[Q] Best ROM for a (starting) kernel hacker - Droid Incredible Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey guys (new user here),
I'm a linux kernel hacker, and i just got my first android phone this week (HTC Droid Incredible), and installed Cyanogenmod on it, but I want to customize it.
What I'm looking for is which rom to use for a fairly experienced linux kernel hacker that is just starting android development. The end goal is some pretty heavy kernel/OS modifications.
Cyanogenmod looks to be the most popular with users, but I can't find if it is the most
HTC's Developer Website has the vanilla kernels it looks like. I enjoy starting with a vanilla linux kernel, so would this be doable, or is the vanilla in a pretty much unusable state?
I'm open to other suggestions for ROMs. Looking for one with great support for starting developers (as opposed to user support).
A side question is what forums/wikis/sites are a good resource for developers in particular (other than this one) as opposed to just users.
Thanks,
~Alex

You wont necessarily be making the kernals ROM specific per say. You'd be making them either AOSP or Sense compatable as those are different. Usually what the kernal devs here do is make the same kernal for both Sense and AOSP, its all up to you! Welcome to Droid Inc Development!
Sent from God, who uses CM7 RC1.

Related

Choice of Kernels

I am currently running the latest Incredikernel and it runs just fine to me. Seems to speed up my system most of the time. But I am considering trying invisiblek#28. Which one is better? Should I stick to my current one? or move to the invisiblek?
Invisiblek is for aosp roms and can't be used for sense roms. The two kernels are not interchangeable.
Sent from my Incredible using XDA App
I am new to the whole ROM and Kernel thing. What exactly is an AOSP rom and how is it different? I currently have the stock rom. Nothing special, except for the incredikernel.
Futur Innovations said:
I am new to the whole ROM and Kernel thing. What exactly is an AOSP rom and how is it different? I currently have the stock rom. Nothing special, except for the incredikernel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Basically, there are two types of ROMs for the DInc. Sense, and AOSP. Sense ROMs are based off of HTC's Sense UI (as per the name). Kernels such as incredikernel are designed for such ROMs, and from my understanding are based off of HTC's Kernel source code (or at the least, are designed to work properly with Sense UI).
AOSP ROMs are based off the Android Open Source Project. They're the ones that pull the "Stock Feel" (stock as per Google's UI, anyway), with the exception of MIUI, which is still AOSP but is HEAVILY modified... as much if not more so than Sense, Blur, or other manufacturer UIs, but it complies with Google's design and still uses AOSP kernels.
Anyway, you either use one or the other - so if you use Cyanogen, Ruby, LithiumMod, UltimateDroid, MIUI... ugh, there are tons of AOSP ROMs out there, make sure you use an AOSP kernel. The dev's normally have it blatantly obvious in the title of the thread whether or not it's "sense" or "aosp."
Welcome to the rooting world! Just make sure to do your research before flashing or doing anything and you'll be good. Read, read, read! Even if the thread is like, 500 pages... read em all. I can guarantee all questions have been asked/answered somewhere. Trust me... I'm still trying to keep up with the threads I read, and I've been hardcore in this since I got my DInc on pre-order (back in April).
AOSP stands for "Android Open Source Project" and these do not have the HTC sense features included in the ROMS. Sense ROMS come preloaded with the HTC Sense features ie. Peep, Facebook for HTC Sense, HTC Calender etc...
I have found that I get better battery life with AOSP ROMS since there is not as much syncing activity going on in the background...
How would I go about checking what kind of clockwork mod version? And how do I "flash" a rom? Do I simply install it using the zip just like I did for the incredikernel, or is it another process all together? Oh, and which is the best way to back up everything before installing a rom? Can I jump back and forth between roms as if they were separate home-replacements? Sorry for all the questions. Lol

[Q] kernels

How does one become familiar with creating, editing and modifying kernels?
My goal is to play with swap settings for existing kernels or to make my own that would be compatible with the rom I intend to use.
The new 3.0 sense roms seem to never have enough free ram, and I'd like to see if enabling swap/cc would help with this. I know it worked in the days of the G1 for huge roms.
Well, since it is basically a Linux Kernel just have a look at how it is done in Linux. That or google for a guide. Bet there's one somewhere.

[Q] Does flashing a custom Desire Rom always involve hassle?

Can one expect a hassle free experience when flashing a Desire ROM?
Apologies if this question covers old ground, but as somebody who used to happily flash their Trinity every other day without fear or problems, I am struggling to find the same experience with Desire.
I've done all the prep work (rooted, S Off, etc) but can't seem to find one custom ROM that does not have specific individual pre-flashing requirements (e.g. ext2 partition as opposed to ext3 or ext4), or post-flashing fixes for problems that can often only be found by wading through pages of thread (e.g. camera won't work unless you...., sms notification won't work unless you......).
Maybe I am being over cautious as the Desire Stock Rom does seem a pretty good ROM already.
What I'm hoping is that people will leave proactive feedback to help people liek me who are concerned that flashing a custom ROM on the Desire is going to bring sleepless nights and hassle in trying to find fixes.
I thank you in advance for any feedback and advice.
Mattster.
Mattster_spv said:
Can one expect a hassle free experience when flashing a Desire ROM?
Apologies if this question covers old ground, but as somebody who used to happily flash their Trinity every other day without fear or problems, I am struggling to find the same experience with Desire.
I've done all the prep work (rooted, S Off, etc) but can't seem to find one custom ROM that does not have specific individual pre-flashing requirements (e.g. ext2 partition as opposed to ext3 or ext4), or post-flashing fixes for problems that can often only be found by wading through pages of thread (e.g. camera won't work unless you...., sms notification won't work unless you......).
Maybe I am being over cautious as the Desire Stock Rom does seem a pretty good ROM already.
What I'm hoping is that people will leave proactive feedback to help people liek me who are concerned that flashing a custom ROM on the Desire is going to bring sleepless nights and hassle in trying to find fixes.
I thank you in advance for any feedback and advice.
Mattster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IT completely depends on which ROM you are flashing.. if you want hassle free ROM then flash stable ones.. They may have little bugs but won't bother you....
A good ROM will boost your desire performance Also...
Happy Flashing
DONT FORGET TO HIT THANKS BUTTON AT BOTTOM RIGHT OF THE POST IF THIS HELPS YOU
my experience is mostly positive 10ish roms todate
An ext partition is pretty much standard on most rom's My advice would be to make a 1gb ext4 partition as this is what I've had from the start and never had to re-partition it.
Pick an established rom that has got good feedback in the thread and you'll have no issues.
Some rom's have a few bugs, but some of the better one's are completely bug free.
And once you start flashing and skipping from rom to rom you won't want to stop
zedmarcus said:
An ext partition is pretty much standard on most rom's My advice would be to make a 1gb ext4 partition as this is what I've had from the start and never had to re-partition it.
Pick an established rom that has got good feedback in the thread and you'll have no issues.
Some rom's have a few bugs, but some of the better one's are completely bug free.
And once you start flashing and skipping from rom to rom you won't want to stop
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Zedmarcus (and everybody else) for the comments. I've done a 1gb and ext4 partition so I'm glad you said that.
Maybe I should go for the Rom in your signature then... I was expecting people to start listing stable roms but I appreciate a lot of it is down to personal choice.
That said, if you want to mention say 3 roms you've had good experiences with that would be good too!
Mattster.
Like you said, most of it comes down to personal choice. And before this turns into another "which rom is best?" "it's all down to personal choice" threads, I'll give you a quick rundown on some of the rom's that I've tried (and/or read about) and my own "personal" views on them.
Basically, there are two main types of rom's:
The first is Sense rom's, which are the stock or modded versions of the standard HTC rom's. Some people swear by them, saying that they have all the stuff you mostly need already on them, and that they have all of the bells and whistles on them to make them look flashy. Other people argue that they are full and bloated with stuff you will probably never need, and this leads to slowdown, lags and generally a less "free" android experience.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1315961
This is the Sense rom of the moment right now. Originally developed as a personal rom by Sebastiaan15, it's now one of the most posted about rom's. It's a 3.5 Sense rom (the most recent, apart from the newly announced ICS 4.0) that Seb is constantly (ie pretty much every day) updating. From personally trying it I'd say it's a good rom that has a lot of good things going for it, but there are still issues that are being found with it and Seb is constantly fixing and changing things. If you want the latest flashy Sense rom then maybe try it.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1318370
michaelm_007's 3.5 rom
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1250815
coolexe's 3.5 rom
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1016940
This is a very stable Sense 2.1+3.0 rom that has lots of users and good reviews. Being a mixed Sense rom it has the stability of a 2.1 rom with some of the bonus bits from 3.0 Unfortunately the developer baadnewz has stopped development on this rom and so what you get is what you get as there are going to be no new versions.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1045824
If you are an app addict you might want to try this rom. Droidzone has developed a 1.9 Sense rom that has Data2sd which means that you can dictate the amount of app storage you want. Although not the latest version of Sense, it is stable and fast and Droidzone offers good support.
(Look out for Sense rom's by Alex-V, michaelm_007, coolexe, Droidzone, tamirda, and Leedroid (who is also not developing for the Desire anymore) as these are experienced developers with great rom's available here on XDA).
The second types of rom's are the aosp (Android Open Source Project) rom's. These are non-Sense rom's that run the purest form of the Android operating system without the "bloat" of any HTC Sense over them. Whilst many would argue that they are not so pretty as Sense rom's, a lot of people would say that because they are back to basics (so to speak) rom's, they don't suffer any of the lag caused by the Sense programming. By adding a launcher (such as Go Launcher Ex) from the market they can be just as flashy as a Sense rom. Also aosp rom's are generally better on battery life due to not being as "heavy" as Sense rom's. These are my rom's of choice.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=957291
miui-xj is a "different" type of aosp rom, that in my opinion borrows a lot form the Apple school of interface. If you are looking for something a little "different" it might be worth a try. I've tried this myself and didn't particularly like the design, but a lot of people like the visual aspect of this rom, along with the themeing side of it. Updated weekly, it is a well supported rom.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=880465
GingerVillain 3.3 is a great aosp rom that the developer (Richard Trip) is very active in the development of (his girlfriend has a Desire so he'd better be ). Offering a fast, stable rom that has added goodies courtesy of Cyanogenmod, I would wholeheartedly recommend trying this rom.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1229003
Although ihlades has now stopped development of this rom, I would say this is a very fast and stable rom that has no known bugs. This is also one of my favourite rom's and the one I am currently using (don't always believe my sig).
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1227419
dGB is an extremely "light" aosp rom that has been developed by rootSU (a very active member of this community). Although not to everyone's taste as it is so very light, I found this to be an extremely fast and stable rom (thanks rootSU, I tried it last week and was very impressed, Redux2 dragged me back though ).
Mention must also go to Oxygen (not available here on XDA, but google it), and Cyanogenmod7.
As always (always!) it depends on personal preference.
The views expressed in this post are my own and I don't need to be flamed for putting them here. If I missed any rom's or developers I apologise, this does not mean they are not quality, it just means either I haven't used them or I forgot about them. Any mistakes I'm sure will be pointed out.
I would always recommend reading threads and researching for yourself. Also, experiment, try different rom's and see what works best for you.
I'm sure other users will offer differing opinions, but these are mine.
Hope it helps.
Fantastic help Zedmarcus... thanks very much.
You've given me the confidence to get the most out of my Desire, and hopefully any other new Desire users who read this post.
Looking forward to working through your much appreciated suggestions.
Mattster.
Loving the experience of a ROM with no Sense:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1229003
So much more responsive (especially compared to the custom Sense roms I have now tried) and some of the graphics are wonderful, e.g Keyboard, Caller screen, Messaging. Glad I asked. Hope others are persuaded by this post to take the plunge. Interested in all feedback from new flashers too.
Mattster.

[Q] AOKP or CM9 kang?

Is there a difference and if so, what is the difference?
each has changelogs afaik , im using aokp and love it. cant speak for cm yet and unless im mistaken arent they all kangs right now ?
Flash them both, and have a look. It takes all of 5 minutes to flash a ROM. I used the CM9 builds on my Desire, not much of the CM9 extras are working, I'm not sure if that's the same for the Prime.
AOKP has extensive working tweaks, that much I do know.
aokp
difference is its features. cm9 is still in the works so a lot of the options you find in CM7 devices arent present yet.
On zephiK's recommendation I installed AOKP and don't see myself changing. It's a solid ROM.
hondaboi20002 said:
Is there a difference and if so, what is the difference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There will be. There will be.
But for starters, AOPK is like Cyanogenmod, in the sense that both are based in AOSP. Neither are finished, at their current stages.
Im going from CM9 Kang to AOKP right now. CM9 was getting a little laggy for me (when moving around homescreens). And im sold by the AOKP tweaks
Reading the op of both rom threads can answer this
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
Uhm okay I was going to post a topic similar to this but ill save some room on the forums by asking it here:
What is AOSP and AOKP? What do they mean and what are they? Which one is better and what are the differences? Is it a specific ROM or is it like a category?
azn android said:
Uhm okay I was going to post a topic similar to this but ill save some room on the forums by asking it here:
What is AOSP and AOKP? What do they mean and what are they? Which one is better and what are the differences? Is it a specific ROM or is it like a category?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOSP is Android Open Source Project, Android before manufacturers get their hands on it and install Sense or Touch Wiz. Essentially the Nexus Primes OS. AOKP is Android Open Kang Project a modified AOSP ROM made by Team Kang, with more bells and whistles than the stock Nexus ROM. Hope this helps.
azn android said:
Uhm okay I was going to post a topic similar to this but ill save some room on the forums by asking it here:
What is AOSP and AOKP? What do they mean and what are they? Which one is better and what are the differences? Is it a specific ROM or is it like a category?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fresh blood
AOSP - Android Open Source Project. Simply put, this is Android straight from Google, with no modifications. This is what you have on your phone. All of the ROMs here are built on AOSP - most, like AOKP, add modifications, while some don't.
AOKP - Android Open Kang Project. A ROM by Romanbb and his friends, built on AOSP, that adds many modifications and tweaks that aim to improve the end-user experience.
Yes it does thank you! So basically AOSP and AOKP are categories of the type of ROM a ROM is? Are there any other projects or are these the only two ones? Which one offers more stability and fluidness in the OS?
azn android said:
Yes it does thank you! So basically AOSP and AOKP are categories of the type of ROM a ROM is? Are there any other projects or are these the only two ones? Which one offers more stability and fluidness in the OS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Almost.
AOSP is the version of Android that comes straight from Google. Manufacturers (such as Samsung, HTC, Motorola, etc) usually like to take AOSP ROMs and add their own modifications to it - and that's how we got Samsung's Touchwiz, HTC's Sense, Motorola's MotoBlur, etc.
However, Google partners up each year with a manufacturer to release a Nexus device. These devices are special in that they always come with AOSP, and because of that, they are always the first to receive updates to the Android OS, and are for the most part the devices with the most developer support on forums such as XDA.
AOKP isn't a type of ROM in itself - it is just a name given to a specific ROM. Like AOKP, you have for example CyanogenMod, which is yet a different ROM. Because we have a Nexus device, all of the ROMs you'll see in our development section are all built straight on AOSP. There are many ROMs out there, all unique in their own way, and the best way to find out which one is right for you is simply to try them all out. It may be scary at first, but after your 1st or 2nd flash, you'll become addicted for a few weeks
Thanks! Do you have a ROM that you recommend? Also, if all of the nexus ROM's are built off of AOSP, why is CM9 built off of Kang?
azn android said:
Thanks! Do you have a ROM that you recommend? Also, if all of the nexus ROM's are built off of AOSP, why is CM9 built off of Kang?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not, where did you read that? CM9 will be built from the ground up using the AOSP released by Google back in November.
Kang are using the Cyanogen GitHub to compile a CM9 beta ROM, as as far as I know, CM haven't released any betas (do they even release beta ROMs?) As far as I know they just go for a final build which is as stable as stable can be, people can't wait for the final builds and build ROMs using their work so we can try them as they are developed by the CM team.
That's my understanding of it anyways.
Oh my bad. I jumped to conclusions when I read the title to this post haha.
azn android said:
Thanks! Do you have a ROM that you recommend? Also, if all of the nexus ROM's are built off of AOSP, why is CM9 built off of Kang?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CM is not built off of Kang. Kang is simply a term used to denote a compiled build of a ROM by someone other than that ROM's team or "authorized dealer". For example, User A compiles CM, changed a few lines in the code, and then publishes it here as his own work. That is a kang, and its highly frowned upon.
The reason the CM thread is labeled a "kang" is because there are no official builds of CM9 coming straight from CM yet - they're just experimental builds as of now. The reason why its allowed, is because recognized members of the CM team are releasing them.
I unfortunately don't even have my Nexus yet, but its coming in two days and I'm getting my feet wet. However, from what I've been exposed to, one of the more popular combinations around here seem to be AOKP with Franco's kernel.
I strongly advise you not to flash anything yet, though. You seem motivated to be here, which is good - but you also seem to not know too much about the world of Android yet.
Please, take the time to read through the following links:
Basic Android Terminology
Galaxy Nexus Frequently Asked Questions
Different Guides and Tutorials for the Galaxy Nexus
After you've finished, you'll be a little more familiar with Android and how stuff works. If you have questions, I strongly advise you to search Google and XDA first - I can almost guarantee your question has already been answered before
If you searched, but couldn't find an answer, please post in the Q&A sub-forum - there are many members like myself who love to help new users who are willing to take the time to learn themselves, without expecting others to do their work for them.
Finally, as a general rule, don't post stuff in the development sub-forum that aren't specifically development related. Yes, if you'll go through them, you'll probably see a bunch of posts that aren't tied in directly to development - but two wrongs don't make a right if you have a question about a specific ROM, usually the answer is right in that ROM's thread - if it isn't, most ROMs have IRC chatrooms set up, and if they don't - consider making a thread in the Q&A sub-forum.

Best Rom for DZ ?

Hi everybody. I would like to know which one of all of these roms at this forum is best for DZ ? Is here someone who tried almost all ? And can tell me which one is the really best ?
I have tried just about everyone made for the dz dating back to froyo, and my advise... Flash a few and find out. That may not be the answer you want to heat but best for me is almost surly not best for you which is surly not best for the next guy
This phone has had tons of development over the years and few phones will rival the amount of ROMs available
For a list see here
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2348266
That has most but not all options
Best of luck!
I think there is a few roms you can start with:
Andromadus Mimicry - Amazingly tweakable AOSP based ICS rom. Very stable and fast, but for obvious reason it have no "Sense" features at all.
Sensei - Fastest and most stable Sense 4.1 rom i seen on DZ. There is no tweaks or something, but most features from Sense 4.1 are here.
Jelly Mod - CM-based rom with a bunch of tweaks. Based on Jelly Bean 4.3.1. Fast, stable, runs very good. But it have some problems with sound - it sounds "overcompressed" when you are listening music with phones at levels higher than "safe". That's the reason why i don't use it.
All the links you can find in a "Guide To The HTC Vision" topic (demkantor posted link to it already)
Personally I prefer Sabsa Bliss rom, but i have made a lot of work with replacing system resources and tweaking, so i can't advise it as one of the best out-of-the-box fully featured roms.

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