[Q] Question about providing documentation - AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note I717

Hi.
I've been a lurker on XDA for a while. This weekend I ordered a Galaxy Note to replace my Atrix 2, and I started going through the process of combing through the posts here to figure out how to root, flash roms, what roms to flash, etc. In the process I started learning a bunch of new terms that I'd never encountered before (ODIN specifically, but also "Fast Dormancy," APN, a few others). There's a lot of information here and it's a little dizzying.
Which brings me to the setup for my question(s). I am a technical writer, and have been for 19 years. I'm a pretty good one, and I have a knack for putting together pretty solid documentation. I thought it might be useful if I took a lot of these documents and put them together into an actual document, sort of an unofficial Galaxy Note manual for the i717, and turned it into a PDF that someone could download and use as a reference.
My questions are:
1. Is there any actual need or desire from the community for this? I figure a lot of you are probably more used to crawling through the forums for information than I am, so perhaps this is something that wouldn't provide much benefit.
2. Is there any legal concern for it? This is a little trickier. Essentially I'd be providing documentation that included how to root a phone, and as far as I know there's no reason it would be illegal (just, you know, warranty-voiding). I'm a little fuzzier on documenting ODIN, since it's apparently Samsung-provided software...
3. If I created this, where should I put it? I'd be tempted just to link to my own site, but I notice the common thing to do here is to post it on a cloud/file hosting account. Is there a specific reason I shouldn't put it up on my site, other than the bandwidth hit if it turned out to be ridiculously popular?
Anyway, those are my questions. Just trying to get feel for whether it would be worth the time to take on this project...

Related

What a Sticky Mess!

Well, currently we've got something that doesn't fall short of a horrible mass of Sticky threads; and with the explosion of ROM development possibilities; I propose a new forums entitled WM2006 (or something to the effect) where all efforts related purely to ROM upgrading etc, and less technical stuff can be posted; sure the lines would blue at times, but I think it'd balance out the mass of stuff nicely in much a similar way as has been done with the Himalaya forums.
On a different note... I will be cooking my own ROM which I intend to base upon WM6 Vanilla, but undoubtedly with features borrowed from Kyphur's release, except I intend to provide it with zero-branding since I utterly can't stand any form of branding on a phone personally other than the OS being presented the way in which God intended
What I *will* be doing however is kitting it out with a selection of applications and tools that would prove useful on the phone, so if people have suggestions, I'm all ears.
also... while I'm at it; is it safe to use the BuildImgFs.exe to build a ROM from the dump folder? cheers in advance for an answer to that one... since I *think* MakeImgFs just cleverly invokes AddFile.exe I reckon it'll work.
I was going to mention the sticky issue myself. At 1280x1024 the stickies pretty much take up the whole screen.
About the ROM cooking - are you sure you don't want to wait until kyphur releases the final vanilla ROM? It should be a lot more stable than a beta (obviously) and it wouldn't have all the weird issues like WiFi on/off only displaying "on," et cetera.
As for possible applications, since you'll probably cook it anyway (I know I would if I had the time) I think including the Widcomm stack would be extremely beneficial. I realize it's not a trivial task, but you did ask for suggestions... And, yes, I realize it's not technically an application
I think the wiki should be used for most of the things that are stickies now. Heh, what we need is a question to post a message to the forums. A question that the answer can be found in the wiki to... encourage.. people to read that first before posting stupid questions.
"How many stupid people does it take to make a brick?"
Too easy.. but I'm sure they'll find out the hard way.
Maz
http://maz.net.au/
awe c'mon maz have a heart. we have to laugh at someone. and those chosen few just so happens to be the ones that dont like reading 70 pages of useful information.
They're not even my threads and I get frustrated with the people registering to say "I flahs you rom and now it not wokr no more. How do i fix???!?!?!?!?" in something like the technical gps thread. I'm too polite to reply with, "You get that brick there, and shove it right up your...." like someone should. It's not like the thing is going to get any more rooted in the few days it'll take them to read the wiki and threads.
Cheers.
Maz
http://maz.net.au/
I should make this into a proper sig.
I'll update the wiki with some information on the sticky threads and remove some of them soon.

[Q] Comparing different ROM features

So, new to this game, but a reasonably good tech head by trade. I didn't see any information outlining the differences between the available GTab ROMs in an apples to apples sort of way. Does anything like that exist currently? If not, is this something the community would be interested in brainstorming in a Google Doc or something? I'm happy to get things rolling if so.
Okay, so, this might be stupid, or a total waste of time, but what the heck:
https(colon,slash,slash)spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Au8YYie-Ky7kdDNQRG8zN09xYnQ2NTVvOXY1ZTFtMXc&hl=en&authkey=CJC3j5oC
I went ahead and started working up a spreadsheet. Feel free to go in and start editing, adding important features, correcting, or whatever else. If someone else has beaten me to this, just say so.
I actually think it is an awesome idea and should help a lot of people decide what ROM they want to use. I have had my GTab since Christmas and have flashed mine over 20 times. I have tried all of the ROMs available on these forums multiple times and I don't think I would have needed to if a spreadsheet like this was in place earlier.
Okay, I think I seeded the spreadsheet with as much information as I can based on the various ROM threads. It'll be up to the community to help fill in some of the remaining gaps and such. And feel free to add in new feature checkpoints as well that users would find relevant. I'll keep curating the document to keep it consistent, and will fill in more once I actually have my G-Tablet in hand.
Features, add features that we could us, so those of us who want a rom that performs the tasks we want can see which one best suits us.
just some egs
bluetooth gps support
usb gps support (dont think this will be possible till hc is availabe)
usb g3 support
proxy support
external or bt keyboard and mouse support
.....
TheQuicksilver said:
Okay, so, this might be stupid, or a total waste of time, but what the heck:
https(colon,slash,slash)spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Au8YYie-Ky7kdDNQRG8zN09xYnQ2NTVvOXY1ZTFtMXc&hl=en&authkey=CJC3j5oC
I went ahead and started working up a spreadsheet. Feel free to go in and start editing, adding important features, correcting, or whatever else. If someone else has beaten me to this, just say so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Neither stupid nor a waste of time: I have been wanting to do something similar for a while - decide what/whether to upgrade my TNTLite 2.2 install to, I just haven't found the time or energy.
Your spreadsheet is very helpful. You should start a thread for it in the 'G Tablet Android Development' forum and see if you can get it stickied: I'll bet a LOT of other people will find it useful too. Maybe the various developers will chime in and help you fill in the blanks.
*thumbs up!*
I for one thank you for your time and effort. I am waiting on my Gtab to be delivered and am trying to decide which ROM to use. With this spreadsheet I can see the pros/cons of the major players at a glance. I think I will go with Vega.
Tt
Icedvoco said:
Features, add features that we could us, so those of us who want a rom that performs the tasks we want can see which one best suits us.
just some egs
bluetooth gps support
usb gps support (dont think this will be possible till hc is availabe)
usb g3 support
proxy support
external or bt keyboard and mouse support
.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tossed some extra fields in for those requests.
999pings, thanks, I'll start a second thread once I have the requisite posts to do so in the Developer forum. I was sort of torn what the right place was to post this to begin with. Mods, feel free to merge the threads if necessary once I get the second one going.
Yeah thanks this would be helpful. It's always easier to have a side-by-side comparison than having to read through a long list of change logs and hundreds of pages of comments on what works and what doesn't. I too am waiting for my tablet to come in the mail and deciding which ROM to go with. I was basing my decision on popularity and that award going to TnT based on thread activity. Of course that doesn't always mean it's the best choice. I'd like to see this spreadsheet take shape in the next few days or so
Perhaps you can model yours after one that SimonNWalker here at XDA did:
http://db.androidspin.com/androidspin_release_matrix.asp
Something along those lines would be nice once I have the data put together from everyone. Likewise, it'd be nice to find a wiki for it to live on, some place that it could continue to be maintained over time. Ideally something like this can take off in a way that it wouldn't need me (or any single person) to constantly curate it.
TheQuicksilver said:
Likewise, it'd be nice to find a wiki for it to live on, some place that it could continue to be maintained over time. Ideally something like this can take off in a way that it wouldn't need me (or any single person) to constantly curate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know much about it, but there is Wiki functionality within XDA if this gains popularity. The spreadsheet/chart can definitely grow over time especially when Honeycomb comes out. There will be many more flavors of ROMs being released.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
Dave615 said:
I don't know much about it, but there is Wiki functionality within XDA if this gains popularity. The spreadsheet/chart can definitely grow over time especially when Honeycomb comes out. There will be many more flavors of ROMs being released.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, fantastic. That'll do great. I'll check into porting the stuff over to that once things fill in. Loves me some wiki action.
g1no23 said:
I actually think it is an awesome idea and should help a lot of people decide what ROM they want to use. I have had my GTab since Christmas and have flashed mine over 20 times. I have tried all of the ROMs available on these forums multiple times and I don't think I would have needed to if a spreadsheet like this was in place earlier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, excellent idea. Thanks for taking the time to do this!
I was about to embark upon getting VPN access working using TNTLite, now I know that I can switch to Vegan if it gets too complicated.
Here is the link since I thing the OP could not post it up
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc...NTVvOXY1ZTFtMXc&hl=en&authkey= CJC3j5oC#gid=0
copc said:
Here is the link since I thing the OP could not post it up
https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc...NTVvOXY1ZTFtMXc&hl=en&authkey= CJC3j5oC#gid=0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, thanks. Forums require a minimum of 8 posts to include links. I just joined, so had to fake it a little, heh.
Thankyou TheQuicksilver!!
Sticky??
I suggest adding a column for stock TNT, and maybe even 1 for stock+enhancement?
That would be helpful for those trying to decide to stay stock or not.
Jim
TheQuicksilver said:
Okay, so, this might be stupid, or a total waste of time, but what the heck:
https(colon,slash,slash)spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Au8YYie-Ky7kdDNQRG8zN09xYnQ2NTVvOXY1ZTFtMXc&hl=en&authkey=CJC3j5oC
I went ahead and started working up a spreadsheet. Feel free to go in and start editing, adding important features, correcting, or whatever else. If someone else has beaten me to this, just say so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Brand new to the GTab.. Picking a ROM and rooting tonight. This resource helps immensely! Thanks!
Just wanted to say thanks for this. This would be great to have as a "sticky" so we don't have to search for it, and for new owners to see at the top of the page.

[Q] Read the FAQ and it just prompted more questions.

I have been checking out these forums now for at least the last month trying to garner all the information that I can from those of you who seem to know a whole lot about this tablet. I am a tinkerer and I love to take things apart to see how they work and put them back together so that they work better than they did before. In this case I won’t be physically taking the tablet apart but metaphorically I am by messing with the software. I have been playing with computer and consoles for years so I’m not easily intimidated by the android software. I am a fast learner and therefore once I see something done once I can usually learn the process quickly. But before I dive into this thing I have some questions. I would like to note that I did search the forums but was unable to find a thread that directly covered my questions so please be patient with me if it has already been answered.
My first question:
I haven’t seen a step by step piece of instruction that covers the reflashing process from start to finish. I’ve found it in bits and pieces but in no particular order. So what’s the order and why?
Second Question:
I’ve seen several posts asking which ROM is the best ROM and for the most part the answers are all the same. “Your choice of ROM is relative to what you want to use it for”. One isn’t better than the other overall, but it may excel better than others for certain uses. So my question is, what are the uses for each ROM? What does each ROM do that makes it preferable over another?
Fourth Question:
How does the Kernel work? Does the kernel get changed with the flash of the new ROM or do you have to do it independently? How do you choose the kernel? Is there a kernel/ROM combination that’s optimal? If I choose a certain ROM, is there a particular kernel that I should get to go with it?
Third Question:
Can someone explain partitioning? Is it necessary? What are the benefits? When should I do it if I need to? I’ve read that this tablet doesn’t like the partitioning that comes with the stock ROM. Can someone shed some light on this for me?
Last question:
Will flashing a new ROM fix the Bluetooth pairing issue? Or any of the other issues that exist on the stock ROM.
I apologize if these questions are redundant any advice is appreciated.
My ultimate goal is to be able to use the tablet with my cell phone and be a completely mobile multimedia device. (Xvid, Mp3, Avi, Netflix, Android Market, Etc.)
My appologies, maybe "reflashing" wasn't the proper terminology to use. What I meant was a step by step block of instruction to flash the tablet with a modified ROM. I would also like to know why you do each step and why they must be done in that order. This helps me learn the process rather than memorizing it. Kinda like when I was in school. I could cram for an exam by memorizing the information but learned nothing from it because I didn't retain the information. But if I studied and learned the who, when, why, and how, I retained the information and understood the subject as a whole. I know my request seems a bit anal and definitly redundant in these forums, but no one has actually put together a complete walkthrough on how to do this and why. If it was approached like teaching a class, I'm sure it would cut down on all these redundant questions and stickied for future use. I would like to note that there is a tone of great information in these forums and some hard work put into the stickied FAQ's. It's just an idea. Let me know what you guys think when you respond to my questions. -Thanks, DarkHorse281.
If netflix is a deal breaker then your limited to CM7. Although I believe a couple of Roebeet's 1.2 mods have semi functional netflix hacks.
I'm understanding "reflashing" to be getting back to stock. For that you want nvflash:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=861950
Different roms have their strengths. I believe a video review of all roms is stickied. I like mods based on tnt, which are Froyo, and incorporate some tablet oriented UI elements.
Kernels are often included with mods, but you can change the kernel on it's own as well.
You do want to partition, it's critical.
You probably have read this, but if not it's a good overview
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=865245

Android Desktop (Coders?)

Ok, I want to make this as straight forward as possible, but give you the details you are curious about.
Let me start by saying that personally, I, and only I, have been creating this conceptual idea of Android on the desktop since March 2013. This is my soul here, and I have been, for over a year, trying to bring this to light for everyone. But that is not the easiest thing to do.
I have page after page, PSD after PSD of ideas written out all over the place for how Android on the desktop will work, full of redesigns and structures. But it is going no where for one reason.
I need coders.
I have 4 - 5 people preparing soon enough to get started on developing. My main coder and adviser, has found something, which I cannot speak of here, that makes developing this idea so easy and pretty smooth. We have a lot of this mapped out already, but we need a team to make this happen. You must trust that what we have planned here will be the next big thing. This isn't just a knock off, this is what it is meant to be. Do not worry that "Android was created for phones and tablets" as we have over looked that minor idea and moved past it already.
What we have planned will work without a doubt. But we need you; rom developers, those who know what they are doing and have knowledge in python, c or java, either one.
I have someone offering me to put this on their hardware which will be released in the fall, I have a few people interested in this, but the problem is, no one can touch it because it isnt in a workable form. Maybe a minor form, but not enough for you to touch.
I want to show you a fraction of the work I've done, which I've posted on XDA
I would also like for you to check out the G+ group and join if you have G+.
Also if you are a ui/ux/icon designer, by all means please help me out. This is a pain to do by myself.
But, please contact me and I will bring you in with the small group of people we have, we would be more than happy to have you.
Thanks for looking.

Where to start?

I've purchased 3 androids I'm the past several years, and I feel the reason I dislike them is because I can't ever get them running stock Android. This of course is my first goal, but the barrier to entry just seems ridiculous. Of course I've tried googling, for many many hours, and probably longer than that cumulatively. However, the phones I have aren't too popular (currently on a Samsung Galaxy Express 3, still have a 2015 Moro G somewhere), and I think their root/custom ROM guides aren't too prevalent.
I would like to understand what I'm trying to accomplish though, just so I have a better shot googling the information. From what I understand, I need to root the phone and then install a custom recovery, at which point I need to use a custom ROM built for that specific phone and.. I've never really got close to that so I don't know much beyond that. Feel free to correct me on what I have do far, but please use links to text as my internet doesn't work too well with AT&T's prepaid unlimited plan.
I assure you I have tried finding guides for this, but they are either high overviews that aren't specific or video-only. Thanks for any direction, I'd really like to make my phone usable. The Samsung keyboard is atrocious, not to mention the bloat
Sorry to bump, but still lost as ever. I did find an interesting quirk and thought it could get some more minds interested though. This is essentially a Galaxy S2, could I use the same tools as that for the Galaxy J1?

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