[Q] Is it hard to create own custom rom? - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-I777

Hey, I was wondering if it was hard to create these roms?
It looks like the equivalent to using nLite or somethin to slipstream different packages in, and to remove anything else unwanted. Is it that way? But perhaps, with a command line rather than a GUI?
I am currently running UnNamed 1.0.3, but there are still a few changes I'd like to make myself, i.e. to touchwiz. Could I go and edit this too?

demon9206 said:
Hey, I was wondering if it was hard to create these roms?
It looks like the equivalent to using nLite or somethin to slipstream different packages in, and to remove anything else unwanted. Is it that way? But perhaps, with a command line rather than a GUI?
I am currently running UnNamed 1.0.3, but there are still a few changes I'd like to make myself, i.e. to touchwiz. Could I go and edit this too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends on the customizations - removing stuff can be quite easy - just remount /system read/write and go to town on /system/app
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spr...1gdDJRekl4QmkyNmIzUmRvX2h3UDVkQXc&output=html has a list of safe/unsafe removals for I9100 - we're pretty close to it.
Adding stuff can often be quite difficult - In general, many of the frameworks are interconnected, so for example, you might add something that depends on our framework having a component that isn't there, and it'll go break. Or that component might be there, but have a different resource ID. Things get really difficult really fast once you start getting into smali/baksmali land...
At some point I'm going to start documenting the steps I've taken to where I am with my own personal device right now in terms of debloating and modifications - but I haven't had the time to document it yet. Whenever it does come, I will warn you - my guide will be useless to someone that doesn't have a fairly high degree of familiarity with a Unix shell. I intend it to be a high-level guide for people who have reasonably good general technical skills but lack familiarity with the Android userspace stack.

Entropy512 said:
Depends on the customizations - removing stuff can be quite easy - just remount /system read/write and go to town on /system/app
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spr...1gdDJRekl4QmkyNmIzUmRvX2h3UDVkQXc&output=html has a list of safe/unsafe removals for I9100 - we're pretty close to it.
Adding stuff can often be quite difficult - In general, many of the frameworks are interconnected, so for example, you might add something that depends on our framework having a component that isn't there, and it'll go break. Or that component might be there, but have a different resource ID. Things get really difficult really fast once you start getting into smali/baksmali land...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahhh... Somalia/baksmali land. Oh how I hated that place when I began to learn.

Entropy512 said:
I will warn you - my guide will be useless to someone that doesn't have a fairly high degree of familiarity with a Unix shell. I intend it to be a high-level guide for people who have reasonably good general technical skills but lack familiarity with the Android userspace stack.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll really be looking forward to this guide then as the Unix shell is where I'm comfortable, but I'm not too familiar with the Android userspace stack. I suppose I've my own self to blame for not making the time to get familiar with it, but as busy as I stay with work, being on-call and all the ad-hoc that comes in between, time for Android can be scarce. A guide would save me a lot of time for sure and be very much appreciated.

Ah, gotcha. Seems pretty intense then, not quite like Slipstreaming Windows as I imagined. Too bad.
So this is not something to pick up quickly and just do it then, huh? Too bad. Guess I'll have to rely on you guys! Thanks to all that go through this lol

demon9206 said:
Ah, gotcha. Seems pretty intense then, not quite like Slipstreaming Windows as I imagined. Too bad.
So this is not something to pick up quickly and just do it then, huh? Too bad. Guess I'll have to rely on you guys! Thanks to all that go through this lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some things are easy, some things are harder.
Debloating is easy - just nuke stuff from /system/app one at a time, using this as a guide: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spr...1gdDJRekl4QmkyNmIzUmRvX2h3UDVkQXc&output=html
Keep a backup around in case you nuke something you shouldn't.
Deodexing - harder, I needed to use dsixda kitchen with a few caveats (such as CWM 5.x backups will NOT work as input to a dsixda dump - you need to use dd to dump your /system partition). According to gtg465x, deodexing with dsixda is OK, doing any more with it will incur the wrath of the ROM gods.
One thing to clearly start looking at - smali/baksmali. Smali/baksmali is a ***** on odexed ROMs, if a ROM you're using is odexed, deodex it or run away unless you like pain and suffering.
gtg's github repo for unnamed ROM serves as great smali/baksmali reference for many runs - but if you try to copypasta his changes, Bad Things will usually happen.

This is from the Sony Xperia X10 section, which is the phone I came from. Not sure if this Script/Application can be adapted for the Galaxy, but this allows a user to Port a MiUI ROM in "30 seconds" I only played with it a little bit.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1294451
btw, Entropy512 one of my good friends I went to college with is from Oswego!

highaltitude said:
This is from the Sony Xperia X10 section, which is the phone I came from. Not sure if this Script/Application can be adapted for the Galaxy, but this allows a user to Port a MiUI ROM in "30 seconds" I only played with it a little bit.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1294451
btw, Entropy512 one of my good friends I went to college with is from Oswego!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm in Owego, not Oswego... One S makes a few hundred miles difference. (Northern vs. southern border of the state.)

Entropy512 said:
I'm in Owego, not Oswego... One S makes a few hundred miles difference. (Northern vs. southern border of the state.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL, oops

Related

[Q] rooting EVO seems like complete nonsense

Greetings all,
This is my first post here. I hope to make it a memorable one.
Really; I've been programming on the UNIX system for more than 20 years.
Having picked up and activated a brand new HTC-EVO android-2.2 (froyo) 4
days ago. I discover "big brother's watching" (google). This is completely unacceptable. Looking for the definitive answer brings me to XDA. So, I spent the past 2 days reading threads here. But can't shake the notion that all of this "rooting" seems overly complicated. I mean if android runs atop Linux, WTF is all this MS-DOS BS? Granted, I'm new to the EVO, but in UNIX, it seems that a simple:
Code:
# su
password
# mkdir /evoandroid
# mount /dev/android-device /evoandroid
dd if=<your-ROM-name-here> of=/evoandroid
would suffice.
This above is only slightly different for Linux - but I think you get the picture.
Sure. I know the SDK && NDK are written for MS-DOS & Co.
But what's that got to do with writing a "rooted" ROM to the EVO?
Because Windows users use the EVO too?
Sorry, but what am I missing here? Would love to start writing a self-made ROM to my new EVO. In fact I've already nearly finished a compilation that features an almost indistinguishable OS X. But hate to move any farther forward w/o clearing this "nit" I have with writing to the EVO.
Thank you for all your time and consideration.
--Chris
I don't understand your question. Can you clarify, and I'm sure someone will be glad to help if possible.
You can download Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of the SDK & NDK, so I'm not sure why you think they are Windows specific. (Many, if not most, ROM devs use Ubuntu since compiling AOSP & kernel source works well on it.)
If there is some part of the rooting process for the EVO that requires Windows, then that might be better directed to the EVO specific forums. I have helped to root one EVO myself, and it was done from a Mac. Things may have changed though.
Hello gnarlyc, and thank you for your reply.
gnarlyc said:
I don't understand your question. Can you clarify, and I'm sure someone will be glad to help if possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK fair enough. I'll try to be more concise.
Currently, it is my understanding, that to "get root" on the EVO. One must download the SDK && NDK. Then use the tools provided there-in to "get root".
Yes, I am aware that you also need some of the wonderful utilities provided by the "dev's" here at XDA.
But I wonder why it wouldn't be simpler to mount(8) ( http ://internethell.net/man/?query=mount ) the EVO (rom & sdcard), and simply write the custom ROM "raw" right to the EVO's live rom.
eg; on a *NIX boxen
Code:
# su
password
# mkdir /evoandroid
# mount /dev/evo-device /evoandroid
# dd if=./custom-rom.img of=/evoandroid
see: http ://internethell.net/man/?query=dd
Done. That was easy, wasn't it.
gnarlyc said:
You can download Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of the SDK & NDK, so I'm not sure why you think they are Windows specific. (Many, if not most, ROM devs use Ubuntu since compiling AOSP & kernel source works well on it.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was aware of the source being *NIX. But when I went to HTC, they presented me with only the Windows version. Perhaps, they felt I was on Windows, based on some browser "sniffing" thing. Dunno. I don't have Windows on anything. But occasionally on one of my BSD servers, I'll mount it in a Virtualbox VM.
Thanks for your info here. I'll go back and get the Mac version. I don't suppose it supports Apple Macs?
gnarlyc said:
If there is some part of the rooting process for the EVO that requires Windows,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See above.
gnarlyc said:
then that might be better directed to the EVO specific forums.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't find the HTC-EVO phone as a separate forum - like the other EVO's.
gnarlyc said:
I have helped to root one EVO myself, and it was done from a Mac. Things may have changed though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't feel I'd have any trouble "rooting" it. I just felt that all of the "tut's" I've found here were un-necessarily complicated - overly complex. So I'm wondering why my example above wouldn't work.
Thank you again gnarlyc, for your thoughtful response.
--Chris
CTH-EVO said:
Hello gnarlyc, and thank you for your reply.
OK fair enough. I'll try to be more concise.
Currently, it is my understanding, that to "get root" on the EVO. One must download the SDK && NDK. Then use the tools provided there-in to "get root".
Yes, I am aware that you also need some of the wonderful utilities provided by the "dev's" here at XDA.
But I wonder why it wouldn't be simpler to mount(8) ( http ://internethell.net/man/?query=mount ) the EVO (rom & sdcard), and simply write the custom ROM "raw" right to the EVO's live rom.
eg; on a *NIX boxen
Code:
# su
password
# mkdir /evoandroid
# mount /dev/evo-device /evoandroid
# dd if=./custom-rom.img of=/evoandroid
see: http ://internethell.net/man/?query=dd
Done. That was easy, wasn't it.
I was aware of the source being *NIX. But when I went to HTC, they presented me with only the Windows version. Perhaps, they felt I was on Windows, based on some browser "sniffing" thing. Dunno. I don't have Windows on anything. But occasionally on one of my BSD servers, I'll mount it in a Virtualbox VM.
Thanks for your info here. I'll go back and get the Mac version. I don't suppose it supports Apple Macs?
See above.
Couldn't find the HTC-EVO phone as a separate forum - like the other EVO's.
I don't feel I'd have any trouble "rooting" it. I just felt that all of the "tut's" I've found here were un-necessarily complicated - overly complex. So I'm wondering why my example above wouldn't work.
Thank you again gnarlyc, for your thoughtful response.
--Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I think I get you now. I don't think this will work though. The running image is on an internal partition. Maybe you can mount that? I don't think so though. It doesn't seem to me that mounting the sdcard will get you anywhere. So many 'impossible' things have already been done with Android, so I wouldn't count you out completely.
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=HOWTO:_Unpack,_Edit,_and_Re-Pack_Boot_Images
Kernel source for HTC phones - http://developer.htc.com/
Android Open Source Project source - http://source.android.com/source/download.html
Android SDK - http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
Android NDK - http://developer.android.com/sdk/ndk/index.html
I recommend this script for grabbing AOSP source on Debian/Ubuntu - http://blog.coralic.nl/2010/01/28/build-eclair-aka-android-2-1-for-hero-from-source/
You can change 'eclair' to 'froyo' for Android 2.2 source. It's good to look at this even if you don't use a Debian based distro, although it's mostly the same stuff that's on Google's site.
EVO forum - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=653
I don't think there's more than one EVO, but maybe I'm wrong. The internal name is 'Supersonic', btw. You might see that in places.
Won't this root method work? - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=787304
Some other light reading -
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=HOWTO:_Unpack,_Edit,_and_Re-Pack_Boot_Images
http://forum.androidcentral.com/hacking/6037-general-rom-faq.html
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=633246
http://blog.coralic.nl/2010/01/28/build-eclair-aka-android-2-1-for-hero-from-source/
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=622916
http://forum.androidcentral.com/htc...how-build-your-own-kernel-package-source.html
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=6738713&postcount=1
http://www.kandroid.org/android_pdk/index.html
http://android-dls.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AcdxIJRSH9ypZGZzc2pxNDlfMjdnazk4OHNxZA&hl=en
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=641223
http://adrianvintu.com/blogengine/post/Colored-Logcat-Script-for-Windows.aspx
http://www.androidenea.com/2009/08/init-process-and-initrc.html
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=623976
http://lukasz.szmit.eu/2009/12/making-your-own-rooted-android-rom.html
http://androidguts.com/index.php/Main_Page
http://groups.google.com/group/android-kernel
http://groups.google.com/group/android-building
http://groups.google.com/group/android-porting
http://groups.google.com/group/android-developers
http://groups.google.com/group/android-ndk
http://groups.google.com/group/android-platform
Greetings gnarlyc.
Let me first preface this by saying how grateful I am for all the time and effort you put into your last reply - WOW.
I don't want to sound argumentative. But just for the record, when I plug my EVO into one of my BSD servers, it immediately sees both the running system, and the sdcard. While I haven't yet attempted to mount the live system. I will endeavor to do so when I can determine what state I need to have the phone in to safely mount it. I'll report back to you with my results.
I have a strong suspicion I'll be posting a "one step to root and ROM" here within a week. That should help a lot of folks out.
I primarily develop in, and on the BSD family of operating systems. But given the Linux ABI support on BSD, I've made my development workstation dual-boot BSD/Fedora 13. But given the workstation is an AMD X4 six-core 4Ghz
board. I've decided to cobble up a copy of OS X (Apple CPU) to install on it as well - see; triple-boot. I'm just about to install it in the next couple of days. But thought I'd take a break on that development, and play with my new toy.
I should also have a copy of OS X for the EVO before long. Think anyone would be interested?
Well, I may not be new to development, but this EVO is new territory for me. So I'd do well to take advantage of the wealth of information you've thoughtfully provided me.
Best wishes to you gnarlyc, and thanks again.
--Chris
CTH-EVO said:
Greetings gnarlyc.
Let me first preface this by saying how grateful I am for all the time and effort you put into your last reply - WOW.
I don't want to sound argumentative. But just for the record, when I plug my EVO into one of my BSD servers, it immediately sees both the running system, and the sdcard. While I haven't yet attempted to mount the live system. I will endeavor to do so when I can determine what state I need to have the phone in to safely mount it. I'll report back to you with my results.
I have a strong suspicion I'll be posting a "one step to root and ROM" here within a week. That should help a lot of folks out.
I primarily develop in, and on the BSD family of operating systems. But given the Linux ABI support on BSD, I've made my development workstation dual-boot BSD/Fedora 13. But given the workstation is an AMD X4 six-core 4Ghz
board. I've decided to cobble up a copy of OS X (Apple CPU) to install on it as well - see; triple-boot. I'm just about to install it in the next couple of days. But thought I'd take a break on that development, and play with my new toy.
I should also have a copy of OS X for the EVO before long. Think anyone would be interested?
Well, I may not be new to development, but this EVO is new territory for me. So I'd do well to take advantage of the wealth of information you've thoughtfully provided me.
Best wishes to you gnarlyc, and thanks again.
--Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problem. I'm wrong at least once per day, but that's ok as long as I realize it and learn from it. I hope you are able to work it out.
I've seen 'rooting' of the Eris go from installing a leaked ROM to doing some crazy timing with pulling out the sdcard (or something like that) to a 1-click app that's on the market. Some really determined, knowledgeable, and intelligent people have put a lot of time into making these things easier and better. Welcome to the community!
A copy of OS X for the EVO? Do you mean running on the EVO? If so, then I'm sure people would be interested from a purely geeky perspective. There are several phones out there with the option to install Ubuntu and/or Debian on them. They don't seem to be of practical use yet. Can you cross-compile Darwin for arm CPUs? Maybe I'm confused here... My knowledge of such things only runs so deep.
(Side note - I keep those links in a text file just for such occasions. I don't see why everyone should have to spend their time searching for the sites that I already know about.)
gnarlyc said:
No problem. I'm wrong at least once per day, but that's ok as long as I realize it and learn from it. I hope you are able to work it out.
I've seen 'rooting' of the Eris go from installing a leaked ROM to doing some crazy timing with pulling out the sdcard (or something like that) to a 1-click app that's on the market. Some really determined, knowledgeable, and intelligent people have put a lot of time into making these things easier and better. Welcome to the community!
A copy of OS X for the EVO? Do you mean running on the EVO? If so, then I'm sure people would be interested from a purely geeky perspective.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and no. The "apps" and android are made with Java - something Oracle is currently sueing Google for as I speak (Google clams "clean-room" in-house Java, Oracle claims otherwise). So for all practical purposes, there is no reason that those same "apps" found on the phones, and in the "market" can't be made to run on OS X. In fact, it opens the doors to additional "apps" that otherwise wouldn't be possible - iTunes, for example.
gnarlyc said:
There are several phones out there with the option to install Ubuntu and/or Debian on them. They don't seem to be of practical use yet. Can you cross-compile Darwin for arm CPUs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you asked. BSD (which is what "hosts" NeXT/Darwin) has no problems with ARM, and I'm confident that I can manipulate Darwin to work on Snapdragon.
gnarlyc said:
Maybe I'm confused here... My knowledge of such things only runs so deep.
(Side note - I keep those links in a text file just for such occasions. I don't see why everyone should have to spend their time searching for the sites that I already know about.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really glad you do - it really helped me a lot not having to weed all these "jewls" out. Thank you very much for sharing them with me, I appreciate it!
Best wishes to you gnarlyc, and have a wonderful day.
--Chris
Are they doing something similar to what you are talking about?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=788554
gnarlyc said:
Are they doing something similar to what you are talking about?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=788554
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link gnarlyc.
I thought about something similar to this when I first thought about "rooting" the phone; making a system folder on the sdcard, then "soft linking" it to /system.
Problem being, the performance hit using the sdcard for system related tasks made this option undesirable.
Thanks again for sharing the link, gnarlyc.
OH, one thing though, my phone is not linked to google. I have no google account(s). I activated this phone in "developer mode". Meaning that there is no personal info to worry about "attached" to this phone. Making it an ideal candidate for creating a bone-stock ROM for recovery/hacking purposes. I don't suppose you can direct me to "cloning" this phone. So that I might share this w/others as a ROM suitable for un-bricking their phone, could you?
HTC-EVO (supersonic) s/w# 3.26.651.6, baseband# 2.15.00.07.28, PRI version 1.71_003, andriod 2.2
Thanks again.
--Chris
Can I ask, what do you mean by "big brother (Google) is watching"?
CTH-EVO said:
Thanks for the link gnarlyc.
I thought about something similar to this when I first thought about "rooting" the phone; making a system folder on the sdcard, then "soft linking" it to /system.
Problem being, the performance hit using the sdcard for system related tasks made this option undesirable.
Thanks again for sharing the link, gnarlyc.
OH, one thing though, my phone is not linked to google. I have no google account(s). I activated this phone in "developer mode". Meaning that there is no personal info to worry about "attached" to this phone. Making it an ideal candidate for creating a bone-stock ROM for recovery/hacking purposes. I don't suppose you can direct me to "cloning" this phone. So that I might share this w/others as a ROM suitable for un-bricking their phone, could you?
HTC-EVO (supersonic) s/w# 3.26.651.6, baseband# 2.15.00.07.28, PRI version 1.71_003, andriod 2.2
Thanks again.
--Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have a custom recovery partition like Amon_Ra's, you can do a NAND backup to the sdcard. It's basically a snapshot of the currently flashed ROM. That should work just fine. NAND's can be manipulated in dsixda's kitchen (although I haven't tried it, the option is there and dsixda has things together pretty well) and I THINK you should be able to copy one from one EVO to another and do a restore.
A side note... Generally when people create the ROMs that are out there, they do not include the directories under /data that might have personal info, so you can actually create a bone-stock ROM like you want without using a phone in such a state as yours. I've flashed a lot of different ROMs, and I'm pretty sure that none of them had identifying information about the dev unless they purposely did something like put their name in the build.prop or the wallpaper. Generally, if they include a /data, it's just for /data/app, although there are exceptions like when they want to change a database or something else that might be under /data.
As far as I know, your phone won't be linked to Google until you sign in with the Google account. I've gone several days on a fresh ROM without setting that up. Eventually, I find I want to install something from the Market, so I go ahead and sign in...
MaybachMan said:
Can I ask, what do you mean by "big brother (Google) is watching"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Greetings MaybachMan.
Yes. Of course you may.
What I mean by that, is that is that Google monitors your activity. To what extent,
all depends on what applications you use, and to what extent you have a relation
with Google - Gmail, Google search, or any other Google application/account you
have with Google. Myself, on the other hand, I activated my EVO in "developer" mode.
I have no Gmail account, or any other relationship/account with Google.
Google needs your data. Google is a "data miner" that's what Google does.
I don't have a problem with their chosen line of business. I simply choose not to be
part of the data they "mine" - to the extent I am able.
Meaning in the context of my OP; I want to remove most (if not all) of the Google apps
on my EVO - including the Market app.
I hope I have cleared things up for you, MaybachMan.
Thanks for your reply.
--Chris
gnarlyc said:
If you have a custom recovery partition like Amon_Ra's, you can do a NAND backup to the sdcard. It's basically a snapshot of the currently flashed ROM. That should work just fine. NAND's can be manipulated in dsixda's kitchen (although I haven't tried it, the option is there and dsixda has things together pretty well) and I THINK you should be able to copy one from one EVO to another and do a restore.
A side note... Generally when people create the ROMs that are out there, they do not include the directories under /data that might have personal info, so you can actually create a bone-stock ROM like you want without using a phone in such a state as yours. I've flashed a lot of different ROMs, and I'm pretty sure that none of them had identifying information about the dev unless they purposely did something like put their name in the build.prop or the wallpaper. Generally, if they include a /data, it's just for /data/app, although there are exceptions like when they want to change a database or something else that might be under /data.
As far as I know, your phone won't be linked to Google until you sign in with the Google account. I've gone several days on a fresh ROM without setting that up. Eventually, I find I want to install something from the Market, so I go ahead and sign in...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you gnarlyc! You're a "pillar of wisdom" where these phones are concerned.
I really appreciate your sharing it with me.
Best wishes, and thanks again gnarlyc.
--Chris
CTH-EVO said:
Thank you gnarlyc! You're a "pillar of wisdom" where these phones are concerned.
I really appreciate your sharing it with me.
Best wishes, and thanks again gnarlyc.
--Chris
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, thank you. At least one of the voices tells me that's why I'm here. I'm still learning, and I find it easier to pass on what I learn if I learned it recently. Since I just got this phone in March, nearly everything I know about it is pretty fresh!
In addition the "big brother" post. The book 1984 I believe is where it comes from. The author is George Orwell and usually this book refers to things in society today as an Orwellian society. It's a really great book anyone who has spare time should really check it out if they like conspiracies, apocalyptic scenarios etc.
@CTH-EVO - I understand having a little linux background myself why you feel the way you do that you could just dd a raw image to the phone but there are a few issues with that, that I would like to clarify with you.
It's not entirely impossible. We have seen that around here many times.
However....
1. To clarify, Android is NOT general linux in the form you think of it. It's definitely HAS a beautiful open source twin sister (AOSP) but HTC's version of sense is locked down, restricted, and tight. But there are other reasons why..
2. The boot process... By default you can't mount the system directory to be writable, only readable which wouldn't make a hill a beans difference if you try to use dd. It would just produce error:unwritable.
To iterate further into this subject though, there is also the boot process and the partitions that go with that. Let me go ahead and get the boot process out of the way first:
**Generic Boot Process**
1.SelfCheck
2.Radio
3.S-on/S-off (developer mode only)
4.Recovery (if installed)
5.Rom
By default when the system boots it is directed specifically from the radio (unless s-on is installed) to the system partition, which by default the system partition locks any root needed functions out (including writablility from external sources).
One other thing of note, the phone more than welcomes ANY linux o.s. to see the internal phone storage, just that you can't write to it unless you have root.
However I also would like to inform you that there are universal root programs getting easier and easier these days to use so you don't have to download all this and that, and most phones now you don't even have to have a computer to root it.
Here's what is involved in the rooting process:
1. Exploit code to inject code for root access (done from shell of phone)
2. root files (permissions program, etc)
3. recovery flash. (flashed to it's own 'sub' partition)
Actually come to think of it you used to have to boot into recovery to root (well.. not really a recovery but the stock wiping/reset program) And you could possibly get dd to flash the system from there, but the real issue here is just not bricking the device.
The device itself is of course just one memory bank partitioned into different places. If you use dd to flash a raw image to the rom, it would wipe out EVERYTHING would it not? And not JUST the regular rom partitions? This would be sweet if you can set up an entire phone's system including bootstrap, radio, and recovery (effectively unbricking probably 3/4 the bricked phones out there right now) but if it's unsuccessful, or unfinished then would it not brick it entirely?
Hope this helps you out!

Why use custom roms? [relatively] new to Droid

Hello!!
I have just purchased a Galaxy 2 and it should arrive Friday or Monday.
I have been using the N900 for around 18 months and absolutely love the FREEDOM of a full Linux stack (Maemo).
Got too old and slow.
Upgrade time. SGS2 time!
Now. Rooting looks relatively easy, but why do you guys install custom roms?
Also, if anyone here can help with a small side question, the N900 has a FULL xterm with all available commands (/bin).
How do I go about getting such commands under android?
On Maemo it was as easy as "apt-get install //missing-command//"
I installed bash on my NItdroid (android on n900) but there are a few commands not available. Nothing special, just things like "history" and Possibly "nano" etc.
I had virtually zero commands on my old Xperia X10 (rooted), which is why I went back to N900. I'm a terminal geek!
Im used to having full Linux repo's.
I can build custom kernels for N900 and other Omap 3 and Omap 4 devices, but they are u-boot kernels, so I have to start learning again!!
Also, is there a terminal program which is green text on black background?? I can only find white on blue! YUCK! not nearly nerdy enough!
More often than not custom ROM's offer much better battery life and are faster and have many many added features which stock ROM's do not have, also most custom ROM's will not have Samsung bloatware in them which again will save you much battery,you can if you wish apply some themes on custom ROM's,the list is endless.
kingoddball said:
Hello!!
I have just purchased a Galaxy 2 and it should arrive Friday or Monday.
I have been using the N900 for around 18 months and absolutely love the FREEDOM of a full Linux stack (Maemo).
Got too old and slow.
Upgrade time. SGS2 time!
Now. Rooting looks relatively easy, but why do you guys install custom roms?
Also, if anyone here can help with a small side question, the N900 has a FULL xterm with all available commands (/bin).
How do I go about getting such commands under android?
On Maemo it was as easy as "apt-get install //missing-command//"
I installed bash on my NItdroid (android on n900) but there are a few commands not available. Nothing special, just things like "history" and Possibly "nano" etc.
I had virtually zero commands on my old Xperia X10 (rooted), which is why I went back to N900. I'm a terminal geek!
Im used to having full Linux repo's.
I can build custom kernels for N900 and other Omap 3 and Omap 4 devices, but they are u-boot kernels, so I have to start learning again!!
Also, is there a terminal program which is green text on black background?? I can only find white on blue! YUCK! not nearly nerdy enough!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How's it going? I was on the N900 as well (still use it as my music player) and have recently moved on to the SGS2. speed wise it is miles apart! even thouse the Maemo repos have excellent apps, you do notice the lack of commercial apps for Maemo when using Android
i'm not sure if i have all the answers you require... a simple way to compare custom and regular ROMs:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1219612
Rooting your SGS2 isnt as easy as typing "root" on the N900... you'll have to use CF Root with CWM (i think):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1103399
and a list of useful Root/ROM links at Android Forums:
http://androidforums.com/galaxy-s2-...guide-updated-12-00-pm-bst-jul-03-2011-a.html
i hope this helps
Thank you both. I'm not really a commercial app/program person.
I'm an active open source user. I love to modify and help with programs. I don't really like apple style control over programs.
I'm going to check those links. Thanks!
I hope I can try bring some of the work I made for Maemo over to android.
Most (90%) is terminal based, seems like droid users love the GUI stuff. Hehehe!
Well I will differ from Post 2. A custom ROM will bring more juice from battery? I don't believe it. It can definitely fix some bugs what the Stock one has, but nothing more than that. Also keep in mind there will be some glitch here and there in a Custom ROM.
I, personally, will never use a Custom ROM.
Regards.
kingoddball said:
Also, if anyone here can help with a small side question, the N900 has a FULL xterm with all available commands (/bin).
How do I go about getting such commands under android?
On Maemo it was as easy as "apt-get install //missing-command//"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nope, in general this doesn't exist. you have a linux kernel with busybox (assuming you install this along with su), but afaik, that is the limit of what you might expect from a distro. All the apps are running in the android environment, unless you wanted to chroot into something like ubuntu. Whilst I suspect there are some distros that are close to running on an android phone (or netbook, like the ac100) you're no longer running android then.
Try
SL4A (Scripting Layer for Android) as a terminal emulator (shell python etc) and it is fully open source.
ithehappy said:
Well I will differ from Post 2. A custom ROM will bring more juice from battery? I don't believe it. It can definitely fix some bugs what the Stock one has, but nothing more than that. Also keep in mind there will be some glitch here and there in a Custom ROM.
I, personally, will never use a Custom ROM.
Regards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so then you, personally, will never know the difference between custom and stock. and yes, you can get better battery life with a custom rom. even a customized stock rom. with my infuse on infused 1.5 i got about 10-15% better battery life over stock.
boondoc said:
so then you, personally, will never know the difference between custom and stock. and yes, you can get better battery life with a custom rom. even a customized stock rom. with my infuse on infused 1.5 i got about 10-15% better battery life over stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You answered by yourself.
That's what I meant anyway.
Regards.
there wasn't a question at hand to be answered...
Bit like why do people buy different cars .
Custom rom may add something or remove something from the phone is the basics .
jje
I found from flashing HTC Desire, that the cries of better battery life and performance on custom ROM's were generally over exaggeration or complete nonsense, as I tried loads of custom roms and the battery and performance remained the same throughout.
For this phone, my battery life is awesome anyway, and performance is awesome also. I also seem to be pretty much bug free, also
As for the technical questions and what not in this thread it's also gone over my head lol!
I for one will vouch for better battery and performance for custom roms. It only takes one disabled service/application to improve both categories.
Custom ROM's also add features you won't find in stock ROM's and arguably enhance existing features.
For example there is no reboot function on a stock ROM, but this is just one example. CM7 has a plethora of enhancements that simply rock, on the flip side there is still a few kinks it needs to work out, but with Cyanogen joining the samsung team it wont be long until a production phone comes out with CMx running on it.
You can just install 'Advanced Power Menu' for Reboot feature on a Stock ROM.
Altimas said:
I for one will vouch for better battery and performance for custom roms. It only takes one disabled service/application to improve both categories.
Custom ROM's also add features you won't find in stock ROM's and arguably enhance existing features.
For example there is no reboot function on a stock ROM, but this is just one example. CM7 has a plethora of enhancements that simply rock, on the flip side there is still a few kinks it needs to work out, but with Cyanogen joining the samsung team it wont be long until a production phone comes out with CMx running on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am interested in all of the benefits of using a custom ROM (especially theming) but what about the drawbacks? Don't you lose the optimizations that take advantage of the CPU/GPU?
What else would I be missing out on? I've been trying to find a thread dealing with this topic but am still searching.
.Arkham said:
I am interested in all of the benefits of using a custom ROM (especially theming) but what about the drawbacks? Don't you lose the optimizations that take advantage of the CPU/GPU?
What else would I be missing out on? I've been trying to find a thread dealing with this topic but am still searching.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Their is no thread as their is no custom rom but many custom roms all with different features .
Why would you lose optimizations unless the custom rom developer decided to remove them and that would not really make sense .
The benefits of using a custom rom are that you can choose one with the features you required .
jje
JJEgan said:
Their is no thread as their is no custom rom but many custom roms all with different features .
Why would you lose optimizations unless the custom rom developer decided to remove them and that would not really make sense .
The benefits of using a custom rom are that you can choose one with the features you required .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know there's no single thread, what I meant was that it was hard to get the info about what the tradeoffs are of using various ROMs.
E.g. some do not have hardware acceleration (browser, video), and others don't let you use the stock app, etc... I've seen that some of the ROMs have made headway and do have hardware acceleration, but that seems to be the exception to the rule.
The only real alternative ROM is Cyanogenmod anyway. Any other rom is just some settings changed with notepad and some icons changed with photoshop.
.Arkham said:
I know there's no single thread, what I meant was that it was hard to get the info about what the tradeoffs are of using various ROMs.
E.g. some do not have hardware acceleration (browser, video), and others don't let you use the stock app, etc... I've seen that some of the ROMs have made headway and do have hardware acceleration, but that seems to be the exception to the rule.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah you wont lose a thing, just gives you a chance to add more try leomars revolution rom, it got its own kitchen apo in market so you can install tweaks and themes from the app !
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk
You use custom roms if you think your cellphone isn't amazingly fast enough or if you think four buttons at the lower panel is to iPhone-ish. I personally love Samsung bloatware...

[Q] How to make a custom ROM

Hey guys,
I am really curious as to what it takes to build a custom ROM. I am very interested in building my own and want some pointers on the best places to start so I don't waste my time. Any advice will be useful, books, websites, w/e.
Thank you,
r3xx3r
get ready cause this one's going wayyy over your head.
Its one of those things where if you have to ask, you'll never know.
spitefulcheerio said:
Its one of those things where if you have to ask, you'll never know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I really hate this mentality. People have to start somewhere. Sure they could spend years figuring everything out on their own. Or you could save them a year by pointing them in the right direction. There is such little discussion about this and it's honestly just annoying and a huge negative aspect about the development community.
EDIT: This is for HTC and I haven't watched it, but it might get you started: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94Az1kcQvc4
Also, you should definitely look through the source code for open source ROMs. I'm not a ROM developer so I can't really help you more than that, but I hope a real dev gives you an answer.
first and foremost, learn how to use ADB. if you cant use ADB without some kind of script/batch file to do it for you, then stop right here!
personally the first thing i learned was how the updater-script (at the time, we didnt have edify scripting, so it was plain-jane update-script) worked. have a look in a rom's zip file and learn the layout.
learn how to edit apks (decompile/compile) with apktool.
get comfortable with linux (this is just an opinion, as you CAN build roms in windows, but i have found it much easier on my dev laptop with ubuntu 10.10 64bit)
apkmanager is a good tool to have if you are on windows (there is a linux/osx version too, but i havent used it)
learn what zip-aligning means and what it does for your rom
learn what deodexing means and what it does for your rom
different devices benefit from different tweaks within your /system/build.prop . learn which ones work best for your rom (this requires a lot of flashing and testing on your own device)
this whole process is very time consuming and takes a ton of effort on your part. be prepared. while it is a lot of work, it is a lot of fun learning.
once you get proficient at building and tweaking roms, you can start learning how to edit smali
Pirateghost said:
first and foremost, learn how to use ADB. if you cant use ADB without some kind of script/batch file to do it for you, then stop right here!
personally the first thing i learned was how the updater-script (at the time, we didnt have edify scripting, so it was plain-jane update-script) worked. have a look in a rom's zip file and learn the layout.
learn how to edit apks (decompile/compile) with apktool.
get comfortable with linux (this is just an opinion, as you CAN build roms in windows, but i have found it much easier on my dev laptop with ubuntu 10.10 64bit)
apkmanager is a good tool to have if you are on windows (there is a linux/osx version too, but i havent used it)
learn what zip-aligning means and what it does for your rom
learn what deodexing means and what it does for your rom
different devices benefit from different tweaks within your /system/build.prop . learn which ones work best for your rom (this requires a lot of flashing and testing on your own device)
this whole process is very time consuming and takes a ton of effort on your part. be prepared. while it is a lot of work, it is a lot of fun learning.
once you get proficient at building and tweaking roms, you can start learning how to edit smali
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is good information. I, personally, build Aura completely on windows with minimal assistance from cygwin. I use batch files for the common things I use on ADB and the like but I built the scripts myself, so it isn't like I can't do it manually I just don't wanna.
It is both easier and harder than it looks. Aura is the first rom I have built.
One thing, though, is to not accept the current ways as best. Things can always be improved. I have two common mods in my rom that are done completely differently in my rom, without either database editing through scripts or modifying smali inside apk's (the hotspot entitlement check and the 1 signal bar fix). No other roms for the Atrix (I haven't check other phones...) do it this way, not even Darkside which is based somewhat no Aura.
If you are building a rom through the Rom Kitchen... don't use the garbled updater-script it puts out. It mostly works, but it is trash and you won't learn much from it.
Experimentation!
Diviance said:
This is good information. I, personally, build Aura completely on windows with minimal assistance from cygwin. I use batch files for the common things I use on ADB and the like but I built the scripts myself, so it isn't like I can't do it manually I just don't wanna.
It is both easier and harder than it looks. Aura is the first rom I have built.
One thing, though, is to not accept the current ways as best. Things can always be improved. I have two common mods in my rom that are done completely differently in my rom, without either database editing through scripts or modifying smali inside apk's (the hotspot entitlement check and the 1 signal bar fix). No other roms for the Atrix (I haven't check other phones...) do it this way, not even Darkside which is based somewhat no Aura.
If you are building a rom through the Rom Kitchen... don't use the garbled updater-script it puts out. It mostly works, but it is trash and you won't learn much from it.
Experimentation!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the input. I love hearing from other devs and the methods they prefer.
Sent from my Inspire 4G
this thread died quickly.
too bad because I want to do some studying up on it and creating some coolness myself eventually.
I know with iphones a lot of development was done right from the phone itself especially for app development, is there the same concept here?
and one other question, do you guys make any money off of these things at all? Im always looking for side work...
supermerkin said:
too bad because I want to do some studying up on it and creating some coolness myself eventually.
I know with iphones a lot of development was done right from the phone itself especially for app development, is there the same concept here?
and one other question, do you guys make any money off of these things at all? Im always looking for side work...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can create scripts, push and pull files directly from the phone, so in a sense, yes you can work straight from the phone.
as for money...LOL...dont look to this for a secondary income by any means.
i have made all of $28 for my work on the inspire, and nothing from my work on the captivate
Pirateghost said:
you can create scripts, push and pull files directly from the phone, so in a sense, yes you can work straight from the phone.
as for money...LOL...dont look to this for a secondary income by any means.
i have made all of $28 for my work on the inspire, and nothing from my work on the captivate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey 28 bucks is 28 bucks, granted I made 40 per screen when I used to replace iphone digitizers but money is money you never have enough.
Thanks for the info though!
Sent from my MB860 using xda premium
I spend a lot of time flashing my Rom when I am working on it. I usually don't push and pull from the phone since most users aren't doing that and I want to emulate what they will be doing.
As for money... Yeah, not a method of reliable I income if you intend to use it as such. I have probably had around... $125 donated to me by some incredibly awesome people.
If you intend to become a Rom dev, be friendly and responsive. People really appreciate someone who is willing to answer questions and give help where needed. Being standoffish like some I have seen is a sure way to get labeled with some bad words
Thank you guys for the responses. This is something I've been wondering as I've taken the plunge into modifying my Atrix. To say it's been addictive is an understatement. I started toying with the idea of putting my own ROM together pretty early on, so basic info like this is much appreciated.
Like someone said early on in the thread, everyone has to start somewhere so even seemingly small bits of info are always welcome.
The biggest hurdle is understanding adb commands and when to use them. Then, how to view the individual file strings inside the /sytem/build.prop and apks AND actually understand what it means. I have spent hours wandering around in root explorer look in folders and seeing what is inside. Pulling something with adb actually removes it from the phone right? Then I have to adb push back into the folder I pulled from. Should I use Ubuntu on my Win7 pc? I tried eclipse, installer r13, and I do have apkmanager but have yet to figure out how to actually use it.
I learn by doing what someone is telling me so reading it sometimes doesn't make sense since I can't "see" it and what it's supposed to look like. WIsh someone lived nearby to just to help get me started.....Beers and food on me LOL. Or at least had some time over the phone even.
Thanks Diviance (again) and to you PirateGhost for your help.
no adb pull does not remove it from the device. it copies to your local machine
as far as using windows vs linux. use whatever will make you more comfortable. i can assure you a lot of tutorials, and howtos are written with linux in mind, but if you can understand the basics, you will be able to translate it to windows. not to mention once you get into tearing down APKs, jars, dexes, etc....its all the same code inside no matter what tools you are using to get to them. i find linux easier to work with when it comes to stuff like this, some people think windows is easier.
If I were to get linux on my PC, would adb work within the linux evironment...meaning can I adb from linux and compile/decompile etc from there?
Phoneguy589 said:
If I were to get linux on my PC, would adb work within the linux evironment...meaning can I adb from linux and compile/decompile etc from there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well you would compile/decompile directly on the phone unless you were using the sdcard....it wouldnt be pretty
you adb pull /system/file modify it, then adb push /system/file
it works the same in windows as it does in linux from that aspect. i just find working in linux easier.
here, this should help get you started somewhere, its not exactly like this phone, and the guide should be used as a reference and not a manual.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=915435
if you are technical enough, just by looking at that thread, you will understand a good portion of whats going on.
Thanks for all the help. Im getting bored flashing other peoples work and would like to help tweak things. And develop some stuff.
Thanks bro.

[Q] Where to learn the basics?

I haven't seen this anywhere as it's own thread so I apologize if it's been talked about in other threads.
I'm not an amazing programming guru by any means, but I'm definitely no slouch either. My problem is that I don't have time to start diving into code and reverse engineering, but once I get a basic understanding of "what's what" I do a pretty good job of learning by experimenting and doing small projects etc.
What I'm looking for is a basic break down of the workings of the android system. Things like wtf the osh partition is for and how different parts of code interact to create basic functions etc.
Also, I'm curious to know if you can use the Android SDK emulator to test custom ROMS. I know you can use it to test apps you create for stock ROMS, but wasn't sure if it'll just run any ROM.
First off, buy root explorer. You can poke around a ton and learn a lot.
Next maybe download a few roms/cwm flashables and unzip them. Just look around and open stuff up.
Go through the sdk/source it has a lot of useful stuff.
Yes you can use the sdk emulator to test roms out.
The best thing you can do to learn is dive into a project you are interested in. Make mistakes and poke around. There are a lot of people that can help. 90% of my learning android was just playing around with it and poking around. Google helps too.
This stuff is easier than it seems. You just have to peel the layers back.
Btw osh is webtop
tcf84 said:
I haven't seen this anywhere as it's own thread so I apologize if it's been talked about in other threads.
I'm not an amazing programming guru by any means, but I'm definitely no slouch either. My problem is that I don't have time to start diving into code and reverse engineering, but once I get a basic understanding of "what's what" I do a pretty good job of learning by experimenting and doing small projects etc.
What I'm looking for is a basic break down of the workings of the android system. Things like wtf the osh partition is for and how different parts of code interact to create basic functions etc.
Also, I'm curious to know if you can use the Android SDK emulator to test custom ROMS. I know you can use it to test apps you create for stock ROMS, but wasn't sure if it'll just run any ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
jokersax11 said:
First off, buy root explorer. You can poke around a ton and learn a lot.
Next maybe download a few roms/cwm flashables and unzip them. Just look around and open stuff up.
Go through the sdk/source it has a lot of useful stuff.
Yes you can use the sdk emulator to test roms out.
The best thing you can do to learn is dive into a project you are interested in. Make mistakes and poke around. There are a lot of people that can help. 90% of my learning android was just playing around with it and poking around. Google helps too.
This stuff is easier than it seems. You just have to peel the layers back.
Btw osh is webtop
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I appreciate the feedback and I definitely will do that. It's the same way I taught myself php but with that I actually started out just making various php scripts. I've never had to open the source of a major program and start sorting through, but I'm sure I can do it though I'm guessing it will take some time to get things sorted out.
tcf84 said:
I appreciate the feedback and I definitely will do that. It's the same way I taught myself php but with that I actually started out just making various php scripts. I've never had to open the source of a major program and start sorting through, but I'm sure I can do it though I'm guessing it will take some time to get things sorted out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
take a look at joker's compiling thread as well... and i'd add just read - there's a ton of information on xda and other sites on code changes, etc to 'tweak' the system.
i'm sure the guys on irc would answer any questions you may have as well, if they're not sleeping.

[Q] Looking to start developing for the DNA

Hi guys,
I'm looking to finally make the plunge and start some basic development for the DNA. I have been with Android since the first Droid, and I have been rooting and ROM'ing since then as well. I would be greatly appreciative if someone would be kind enough to point me in the right direction of where to begin and any advice from the pro's would be highly welcomed. I was thinking about starting off by using dsixda's Android Kitchen, and I was wondering if anyone had any experience using that to build/modify ROM's.
Main questions:
==============
1. What areas would you recommend I focus on to start ROM'ing?
2. Do you prefer to develop using Windows or Linux?
3. What sort of development is really wanted by the DNA community (maybe give me a goal to shoot for)?
Kindest regards,
Steve
1. There are a few directions you can go with romming
a. Retain sense and allow more customization. This is the UKB route of sorts.
b. Remove sense as much as possible to make a lightweight ROM. Genome approach.
c. Port over (or attempt to port) a mainstream ROM such as CM10 or MIUI.
To be honest, I think there is plenty of room for option 'b'. It is more simple than option 'c' and has a few less headaches. Option 'a' already has UKB which will be difficult to beat.
2. Linux is going to be much easier to start developing on since most all the tools can be found in your package manager of choice. I do believe that the linaro toolchain relies off of it as well. Windows is always an option if you really want to.
3. If I were you, I would shoot for a ROM that was similar to the old Liberty ROM's on the D2 and DX of old. The concept of that was to have a very light base as near to stock as possible and allow users to add in core stock functionality. For example MediaLink will never be used by most people, and I think it doesn't really need to be there, but give the user the ability to turn it on.
If you want to monetize your rom a bit too, you can go the Liberty route of having an optional companion configuration app. This is a new processor and I think a lot of current toolbox apps don't properly support that functionality.
It's a new device, the doors are really wide open. I would love to assist where I can. I do not have much programming experience, but I do love to tinker.
th3raid0r said:
1. There are a few directions you can go with romming
a. Retain sense and allow more customization. This is the UKB route of sorts.
b. Remove sense as much as possible to make a lightweight ROM. Genome approach.
c. Port over (or attempt to port) a mainstream ROM such as CM10 or MIUI.
To be honest, I think there is plenty of room for option 'b'. It is more simple than option 'c' and has a few less headaches. Option 'a' already has UKB which will be difficult to beat.
2. Linux is going to be much easier to start developing on since most all the tools can be found in your package manager of choice. I do believe that the linaro toolchain relies off of it as well. Windows is always an option if you really want to.
3. If I were you, I would shoot for a ROM that was similar to the old Liberty ROM's on the D2 and DX of old. The concept of that was to have a very light base as near to stock as possible and allow users to add in core stock functionality. For example MediaLink will never be used by most people, and I think it doesn't really need to be there, but give the user the ability to turn it on.
If you want to monetize your rom a bit too, you can go the Liberty route of having an optional companion configuration app. This is a new processor and I think a lot of current toolbox apps don't properly support that functionality.
It's a new device, the doors are really wide open. I would love to assist where I can. I do not have much programming experience, but I do love to tinker.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes, I had a DX and I remember the Liberty ROM's. I think that might be my first goal - to make a super minimal stockish ROM. The only thing I'm worried about at this point is bricking my DNA for a stupid mistake or something. Well, hopefully I can figure this stuff out and have something to share within the next few weeks.
Thanks,
stevedub40 said:
Ah yes, I had a DX and I remember the Liberty ROM's. I think that might be my first goal - to make a super minimal stockish ROM. The only thing I'm worried about at this point is bricking my DNA for a stupid mistake or something. Well, hopefully I can figure this stuff out and have something to share within the next few weeks.
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You shouldn't run into any bricking problems if you aren't messing with kernel level things. When it comes down to it, basic ROMs are all about adding/removing themes and apps and customizing existing functionality. It is very difficult to actually brick this phone unless you screw up on the bootloader exploit so you can unlock. You can also brick if you are messing around with hboot and other base level things, which you shouldn't be unless you are willing to take the risks or are really experienced.
Well, since I assume that you'll use your own ROM, why not start with what you wish another ROM had. Alternatively, you could ask what skills you want to learn/improve and use that to guide you.
crpalmer said:
Well, since I assume that you'll use your own ROM, why not start with what you wish another ROM had. Alternatively, you could ask what skills you want to learn/improve and use that to guide you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For starters I took MicroMod777's stock ROM to work with, which I would like to thank and give the appropriate credit to. I think my main objective for my first ROM is to basically debloat this thing to the bare minimum, which may take some trial and error due to how the HTC apk's tie into each other. I would like to theme the notification bar (transparent) and throw in a battery mod, possibly one of my own design. It looks like the SystemUI.apk is what holds most of this information from what I can tell. If this all goes well then I will try to just go deeper and deeper. I would eventually like to work on a CM10 build, but this looks to be pretty advanced stuff.
Thank you for all the comments guys. Again, any advice or tips are always warmly welcomed and appreciated.

Categories

Resources