Backdoors in ROMs? - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

This might seem like a silly question, but does anyone here worry about there being backdoors or code in the custom Roms like Vicious JB, CM9 nightlies, Liquid Smooth, etc... that is malicious?
My biggest concern is someone getting their hands on my gmail account credentials and banking info. I've searched and not seen this addressed anywhere. Aren't we putting a lot of faith into developers and groups we don't know anything about? We operate on the assumption the code is safe because everyone is using it, and the devs and groups have been around a long time.
Just wondering what thoughts people have on this...

That's why you don't flash a ROM by unknown developers and/or from unknown or unregulated forums. XDA is pretty good about keeping things legit. Always read feedback. As much as these people pick and poke at the ROMs it wouldn't be long if foul play was found.
All in all it was the carriers that were key logging and data mining not any dev on XDA.

crazeco said:
This might seem like a silly question, but does anyone here worry about there being backdoors or code in the custom Roms like Vicious JB, CM9 nightlies, Liquid Smooth, etc... that is malicious?
My biggest concern is someone getting their hands on my gmail account credentials and banking info. I've searched and not seen this addressed anywhere. Aren't we putting a lot of faith into developers and groups we don't know anything about? We operate on the assumption the code is safe because everyone is using it, and the devs and groups have been around a long time.
Just wondering what thoughts people have on this...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you have root, and install any apps that need root. any of these apps can potentially steal any kind of info from you that it wanted. same with non market applications(non root and non rooted devices) that you install and dont pay attention to what it can access.

It may be just me, but I wont do any banking online from both my phone and desktop. I normally only buy things online from eBay and Amazon. PayPal is pretty secure too for online purchasing.

crazeco said:
This might seem like a silly question, but does anyone here worry about there being backdoors or code in the custom Roms like Vicious JB, CM9 nightlies, Liquid Smooth, etc... that is malicious?
My biggest concern is someone getting their hands on my gmail account credentials and banking info. I've searched and not seen this addressed anywhere. Aren't we putting a lot of faith into developers and groups we don't know anything about? We operate on the assumption the code is safe because everyone is using it, and the devs and groups have been around a long time.
Just wondering what thoughts people have on this...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you think about it, all computer programs have enormous power. They can already read/write anything into non-restricted parts of your hard drive, or even erase it all (though this may take some time in which you can shut it down). Android has more restricted privileges (it has to tell you, upon installation, that it'll be given permission to read your sd card), but these are still highly general.
And a program with administrator/root privileges, can do literally anything.
A rom is basically like a rooted program, so, short of reading all the code and compiling it yourself, there's no way to be sure that it won't do literally anything.
That might not be the answer you want, but that's all there is to it. All you can hope to do is mitigate that risk by installing the bare minimum, most trusted of sources, and it's up to you to decide how much risk is too much.
Maybe anti-virus helps (I scan all apks), but it's a shot in the dark as far as I'm concerned.

crazeco said:
This might seem like a silly question, but does anyone here worry about there being backdoors or code in the custom Roms like Vicious JB, CM9 nightlies, Liquid Smooth, etc... that is malicious?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There was recently an article on just this subject. I don't worry too much about it, I keep with what I regard as trusted ROMs. I don't bank on my phone, the worst you can do is buy some **** from amazon or eBay and my credit card keeps me safe from fraud, so I don't care too much.

You are right, these aren't the answers I would love to see!
Is the article mentioned the one on ZTE, or custom ROMs? Do you have a link?
Has there ever been a documented case of a popular custom ROM stealing login credentials?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I'd worry less about backdoors and more about test key signed apps making their way onto your system and stealing data.
A risk for many aosp Roms because they use test keys.

You can always download the cm9 source code yourself and compile it if your worried.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

The only ROM I'd be worried about is MIUI.

Yeah gotta watch out for dem chineses.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Honestly, it's a valid concern. I'm really not worried at all about such things on official ROMs - Carrier IQ was a slight worry but I wasn't really bothered. Monitoring any data I care about would put a company out of business. However, unofficial ROMs make me nervous.

I think your question can be answered best in Q&A where questions are posted
specifically this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1745289
Thanks
FNM

Related

Mods, I request an enforced ROM thread template

I am getting annoyed of many ROM threads here, because they are
stating "speed improvements, minor fixes, stable" - if you cant name it exactly, i call bull****.
ROMs being based on the same RUU as other ROMs but not stating what is different. please stop wasting my time. i dont want to go sherlock holmes on your ROM. when you just spend 2h, to make a ROM that is basically the same like most other (just differeing in the point above) - thats fine, you can play around and share it here - but PLEASE tell us.
incomplete list of what is working or not. listing only BT as not working and then reading on the third page "animations and browser download dont work" and then a reply "they dont work on any sense 4.0 ROM". Or stuff like "bugs: you tell me". could you please take 10minutes to test against a checklist?!
so whats my point:
I am no ROM developer, but a software developer. And I see all the wonderfull work done here. But i hate the lazy "you all probably know what im talking about" attitude around here. I feel a bit scammed by either the very shiny threads with custom logos and artwork, listing as many points as they can - whats the purpose - you dont sell anything here. Or on the other hand the very short threads that omit the most important points, making the ROMs incompareable - are you hiding something?
so i propose:
an enforced thread layout, that is composed by the community.
some points i would like to see in it:
name
version
based on (RUU revision number, link)
android revision(, sense revision)
type (a coarse classification: stock, themed, bloatfree, desensed, ported, testrelease, AOSP. multiple selection possible)
changes to base (the 5 main topics of this ROM. at least kernel, bootscreen, keyboard, launcher, theme)
dependencies: firmware etc.
screenshot (i know mostly there is no difference, but i personally am a visual type and need them )
a bug checklist (also community build, most usual bugs, states: ok, minor, broken, untested)
a tweaks checklist (e.g. rooted, deodexed, zipaligned, crt, recent apps, APM, battery, /etc/hosts, beats etc.)
APK versions (also a community build checklist, maybe a script for that)
changelog (for each old version a download, for each change a source link, not just "thanks xyuser" - having the ROM in github etc. would be awesome)
I bet there are some more points - i think the non-developers should unite and demand a bit of quality. Develop and enforce a standard. Use this thread to gather ideas.
And inb4 "be gratefull and take what you get" - no, I think chefs have a responsibility to be transparent, they get lots of testers and glory in return. XDA is a central reference for everyone who roots his device. Mods have taken some good steps to clean up the mess. Now its time for the next.
I think the more detailed the information gets, the faster the development will become and users can build trust in what they flash.
Mods, would something like this be possible?
Yes, it will make everything easier for the users too compare one with another.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium
MOVZX said:
Yes, it will make everything easier for the users too compare one with another.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats what I think. any other oppinions?
jonasb said:
thats what I think. any other oppinions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also agree, There are way to many roms out there, I couldnt possibly flash them all and test them, My phone would be outdated by the time i managed that.
The majority are exactly the same, except with the occasional different theme /tweak /app but other than that i think they are similar...
I also get the feeling that the ROMs are a pretty much copy & paste job (with the exception of the devs that build from scratch)
I would like to see some sort of organization in the development thread.. I have nothing against these ROM Makers, But if the first post pointed out what exactly makes THIS ROM different than any others. i think it would be less confusing to people..
I am so for this. I am tired myself of all the crap too. I would like to know what I'm getting and how stable it truly is. I mean saying it's stable but then u find our in post number 400, that one the newest release there are some bugs which don't make it go for every day use. And if it's kanged, tell us, some do tell us but then same get someone else and make it theirs with some changes but nobody finds out till later. I'm also tired of ppl causing problems for others, whenever they follow rules more than others, and tell them this is such & suches place u better leave. I that's y some really good ppl leave here and sometimes the mods allow it cause they're friends. It's total bs, but this is just how I feel!
+ 1 ^^^
I get belittled sometimes in them threads, Im just trying to ask a simple question and the replies are 'dude.. this was asked ten times already.. look at post 862816745 and you will see....' The damn threads change so fast i cant keep up.. Im not a noob... maybe a novice to the sensation but i know what im doing in general.
People expect everyone to know how to do things - because they have done it themselves so many times... Id rather help someone with the simplest question than shout at them for not asking for help and bricking their phone...
C'mon guys, play nice
Rant over lol
EDIT: Good Idea
l
l
V
Maybe there should be a forum for 'Original Development' for projects that aren't a variation of another project. I've seen this for other devices' forums.
mugetsu666 said:
I am so for this. I am tired myself of all the crap too. I would like to know what I'm getting and how stable it truly is. I mean saying it's stable but then u find our in post number 400, that one the newest release there are some bugs which don't make it go for every day use. And if it's kanged, tell us, some do tell us but then same get someone else and make it theirs with some changes but nobody finds out till later. I'm also tired of ppl causing problems for others, whenever they follow rules more than others, and tell them this is such & suches place u better leave. I that's y some really good ppl leave here and sometimes the mods allow it cause they're friends. It's total bs, but this is just how I feel!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like I was never enjoyed my phone even just for 1 day. Today I've installed a ROM, adding many apps from Market which took many hours to setup & configure.
While I've become comfortable with the ROM, something freaked Me ouy: "Oh, there is even better and way more stable ROM available than this current ROM." Downloading, it takes about 1 to 2 hours. Then booted the ROM, but I caught myself disappointed with the news, "This new one has just another clone of the first ROM I've ever tried." Oh no, it has different theme and feels! "All of them are on the same base, same kernel, same etc, etc, etc."
Then, my final decision should be restoring the first ROM through Recovery, but again it takes minutes to complete.
And yet, I fooled with Battery Calibration placebo/myth which actually doesn't exist. Do I need to recalibrate my battery on s ROM changes? No, Google Official has just stated it's just a myth and placebo.
This is what I feel, sorry I mean no offense to any Devs.
Sent from my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio using xda premium
azzledazzle said:
+ 1 ^^^
I get belittled sometimes in them threads, Im just trying to ask a simple question and the replies are 'dude.. this was asked ten times already.. look at post 862816745 and you will see....' The damn threads change so fast i cant keep up.. Im not a noob... maybe a novice to the sensation but i know what im doing in general.
People expect everyone to know how to do things - because they have done it themselves so many times... Id rather help someone with the simplest question than shout at them for not asking for help and bricking their phone...
C'mon guys, play nice
Rant over lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude I am so with u. Some threads r just so damn long that to every little post would take to long and I would probably never be able to flash a rom. As far as noobs go, we were all noobs at one point. I get most to get me on gtalk so I can help them without some as telling them off. Yeah sometimes it takes me some time but hell I've been able to save quite a few phones.
Its a much better feeling knowing you have helped someone and saved a phone from the horrible stock ROM or possible brick..
Ive done my fair share of helping noobs to help other noobs... Ive also saved a few phones from the trash too
XDA is a community - not a place to rant at people for being a noob - Although there are some hopeless people out there who do not follow the rules, But the majority of us just need some guidance..
The worlds best android developer wasnt born the best... he / she was obviously a noob who learnt from someone else...
The way i see it is that noobs are the future of development so dont hate us
I so agree and am getting ready to learn the cooking game from a friend and great deveolper. He's also getting ready to aquire a sensation and is going to port some of his awesome work from the 3d to the sensation, but make it with ics. Don't know if it'll every see xda because of the drama but it'll be on our teams site. It might make since he does have stuff in evo on xda but I don't know yet.
I'll probably get flamed for this, but that's xda.
The devs don't do this for our convenience. As users who don't pay them a salary, I don't think we're in a position to tell them how they should share what they do. They use their spare time to make something and then choose to share with the masses, which they really didn't have to do. How they choose to present their work should really be up to them IMO.
Besides, if you stick around long enough and read the threads now and then, you'll be able to tell which devs are doing real work versus someone who just forks another person's ROM and throws in some personal tweaks.
Yes most of the ROMs are similar in looks or function, but that's too be expected since everything comes from whatever HTC releases. Each one has its own flavor since each dev has different priorities. Want something totally different? Try one of the WIP AOSP/CM9 builds or maybe MiUI v4.
rawrfische said:
I'll probably get flamed for this, but that's xda.
The devs don't do this for our convenience. As users who don't pay them a salary, I don't think we're in a position to tell them how they should share what they do. They use their spare time to make something and then choose to share with the masses, which they really didn't have to do. How they choose to present their work should really be up to them IMO.
Besides, if you stick around long enough and read the threads now and then, you'll be able to tell which devs are doing real work versus someone who just forks another person's ROM and throws in some personal tweaks.
Yes most of the ROMs are similar in looks or function, but that's too be expected since everything comes from whatever HTC releases. Each one has its own flavor since each dev has different priorities. Want something totally different? Try one of the WIP AOSP/CM9 builds or maybe MiUI v4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the real question is, WHY are the devs doing it at all? There are motives. I think this thread is basically asking them to spare us. If they decide to pack their ball up and go somewhere else, no big deal. The REAL devs will always stick around.
This thread isn't directed at our "patron devs" but all the no names that pop up with these ridiculous, and misleading, clones while asking for donations.
All in all, no one is forcing us to flash their ROM. It would be nice to have several layers to the dev forum. We need a place to easily see what the pro devs are up to without all the mess in the way. Or, how some genuine developing is coming along...
Matt
I can see it from both sides, All the devs good or bad are still great in their own way.
But some tidying up in the development section wouldnt do any harm... Its like a jumble sale in there, Rummaging around to see whats what. Its ridiculous
Thread cleaned.
Now, you watch your attitude and language or simply face the consequences...
yaddamean, I understand what you mean but I would say the opposite: devs that dont care to be transparent, can host their ROMs on their servers elsewhere. I know this is a quite fundamental difference in views. But i dont get what should be the advantage of being the silent majority.
Good things never come easily.
I bet we would not loose one good dev.
Moved to the about Xda-developers forum as such discussions are not device specific but rather site specific
I agree with u and because of yaddamean and others like him who like to just jump in and flamming ppl. As soon as someone stands up to those kinda ppl, the real supporters of this Site and it's Real dev, get in trouble. That's y ppl leave here too!
broncogr said:
Moved to the about Xda-developers forum as such discussions are not device specific but rather site specific
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this will get us less viewers but more mods hopfully
is there any chance of changing the current practice?
That's y it was moved less attention.

Stock vs Custom - what's the best for you?

What a great question! I'm so glad you asked!
I recently gave in and got my bootloader unlocked on my Verizon R800x, just so I could see what all the hoopla was about. After a few days of analysis, I've already been able to draw some conclusions that I hope new seekers will find useful.
There are several things to know when making a decision like this one.
1. What model of Xperia Play am I rocking? Not all Xperia Plays are created equal. There is the data connection to consider. If you are in most of the world outside of the US, you probably have a carrier that uses GSM for data. So does AT&T and Sprint in the US. Because it is so common, there are lots of Custom ROMS and kernels, unlocking the bootloader is easy, and many people are experienced in supporting GSM. But you're a Verizon Wireless customer? - sorry, you use a CDMA connection, which means your choices are much more limited, unlocking the bootloader is more of a challenge, and people tend to laugh at you!
2. Do I want to use the phone primarily for gaming with that sweet gamepad and not-so-sweet touchpads? Do I really depend on my phone to be 100% useable at all times? Better stick with ROMs and kernels based off of stock. No need to even know what a bootloader is!
3. Or, screw the games, I wanna be big, bad and bold, on the bleeding edge of technology! Well then, plan on furthering your techie education! You're going to be learning all kinds of fun and interesting terms, like soft brick, hard brick, adb, fastboot, flashing , RAM, ROM, push, root and boot - after awhile it all starts sounding like a naughty little party is going on in your phone! Hey, Baby! I got yer bootloader right here, know wut I'm sayin?
How about some do's and don'ts?
DON'T post a question on how to root, unlock the bootloader, install coolappofthemoment.apk or what does any of these terms mean without doing a little research on your own first. Chances are, someone else asked it at least once, probably a million times, and the only responses you're likely to get are "GEEZE, READ THE BLOODY FORUMS, YA N00B!!!"
DO use Google, search the forums, and actually READ the threads that seem relevant to your question. Yes, you will read a more than a few posts like "Does this work yet?", "I don't like the color of...", "MemberX is a troll!", but interspersed in there is quite a bit of information that you may benefit from and often you will find your answer much more quickly than posting a question and waiting for a valid response.
DON'T be afraid of rooting your phone but...
DO be aware that your warranty may (will) be affected by modifying your phone.
DON'T remove anything preinstalled by the service provider until you...
DO a Nandroid Backup first. (There's a term you will want to explore further. Hint: Look into CWM Custom Recovery.)
DON'Tuninstall system apps right away. Instead freeze them (OOOH another term you might want to learn. Hint: Titanium Backup among other apps.) Once you are comfortable with restoring your Nandroid Backup, you understand what the app does, and you experience no issues freezing it, then you can remove it if you want to free up some internal storage space.
DO pay attention to who the developers are for different projects, as well as frequent posters with actual useful contributions. You can tell who they are by the phrase "The Following 9 million Users Say Thank You to UltraDev For This Useful Post:" These are the people you want to make your bestest friends.
WOW !! Who knew there was so much to learn !!! Can't I just skip all that and charge blindly ahead??? I have one word for you. BRICK !!! OK, I have another word for you:
DON'T!!!
After trying the few kernels and Custom ROMs available to me (Yes, I am a lucky Verizon customer), I decided that, for me, it's fun to be able to juggle razors (Get It? Be on the BLEEDING EDGE???), but since some of the things I like to do with my phone are not yet working with the latest and greatest, I'm better off sticking with a customized stock configuration. The great thing is, I can always try the newer stuff and then go back to the "safe" setup.
Oh yeah! I almost forgot! There is one more DO for you, and it's extremely important!
DO click that Thanks button when someone posts a project or information that you find useful. We all want to know our efforts are appreciated, right? RIGHT?????? <<Taps his foot and looks pointedly at the Thanks button>>
Your post reminded me of Excel, of Excel Saga's fame. For that you carved a little nostalgia hole in my rocky heart.
That's going to be very useful, and you had me laughing for 10 mins with the bootloader thing
Sent from my Xperia Play using Tapatalk

So it begins to end

Little by little I been noticing the dev's leave from our forums, So what will happen then? Tried myself to start creating a ROM but with no luck.... (laptop acts up most of the time). Anyways, as I was trying to imply what happens when development stops for the Hercules? Guess we will find out soon enough. I don't know if its due to the attitude given to these guys that are doing all this work for free or what? Kinda sad see that 2 developers go. Although their reasoning is personal and private, I can only imagine how they must feel when they do their best to make something for the public and all we do is nag on how bad it is or what can be done to change it.
This ain't to flame anyone or complain. Everyone has their personal likes. That being said why not invest some of that time of criticism and start doing your own. I have not been on this community for long as everyone can tell but I read and read and read. from our forum, the SR forum being that its similar device and its completely different atmosphere between the two. There's so much amicable peoplel there. They're willing to help on another. I just don't see it happening on our forums.Maybe, just maybe we just lost touch of what the community was created for.... to help one another create a better device for our daily use. Not to just constantly put in requests like the Dev is a radio dj . I for one. If its not that then its "this don't work buhuu!!!" It's been noticed here lately that there are sum differences between devices, hardware wise. That alone would drive anyone insane.. Bottom line, implement your personal touch to anything you use in here. That's what will make it your own pride and joy. I totally agree with stating something if it interfered with the functionality of the device. Then again its written very clearly in every single thread of ROM's, do this at your own risk. The developer is by no means responsible for any modifications you do to your device. When you decided to flash whatever it was you did, you took sole responsibility for your actions.
Last but not least, all I can say if it continues to be like this we might to go find new devices to toy with. This weeks its been 2 Devs that left. Next week might be 2 more and before you know it there wont be none. What then? Seriously, what then? With that said I want to say thanks for letting me vent and for creating this site for us (the daily users). Please nobody take any offense in particular for this is just my personal opinion. Doesn't reflect any ones else's but mines. Its a free community so I'm exercising my right to freedom of speech.
this is normal, as new devices emerge, like the SGS3 and Notes 2
Devs are naturally attracted to them
if you want to stay on the same device for a long time, then it's up to ourselves to learn now to compile, tweak, theme, and code the ROMs
a good example are the people over at the old Moto Milestone XT720 phone, that thing sucked when it came out at retail, and it's not very popular, but they took it upon themselves to build ROM from scratch and/or kanged it to make it a great device even after all these years, and the hardware limitation.
very much like the super geeks at the HTC HD2, can you imagine, that ancient relic able to run ICS, and most likely JB in near future
Get a new phone man. I don't plan on staying here much longer. I was tired of this phone 2 weeks after I got it. Its a miracle I'm still on it at all. Besides it has what it already needs. Amazing gingerbread and ICS roms both with great speed and battery life. What else do you want?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
This phone still has potential. Those devs left for personal reasons. I feel confidant that we will see more devs in our forum.
Sent from the pink Unicorn from the Darkside.
RushAOZ said:
Get a new phone man. I don't plan on staying here much longer. I was tired of this phone 2 weeks after I got it. Its a miracle I'm still on it at all. Besides it has what it already needs. Amazing gingerbread and ICS roms both with great speed and battery life. What else do you want?
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By no means it was intended for it to be a complaint as I stated. I personally love my S2, my point about the post was due to the current situations of Devs leaving. It seem like there's other reasons being other than personal. And I see it more and more as I read the posts about them getting aggravated about the constant requests. My point being, if all the above including myself feel they can do better why not begin by learning. Rome wasn't built in a day and i totally agree but I don't get how the community here is so much different than in the SR forum. Again it's not a complaint but just a personal opinion.
@ AllGamer, I totally agree wit you sir... alike a lot of us noobs would love to learn the hows and whats of creating custom ROMs but as like I said on my opener I can't due to misbehaving equipment. I've read pages and pages of the software needed and downloaded as best to my knowledge. Even went as far as to allow another community person to go into my laptop and find out where my issue was. The person himself was a Dev and by no means I was told to do so or anything like that. I gave him my permission to try to help me out so I could create from scratch without any luck. What my point is that maybe we're (myself included) have lost the purpose here and have made it to where we feel its owed to us to make things our way. Then again that's my opinion.
LoopDoGG79 said:
This phone still has potential. Those devs left for personal reasons. I feel confidant that we will see more devs in our forum.
Sent from the pink Unicorn from the Darkside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only that. I just find that cm9 especially took a huge downfall once cm10 began to exist. I don't believe any time soon our devices will lack development. It's just there is so much out there to be done yet one questions "where do you even start!?" Personally once they get a stable build running of cm10 a lot of tweaks will begin getting added along with much kernel support being created. It's just a speed bump in the developer world, not a brick wall
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Looking at it from that point of view I can concur. But just hate seeing good devs run out like that. And to the most part being part of same teams. Weird to me again. Maybe I'm just one of those type of individuals that gets negative vibes about certain things. Just like the fact of it being personal reasons? I don't fully think that was it alone but who knows.
I still stand by my statement about the difference in attitudes between communities. Just seem like there's more "want" to help one another. Here everything is more frowned upon. Favorite reply here is " use the search button" but I'm sure posting a link to answer the question takes about the same amount of time. Or rather yet not reply at all if its just to get in a tantrum about doing it. Maybe its just my personal beliefs. I see it posted all the time, the community is to help regardless if lazy dumb or whatever (sorry about the dumb) but its just derogatory to sum. I'm a total noon but once in a while I have questions. Rather get an I don't know that be told search button is active. Thought it was the principle of this site.
Regardless of anything, its just I see no support on the development here. Either way I'll stop my rant and continue my educational reading.
Sent from my SGH-T989
Honestly, I noticed the same thing in the SR forum almost instantly when I began reading sk8er's CM10 thread. It felt like "old xda" for me... In the future, I'm going to stick to more popular phones/Nexus devices since they generally have much better communities. That's part of the fun to our devices as gadget geeks IMO.
By the way, which devs left?
Remembering Old school Android for a minute...
I know you personally are not complaining OP, so plese nobody take no offense to any of this. I understand what you're saying and I always mod my own Rom to my liking. I had to learn to do it that way because I wouldn't bug any devs either for little personal things I liked. Just my 2 cents, but when I see threads like this, I have to think back to when I first had my Moto Cliq (big mistake there), my first Android phone, and have a bit of nostalgia. We had 2 developers, Travisjames and HandlerExploit. (props to you both if still around) That was it. The Cliq had no software support and updates were always 6+ months after other phones were receiving them, we couldn't overclock it, it was locked up tight, but somehow they provided a good user experience out of that old 1.5 Android Moto Blur. Lol! Made lemonade out of the sour lemons Moto gave us. I helped them by making some themes and learned alot about Android during this time just to give something back to the community. Everyone still begged Handler and Travis for ETA's, *****ed at them when things were going wrong, but considering they were the only 2 devs for the cliq, I always just encouraged their great work and tried to help them work through it, because those were are only two solid options for a good Rom. Whether you liked some things about it or not, they were still better than stock.
My Point in the end? That phone had basically only 2 Roms (in it's early days) for each software release that dropped. No kernels since that wasn't possible yet, and only 3-4 themes to choose from (one made by me after frustration of not finding a style I loved). Anything else had to be tweaked to your liking through trial and error, googling, or asking devs for help. That's when I learned how much hard work goes into some seemingly "Small" fixes or tweaks. Android is much bigger of a thing now, and we have so many different Roms out here to choose from. I feel lucky to be able to choose from: Sammy Roms, MIUI, AOKP, CM7/9 then 10, Paranoid, etc. and then onto mods: kernel choices, Overclocked, undervolted, different boot screens and themes (esp on MIUI/CM's), tweaks, etc. For a phone that dropped with GB I think were doing a pretty damn good job!
I know some devs will eventually leave with new devices arriving, as they have with the last 3 Android phones/2 tablets I've owned, but this community has alot to choose from... I'd personally like to say Thank You, to each and every Dev that has stuck with us, even if only for a little while. You have brough tons of choices, tons of speed, battery life, and beauty to this device. I don't know about anything but themeing myself, so I rely on all you guys to put out something hot. You never disappoint! If someone can't find a Rom/Kernel combo to fit their needs on here, they might never be happy!
Digital1325 said:
Honestly, I noticed the same thing in the SR forum almost instantly when I began reading sk8er's CM10 thread. It felt like "old xda" for me... In the future, I'm going to stick to more popular phones/Nexus devices since they generally have much better communities. That's part of the fun to our devices as gadget geeks IMO.
By the way, which devs left?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Jamison904 and TheTechNiq left, due to deving took to much time away from there families .
Sent from the pink Unicorn from the Darkside.
LoopDoGG79 said:
Jamison904 and TheTechNiq left, due to deving took to much time away from there families .
Sent from the pink Unicorn from the Darkside.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's time to upgrade then
Due to my infancy in time here I cant comment about the past on this site, "but" it still mind boggles me that at some point and time I cant contribute. I don't mind testing by no means. Being that at this point in time and due to equipment faultiness I can't do more than that. But my point is that there is a sort of aura that just don't mingle well with me. One point I seen that has mortified the crap out of me has been just the way people address others around. Like there is some sort of machismo just because he/she knows better or been around longer. Like i said maybe its just me, maybe its just my persona. Most of my posts are either checking in to report any issues with X Rom or so forth, questions or trying to help someone else with any questions that they might have as long as I'm capable of actually helping with.. With that being said, I fully understand that t the dev threads are intended for just that but why not keep them locked up other than to the people that want to test. Per say- as a form of request to be a tester or something before opening .
Just seems that the Devs get aggravated at anyone that comes in asking about small things just cuz there was no reading done what so ever. For good reason tho, its supposed to be for bug related posts, troubleshot and all of that. Maybe implement a form prior to opening the thread of any given ROM that states everything and what not works on it prior to allowing the user just go in and ask frivolous questions ( even understanding that no question is small in importance). But i see that being the main argument in the threads. Thought that was the purpose of the video? These are just my opinions. I'm just a grain of salt in all this sea.
Also would like to THANK everyone that puts forth an effort to make something out of nothing to make the t989 that much better for us.Guess it makes me a bit sensitive to see guys come up wit awesome work and then all the sudden it all falls apart. Either way that's my 2 cents. Thanks also to you guys that took the time to come in here for a read and for the input.
There will be many more devs for the t989. I've read the same s.it more than a year ago on the t959 forum. Their dev section is more "vibrant" than ever.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
Funny I was damn sure thinking the same thing myself. I came from a PPC6700 forum years ago where we had a kitchen and could make our own roms which was great. Then I had an Evo, Evo3D, Epic Touch and now Galaxy 2 and I must admit this forum is lacking with rom choices. I look at the development page and see threads last reply was a week or so ago still on page 1. That would not last an hour in the old Evo forums.
I get it that developers leave because of family and personal things but think about it. If we the end user did not complain and ask for this and that which I honestly feel some of it we could do ourselves, would that not leave them to more pure developing time. Which honestly if things are running right or small things need to be fixed and can be done by others it allows the developer more time to themselves.... Jus Sayin
The helping each other out is wonderful as well but hey the I can't find a kernel or where is this rom located in a forum with maybe half a dozen developers and main threads really never leaving Page 1 and you can't find it... Helping fine spoon feeding is another and the laziness is what causes a lot of bickering. I know just give them the answer but what about you helping yourself... I hope more developers come or at least they perfect AOKP JB since thats my favorite..
Good luck developers and good luck community... rant ova!
I hope the devs don't drop out, I just got the TMobile version. $99 @ target for the s2, or $229. Makes the math kind of obvious.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Its not going to die no time soon its just the lack of interest that I fear most. Maybe at a later time or so they might get the ball rolling again but at the present it time seem a little weak. Well that's in comparison to our twin site( SR forum). Like I said before and I'll repeat again, its all about benefiting both end parties. Pops used to tell me and seem to fits well here, "one hand can't be cleaned up by itself, takes 2 to get it the way is supposed to be. " That's all my point is meant to be directed to. Not start world war 3 or nothing. Just feel like we are falling behind and its our own fault. If we have enough time to complain or address issues we also have time to help better the problem itself by addressing it and trying to solve it. Better yet, get this general threads or q&a threads just for that... I've personally seen ROMs with 400 or more pages and nothing is clarified. There's all sorts of people completely lost on steps on how to even install (flash) a certain ROM. There's guides yes but we all been to school here, we know that learning is not easy for everyone. Sh00t!!! Everyday is a learning experience. But some of us take longer than others.
Maybe its just my petpeeve to feel this way. But I know Im not alone when I say this, if there's someone that needs help and I can do it, no matter how small it is... I'll be there to do so.and if I can't help at least I'll learn something by helping that person search for the answers.
Sent from my SGH-T989
I must be really out of it.
Who.. did we lose?
Lost another one today on a joking issue. Jamison , Thetechniq and BB today... and they continue to drop like flies.. who knows...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
dont we still have team chopsticks and TDJ?
Rekzer said:
dont we still have team chopsticks and TDJ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Though TDJ is on a break from what I recall.. He certainly deserves it.

[Q] Rooting Etc. the s3

Okay, I just recently got the S3 after having an HTC hero for years that was unceremoniously killed by mother nature on a ride home that took me through a torrential downpour on a motorcycle.
My little hero was rooted and running cyanogenmod 7.2 however i haven't messed with modifying any phone or such since that one or more advanced than that.
I know there are tons of threads with how Tos on rooting the s3 and such. But, I have noticed in a few of them they mention "tripping a flash counter". Does the method shown by qbking trip it or not, and what is the significance of this?
Something else I'm noticing being mentioned in various threads are Kernels. To be honest I don't know what they are and haven't found a thread explaining them. So what do they do what is their significance? etc etc
Thanks in advance for any help and I'm sorry if these have been answered before somewhere I'm not seeing. But I think it's better to ask and get answers from the experts and be sure before moving forward with modifying my brand new phone. Especially since the guys at my local sprint store root and modify their phones so they know what to look for in case something were to happen.
Before I answer your questions, I just wanted to thank you for reading up a lot prior to asking and trying to find the answer on your own. Also, your questions were clear and concise, which is becoming more rare on this site (and others).
Ok, as far as the trip counter goes, it shouldn't matter if you trip it. Samsung is a lot more developer-friendly than HTC is, so there's no locked boot loader (on the s3) and there's no real big deal with tripping the counter. You can use triangle away to remove the trip, but it shouldn't matter. I believe qbking's method well trip it.
Kernals are a bit more difficult to explain, but if you're familiar with drivers for Windows, I think the concept is similar. The android os is not designed to communicate with every piece of hardware out there. The kernals are there to act as the translator between the "generic" language of android and the specific language of the specific hardware that's used in the phone. So when android asks for the GPS, all it had to do is call upon the GPS. The kernel is the one that translates that and gives directions to the specific piece of hardware (in this case, the GPS). The main advantage of custom kernals is that they can also relate the processor speed, which can either boost performance or save battery life, depending on your preferences and settings.
There is a thread in general that talks a lot about the ktoonsez Kendall and the various settings that people have used. I've found it a good primer on kernals and how the different governors work.
After all that, have fun flashing!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Tuvan03 said:
Okay, I just recently got the S3 after having an HTC hero for years that was unceremoniously killed by mother nature on a ride home that took me through a torrential downpour on a motorcycle.
My little hero was rooted and running cyanogenmod 7.2 however i haven't messed with modifying any phone or such since that one or more advanced than that.
I know there are tons of threads with how Tos on rooting the s3 and such. But, I have noticed in a few of them they mention "tripping a flash counter". Does the method shown by qbking trip it or not, and what is the significance of this?
Something else I'm noticing being mentioned in various threads are Kernels. To be honest I don't know what they are and haven't found a thread explaining them. So what do they do what is their significance? etc etc
Thanks in advance for any help and I'm sorry if these have been answered before somewhere I'm not seeing. But I think it's better to ask and get answers from the experts and be sure before moving forward with modifying my brand new phone. Especially since the guys at my local sprint store root and modify their phones so they know what to look for in case something were to happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would suggest checking out THIS THREAD
topherk said:
Before I answer your questions, I just wanted to thank you for reading up a lot prior to asking and trying to find the answer on your own. Also, your questions were clear and concise, which is becoming more rare on this site (and others).
Ok, as far as the trip counter goes, it shouldn't matter if you trip it. Samsung is a lot more developer-friendly than HTC is, so there's no locked boot loader (on the s3) and there's no real big deal with tripping the counter. You can use triangle away to remove the trip, but it shouldn't matter. I believe qbking's method well trip it.
Kernals are a bit more difficult to explain, but if you're familiar with drivers for Windows, I think the concept is similar. The android os is not designed to communicate with every piece of hardware out there. The kernals are there to act as the translator between the "generic" language of android and the specific language of the specific hardware that's used in the phone. So when android asks for the GPS, all it had to do is call upon the GPS. The kernel is the one that translates that and gives directions to the specific piece of hardware (in this case, the GPS). The main advantage of custom kernals is that they can also relate the processor speed, which can either boost performance or save battery life, depending on your preferences and settings.
There is a thread in general that talks a lot about the ktoonsez Kendall and the various settings that people have used. I've found it a good primer on kernals and how the different governors work.
After all that, have fun flashing!
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the help and the info. As far as the kernel thing goes i must admit i feel stupid now, esp being a computer science major, granted I'm just beginning toward my degree however for some reason i just didn't put two and two together. My excuse is that it was late at night/early in the morning heh , that being said please excuse me while i go bang my head against a wall to see if i can jump start my brain.
I guess now the only thing left to do is watch the video again/download the files and root the sucker and go from there.
Thanks again for the info and guess i need to read the FAQ a bit more rather than skimming through
We're here to help! I'm glad you're understanding it better now, even with the couple of horrible autocorrect mistakes I had in the post.
Hope you enjoy all the custom roms out there, I always enjoy trying out a new one.
Peace,
Topher
Sent from my SPH-L710 using xda app-developers app

[Q]How to perma-brick via Android OS or TWRP?

Howdy folks. I'm not much of a developer, so I need a bit of help trying to make my concept a reality. Obviously if I'm successful, I'll give credit where credit is due. That being said, I'm looking for a way to hard-brick Android devices from either within the OS itself, or from a custom recovery, preferably TWRP. A kind of "self-destruct", if you will. And it has to be doable, or at least triggerable, from Android itself, so I can set it up to be activated remotely, via Tasker or what have you, nothing that I would need to connect the phone to a computer to use. So I guess what I need is either a script, or a recovery flash zip. I'm hoping for a universal solution, so it could be used for any Android device, not just mine. But if that's not available, my current devices are a T-Mobile S3 (obviously), HTC One, Motorola Xoom LTE (aka Wingray), and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition (P600), and I'd like to have it working with any and/or all of my devices, at least. So, is there any way I can achieve this?
On a public forum accessible to unregistered users, such a discussion can and will open a can of worms. Yes indeed there are ways to do this. However I am sure ways of wanton destruction will violate XDA rules. Who knows, some unsavory folks came across this and sent it as a bomb to all ? You see where I am going ?
Having said that, I think your genuine intent is to make your device unusable in case of theft. Towards this, there really are several nice apps and services. Starting with Google's own Device manager to Where's my droid and quiet a few others. Please explore what they can do.
You're right about my intentions, but I don't just want to wipe my device if it's stolen, which is all those apps can do. I want to render it completely unusable, so whoever has taken it can't do anything with it. So what you're telling me is, if I DO come up with a way to do so, it's probably not a good idea to share it here?
Edit:
Perseus71 said:
Who knows, some unsavory folks came across this and sent it as a bomb to all ? You see where I am going ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not looking for something to send to my phone. I'm looking for something that would take an extensive set-up procedure. Something like a script, started by Tasker, in response to a VERY specific text message. Or maybe instead of a script, a zip being flashed, although I haven't quite figured out how to do that with Tasker yet. You're probably right about the XDA rules though, I didn't think about that.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Device encryption and Screen lock are supposed to serve precisely that exact purpose you are describing. Please explore. Do understand some of the other apps in the category of Lookout do offer a lot more features and functions. Please explore one or two of them.

Categories

Resources