Related
Hi everyone,
this issue has been discussed for a very long time and to date there is no solution.
The Problem:
Many people are frustrated with HTC-devices (Qualcomm CPUs etc) and would like to switch to other devices (non-HTC devices).
Their fear is to loose the incredible support provided at Xda-Developers. To loose all the custom ROMs, themes, hacks and so on. In my opinion, this site really adds value to HTC devices.
Previous solution suggested: Add sub-forums for non-HTC devices. BUT we all know the problems (stated probably a hundred times by admins and mods).
New solution:
My suggestion is simple. Found a new forum with a similar name or take an existing one, maybe customize the design a bit so it somehow resembles this site).
Then add a small bar at the very top of each page with a list of links in a horizontal row:
Xda-Developers --- WinMo-Developers --- [whatever]
The "Pro"s:
-Everyone asking for additional subforums for non-HTC devices could be forwarded to the new forum. Not to any forum but that specific one. So all people with non-HTC devices would gather in one place.
-Xda-Devs users would notice the bar and (probably) register in this forum as well to have another place to promote their things (for example a lot of stuff in the Dev-and-Hacking section could be used for other devices as well).
The "Con"s:
-Main problem as always...servers, money, committed people (for admin/mod-jobs)
-Some may be annoyed by the bar (although it could be kept very small; 15px or so would do)
-And of course it is up to Xda-Devs users to help in the new sister forum.
But since I know this community and all the amazing, friendly and committed people that belong to it I think many will join the new forum and help with Hard SPL, cooking etc.
I really hope the Admins consider this solution. It is not that hard to realize and nevertheless it would help.
well istarted a site a while ago
winmodevs.com
Yes, I know your site..the question is if the admins are willing to turn my idea into reality. And it also depends on you of course.
i have spoken the admin here and all im willing to say is ive not been told that there wil never be some sort of recognition between boards at a professional level just not yet
i have a link to xda on my homepage already
I´ll wait for the reply of an admin, let´s see.
of course all i was telling you is what they told me
iasked if they wanted to be officail partners and the answer was not yet
I see another big con. It is all about WinMo, so there is vast number of apps which is working on almost all WinMo devices no matter if it is or isn't HTC. How are you going to deal with it? Make double topics on both XDA main and sister sites?
every replication means more coverage and also ex
tra mirrors
svetius,
This is in regards to the request for addition of a forum for the Nook Simple Touch. I understand that there are a large number of forums already. Forum management is getting harder, and that you must pick and choose for popular devices.
You said that you're gauging for popular interest, and there may not be enough by your reckoning to warrant such an addition. But would it be possible to add one or two subforums into the existing Nook Color forum instead? The existing mod(s) can oversee them, and it wouldn't add any more to the overall forum count.
In fact, it may be a good idea to allow more subforums for devices from a single brand, like the Galaxy Tab 8.9, or the upcoming 2nd-gen Galaxy Tab 7. There's more synergy, because existing users can better help out the new users. And there's less administrative work on your part.
Please, give this some consideration. Thanks for reading this, and thanks also to all the admins and mods for making this place available for all of us.
HP
Not a bad idea. This is something like what we wanted for the galaxy s phones. Now there are 5 sub forums for what is basically the same phone. Could have done something like the touch pro series where you have GSM dev and CDMA dev.
Good idea especially for brands with few devices : it could be possible to make a general forum for the brand with subforums dedicated to each device and maybe other general subforums.
It could also be useful for devices that are very similar ...
This would also work well for the likes of the Xperia Neo which lacks it's own forum but is similar enough to the Arc that the two could be combined.
In fact, the likes of the Xperia Play and the up-coming Xperia Ray and Xperia Pro could both be added to a combined 2011 Xperia forum, they've all got pretty much identical hardware.
XDA is a great source of information for all phones. In the past there were sometimes seperate forums for different versions of the same phone. I understand they are all Nexus phones however the issues for Verizon Nexus owners don't necessarily occur with people using a European Nexus and vice versa. There are many things in common but I really wish there had been a Verizon Nexus forum as welll. I should have posted this 6 months ago.
I'd love to be able to go to the Verizon thread and instantly see when there was information about firmware updates, fixes for mic issues, fixes for radio issues, tweaks specific to the Verizon Nexus...
Maybe if enough of you requested it it might happen... I know on the sgs2 forum they split the development sub into two but that was because a couple of devs who were also moderators liked to put themselves on a pedestal and look down from above
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
It'd be a plus for sure but the search works pretty well on this forum. Ultimately I can live without a separate forum.
I think it would be a great sub forum within Galaxy Nexus forum, IF it actually contained useful information. Lots of trolls and rumor mills out there with nothing but speculation. If it were created and filled with garbage, than there is no point.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
boe said:
XDA is a great source of information for all phones. In the past there were sometimes seperate forums for different versions of the same phone. I understand they are all Nexus phones however the issues for Verizon Nexus owners don't necessarily occur with people using a European Nexus and vice versa. There are many things in common but I really wish there had been a Verizon Nexus forum as welll. I should have posted this 6 months ago.
I'd love to be able to go to the Verizon thread and instantly see when there was information about firmware updates, fixes for mic issues, fixes for radio issues, tweaks specific to the Verizon Nexus...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not needed for General.
And considering there are no firmware updates, radio fixes, mic fixes, or Verizon specific tweaks, it would be a dead one if it did exist.
PS- Mic problem doesn't appear to be on the phone end.
I like'r the way it is now. :good:
As long as the VZW development is separate, I'm fine.
I like the general meeting ground for all us GNex owners.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
All that matters is separate development forums. There's way too much overlap in the general discussion between device that it'd be a waste to separate them and have a ton of duplicate posts.
People with CDMA phones would just post everything in their forum and GSM would do the same. We'd then have to move/merge threads constantly instead of just allowing the few carrier-specific threads to float around in the same forum.
crachel said:
People with CDMA phones would just post everything in their forum and GSM would do the same. We'd then have to move/merge threads constantly instead of just allowing the few carrier-specific threads to float around in the same forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that a separate forum would be much worse than what exists today, but that doesn't mean there is no room for improvement. I got my Gnex on July 3, so I'm relatively new, and have been doing a A LOT of reading. The biggest problem I see with regard to having a common forum for general discussion is that more often than not, people don't indicate whether they're referring to the CDMA model or the GSM model. Sometimes this can be gleaned from the discussion if there's mention of LTE or HSPA or possibly a carrier, but it's rarely stated clearly.
UncleMike said:
I agree that a separate forum would be much worse than what exists today, but that doesn't mean there is no room for improvement. I got my Gnex on July 3, so I'm relatively new, and have been doing a A LOT of reading. The biggest problem I see with regard to having a common forum for general discussion is that more often than not, people don't indicate whether they're referring to the CDMA model or the GSM model. Sometimes this can be gleaned from the discussion if there's mention of LTE or HSPA or possibly a carrier, but it's rarely stated clearly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it is pretty frustrating whey there is a thread about radio signal issues and someone chimes in they don't have that problem - OK - are you on Verizon? No, I'm on a GSM nexus - than that isn't an apples to apples comparison.
Whine whine whine
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
In the past, I suggested that Nexus devices deserved their own forum grouping. I was told that this was an end-user perspective, but this forum is meant more for the developer perspective. I totally get that, which is why I'm now making this new suggestion.
The Galaxy S4 subforums are a mess. You have the i9500 and i9505 under the same listing, but they have different hardware. Thankfully, you've separated them within that group. However, the i9505g has no subforum. People are making random threads about this phone on most of the S4 subforums (I have to check the unlocked, T-Mobile, and AT&T variant forums at a minimum). I see a few potential solutions to this. The first is to give the i9505G its own subforum. Due to the partitioning, it does have its own issues with development (you currently cannot flash a Touchwiz ROM to the GPe due to smaller partition, but a GPe ROM can be flashed to a TW variant but with less user available storage). Due to this, many ROMs (if not most) cannot be ported to the i9505G, so it should not be discussed in the same areas as the other models.
Another solution would be to take ALL of the S4 variants, and group them within two subgroups; Exynos and Snapdragon. The Snapdragon subgroup could have the development subforums for all of the carrier variants. As it stands, these phones all have the same hardware with the key differences being radio firmware. In many cases, ROMs made for one can be flashed with no changes to another.
In conclusion, the current Galaxy S4 forum situation is difficult for i9505G users, but it's also a mess for development due to there being so many sub forums for identical hardware. At the very least, it would be nice if you could give an i9505G sub-subforum under the i9505 (due to model number) or T-Mobile variant (due to same hardware/radio firmware). Regardless of your decision, thanks for your time in reading this.
I was actually looking to ask get separated both i9500 & i9505 one.
I think we can consider to merge with same hardware. Like i9505 & i9505G.?
BTW, we have dedicated thread here for [All XDA Members] Requests to Moderators and Admins & [All XDA Members] Feedback/Recommendations for XDA
As you are pointing a great idea, you must use above ^ ^ mentioned threads.
To answer my question; yes, I do. I always feel lost when I come here, so for this time, I want to try something new.
1) The main issue. I recognized (unlike all other forums on the Internet), it has three, distinct "layers" with a different visual appearance depending how deep you go into levels.
Level 1: https://forum.xda-developers.com/
Take note of the distinct visual appearance.
Level 2: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android
Take note of the distinct visual appearance. Remember that one level up (https://forum.xda-developers.com/) you had actual descriptions of what each category is about. At this level the descriptions have disappeared (for some reason), so you always have to go a level up to figure out which category you want to enter.
Level 3: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games
Take note of the distinct visual appearance. Now this looks like your regular Internet forum. I wonder why can't Level 1. and 2. look just like Level 3. for an easy overview of navigation.
Am I the only person all these levels are not intuitive for or you as well? What forum engine XDA Forums runs on? I noted that Level 3. is fine, it looks like just any other Internet forum, but I'm puzzled and perplexed as ever about the distinct designs of Levels 1. and 2.
For a comparison of some neat and friendly forum interfaces, I encourage you to check out:
https://forums.anandtech.com/
https://arstechnica.com/civis/
+1: https://forum.f-droid.org/
Nothing special, really: just time tested, old forum interfaces that "just works" as they say. I'm not even saying they are perfect. For example, the AnandTech Forum doesn't have the descriptions the Ars Technica forum has, but due to the self-explanatory nature of the categories, I'm not lost while there. I understand XDA Forums have more complex topics, so descriptions are preferred.
+1: As opposed to the Ars Technica and AnandTech Forums, The F-Droid Forum uses a new school interface called Discourse. I find it effective as it has powerful features. If you ever want to upgrade XDA Forums, you might want to consider going with a next generation forum engine like Discourse.
Example: https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/budget-phones-eur-usd100-worth-buying-t3433115
I simply can't believe I'm the single person on this forum interested in this question. (It's timely as ever, by the way.) I just feel other people interested in the same topic somehow never found their way to my question because they also find XDA Forums overall just too complex to get a grasp on everything happening here.
2) Has anyone ever found checking the "Q&A Thread" was useful for their thread, and didn't regret checking that box in the end? Back then when I was without a clue, I checked the box. I learned never to check it again. See my cautionary tale here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/viewing-internal-storage-generic-phone-t3429852
I never got a proper answer there, and totally by accident (by external Google search after gave up I will ever find my answer on XDA Forums), I have found what I was looking for in a 5-year old Samsung Galaxy Nexus thread which turned out to be completely device-independent stuff: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...nlock-root-t1420351/post69913460#post69913460
Now why would the author of this completely device-independent guide put the guide in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus forum section where it lied for 5 years unnoticed, but being still useful today? Probably he has never figured out where the proper place for device-independent guides on the forum is. (Where is the proper place for device independent guides on the forum really, where contributors and users alike will find it equally easily?)
My related observation to this point is that I noticed many of the juicy activity on this forum in general takes place in [insert this year's hot Android phone] categories. Hot Android phone of the day or year changes at least yearly, most users change their devices at least once in two years, so even though many device-independent advice might have been accumulated in the topics for previous year's hot phones, this knowledge seems to be lost. It's still here on the forum, just no one looks at threads of old phones popular years ago looking for device-independent advice, people can only stumble upon information from this (actually huge) section of the forum by accident.
3) Idea: how about a distinctive indicator for a project is being active, still actively maintained or developed? It can be a green sign for active projects. Projects no longer being maintained and developed on the other hand could be distinctively marked with a red sign.
Example for I mistakenly thought of an active and alive project that it was no longer maintained and developed... or not? But something like this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71988461&postcount=17847
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72580936&postcount=17958
(Poor developer @M66B, I have no idea what negative experiences he may refer to: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=69284003)
Example for me being lost here 1.: This project has been abandoned for sure: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888181
The thread has been closed for 5 years. I have no idea whatsoever in which section should I ask about a similar project which is alive and well. (And expect for answers, which is equally important! A few paragraphs above you can see examples that even I asked the right question in the right place according to moderator, I never received any answer whatsoever, or any meaningful answer.)
Example for me being lost here 2.: I really want to ask somewhere
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/135711/is-apkmirror-com-safe
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/74618/how-safe-is-it-to-use-aptoide
Example 2, for not finding my way around XDA Forums. I noticed there are many worthy, distinctive projects that seem to be abandoned by their developers: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888181
It seems to be pretty abandoned; the thread has been closed for 5 years.
Aren't just too many separate categories? I just never was able to figure out the "overview" of XDA Forums the way I had no problem to overview AnandTech Forums and the Ars Technica forums. Even if you say there are exactly as many forum categories as needed, I can accept that. But sure, you could do more to make it visually intuitive - just like most other forums on the Internet are. Thanks!
Update. Another case in point: https://www.xda-developers.com/goog...-with-root-and-android-pay-in-the-xda-forums/
Poor Google engineer @jasondclinton_google has some good, general info on rooting vs. Android Pay (Google Pay?) security but why he had to post it in an obscured thread under xda-developers > Google Nexus 5 > Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting > Android Pay and Custom ROM instead of a forum topic of more general interest is beyond me.
Anyone?
Theres quite a few threads on this subject, perhaps people dont feel the need to contribute to another one?
magicphone said:
To answer my question; yes, I do. I always feel lost when I come here, so for this time, I want to try something new.
1) The main issue. I recognized (unlike all other forums on the Internet), it has three, distinct "layers" with a different visual appearance depending how deep you go into levels.
Level 1: https://forum.xda-developers.com/
Take note of the distinct visual appearance.
Level 2: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android
Take note of the distinct visual appearance. Remember that one level up (https://forum.xda-developers.com/) you had actual descriptions of what each category is about. At this level the descriptions have disappeared (for some reason), so you always have to go a level up to figure out which category you want to enter.
Level 3: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games
Take note of the distinct visual appearance. Now this looks like your regular Internet forum. I wonder why can't Level 1. and 2. look just like Level 3. for an easy overview of navigation.
Am I the only person all these levels are not intuitive for or you as well? What forum engine XDA Forums runs on? I noted that Level 3. is fine, it looks like just any other Internet forum, but I'm puzzled and perplexed as ever about the distinct designs of Levels 1. and 2.
For a comparison of some neat and friendly forum interfaces, I encourage you to check out:
https://forums.anandtech.com/
https://arstechnica.com/civis/
+1: https://forum.f-droid.org/
Nothing special, really: just time tested, old forum interfaces that "just works" as they say. I'm not even saying they are perfect. For example, the AnandTech Forum doesn't have the descriptions the Ars Technica forum has, but due to the self-explanatory nature of the categories, I'm not lost while there. I understand XDA Forums have more complex topics, so descriptions are preferred.
+1: As opposed to the Ars Technica and AnandTech Forums, The F-Droid Forum uses a new school interface called Discourse. I find it effective as it has powerful features. If you ever want to upgrade XDA Forums, you might want to consider going with a next generation forum engine like Discourse.
Example: https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/budget-phones-eur-usd100-worth-buying-t3433115
I simply can't believe I'm the single person on this forum interested in this question. (It's timely as ever, by the way.) I just feel other people interested in the same topic somehow never found their way to my question because they also find XDA Forums overall just too complex to get a grasp on everything happening here.
2) Has anyone ever found checking the "Q&A Thread" was useful for their thread, and didn't regret checking that box in the end? Back then when I was without a clue, I checked the box. I learned never to check it again. See my cautionary tale here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/viewing-internal-storage-generic-phone-t3429852
I never got a proper answer there, and totally by accident (by external Google search after gave up I will ever find my answer on XDA Forums), I have found what I was looking for in a 5-year old Samsung Galaxy Nexus thread which turned out to be completely device-independent stuff: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...nlock-root-t1420351/post69913460#post69913460
Now why would the author of this completely device-independent guide put the guide in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus forum section where it lied for 5 years unnoticed, but being still useful today? Probably he has never figured out where the proper place for device-independent guides on the forum is. (Where is the proper place for device independent guides on the forum really, where contributors and users alike will find it equally easily?)
My related observation to this point is that I noticed many of the juicy activity on this forum in general takes place in [insert this year's hot Android phone] categories. Hot Android phone of the day or year changes at least yearly, most users change their devices at least once in two years, so even though many device-independent advice might have been accumulated in the topics for previous year's hot phones, this knowledge seems to be lost. It's still here on the forum, just no one looks at threads of old phones popular years ago looking for device-independent advice, people can only stumble upon information from this (actually huge) section of the forum by accident.
3) Idea: how about a distinctive indicator for a project is being active, still actively maintained or developed? It can be a green sign for active projects. Projects no longer being maintained and developed on the other hand could be distinctively marked with a red sign.
Example for I mistakenly thought of an active and alive project that it was no longer maintained and developed... or not? But something like this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71988461&postcount=17847
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72580936&postcount=17958
(Poor developer @M66B, I have no idea what negative experiences he may refer to: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=69284003)
Example for me being lost here 1.: This project has been abandoned for sure: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888181
The thread has been closed for 5 years. I have no idea whatsoever in which section should I ask about a similar project which is alive and well. (And expect for answers, which is equally important! A few paragraphs above you can see examples that even I asked the right question in the right place according to moderator, I never received any answer whatsoever, or any meaningful answer.)
Example for me being lost here 2.: I really want to ask somewhere
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/135711/is-apkmirror-com-safe
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/74618/how-safe-is-it-to-use-aptoide
Example 2, for not finding my way around XDA Forums. I noticed there are many worthy, distinctive projects that seem to be abandoned by their developers: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888181
It seems to be pretty abandoned; the thread has been closed for 5 years.
Aren't just too many separate categories? I just never was able to figure out the "overview" of XDA Forums the way I had no problem to overview AnandTech Forums and the Ars Technica forums. Even if you say there are exactly as many forum categories as needed, I can accept that. But sure, you could do more to make it visually intuitive - just like most other forums on the Internet are. Thanks!
Update. Another case in point: https://www.xda-developers.com/goog...-with-root-and-android-pay-in-the-xda-forums/
Poor Google engineer @jasondclinton_google has some good, general info on rooting vs. Android Pay (Google Pay?) security but why he had to post it in an obscured thread under xda-developers > Google Nexus 5 > Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting > Android Pay and Custom ROM instead of a forum topic of more general interest is beyond me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To your first point, I actually like the separate layouts for the different layers of the forum. I love modded forums in general, and I enjoy when forums step outside of the basic forumdisplay page.
As for the other points, I agree. I've spent the past few hours searching different forums for a few topics, and a lot of "general" info is split between a myriad of specialized, nested forums. I assume this helps the admins manage topic threads more efficiently. I'm sure it just takes some getting used to. I wouldn't describe it as "complicated" or "non-intuitive," just unique to xda. I run specialized message boards myself, and some forums are born out of general discussions that need to be compartmentalized for better management.
If I understand the whole situation, it goes like this: XDA has been around before Android was a thing, but got a high popularity boost with the introduction of Google's mobile operating system.
The original motto was along the lines of 'by developers, for developers.' But then a lot of new Android people came, not just developers, users as well and XDA couldn't keep up with the surge and you guys still try to find out ever since how to best manage such a huge and diverse community with developers and users alike, how to manage projects, bug reports, while maintaining a community of users, who might as well insightful feature requests for the projects. Does this sound about right?
So. Is the motto of the forum still supposed to be something like 'by developers, for developers,' or perhaps, it has changed?
Old, clip from your YouTube channel: You are a Noob on XDA-Developers. It's your second most watched video on your channel, actually. I just wonder if it's still the dominant attitude of you guys who run this place towards users (some of whom, perhaps want to remain users, just want to get out the most of their phones) and they should piss off and better go elsewhere, or perhaps you have toned down the communication and you are in the process of figuring out how this place could be more fruitful for all?
See more at the Google search: xda site:https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/
I Google searched to find this forum because I am just trying to understand XDA's layout. I'm currently using the app, and I am always so lost here. The only way I find anything at all is through Google searches. Right now I'm trying to understand this place's layout.
Yup same here from me. In general, have not found the XDA mods and Devs very helpful at all unless you're part of the inner circle of geek. Without wasting any more of my time trying to find a simple answer to a simple question on this convoluted diabolical forum I'm going to just join another more helpful more friendly, less up my own arse type of forum where you don't need to be a tech geek to get an answer.
Thanks for nothing XDA
leahcimewol said:
Yup same here from me. In general, have not found the XDA mods and Devs very helpful at all unless you're part of the inner circle of geek. Without wasting any more of my time trying to find a simple answer to a simple question on this convoluted diabolical forum I'm going to just join another more helpful more friendly, less up my own arse type of forum where you don't need to be a tech geek to get an answer.
Thanks for nothing XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See ya.
leahcimewol said:
Yup same here from me. In general, have not found the XDA mods and Devs very helpful at all unless you're part of the inner circle of geek. Without wasting any more of my time trying to find a simple answer to a simple question on this convoluted diabolical forum I'm going to just join another more helpful more friendly, less up my own arse type of forum where you don't need to be a tech geek to get an answer.
Thanks for nothing XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See ya.
leahcimewol said:
Yup same here from me. In general, have not found the XDA mods and Devs very helpful at all unless you're part of the inner circle of geek. Without wasting any more of my time trying to find a simple answer to a simple question on this convoluted diabolical forum I'm going to just join another more helpful more friendly, less up my own arse type of forum where you don't need to be a tech geek to get an answer.
Thanks for nothing XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
K bye!
Ciao!
It's turning into a bye bye thread
I admit my post is not helpful