dependence on the side swipe, and the dedication of homescreens to open apps and drawer without folder functionality. It *looks* pretty good, but function-wise, i'm pretty certain that Android would piss me off less.
I like N9 idea too.Android ICS card and swipe would be a nice match.
have you looked at wave launcher which gives you webos up gesture?
That's definitely possible in Android.not sure developers want to develop.
This could be a money maker . . . I'd buy it
An enthusiastic +1 to this idea. I would love to see a project like this realized and I think that this N9-styled idea could be a solid money maker for the right developer. SPB made a killing with their mobile shells, right?
Also, think of all the poor souls stuck with no applications over at Nokia--this could give them enough familiarity and confidence to break their limiting patterns. It's really a mission of mercy.
If anyone has an idea of actions that we could take to move this idea along, or if anyone knows of any progress being made along these lines, please let me know or let us know on the forum.
Infinite flexibility shows that ICS can be whatever devs make of it.
--Me
I have been an Android supporter for a long time. I'm currently on the Evo 3D. That said, I have a question I hope that someone could give me the answer to.
I know that there are many android phones and not all of them are geared to do the same things. However, when coming to the upper end phones, I am having trouble seeing why some features cannot become standard. For instance, why did the aspect ratio change between the Evo 4g and the Evo 3d? Why not just one to keep it simple? Things like this seem to me to only hold back developers without a real quantifiable reason that I can see.
Another issue that just came to mind is the CRT screen timeout. Wasn't this part of Gingerbread Android or was this related to a particular phone update only? If it was purely a Gingerbread update, why can't find it anywhere on the 3d? Will anything ever be an expected standard in Android?
I think the whole essence of android is adaptability, from the handset, the software, the user interface, the applications used...
Each android device is completely unique and customized to suit the user, and different company's may have different ideas on what different users want, and nudge them along the way.
I understand. I had thought about Android as been a haven for software developers, but I hadn't seen it as something for hardware developers also. I guess what I am seeking is an archive where the cool features across android as a whole can be searched and added to our own personal collections. The marketplace isn't an effective searching tool. Any other suggestions?
Cause Sense is a completely different ball game. When HTC compiles a version they'll leave out elements of the original Android version. The trade off is the Rosie Widgets and functions that some feel make android more "polished".
When you root, you options open up widely to allow for running ASOP roms.
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I'm curious as to how likely we are to see devs adhere to the new design guidelines? Is it more trouble than it's worth bringing an app in line with the design principles stated by Google or are we likely to see a fast adoption rate?
To be honest it will only matter to AOSP roms as OEM will cover it up as normal.
zelendel said:
To be honest it will only matter to AOSP roms as OEM will cover it up as normal.
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You say that, but if you look at the market, that follows all the design principles set out.
sabret00the said:
You say that, but if you look at the market, that follows all the design principles set out.
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Ok so the google apps might but the overall OS depending on the OEM will not change much. HTC, Samsung and the other will still theme the major OS so it will still be the same way it is now.
Didn't Google make a big deal about changing the terms of early access to AOSP builds in return for not having companies change the skin too much. i.e. changing font and colour schemes is OK, changing the location of items like the action bar is not OK at all. There's a lot of pessimism in regards to the damage that people think OEMs will do, but all evidence thus far seems to point to it being the contrary of peoples' fears.
sabret00the said:
Didn't Google make a big deal about changing the terms of early access to AOSP builds in return for not having companies change the skin too much. i.e. changing font and colour schemes is OK, changing the location of items like the action bar is not OK at all. There's a lot of pessimism in regards to the damage that people think OEMs will do, but all evidence thus far seems to point to it being the contrary of peoples' fears.
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We will see what happens. I have a feeling it will be more like a different apk for each theme mainly due to the fact that the stock framework file is just not gonna cut it for OEM based UIs. Due to the nature of android there is little Google can do to stop how an OEM themes their own UI, I mean HTC has its own framework file as does Samsung this i dont think will change, but we will see. I personally dont care really lol I will rip them apart and change them myself anyway to remove the ugly themes that always seem to pop up from both OEM and AOSP. This is just my thoughts
zelendel said:
We will see what happens. I have a feeling it will be more like a different apk for each theme mainly due to the fact that the stock framework file is just not gonna cut it for OEM based UIs. Due to the nature of android there is little Google can do to stop how an OEM themes their own UI, I mean HTC has its own framework file as does Samsung this i dont think will change, but we will see. I personally dont care really lol I will rip them apart and change them myself anyway to remove the ugly themes that always seem to pop up from both OEM and AOSP. This is just my thoughts
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It is to my understanding that this really has nothing to do with the UI of the OS, but more with the UI of the app itself. One specific explanation that I remember from a google spokesperson is that pressing the menu button inside of an app shouldn't bring any surprises. The key is to make the apps react and look the same.
lowandbehold said:
It is to my understanding that this really has nothing to do with the UI of the OS, but more with the UI of the app itself. One specific explanation that I remember from a google spokesperson is that pressing the menu button inside of an app shouldn't bring any surprises. The key is to make the apps react and look the same.
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See that's the thing. It really depends on how they work it in as alot of the base UI is rethemed using the UI framework files. I have spent days going between the stock framework file and the HTC framework file to get a theme that works together the right way and looks complete.
In the end we will have to wait and see how it is done.
zelendel said:
See that's the thing. It really depends on how they work it in as alot of the base UI is rethemed using the UI framework files. I have spent days going between the stock framework file and the HTC framework file to get a theme that works together the right way and looks complete.
In the end we will have to wait and see how it is done.
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Yea true, it will be easier to tell once it happens. I honestly didn't do much research into it, and wasn't sure either way. I have been reading things here and there, and thats what I took from it.
I don't see much changing really.
Basically apps may get updates to change menu structure to match the rest of the main OS.
HTC and Sony I am sure have approval from Google to implement their UI.
rootlinux said:
I don't see much changing really.
Basically apps may get updates to change menu structure to match the rest of the main OS.
HTC and Sony I am sure have approval from Google to implement their UI.
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I am sure they do I mean every OEM does it. We will see. Only time to will tell. Either way ill still rip it apart and rethemeing it at the base like most Themers do. One halo theme is not gonna look like another after a few months lol
zelendel said:
I am sure they do I mean every OEM does it. We will see. Only time to will tell. Either way ill still rip it apart and rethemeing it at the base like most Themers do. One halo theme is not gonna look like another after a few months lol
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I hear that.
They can't stop us from themeing whatever we want to.
Before I begin i'd like to say that I am not new to flashing, or these forums. I've been lurking about for a couple of years and thought it high time I become a member.
Little intro about me, I am a graphics designer and I am currently studying graphics design in college, i've had a few commission jobs mainly designing logos for bands and small businesses. I have studied IT and have touched upon C# coding (made a few small games) and visual basic. I am pretty decent at designing, creating and programming circuits for different uses. I am a pretty hands on person, i like to make things to fit my tastes and others when i need to, i'm pretty much a jack of all trades.
So to my question.
I want to begin making my own android ROMS, now im going to be honest i've only ever made one apk file and that was a tiny little drawing app with very few features. I know how to mod a few things within android and IOS (I know more of IOS i've been an active jailbreaker, themer and modder for a few years).
I understand i'd have to start with very basic things such as small apps and theming, so if anybody has any pointers that would be great. Hell maybe even a set of tutorials or something (google'd some things with no luck)
I have a concept I have created named it CUBE, it's basically a very minimalistic ROM and i mean very minimalistic... you would have your phone, camera, texts and browser and id try to keep pretty much everything else out, you would still be able to access play store and do everything android can usually do but only those basics are installed, i've sketched up most ideas, how everything would be layed out and such, colour schemes pretty much everything. I have an image of the logo and homescreen concept drawn up and it looks very nice to me (some little tweaks need here and there)
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tl;dr
I want to make my own ROMS, I have no experience in making them.
I know i need to start simple.
Need help.