[Q] What consist in a ROM - Vibrant Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi,
I am new to android phone. I see on the Android development threads, there are multiple version of ROM
My question is what does a ROM consist of?
1. kernel
2. boot loader?
3. Apps comes with phone (e.g. Setting app, Phone app)
4. android framework
5. radio drivers?
6. gps drivers?
and my next question is for different version of ROM what are the differences?
I know some are porting CM9 some are porting vanilla android source.
But are these rom have the same kernel? same radio drivers /gps drivers/etc?
Thank you.

A rom is a tar file, meaning an ancient and common type of Unix/Linux archive.
You can see exactly what is inside one by executing
tar -tf <rom>
You can even do this on your phone if you have a good rom.

test.im.09 said:
Hi,
I am new to android phone. I see on the Android development threads, there are multiple version of ROM
My question is what does a ROM consist of?
1. kernel
2. boot loader?
3. Apps comes with phone (e.g. Setting app, Phone app)
4. android framework
5. radio drivers?
6. gps drivers?
and my next question is for different version of ROM what are the differences?
I know some are porting CM9 some are porting vanilla android source.
But are these rom have the same kernel? same radio drivers /gps drivers/etc?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
first question the Vibrant roms usually have all you listed except for #2 bootloaders (with a very few exceptions)
Different roms will have different kernels, framework and gps libraries. there are a few radios to pick from.

Most ROMs have all of that, except sometimes the bootloaders. Major differences in the ROMs are the Android version, appearance and customization. Some ROMs have bugs, though, like GPS won't work or it take a while to connect to wifi. You can usually find out about these bugs if you read some of the comments on the ROM page.

Thanks. The shipped ROM must have a working GPS, WiFi , Radio, Camera, Audio, Speaker, right?
But when I follow the 'Vibrant Development' threads for custom ROM, I see some ROM has GPS issue, others have Mute/unmute problem, wifi issue, etc etc.
My question is when creating these custom ROM, why can't one just copy these drivers from shipped ROM and have everything works?
Thanks.

test.im.09 said:
Thanks. The shipped ROM must have a working GPS, WiFi , Radio, Camera, Audio, Speaker, right?
But when I follow the 'Vibrant Development' threads for custom ROM, I see some ROM has GPS issue, others have Mute/unmute problem, wifi issue, etc etc.
My question is when creating these custom ROM, why can't one just copy these drivers from shipped ROM and have everything works?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The last shipped Rom for the Vibrant was a long time ago and was a 2.2 froyo rom. Everything will work if you choose a custom rom based on 2.2.
The drivers, libraries for 2.3.x Gingerbread and 4.0.x ICS don't exist for the Vibrant so the devs mix and match libraries from other phones and old 2.2 stuff.
Sometimes it works, other time not. It's incredable we even have a working ICS despite the bugs.

Related

What are my options ?

Hello all!
I'm new to this and I have a few questions.
I have been reading around a little bit but it doesn't help much when you have so many codenames like Eclair, donut, vanilla and now CyanogenMod-5 that I got interested.
I have a HTC Hero, I would wait for HTC update to have Android 2.1 but the update got delayed to June. I don't want to wait 2 months for it and that's how I decided to try flashing it.
1) What are my ROM options to flash it? Is it all of them compatible or just a few ? Like, only Hero-compatible ROMs or ROMs compatible to devices that support Android ?
2) Basically I want Android 2.1 (Eclair, right?) but don't want to lose the HTC UI. Is that possible ? (the look, the widgets, etc..)
3) On the other hand, not only I don't want to lose HTC's UI as I'd like more of it. HTC Desire for example has more and new widgets that Hero doesn't have. Is there a community ROM that contains those ? Do I need a special ROM for that ?
4) Does all the ROMs contains the latest dev kernel versions ? the latest android dev version that is.
5) Does it have an auto update to update the ROM ?
6) What's the difference between Vanilla and Donut ? I see many talking about Vanilla, but shoulnd't I want the Donut instead ? ( sounded funny, I know )
Thank you in advance !
Looking forward to socialize in this forum.
m4co said:
Hello all!
I'm new to this and I have a few questions.
I have been reading around a little bit but it doesn't help much when you have so many codenames like Eclair, donut, vanilla and now CyanogenMod-5 that I got interested.
I have a HTC Hero, I would wait for HTC update to have Android 2.1 but the update got delayed to June. I don't want to wait 2 months for it and that's how I decided to try flashing it.
1) What are my ROM options to flash it? Is it all of them compatible or just a few ? Like, only Hero-compatible ROMs or ROMs compatible to devices that support Android ?
2) Basically I want Android 2.1 (Eclair, right?) but don't want to lose the HTC UI. Is that possible ? (the look, the widgets, etc..)
3) On the other hand, not only I don't want to lose HTC's UI as I'd like more of it. HTC Desire for example has more and new widgets that Hero doesn't have. Is there a community ROM that contains those ? Do I need a special ROM for that ?
4) Does all the ROMs contains the latest dev kernel versions ? the latest android dev version that is.
5) Does it have an auto update to update the ROM ?
6) What's the difference between Vanilla and Donut ? I see many talking about Vanilla, but shoulnd't I want the Donut instead ? ( sounded funny, I know )
Thank you in advance !
Looking forward to socialize in this forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Only HTC Hero rom's should be flashed (if you're not on Sprint Hero then you're GSM so look for GSM rom's = most) - the wiki has a page dedicated to which rom's are available.
2. HTC theme is called rosie, so look for a rosie enabled rom
3. Some extra widgets come with them - check with each release (you can find them all in the development section)
4. No, most are based upon leaked kernals which have been hacked together to work, they work well enough but as soon as the official 2.1 kernal is available for the hero it will be added in to the rom's
5. Some have OTA updates (e.g. VillainROM)
6. Vanilla just means without the HTC Sense UI (Rosie) so you don't want a vanilla rom. Donut is v1.5 (or maybe 1.6?) of android i believe.
And welcome to the community
Check out my guides for all your needs XD
btdag said:
(if you're not on Sprint Hero then you're GSM so look for GSM rom's = most) - the wiki has a page dedicated to which rom's are available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! that helped tons!
One more question, mine is not Sprint Hero, just Hero
So it's certain that this is a GSM device ?
How can I tell if it's GSM or CDMA ?
gsm means u can use any sim card
cdma means u cant
Awesome. So mine must be GSM.
Now, what is Radio ROM ?
What is Radio ? Do I have to flash that as well ?
EDIT: I think I get it. It can improve the signal, yes ?
But is it safe to flash this? what are my restrictions?
Looks much more dangerous than flashing a custom ROM
Ok, much more complicated than I thought!
I need to downgrade my kernel first,
didn't find any up to date tutorials on that
only then I need to root and finally flash it
I installed this " ROM Manager " where you have some easy options:
Install ROM from SD card, Download Rom, Check for ROM Updates
just with a click (tap)
That one is easier, but does it work ? How come noone mentions this ROM Manager ?
That are many ROMs to choose..
I take it VillainROM 5.4 is the most popular/older ?
As long as it has Android 2.1 plus the latest Sense UI (not vanilla) then the number of options get trimmed a bit (or so I hope)
m4co said:
Ok, much more complicated than I thought!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not too difficult, follow BTDAG's guide in my signature, its bang on. Install custom recovery, flash ROM.
No you do not need to downgrade your kernal. When you flash the ROM it will sort that out for you.
As for using 2.1 ROMs, I haven't taken the plunge yet, I'm using MCR3.2 which is a tweaked fast and stable 1.5 ROM.
You're right, btdag's guide did it for me. Very very useful.
Since I didn't have to worry about kernel, it wasn't thaaat hard.
I already installed VillainRom 5.4 and it's great !
Thanks for answering my questions !

[Q] Rom and Kernel

Hi Im trying to educate my self about android os. Correct me if im wrong but what i understand is kernel is to an engine of a car and rom is to body works of the car. In that sense would i be able to use other roms for a certain kernel or does it need to be a specific rom?
It depends on rom "type"...
Some ones provide compiled modules...
Some other ones need modules build from sources...
Generally into the release notes of any roms, there're those things specified...
If not, in the posts of the release...
In Your question, there isn't the firmware (under kernel and rom).
Why?
Cheers,
M.
some kernel works with more than one rom but maybe u will have problem with your operation functions

Do Custom Roms have WiFi AP ?

Do any custom roms for the HTC Legend had a working Wifi hotspot ? It seems they don't because of driver issues, just wondered if any do ?
Yes, there are many. If there is one that can't support it based on issues of WiFi drivers and such, it will explicitly mention so in the OP of the ROM. But if I recall correctly, that's only the NewSense ROM, and the ICS alpha.
So flash any 2.2+ ROM as you please, it would most likely work, and remember to read!

[Q] My Top 10 S2 / Android Questions

Hi,
I am a new Galaxy S II (i9100) owner. I have a couple of questions, if some of the experienced users could please assist me I would greatly appreciate it. My questions are listed by priority:
EDIT: I am rephrasing my questions and putting the answers that I feel are best suited so that people who are interested can see the answers in one clean post
1) I understand that CM Mod is based on AOSP and is used as a base on a lot of ROMS but could someone please explain to me how a ROM could be an AOKP ROM and "Based on CM10". Are they taking certain modules from CM10 and certain things from an AOKP Build and putting it together?
ROMS usually take the best of CM and AOKP and combine to produce a more stable base.
2) I know what CWM is but once you use ODIN to flash CWM onto your phone where does it go? By this I mean, does it sit on the ROM or somewhere on your Internal SD card (or both, maybe it puts settings on your SD card). I would like to know if I format my Internal memory will it remove or cause CWM to bug out?
CWM will get removed from your phone if you flash a Kernal that doesn't have CWM on it. It will also get removed from your phone if you "format" the internal SD as that is where it is stored. CWM will NOT be removed if you flash a update to your phone that doesn't require you to "wipe"
3) I am not a fan of the Stock Samsung ROMS because of the bloatware that it contains. However, is it all possible that these Stock Samsung ROMS have built in optimization code or something that works better for my specific device? I ask this because the best battery life I've managed to get was on Stock Samsung ICS where as my battery life dies on any of the JB Roms (Even SlimBean)
AFAIK Stock Roms are optimized for basic / standard features. Custom ROM's can be optimized for the way you use your phone. A Stock ROM is a "One Size Fits all ROM" a Custom ROM can be "Tailored" to fit your needs.
4) I understand how I/O Schedulers / Governors etc work but what advantage does using a non stock Kernel have? As far as I understand these can be changed on any rooted Kernel or am I incorrect?
I/O Schedulers / Governors can be changed on rooted or non rooted Kernels. Rooted Kernels have access to their own custom schedulers and governors.
5) When I download an app from Play store is there no way for me to not install it and just download the APK? So that I don't have to backup all my apps (I don't like using Titanium very much) and so that I can just reinstall the APK files from my internal Memory?
No There is no way to get around this. Install APK files from the Web. Use Titanium Backup to backup applications installed from the Play Store.
6) I've followed the guide to enable or disable Fast Dormancy (I'm still learning about this) however when I type the code in my phone (*#9900#) or (*#0011#) nothing happens. Is this because I'm running JB and these codes only work on ICS?
These codes only work on Stock ROMS
7) When I have a look at my battery usage (currently on CM10) screen says "52%" even though my brightness is set to like 25%. I am trying to figure out why my battery is dying so fast. Is this normal?
There is no "Normal". Too many factors involved. Have a look at the BBS Thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1179809. You may post your BBS dump/log in this thread and ask the experts to analyze it for you.
8) What is the main difference between AOSP and AOKP? I understand that AOKP will open up a lot of other customizations to me but what are these customizations? I assumed it was things like setting the governor and the I/O Scheduler etc but I've installed ROMS based on AOSP that allows me to do that.
Busy Formulating an answer
9) Galaxy S2 Modems I keep flashing different modems on my phone but I see no change in signal whatsoever is there an application or anything that can help me get an accurate benchmark so that I know which modem is "best" for me?
This is usually done by trial and error. Have a look at the Modem / RILS thread to ensure that your Baseband and RIL version match. Alternatively you can use an app called GETRIL which will get the correct RIL file for your modem
10) Please don't mistake this as a "What's the best ROM??" question. I've tried many different ROMs and I still haven't got a favorite I am looking for someone who has an idea of which ROM will mostly fulfill my requirements which are:
(BTW I'm leaning towards SlimBean here)
1) JB (I love JB keyboard)
2) Battery life (I think I'm looking for something that uses the conservative governor)
3) I mainly use my phone for WhatsApp (I use this ALOT) and browsing (barely for games)
4) Lightweight (I don't want Samsung Apps, I don't want a ROM that has 3 launchers etc.)
5) I don't mind charging my phone once every 16-18 hours.
6) Preferably AOKP so I can mess around and experiment and perhaps give back to the community
This is my personal opinion but I think that SlimBean will best fit my requirements
lickwidice said:
Hi,
I am a new Galaxy S II (i9100) owner. I have a couple of questions, if some of the experienced users could please assist me I would greatly appreciate it. My questions are listed by priority:
1) I understand that CM Mod is based on AOSP and is used as a base on a lot of ROMS but could someone please explain to me how a ROM could be an AOKP ROM and "Based on CM10". Are they taking certain modules from CM10 and certain things from an AOKP Build and putting it together?
2) I know what CWM is but once you use ODIN to flash CWM onto your phone where does it go? By this I mean, does it sit on the ROM or somewhere on your Internal SD card (or both, maybe it puts settings on your SD card). I would like to know if I format my Internal memory will it remove or cause CWM to bug out?
3) I am not a fan of the Stock Samsung ROMS because of the bloatware that it contains. However, is it all possible that these Stock Samsung ROMS have built in optimization code or something that works better for my specific device? I ask this because the best battery life I've managed to get was on Stock Samsung ICS where as my battery life dies on any of the JB Roms (Even SlimBean)
4) I understand how I/O Schedulers / Governors etc work but what advantage does using a non stock Kernel have? As far as I understand these can be changed on any rooted Kernel or am I incorrect?
5) When I download an app from Play store is there no way for me to not install it and just download the APK? So that I don't have to backup all my apps (I don't like using Titanium very much) and so that I can just reinstall the APK files from my internal Memory?
6) I've followed the guide to enable or disable Fast Dormancy (I'm still learning about this) however when I type the code in my phone (*#9900#) or (*#0011#) nothing happens. Is this because I'm running JB and these codes only work on ICS?
7) When I have a look at my battery usage (currently on CM10) screen says "52%" even though my brightness is set to like 25%. I am trying to figure out why my battery is dying so fast. Is this normal?
8) What is the main difference between AOSP and AOKP? I understand that AOKP will open up a lot of other customizations to me but what are these customizations? I assumed it was things like setting the governor and the I/O Scheduler etc but I've installed ROMS based on AOSP that allows me to do that.
9) Galaxy S2 Modems I keep flashing different modems on my phone but I see no change in signal whatsoever is there an application or anything that can help me get an accurate benchmark so that I know which modem is "best" for me?
10) Please don't mistake this as a "What's the best ROM??" question. I've tried many different ROMs and I still haven't got a favorite I am looking for someone who has an idea of which ROM will mostly fulfill my requirements which are:
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha ha, next time, please don't post so many questions in one post.
Then you will get more answers IMO.
I can't answer every question, but I'll try my best:
1) As I am using stock / Sammy ROMs only, I can give no clue to that. Please search and read a bit in ROM threads.
2) In SGS2 firmware, recovery (CWM is a special, enhanced recovery) is included in the kernel. If you format your internal memory (sd card), it will be removed, and will have to flash a new firmware (whole ROM including a new kernel with recovery) to your phone.
3) I like stock / Sammy ROMs, but custom ROMs may include same or similar device-specific drivers/etc. AFAIK.
4) Most custom kernels support different I/O Schedulers and CPU Governors. So you can switch to the one you like/prefer.
5) Apps from Play store will be automatically installed on your phone. That's why so many users are using Titanium Backup.
6) There is an app from gokhanmoral to switch Fast Dormancy on/off. I don't have the link, so you have to search for it here on xda. The USSD codes won't work on some ROMsm such as non-stock or JB.
7) Have a look at BBS thread => http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1179809. You may post your BBS dump/log in this thread and ask the experts to analyze it for you.
8) Have already google it, or look at wikipeadia. I have no better answer ... sorry.
9) Have a look at the modem thread here => http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1131950, and here for modem/RIL files => http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1881304
10) No "What's the best ROM??" question?! Sounds like that to me You have to check different ROMs yourself and decide yourself what's best for you and your needs.
Good luck !
lickwidice said:
Hi,
I am a new Galaxy S II (i9100) owner. I have a couple of questions, if some of the experienced users could please assist me I would greatly appreciate it. My questions are listed by priority:
1) I understand that CM Mod is based on AOSP and is used as a base on a lot of ROMS but could someone please explain to me how a ROM could be an AOKP ROM and "Based on CM10". Are they taking certain modules from CM10 and certain things from an AOKP Build and putting it together?
2) I know what CWM is but once you use ODIN to flash CWM onto your phone where does it go? By this I mean, does it sit on the ROM or somewhere on your Internal SD card (or both, maybe it puts settings on your SD card). I would like to know if I format my Internal memory will it remove or cause CWM to bug out?
3) I am not a fan of the Stock Samsung ROMS because of the bloatware that it contains. However, is it all possible that these Stock Samsung ROMS have built in optimization code or something that works better for my specific device? I ask this because the best battery life I've managed to get was on Stock Samsung ICS where as my battery life dies on any of the JB Roms (Even SlimBean)
4) I understand how I/O Schedulers / Governors etc work but what advantage does using a non stock Kernel have? As far as I understand these can be changed on any rooted Kernel or am I incorrect?
5) When I download an app from Play store is there no way for me to not install it and just download the APK? So that I don't have to backup all my apps (I don't like using Titanium very much) and so that I can just reinstall the APK files from my internal Memory?
6) I've followed the guide to enable or disable Fast Dormancy (I'm still learning about this) however when I type the code in my phone (*#9900#) or (*#0011#) nothing happens. Is this because I'm running JB and these codes only work on ICS?
7) When I have a look at my battery usage (currently on CM10) screen says "52%" even though my brightness is set to like 25%. I am trying to figure out why my battery is dying so fast. Is this normal?
8) What is the main difference between AOSP and AOKP? I understand that AOKP will open up a lot of other customizations to me but what are these customizations? I assumed it was things like setting the governor and the I/O Scheduler etc but I've installed ROMS based on AOSP that allows me to do that.
9) Galaxy S2 Modems I keep flashing different modems on my phone but I see no change in signal whatsoever is there an application or anything that can help me get an accurate benchmark so that I know which modem is "best" for me?
10) Please don't mistake this as a "What's the best ROM??" question. I've tried many different ROMs and I still haven't got a favorite I am looking for someone who has an idea of which ROM will mostly fulfill my requirements which are:
(BTW I'm leaning towards SlimBean here)
1) JB (I love JB keyboard)
2) Battery life (I think I'm looking for something that uses the conservative governor)
3) I mainly use my phone for WhatsApp (I use this ALOT) and browsing (barely for games)
4) Lightweight (I don't want Samsung Apps, I don't want a ROM that has 3 launchers etc.)
5) I don't mind charging my phone once every 16-18 hours.
6) Preferably AOKP so I can mess around and experiment and perhaps give back to the community
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Yes the best of cm and AOKP where combined to produce a more stable base.
2. CWM or clockworkmode is a phone based recovery that allows you to make changes without powering and rebooting the phone in recovery mode. It is added to rooted kernel and will disappear if you flash a wiped or standard kernal over it.
It will not disappear if you flash an non wipe update to your phone.
3. jb roms are getting better with the battery as new optimizations are being intergrated. Stock roms were designed around the battery with minimal features implemented, when you add apps your battery will start get worse.
4. yes they can be changed on rooted kernals or non rooted kernals. On rooted kernals it gives you more control over the functions of the phone.
5. unfortnately play store automatically installs the apks automatically. you need to back them up with a program similiar to titanium back up. They are a few different versions in play store just find one you like. Only non play store apps download the apk for you to install yourself. One of the functions of CWM is to allow you to install APKS. I System Tuner Pro myself.
6. Correct, those codes only work with the stock keyboard and ics roms as JB Have very little stock apps included.
7. How fast the batttery discharges depends on a number of factors like what apps are running, If you leave wi fi on and if you have wake locks. BBs which is a battery recording app can found on this forum. Make a log of a day and post it and experenced members will review it and advise what to do to get better battery life.
8. You need to ask a developer what the differences are. But I think AOKP is an upgrade of AOSP.
9. No trial and error is the only method. Your baseband and ril must match to get the most efficiency
out of your modem. There is a small program called GETRIL which will update the ril for you.
10. unfortunately everybody's preferences are different so it is another case of trying roms till you find on you are happy with.
I hope that these answers of some help.
@It_ler @Cosmic Blue
Thanks for the replies... I have a better understanding already. I've read up on GETRIL and will give that a try.
2) In SGS2 firmware, recovery (CWM is a special, enhanced recovery) is included in the kernel. If you format your internal memory (sd card), it will be removed, and will have to flash a new firmware (whole ROM including a new kernel with recovery) to your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. CWM or clockworkmode is a phone based recovery that allows you to make changes without powering and rebooting the phone in recovery mode. It is added to rooted kernel and will disappear if you flash a wiped or standard kernal over it.
It will not disappear if you flash an non wipe update to your phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand. But is the internal memory partitioned? If I use X-plore I have a 11gig SD Memory and then I have a "/Root" folder which is 2gigs
Structure looks like this: /sdcard 11gb (10.9gbfree)
/root 2gb (1.7gb free)
Does CWM and Kernel not sit in /root? and is "/root" not a separate partition?
So...Instead of doing your own research & getting full/accurate answers to your questions (and learning a lot in the process), you'd rather sit here & wait for 'users' to give you mostly vague-ish answers to them ?
(Hint: By & large, developers do not read Q&A. They have better things to do.)
Edit - List of SGS2 partitions
MistahBungle said:
So...Instead of doing your own research & getting full/accurate answers to your questions (and learning a lot in the process), you'd rather sit here & wait for 'users' to give you mostly vague-ish answers to them ?
(Hint: By & large, developers do not read Q&A. They have better things to do.)
Edit - List of SGS2 partitions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MistahBungle this is a Q&A thread if you don't have any A's then rather don't post. I've had the Galaxy for 3 days. In 3 days I've read a lot and done a lot of research. You reply makes no sense that's like saying: "So Instead of failing many times and then getting it right you'd rather Google and get it right the first time?". I posted here because I know 90% of the people here are experts and will give me the answers I'm looking for. Also, I'm not posting questions like "OMG Lulz teach me how to root my phone" you can see that I've tried and these are questions that I have after trying out different ROMS.
Thanks to those that are willing to help, this is what builds a good community.
So that link I posted is an illusion, huh ?
MistahBungle said:
So that link I posted is an illusion, huh ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OMW Oops :/. I'm so sorry I didn't even see that link I thought it was a signature. Thanks for the link you posted it is very helpful I'm reading it right now.
Before you start getting hostile please realise nobody on this site is obliged to help you and anyone who does reply to your thread does so in their own time and off their own volition. Beggers can't be choosers.
But otherwise your post isn't too bad. The differences between CM and AOKP are mainly cosmetic and to do with feature. There is no "AOSP" as everything is at its core based off AOSP. I always image AOKP as just a more streamlined, feature inclusive CM but recently they have started to add their own tweaks etc. Honestly, it doesn't matter anymore because with Siyah kernel (and kernels like it) being able to work on multiple platforms you can have ROMs with CM base and AOKP+Paranoid features.
The "features" I'm talking about are stuff like integrated weather, quick flashlight toggle, change the battery/signal display, etc etc.
postfatal said:
Before you start getting hostile please realise nobody on this site is obliged to help you and anyone who does reply to your thread does so in their own time and off their own volition. Beggers can't be choosers.
But otherwise your post isn't too bad. The differences between CM and AOKP are mainly cosmetic and to do with feature. There is no "AOSP" as everything is at its core based off AOSP. I always image AOKP as just a more streamlined, feature inclusive CM but recently they have started to add their own tweaks etc. Honestly, it doesn't matter anymore because with Siyah kernel (and kernels like it) being able to work on multiple platforms you can have ROMs with CM base and AOKP+Paranoid features.
The "features" I'm talking about are stuff like integrated weather, quick flashlight toggle, change the battery/signal display, etc etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do agree that I should've responded in a better way, and that people are not obliged to help me. That's why I thank the people that do help. However, commenting on a thread and telling the OP to do his research doesn't seem constructive to me whatsoever (I've seen many threads like this). Posting a link is a quick CTRL+V and is way more constructive IMO.
Thanks for clearing up the differences for me. It makes a lot of sense. Everything is based on AOSP since that is the most "pure" release. AOKP is modified AOSP and CM is also Modified AOSP. So essentially most AOKP Roms take the best from AOKP builds and CM builds.

[Q] Vanilla Gingerbread ROM?

My phone broke and the cost of replacing it with a new one before I'm eligible for an upgrade isn't worth it, so my friend loaned me an HTC Droid Eris until then. It's already rooted apparently, and I'm looking to load a pure, unmodified version of 2.3.7 on it (2.3.5+ is fine too). Or as close as I can possibly get to that, anyway.
Normally I wouldn't bother (I don't need to do much with my phone and I'm hardly a power user), but 2.1 is a little (lot) old at this point. I don't want anything fancy and I don't want Cyanogen. Just a stock, Nexus-esque ROM of Gingerbread and the full, completely functional Google App Suite. That last part is a must. If the ROM doesn't come with them (legalities and what not), that's fine, I just need to know how to get them. I know little to nothing about mobile operating systems, so the plainer the language, the better please.
Thanks for any help you can give.
That may be a little hard if no one has built a pure AOSP ROM for your phone. But what's wrong with CyanogenMod? Since you don't know much about this stuff, maybe you have some misconceptions about it. It's as close to pure Android as you can get, with a whole load of useful features. Android was lacking in a lot of ways till ICS and Jelly Bean. CM really made Gingerbread awesome. Also, for the same reason, CM ROMs are made for a lot of devices rather than AOSP, and most likely yours has a CM ROM for it too.
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sashank said:
That may be a little hard if no one has built a pure AOSP ROM for your phone. But what's wrong with CyanogenMod? Since you don't know much about this stuff, maybe you have some misconceptions about it. It's as close to pure Android as you can get, with a whole load of useful features. Android was lacking in a lot of ways till ICS and Jelly Bean. CM really made Gingerbread awesome. Also, for the same reason, CM ROMs are made for a lot of devices rather than AOSP, and most likely yours has a CM ROM for it too.
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Well it doesn't have to be ripped directly from a Nexus S or anything, but as close to stock as possible. I have a good friend with Cyanogen and I'm just not a fan of the modifications. The UI alterations, the changes to certain operations and functions, the general ability to do some higher level stuff I don't wanna mess with, etc. I'd really just rather have vanilla if it's physically possible.
I don't need anything CM has that GB doesn't already have, so that's why I've opted for vanilla. I already know there's a stable CM 7.2 release for the Eris, which is nice, but I'd really prefer stock. Thank you for your help, though. I appreciate the quick response
That's quite understandable. The multitude of options and advanced settings can be overwhelming. Unfortunately you're at a loss for choice with your device. There aren't a lot of recent ROMs for it to begin with, and out of those there's only one AOSP Gingerbread ROM (2.3.5 I think) that I can find. The rest are CM10 and CM7 ports, AOSP 2.1 Eclair and 2.2 Froyo, and some stock ROMs. There might be more, but I didn't bother to look as the threads have been inactive for very long. There's no point in flashing ROMs that have been dead for a long time. This one AOSP GB ROM itself is more than a year old since the last update. You can still try it though, and if everything works fine and it's stable, you're good. Otherwise your only real choice for a stable, fully functional ROM is CM7.2.
Here's the ROM - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1040459
Look here for more ROMs for your phone - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=554
You should ask this question in your phone's forum rather than the general Android Q&A, as you'll get more appropriate answers from people who are using the phone themselves.
sashank said:
That's quite understandable. The multitude of options and advanced settings can be overwhelming. Unfortunately you're at a loss for choice with your device. There aren't a lot of recent ROMs for it to begin with, and out of those there's only one AOSP Gingerbread ROM (2.3.5 I think) that I can find. The rest are CM10 and CM7 ports, AOSP 2.1 Eclair and 2.2 Froyo, and some stock ROMs. There might be more, but I didn't bother to look as the threads have been inactive for very long. There's no point in flashing ROMs that have been dead for a long time. This one AOSP GB ROM itself is more than a year old since the last update. You can still try it though, and if everything works fine and it's stable, you're good. Otherwise your only real choice for a stable, fully functional ROM is CM7.2.
Here's the ROM - http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1040459
Look here for more ROMs for your phone - http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=554
You should ask this question in your phone's forum rather than the general Android Q&A, as you'll get more appropriate answers from people who are using the phone themselves.
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I apologize for not posting on the Droid Eris boards. I know I should have, but it's basically dead at this point so I didn't think I'd get much of a response, if any. Thank you for that link. I searched those boards but I was having a hard time finding stock ROMs. Mostly just CM 7 stuff and other modified ROMs. I guess vanilla isn't too popular. *Shrug*
I just flashed that ROM and it's telling me I need to also flash Google Apps as well. While I greatly appreciate all your help, that was the one thing I said I really needed to have. Do you know how I would go about doing that? I'm gonna try and look it up now, but if my search for vanilla 2.3 is any indication I may need some help. Thank you again for everything
You can download gapps for any Android version from here - http://goo.im/gapps
If you're confused at all, the right gapps for Gingerbread 2.3.5-2.3.7 is here - http://goo.im/gapps/gapps-gb-20110828-signed.zip
You won't need the one with Google Talk video chat add-on as your phone doesn't have a front camera. This package I linked to above is the standard gapps package for CM7 and any Android ROM above 2.3.5. Flash gapps package after flashing the ROM.
The reason for Google apps being packaged separately is that Google didn't want people packaging it with their ROMs. CM initially used to have them packaged till Google asked them to remove their proprietary apps, which include Gmail, Play Store and all the backend apps for syncing data with Google. They weren't okay with them being packaged with ROMs, but they were fine with the apps being packaged as a separate file and flashed after flashing the ROM. Modified HTC Sense stock ROMs come with them included though, because stock includes them.
Read this for more info on gapps - http://wiki.rootzwiki.com/Google_Apps
Also, vanilla AOSP ROMs are very popular now for a lot of devices. They just weren't too popular at the time of Gingerbread other than for Nexus phones.
sashank said:
You can download gapps for any Android version from here - http://goo.im/gapps
If you're confused at all, the right gapps for Gingerbread 2.3.5-2.3.7 is here - http://goo.im/gapps/gapps-gb-20110828-signed.zip
You won't need the one with Google Talk video chat add-on as your phone doesn't have a front camera. This package I linked to above is the standard gapps package for CM7 and any Android ROM above 2.3.5. Flash gapps package after flashing the ROM.
The reason for Google apps being packaged separately is that Google didn't want people packaging it with their ROMs. CM initially used to have them packaged till Google asked them to remove their proprietary apps, which include Gmail, Play Store and all the backend apps for syncing data with Google. They weren't okay with them being packaged with ROMs, but they were fine with the apps being packaged as a separate file and flashed after flashing the ROM. Modified HTC Sense stock ROMs come with them included though, because stock includes them.
Read this for more info on gapps - http://wiki.rootzwiki.com/Google_Apps
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No idea how I stumbled upon this but I always wondered why it was cool to just host all the apps. I remembered a C&D from Google to CM regarding the apps, but nothing on why they were so freely available. Thanks.

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