Hey Guys
I am thinking of starting development for the Photon 4G, and i also want to understand the limitations we have at the point, towards developing new ROMs. To start:
i) i know a Kernel stays between software and hardware, and contains all the drivers needed. But where are we right now in Photon 4G's case? i mean, are we dependent on Motorola to release a Kernel for ICS, if we want to run an ICS ROM properly? As in to utilize the GPU of the Tegra 2 chipset we have, we need Motorola to release a Kernel or is it that we can write drivers on our own or that Nvidia would release those drivers and not Motorola?
after Rollout of ICS ROMs for the 4G begins in Q4, would we be able to use these drivers and use them on JB ROMs? would this work good?
Regards
psgarcha92 said:
Hey Guys
I am thinking of starting development for the Photon 4G, and i also want to understand the limitations we have at the point, towards developing new ROMs. To start:
i) i know a Kernel stays between software and hardware, and contains all the drivers needed. But where are we right now in Photon 4G's case? i mean, are we dependent on Motorola to release a Kernel for ICS, if we want to run an ICS ROM properly? As in to utilize the GPU of the Tegra 2 chipset we have, we need Motorola to release a Kernel or is it that we can write drivers on our own or that Nvidia would release those drivers and not Motorola?
after Rollout of ICS ROMs for the 4G begins in Q4, would we be able to use these drivers and use them on JB ROMs? would this work good?
Regards
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Don't quote me, by my understanding is that for the ICS/JB ROMS we currently have they all run a modified GB Kernel and until Moto actually releases ICS officially(or atleast the Kernel) things will stay this way. And assuming they release ICS(as they claim they will in Q4) we should be able to take the Kernel from the release and have a fully functional(minus 4g) actual ICS Kernel. Best of luck with your work glad to see more on board! And im sure we will get some more definitive posts than mine by our actual devs here soon
Unless moto does something about the locked bootloader issue custom kernels will be an issue.
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But we have unlocked boot loaders for some phones atleast right? Locked boot loaders means those permanently locked ones, doesn't it? Actually, though I never tried the Online Boot loader Unlock method, has anyone with a locked boot loader tried doing that? I would have to read to know exactly how it works but I am just suggesting. Also if we have proper GB kernels, where are our GB ROMs? Atleast when we have kernels for those we should be having pretty stable tegra 2 based GB Right?
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Edit: Ok, i checked on the website, they do not support unlocking the Photon 4G. But maybe in Time.
Still, we can develop Kernels for the phones can't we?
Also, while on JB, i have noticed some graphical Artifacts (Shadows behind moving icons, unwanted graphical stuttering), these are because of incomplete/bad drivers right??
Regards
psgarcha92 said:
But we have unlocked boot loaders for some phones atleast right? Locked boot loaders means those permanently locked ones, doesn't it? Actually, though I never tried the Online Boot loader Unlock method, has anyone with a locked boot loader tried doing that? I would have to read to know exactly how it works but I am just suggesting. Also if we have proper GB kernels, where are our GB ROMs? Atleast when we have kernels for those we should be having pretty stable tegra 2 based GB Right?
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
Edit: Ok, i checked on the website, they do not support unlocking the Photon 4G. But maybe in Time.
Still, we can develop Kernels for the phones can't we?
Also, while on JB, i have noticed some graphical Artifacts (Shadows behind moving icons, unwanted graphical stuttering), these are because of incomplete/bad drivers right??
Regards
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Yeah there are some graphical issues from time to time on ICS/JB from our lack of correct ICS/JB drivers. And we have some GB ROMS but IMO they have sort of lost appeal(there are amazing GB ROMS out there for Photon but I personally want the latest and greatest at all times, im not at all knocking the GB ROMs our devs have made) since we have a pretty damn near fully functional ICS/JB Base to port off of(Jokers CM9/10). There are several fully functioning GB based ROMs like CM7, obviously minus 4g working but other than that I believe everything works.
Ok, so one more question.
Mostly it is the lack of drivers that is not letting the ROMs work fine, right?
I mean, i see alot of shadows behind moving icons, and sometimes when playing Minecraft there is some stuttering too.Not to mention the stray stuttering in GUI. So when Motorola releases the Kernel for the Atrix (hardware almost the same as of the Photon), we can use that kernel on our Photons for ICS right? Would that mean "NO" driver issues at all because ICS for ATRIX releases in Q3 and for Photon releases in Q4. Also when we have proper ICS kernels, can we expect them to work fine on JB too? to sum it up for the lazy:
i) I read in the threads that the Atrix kernel works in the Photon too. Is it correct, and are these drivers the only causes of Major Graphics and Video Camera issues in our ROMs?
ii) i also read that once we get the ICS kernel, it might also work for Jellybean. Is that right? would we have to Port it for JB, making compromises on Graphics and other stuff or the Kernels for both are essentially the same? (asking because, i tried to flash a faux CM9 kernel to my JB yesterday and it was always stuck on the bootscreen).
iii) when the Android Source changes, do we always have to write kernels? i mean if 2.3.4 is updated to 2.3.5, and 4.0.4 is updated to 4.1.1, do we need new kernels?
Regards
We cannot use Olympus kernel, we can use Olympus kernel source with Sunfire defconfig. But Olympus sources will be out probably later then our ICS.
ICS is a big update, based on 3.x kernel, so it's so hard to make it running properly on 2.6.32 kernel. But JB is a minor update from ICS, using the same 3.x kernel, so there should be no problem.
But it's not only the kernel, we need libraries, maybe we could use some Olympus libraries, but it will be still too hard to make things properly running.
We need Moto ICS for Sunfire. And kernel source, would be nice too.
So, when they release Moto ICS, they wont be releasing the Source at the same time? As in when they release it for the Olympus, roughly when would they be releasing the Sources? Is there no way to reverse engineer these SBF files to get kernel sources? or we have to wait for proper sources only?
if, suppose, the Olympus ICS is released tomorrow. We wont be able to build our kernel sources from that update at all?
At the same time, if Sunfire's ICS is released tomorrow, would we be able to strip these files to the proper kernel files then?
Where can i read more about Writing these kernels? where did u guys start?
Regards
Related
I'm new to Android (I'll have my Atrix tomorrow), and hearing all this concern about the locked bootloader has me questioning what an unlocked bootloader would actually get us. On a PC or Mac, a bootloader would let you install multiple OS's to your system and load any of them at will. It's useful, but I wouldn't be upset if I couldn't do it. I think I must be missing something. On Android how does this differ? I noticed there's already at least one custom ROM (GingerBlur) available and working on the Atrix, which means we can already run custom ROMs... What else is there? If the bootloader were unlocked, what more would that actually get us?
that rom, from my understanding (fairly new to android and waiting for my atrix too) is only a pseudoROM that doesnt actually change the OS only edits the framework of the current one. a locked bootloader means we cannot run custom/vanilla versions of android and so we are stuck waiting for AT&T or Bell or motorola to decide when we can update to the latest version of android.
without a locked bootloader we are stuck being a pawn in 3 big companies' game of chess.
Kernels my friend. Allow us to toggle art" 4g" manually. And others like enable hardware to use features like 1080p record. And able to get (which is currently limited to 2 points of recognition touch) ore like 5 or 10 ( to use the hardware fully)
Kernels, which are the meat of any good rom. It allows us to make ROMS that allow for overcpocking, wiping the slatefor a fresh, lean build, and many other things.
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like has been said, basically you are correct, in that it lets us load custom OS's and ROMs
as someone above me said the ROM released now is only a pseudoROM, and only edits existing framework. an unlocked bootloader would allow us to load fresh version of Android without any bloat and allow us to overclock the already impressive processor in the Atrix.
Basically - unlocked bootloader = unlocked near infinite potential for the Atrix.
When you think of the possibility of an unlocked bootloader combined with the Atrix hardware it's easy to forget what you already have in hand. I don't think that there is any phone out (custom rom or not) that is ALL AROUND better than the Atrix is right out the box. The bootloader will get cracked but until then enjoy your 3k quadrant scores, great GPS, screen, and webtop.
Hi. I'm quite new to phone hacking so I'd like to know what would the benefits of getting a custom kernel be? Also, Juwe11's script for ram optimization is only for kernel's which supports init.d. Does the stock Bell Atrix kernel support init.d? If not, which one does? Finally, if I were to flash a custom kernel or even a custom ROM to my phone would that cause a problem once I update to the official Gingerbread update coming out soon? Thanks guys.
lexx210 said:
Hi. I'm quite new to phone hacking so I'd like to know what would the benefits of getting a custom kernel be? Also, Juwe11's script for ram optimization is only for kernel's which supports init.d. Does the stock Bell Atrix kernel support init.d? If not, which one does? Finally, if I were to flash a custom kernel or even a custom ROM to my phone would that cause a problem once I update to the official Gingerbread update coming out soon? Thanks guys.
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custom kernels give benefits android cant do on its own. mainly adding some kind of hardware interaction based support. the biggest advantage with a custom kernel is overclocking.
init.d - i dont know
yes. it would. if you are on a custom rom you will not get the ota. you will need to flash back to stock. but chances are. we will have a gingerbread rom far better then the official far before it comes out.
That is very helpful. Thank you. So Bell Atrix's already have a ROM for Gingerbread and it is confirmed working if I'm not mistaken? Also, if I unlock my bootloader does that automatically give me Gingerbread and could I still update to the official one if need be at this point with no problems? Finally, can any ROM out there be flashed to the Atrix or are there only certain ones?
lexx210 said:
That is very helpful. Thank you. So Bell Atrix's already have a ROM for Gingerbread and it is confirmed working if I'm not mistaken? Also, if I unlock my bootloader does that automatically give me Gingerbread and could I still update to the official one if need be at this point with no problems? Finally, can any ROM out there be flashed to the Atrix or are there only certain ones?
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im on at&t so i cant answer 100% accurately so someone please step in if you know the answer. if you unlock the bootloader that does not automatically give you gingerbread. just the openness to flash the different partitions of the device with anything you want. such as a gingerbread rom. also im not sure about official roms because once im unlocked i stay far far away from them. and for your last question. right now you have to flash specific roms. you should not flash an at&t rom at this point. although i here that issue is being worked on so we hopefully we will be able to share roms between carriers soon
I am coming from a long line of HTC phones, never had a motorola phone. Always had CWM on my phones, etc...
Correct me if im wrong.
With a locked down booatloader, we can only have roms based on OTA updates?
Custom roms are not possible because of locked bootloader?
One can not use the source of ICS, GB, or froyo and create a rom for a device with a locked bootloader?
AOSP (CM) won't work with a locked bootloader because it has a custom kernel, and a custom kernel needs an unlocked bootloader?
So what are the current rumors regarding the bootloader unlock(not bootstrap)?
Will there be an unlock tool from moto or are we waiting for some kind of exploit?
I am in the last few days where i can return this device for something else.
I do not want to be stuck with a locked down device. (looking at the Rezound forum..there seems to be more hope)
your thoughts...
thanks.
Good question! Wished I new all the answers.
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Droidel said:
I am coming from a long line of HTC phones, never had a motorola phone. Always had CWM on my phones, etc...
Correct me if im wrong.
With a locked down booatloader, we can only have roms based on OTA updates?
Custom roms are not possible because of locked bootloader?
One can not use the source of ICS, GB, or froyo and create a rom for a device with a locked bootloader?
AOSP (CM) won't work with a locked bootloader because it has a custom kernel, and a custom kernel needs an unlocked bootloader?
So what are the current rumors regarding the bootloader unlock(not bootstrap)?
Will there be an unlock tool from moto or are we waiting for some kind of exploit?
I am in the last few days where i can return this device for something else.
I do not want to be stuck with a locked down device. (looking at the Rezound forum..there seems to be more hope)
your thoughts...
thanks.
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Click to collapse
#1 - No, there is a workaround called 2nd-init that lets us change everything except the kernel. Just look at DROID X/2/2 GLOBAL.
#2 - Custom roms are very possible either way, even without 2nd-init
#3 - If you can add 2nd-init, then you may. otherwise you need to work backward or forward from moto firmwares.
#4 - Cyanogen uses 2nd-init on devices with locked bootloaders. Some features require kernel changes (2D hardware acceleration for example) otherwise, it will work fine.
#5 - Rumor is that unlock is coming with ICS for international devices, not VZW though.
#6 - See above. VZW will need an exploit or an edit of the international unlock.
Someone has been reading the blogs.
And I see it in the comments all the time... OMG LOCKED BOOTLOADER I WANTED TO FLASH A ROM.
Although I'm not seeing anything yet, but give it time, it will happen.
Im assuming lack of roms is because we are waiting on ics?
due to lock bl. if kholk releases his bypass we may see more development of roms and kernels for razr
due to lack of developers and locked bootloader
Well bl allows different kernels. I just thought there were more gb options. However, running eclipse and couldnt be happier.
i want to upgrade photon 4g from 2.3.5 to 4.0 or 4.1., i have already rooted photon via photon-torpedo Direct v1.1
which steps have to be done next , as well as which is the most stable room error and bugs free is suitable to flash / upgrade 4.0 or 4.1
amirali2 said:
i want to upgrade photon 4g from 2.3.5 to 4.0 or 4.1., i have already rooted photon via photon-torpedo Direct v1.1
which steps have to be done next , as well as which is the most stable room error and bugs free is suitable to flash / upgrade 4.0 or 4.1
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Click to collapse
You can only install a rom if you have an unlocked bottloader
amirali2 said:
i want to upgrade photon 4g from 2.3.5 to 4.0 or 4.1., i have already rooted photon via photon-torpedo Direct v1.1
which steps have to be done next , as well as which is the most stable room error and bugs free is suitable to flash / upgrade 4.0 or 4.1
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Click to collapse
I suggest to stick with a 2.3.5 ROM or go with CM 7, which is 2.3.7. Gingerbread is the most stable and everything for the most part works. ICS and JB are not really worth it due to not having the Motorola Graphics Drivers for ICS or JB. Too many issues to make it really a daily driver unless you like bugs and lots of force close issues due to the driver issue. Maybe someday but I doubt it since we really have no developers left, the Motorola Atrix driver that was created from scratch, will get ported to the Photon. Then and only then will ICS or JB be worth the flash. The ROM in my signature, 2.3.5, is one of the best in my opinion and one of the most stable, everything works. I have given ICS and JB ROMs a try but keep going back to GB as they are more stable. Even CyanMobile is a good GB ROM, the most options of any rom for a 2.3.5 ROM. The only issue I had with it was the "Sleep Screen of Death" and it would never wake-up. I then had to wipe the cache and dalvik cache to get it to boot again. That would happen a few times a day but then again I am non a Motorola Electrify and it was build for a Photon. Good luck in your choice but don't expect much support as development is pretty much gone and it does not seem there are even many users left.
I plan to get a new phone in the near future and will be not hanging around this section much, sadly I believe I will get the Moto X and its new and there will be a lot of development going on for a new popular phone.
amirali2 said:
i want to upgrade photon 4g from 2.3.5 to 4.0 or 4.1., i have already rooted photon via photon-torpedo Direct v1.1
which steps have to be done next , as well as which is the most stable room error and bugs free is suitable to flash / upgrade 4.0 or 4.1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but the fact that you have the Android 2.3.5 version means that your bootloader is locked forever. You can only unlock your bootloader if you have Android 2.3.4. What Sprint did with the Android 2.3.5 update is lock your bootloader plus they added some small features for the camera. Of course in the release notes, Sprint won't highlight the fact that locking the bootloader was part of the Android 2.3.5 upgrade.
You just have to go find a phone that has Android 2.3.4 still installed and immediately unlock your bootloader.
an other Q is that any idea to enhance the camera pictures quality (i.e is too bad----)
Beanstalk 4.2.2 is almost completely stable as long as you freeze contact storage... And bluetooth is broken... But it's smooth
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