Database Develop

Are there any roms better than stock for this phone?

There was such a good selection on the desire.there appears to be such a limited selection on the galaxy s...none seem that good.
Can people recommend which is best and why? Looking for a fast and stable rom.

My rom is xxjm1 by the way.

Not yet, stock is still the most trouble free for now. Won't last long though.

Its my understand (and hopefullness) that most devs FroYo. Most (if not all) are just themed and optimized roms at the moment.

We want froyo !
Yes, most devs are waiting for froyo, just because everyone will want to upgrade, and there is just no justification to make a custom rom with 2.1 just for a few weeks.

Have you not tried SamSet? Dude there are about 4 different Custom ROMs on XDA :| how can you say there are no good ones as you haven't even tried any?
Devs are waiting for FroYo and Cyanogen Mod, that'll increase the ROM majority. The Desire has FroYo (Official) AND Cyanogen Mod, so there are tons of ROMs. Stock isn't the best atm, SamSets is the best for now.

MAMBO04 said:
Have you not tried SamSet? Dude there are about 4 different Custom ROMs on XDA :| how can you say there are no good ones as you haven't even tried any?
Devs are waiting for FroYo and Cyanogen Mod, that'll increase the ROM majority. The Desire has FroYo (Official) AND Cyanogen Mod, so there are tons of ROMs. Stock isn't the best atm, SamSets is the best for now.
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first off, 4 roms is nothing.
Secondly, setzuna or whatever he is called produced a bog standard rom for the desire.
I want quality original roms. Hopefully asop pure roms like cyanogen.
The galaxy s roms are poop at the moment.
Really...

Desire has 6month head start, also helps when the desire is clone of nexus one which is reference dev gadget so what do you expect. Have look at other latest devices that came out in last 2 months and tell me if they even have roms yet, you have been spoilt.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

Agreed, ROM selection for the Hero (my last phone) were much better. I've tried HackEclair, Doc's StockRomMod and SamSet (currently the one I'm using).
From reading the forums, it really does look like all the devs are just waiting on the official Froyo release. I also read somewhere that the ROMs must be based off of official firmwares or else they won't work, which would make sense why it's difficult to get Sense-like interfaces on the phone.
Either way, it's only a few weeks - if that - until the official Froyo!

jaketurbo said:
first off, 4 roms is nothing.
Secondly, setzuna or whatever he is called produced a bog standard rom for the desire.
I want quality original roms. Hopefully asop pure roms like cyanogen.
The galaxy s roms are poop at the moment.
Really...
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Click to collapse
Seriously? did you not even read my post at all?
you CAN'T produce a 'bog' standard ROM for the SGS yet, It's been done for the other Galaxy S version(s) (ASOP ROM) but that's in BETA stage and some features don't even work. We have to wait for Cyanogen.
If you really want 'quality' original ROMs make them yourself. The devs here do it in their free time and aren't doing this to tailor your every suit and need, and you don't pay them for it and they do it out of sole interest. SetENZA makes ROMs because he obviously enjoys it and the challenge, and shares it with the community, and you can't compare the SGS and Desire development, they're both entirely different and the SGS is newer, meaning the Desire has more backing.
How are they 'poop' if you haven't even tested a single custom ROM?
I agree that we need more development but seriously, if you are implying that no dev is making a good custom ROM at the moment then you are VERY wrong. SamSet is the most stable one for now, DocRambone is stripped entirely so check his ROMs out. You need to read up a bit more, we all know that there is slow ROM development and for a REASON.

Hurry up Sammy.

MAMBO04 said:
Seriously? did you not even read my post at all?
you CAN'T produce a 'bog' standard ROM for the SGS yet, It's been done for the other Galaxy S version(s) (ASOP ROM) but that's in BETA stage and some features don't even work. We have to wait for Cyanogen.
If you really want 'quality' original ROMs make them yourself. The devs here do it in their free time and aren't doing this to tailor your every suit and need, and you don't pay them for it and they do it out of sole interest. SetENZA makes ROMs because he obviously enjoys it and the challenge, and shares it with the community, and you can't compare the SGS and Desire development, they're both entirely different and the SGS is newer, meaning the Desire has more backing.
How are they 'poop' if you haven't even tested a single custom ROM?
I agree that we need more development but seriously, if you are implying that no dev is making a good custom ROM at the moment then you are VERY wrong. SamSet is the most stable one for now, DocRambone is stripped entirely so check his ROMs out. You need to read up a bit more, we all know that there is slow ROM development and for a REASON.
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Click to collapse
hi,
Please don't make these assumptions. I have tried a couple of the roms and am back to my original stock rom now because none of them seem better than it.
I also wasn't suggesting that people weren't making roms or that things won't get better. I am just disappointed its taking a long time. I had good 2.1 roms within a month of me having a desire, asop 2.2 within 2 months.
Anyhow, the roms have a long way to go it seems... They aren't the best at the moment but I'm sure they will be great soon enough.

jaketurbo said:
hi,
Please don't make these assumptions. I have tried a couple of the roms and am back to my original stock rom now because none of them seem better than it.
I also wasn't suggesting that people weren't making roms or that things won't get better. I am just disappointed its taking a long time. I had good 2.1 roms within a month of me having a desire, asop 2.2 within 2 months.
Anyhow, the roms have a long way to go it seems... They aren't the best at the moment but I'm sure they will be great soon enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, fair enough
Yeah but with patience we will see a fair share of ROMs in the next month, i guess these things take time, the Desire did get pretty popular though as it is HTC and Samsung is known for being crap with updates, but now the SGS is getting better and slowly it will overtake the Desire, i assure you.
Once Froyo is released, i think we can expect more than 4 ROMs

MAMBO04 said:
Okay, fair enough
Yeah but with patience we will see a fair share of ROMs in the next month, i guess these things take time, the Desire did get pretty popular though as it is HTC and Samsung is known for being crap with updates, but now the SGS is getting better and slowly it will overtake the Desire, i assure you.
Once Froyo is released, i think we can expect more than 4 ROMs
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Impt point to note is when Froyo is released by Samsung, because Samsung is known for its delays and lack of enthusiasm, that we all take for granted from HTC =( I miss my HD2 and Desire

jana999 said:
Impt point to note is when Froyo is released by Samsung, because Samsung is known for its delays and lack of enthusiasm, that we all take for granted from HTC =( I miss my HD2 and Desire
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Click to collapse
Disagreed.
Yes, Samsung has been crap in the past but with this phone they're pushing a lot out. We are yet to see how they respond to the Froyo update and how they maintain it, so you may be right, but i think that in this case Samsung will release it and *hopefully* maintain it, if not then XDA is here to maintain all phones, of course
HD2 has potential for Android as it's been ported, but WinMo is horrible and the Sense interface just makes it that little bit better, so glad i ditched WinMo for Android. Desire is awesome but the inferior screen and sensitivity made me get the SGS because the hardware is just that little bit better

Now I understand why people don't like android...

Hello all, I know this will sound like a rant against the phone but in reality I just want to know if others share my opinion or if I'm alone on this one thus making the "problem" me.
I recently bought an HTC sensation 4g and I have a problem called companies customizations!
My problem with sense is that it has tons of apps that I don't need: ereader, stock; or other that I need but are bloated: weather.
It's probably a seller to see big cloud on such a great screen, but on the long run I wished it opened up immediately with the hourly forecast and less fullscreen animation to drain battery.
I heard a lot of my friends that didn't like android (mostly hated samsung or htc) and I never understood why. My nexus one with stock android wasn't the prettiest phone to look at (compared to iphone) but with some customization it was quick, usable and provided more functions than pretty graphics. But now I know! With loads of extra useless apps and their contents or awkward design choices (like the not very friendly coverflow looking thing to choose backgrounds and such). Yesterday I heard from my friend that his girlfriend galaxy s came with avatar and they had a long struggle trying to remove it from the phone sd card because they didn't care about it. When I checked the phone the avatar icon was still there since they're not very tech-savvy.
Don't get me wrong I don't hate my phone, the hardware is great, the screen is better than I expected, I love android, but that extra stuff that I really don't need should have an easy way to come off, it should not be installed in a way that I can't remove it without rooting. No wonder why people hate android... it's because they mistake android for the extra load it comes with it that slows down the phone, uses their monthly data and drains their battery. Apple doesn't do that and there's a reason "normal" people tend to pick up an iphone so quickly.
I wish there was an official way to ask companies to make all this stuff optional! Please don't think that I have it with HTC or sense, I'm referencing sense because that's what I experienced this problem with. Let me know what you think maybe if others have this issue with companies, we could organize a petition or something?

That's not android its more of a service provider and hardware supplier way of getting a cut from development companies .my Samsung had a heap of unwanted bloatware and service provider crappy useless battery consuming memory hogging apps the best thing i ever did was root this phone no more random reboots battery improved by 50% and everything on the phone is what i want on it not something that the companies think or want you to have on it .So with all that said if you have patients and can do some searching on the xda forums you will find a solution to what you want to achieve on your device .Believe me if you like it now you will love it when you get it the way you want it.
Hope that help .
I moved from iphone 4 to the SGS2.
One thing i know whatever i do to this phone it can be fully restored back to stock and the warranty will still be there providing i don't brick the phone
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Mustoura said:
That's not android its more of a service provider and hardware supplier way of getting a cut from development companies.
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Click to collapse
He said that himself
DBBGBA said:
I love android, but that extra stuff that I really don't need should have an easy way to come off, it should not be installed in a way that I can't remove it without rooting. No wonder why people hate android... it's because they mistake android for the extra load it comes with it that slows down the phone, uses their monthly data and drains their battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could not agree more with the OP. I used Nexus 1 builds on my HD2 for about 8 months and loved it. I've now got a Samsung Galaxy S2 (I just wanted a newer, faster phone, but with the same size screen), and despite being a great phone I found myself longing for that AOSP experience. I tried a couple of AOSP ROMs in the SGS2 forum and breathed a sigh of relief at how much difference they made, but they unfortunatly aren't currently stable enough to use day-in-day-out. So I've recently gone down a different route - MIUI. I've literally only done it today, and so far I'm loving it.
Anyway, I digress. There should be some manufacturers out there that recognise this gap in the market and sell basic Android phones, with no other crap on them. I know Google do that (obviously), but I wish more did the same. People shouldn't have to know how to flash a ROM or root and freeze apps, just to get the best possible basic Android experience available.
Rant over

Point taken and yes i agree.
I missed that bit as I'm half asleep
Wow i just had a read over again i apologies that i missed that whole section lol sorry for telling you how to suck eggs
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Mustoura said:
Point taken and yes i agree.
I missed that bit as I'm half asleep
Wow i just had a read over again i apologies that i missed that whole section lol sorry for telling you how to suck eggs
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Heh. I have a sneaking suspicion that you're not the 1st person to comment on a post after not reading it correctly. I reckon in the history of the internet it's happened at least 3 times

Id like to see a major manufacturer do a little experiment on there next big handset.
Supply two different versions, one with there overlay and one aosp fresh from the oven, see which one sells.
I know they are only trying to add functionality to the device but they could at least write there apps properly so they dont cause wakelocks and hog resources, hell there's a whole forum full of very competent developers im sure would be happy to help
@johncmolyneux
off topic but have you tried the latest Cm7 for the SGS2? the latest nightly is pretty complete, the devs have done a stand up job. Keep it aosp baby

mynamesteve said:
@johncmolyneux
off topic but have you tried the latest Cm7 for the SGS2? the latest nightly is pretty complete, the devs have done a stand up job. Keep it aosp baby
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Click to collapse
I've not, but I've shied away from non-standard ROMs normally. After the very favourable MIUI experience I may well give CM7 a play. I did have a sort of CM ROM on my HD2 for a while, but it looked and played pretty much like AOSP, but was blue instead of green.
Thanks for the advice

johncmolyneux said:
I've not, but I've shied away from non-standard ROMs normally. After the very favourable MIUI experience I may well give CM7 a play. I did have a sort of CM ROM on my HD2 for a while, but it looked and played pretty much like AOSP, but was blue instead of green.
Thanks for the advice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was the same meself tried a few out and stuck with Villain, been testing CM out occasionally to see how development is going and very impressed! if i'm not mistaken Miui is based on CM so if thats working for you its party time
the main thread with the download link is in the Q&A thread in Q&A, just so you know
Was rocking Hyperdroid Cm7 on my HD2 too so i know the feeling
I think I just officially hijacked this thread! sorry OP

That's why I have a g2x, pretty much vanilla android. But then again, just take all that crap off yourself or flash a custom rom.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

What would really be the difference in the phones if they were all AOSP? Sure they've got different hardware specs, but if all had the same hardware, it'd be nearly impossible to know the difference.

Overstew said:
What would really be the difference in the phones if they were all AOSP? Sure they've got different hardware specs, but if all had the same hardware, it'd be nearly impossible to know the difference.
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Click to collapse
Actually, that is a very valid point. People would end up buying phones purely on colour and shape, if the hardware was close enough and they were all AOSP. I do like mynamesteve's suggestion of manufacturing 2 devices - 1 with their own software and 1 with basic Android, but I can't see anyone really doing that unfortunately. I guess there isn't really a practical solution to this. Not that I can think of, anyway.
Incidentally, I like your avatar. Homage to The King. He may be dead, but his burgers most certainly are not!

Overstew said:
What would really be the difference in the phones if they were all AOSP? Sure they've got different hardware specs, but if all had the same hardware, it'd be nearly impossible to know the difference.
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Click to collapse
Not sure you get it Sir!
aosp = stock android = no bloatware
Standard and fast for you to add what YOU want, not have crappy coded apps forced on you that are difficult to remove.
Simples

I agree...
But I think this Operating System Fragmentation is a USA problem. Sure it happens elsewhere. The problem is the carriers use the bloatware and other specialty apps as a revenue stream. So far, Apple is changing that game and Google is doing what it can but with so many handsets and the open nature of Android it's really hard to control. I won't say anything about the closed ecosystem Apple has built vs the Android Market since both have redeeming qualities as well as flaws.
I have 3 phones on my account, all android. All were rooted on first day out of the box and had all that bloatware removed, including Inception which took up too much space on the memory card.
I wish the USA would take the approach found almost everywhere else. You pick your phone, then you pick your carrier. There's lots of great stuff going on elsewhere in the world like NFC, handsets that aren't gimped by the carrier... etc.
Just IMHO.
Cheers

johncmolyneux said:
Actually, that is a very valid point. People would end up buying phones purely on colour and shape, if the hardware was close enough and they were all AOSP. I do like mynamesteve's suggestion of manufacturing 2 devices - 1 with their own software and 1 with basic Android, but I can't see anyone really doing that unfortunately. I guess there isn't really a practical solution to this. Not that I can think of, anyway.
Incidentally, I like your avatar. Homage to The King. He may be dead, but his burgers most certainly are not!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But really deep down arn't they all just android?
I will admit the overlays draw customers, I was drawn in by sense bk in the winMO days (RIP) but other than some fancy widgets its really not much better than stock.
I understand they get paid for most of the note/ereader/Doc Dre beats headphone rubbish that gets shipped so things will most likely not change
but thank you for treasures like this website.
I know tings i.e. rooting can be daunting for the beginner but if ya follow the guides and read, ya never know you might even learn something (John this wasn't directed at you at all just peeps in general i know your a kick ass developer, i read it bk n thought wtf lol)
TLDR:read it

mynamesteve said:
But really deep down arn't they all just android?
I will admit the overlays draw customers, I was drawn in by sense bk in the winMO days (RIP) but other than some fancy widgets its really not much better than stock.
I understand they get paid for most of the note/ereader/Doc Dre beats headphone rubbish that gets shipped so things will most likely not change
but thank you for treasures like this website.
I know tings i.e. rooting can be daunting for the beginner but if ya follow the guides and read, ya never know you might even learn something (John this wasn't directed at you at all just peeps in general i know your a kick ass developer, i read it bk n thought wtf lol)
TLDR:read it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To a certain degree, yes, but the SGS2 doesn't even have the stock Android launcher available, never mind the cluster of Samsung apps that everyone seems to be freezing straight out of the box. Samsung have pretty much made it their own device, which is obviously fine, and it's still a very stock-looking experience, but just freezing apps doesn't make it AOSP unfortunately.
I think (italics because I'm not sure) that a lot of people would learn more about their device if it was a bog-standard stock Android experience from day 1. They'd try different apps and launchers etc.. I've got a friend with a Desire HD and he's never even opened the Market app. He's 0% techie, so fair enough he's not gonna undervolt and overclock the thing, but he didn't even realise he had a satnav device! I don't want to turn this into a xxx manufacturer against yyy manufacturer, but certain other devices on the market are popular because of what they can do. I think Android is being sold short by not making it obvious how far it can go. That, I believe, is partly down to having a device loaded with apps that obscure the possibilities.
Rant over
BTW, thanks for the compliment, but I'm simply a developer. This place has far more kick ass developers than me!

I have to say, if it wasn't for HTC I wouldn't have an android phone.
Tried a Nexus ROM on my HD2, really hated it. Tried the SGS2, really couldn't get on with it (nice screen though).
I can understand and respect that many people do like aosp, and I'm glad that we have the options available to us.
My stock sensation is fast and sense 3 is lovely and polished.
I really wish carriers (apparently mostly in the US) didn't take a fast phone and turn it into something reportedly sluggish though.

johncmolyneux said:
To a certain degree, yes, but the SGS2 doesn't even have the stock Android launcher available, never mind the cluster of Samsung apps that everyone seems to be freezing straight out of the box. Samsung have pretty much made it their own device, which is obviously fine, and it's still a very stock-looking experience, but just freezing apps doesn't make it AOSP unfortunately.
I think (italics because I'm not sure) that a lot of people would learn more about their device if it was a bog-standard stock Android experience from day 1. They'd try different apps and launchers etc.. I've got a friend with a Desire HD and he's never even opened the Market app. He's 0% techie, so fair enough he's not gonna undervolt and overclock the thing, but he didn't even realise he had a satnav device! I don't want to turn this into a xxx manufacturer against yyy manufacturer, but certain other devices on the market are popular because of what they can do. I think Android is being sold short by not making it obvious how far it can go. That, I believe, is partly down to having a device loaded with apps that obscure the possibilities.
Rant over
BTW, thanks for the compliment, but I'm simply a developer. This place has far more kick ass developers than me!
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Click to collapse
Sadly no it doesnt make it aosp and as the user above pointed out theres a lot of fragmentation in android, manufactures are messing with the core of the system and not just building an overlay/launcher.
Sometimes this works sometimes this doesn't i do feel alot of the resources could be used to better the stock system, better all round compatibility, better drivers and make android better for all there users. but thats like asking for world peace, and im no CEO of a major corp so what do i know
But i know how it works in the real world, i gave my sister my HD2 and she doesnt care what Rom is on there as long as it looks nice and everything is there out the box. (cant believe i gave her the most versitile handset on the planet with that attitude but thats beside the point )
The OS ease is very important to people and i understand that for a non-tecky, i think that is also part of the reason why we cant have stock out the box, the 'mobile market' needs the icon on his device to begin with so the manufacturers try to supply that, but do it very badly.
Phew! sorry about that.

I also much prefer AOSP.
I loved sense on winmo but I absolutely detest the android equivalent.
Touchwiz is just plain vile and as jcm mentioned the SGS2 is lacking that really stable aosp experience....
Luckily though if your unhappy with your phone and need to make changes then your in the right place
No I haven't missed the op's point about wanting more customisation out of the box but I just wanted to make the point that every single resource you need to achieve whatever you want to do with your phone (within reason) is right here under your nose.
I now have a rom for my phone that is (nearly) exactly how I want it, no Touchwiz, less bloat, all the cool little tweaks that our talented devs have given us and all it took was one day of reading and a lot of trial and error...... it was fun too.
Sure I cheated and used a kitchen but hey, gotta start somewhere right.
Anyway I digress, my point is that we can all wish for HTC/samsung etc to start catering for our every need until we are blue in the face but they won't.
Sometimes you just have to roll up you're sleeves and do things for yourself.
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.......

conantroutman said:
I now have a rom for my phone that is (nearly) exactly how I want it, no Touchwiz, less bloat, all the cool little tweaks that our talented devs have given us and all it took was one day of reading and a lot of trial and error...... it was fun too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And are you planning on releasing this? You've had my dev work. It's only fair I have yours

johncmolyneux said:
And are you planning on releasing this? You've had my dev work. It's only fair I have yours
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Click to collapse
Actually I very nearly did but you know how many zip file heroes there are in that section. Do we really need another?
That and I'm too lazy to update it for each new firmware that trickles out.
I think I will release one though, probably with a very tongue in cheek OP....
And yes, I and a lot of others had many, many hours of enjoyment from your work so thanks for that
Sent From My Fingers To Your Face.......

Is there really any need to flash a custom Rom on the One?

Firstly, please don't get me wrong here. Im not trolling in the slightest and I really appreciate all the work the devs do here.
With the HTC One having such high specs is there really any need to flash custom Roms? In my opinion all of them seem the same and don't look or feel any different to the stock rom on the One. The only benefit I can see is for Root access.
Im sure there is a lot of "under the hood" tweaks that are done but are these really noticeable or beneficial to the end user? Other peoples thoughts would be interesting.

dr9722 said:
Firstly, please don't get me wrong here. Im not trolling in the slightest and I really appreciate all the work the devs do here.
With the HTC One having such high specs is there really any need to flash custom Roms? In my opinion all of them seem the same and don't look or feel any different to the stock rom on the One. The only benefit I can see is for Root access.
Im sure there is a lot of "under the hood" tweaks that are done but are these really noticeable or beneficial to the end user? Other peoples thoughts would be interesting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually yes, I wish to get CM working fully on HTC One.
It gives us an alternate experience than what HTC wanted us to.
Best of all, you don't have to wait so long for HTC to update their phones.
Especially when they abandon the One, we rely on CM.
But I'm really hoping for the success of the One, nobody could resist the look and feel of the One.

Livebyte said:
Actually yes, I wish to get CM working fully on HTC One.
It gives us an alternate experience than what HTC wanted us to.
Best of all, you don't have to wait so long for HTC to update their phones.
Especially when they abandon the One, we rely on CM.
But I'm really hoping for the success of the One, nobody could resist the look and feel of the One.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally agree the updates and the benefit of getting rid on Sense if you dont like it is a real benefit. But is there a need for multiple Sense custom roms?

dr9722 said:
I totally agree the updates and the benefit of getting rid on Sense if you dont like it is a real benefit. But is there a need for multiple Sense custom roms?
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Click to collapse
That's subjective I guess. But for something like example HTC DROID DNA or Butterfly, Sense 5 gets ported before HTC did. So I guess it's also a huge benefit.

Earlier updates is the main reason why I will be rooting, these phone networks take ages to update it's unavailable!!
Also there are some very nice skinned roms out there

I won't be unlocking my bootloader for a while. Not until I am at least sure that my device is working 100% and that will take a couple of weeks. I was eager to root it etc but I was reading about HTC's warranty and it seems as though it is a very long winded process. Maybe you wish to do the same?

m00moo said:
I won't be unlocking my bootloader for a while. Not until I am at least sure that my device is working 100% and that will take a couple of weeks. I was eager to root it etc but I was reading about HTC's warranty and it seems as though it is a very long winded process. Maybe you wish to do the same?
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Click to collapse
yep ill be in no hurry either.
when i finally get a device im happy with yea i will root and flash custom rom, but not CM - Sense 5 is great and IMO is much better than stock JB - there are a few minor things I would like added, but I have no doubt they will be added to custom sense 5 roms in due course.

to me, there is no point in being a flashaholic. flash the latest stable base, and then keep up with custom kernels for battery.
thats me, idk bout u guys

Personally something that will push me over the unlock bootloader line is when either when A) IF the HTC logo can become mapped as a button, or B) A full relock becomes available lol

For me, absolutely. I consider some features (such as long press vol key to skip tracks) essential. There are also always some visual things I like to change no matter how well it is made

I just need root to enable volume key wake, and ill want to remap the keys. Everything else looks flawless
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app

do you need root etc. to install flash on ONE ?

ChazyChaz said:
do you need root etc. to install flash on ONE ?
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No. To my knowledge, the built in browser has flash support.

What about Wi-Fi hotspot support?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda app-developers app

While there's obviously no NEED, a lot of people will prefer to flash ROMs for a variety of different reasons.
I'd say the main reasons are;
*The ability to have a pure AOSP look which is preferred by a lot of people (especially those who come from a Nexus device). Also, a lot of people don't like the look/feel of Sense and will therefore want to change the UI to something which is more preferable to them.
I, for example, have never tried Sense before and could quite possibly hate it once I finally test it. On the flip side of that, I may love it but at least custom ROMs will give me the ability to completely change the UI whilst giving me a ton more customizations and optimizations than a custom launcher would do.
*As mentioned at the end of the first reason, customization is a huge part of what a lot of people do with their devices. For example, when I had my SGS2 I used to love the ability to flash a simple ROM and have a ton of customization at my fingertips, so I could edit the look of my phone to my hearts content.
*Some people are simply flashaholics and have ORD (Obsessive ROM-flashing/updating Disorder). I'll normally flash every ROM in sight if the device is new and there aren't many ROMs available yet. This way it gives me a good early decision as to what type of ROM I'd prefer on said device. However, once the device starts getting more development and more ROMs start appearing in quick succession, I'll then make my mind up about which ROM to choose and generally won't change ROM for the vast majority of the devices lifetime.
Got a HTC? Join the HTC Hangout Thread

I unlocked, rooted and flashed now because in a few months time the phone will be setup perfectly; all the right apps, all the right data, all in the right place (and HTC might of discovered a way to do a Sensation on us (S-Off))
With the phone rooted I can be relatively confident of getting it back to my currently backed up state after any major updates (and, when I finally install some games, get their progress restored as well)
Sent from my Tricked out HTC One via xda-developers application

Sense means HTC. I don't see any reason to buy HTC if I'm not gonna use sense.

Because HTC makes great hardware. I buy HTC exclusively, but I rip sense off it ASAP and put AOKP or CM or something without sense. Nexus devices are generally not top of the line hardware, they're supposed to be a benchmark for development (i.e. midrange). That said, N4 has more impressive specs than usual, but I can't imagine buying an LG phone. I have never realized LG even made smartphones, only flip phones until the N4 was released.
Still, HTC makes best hardware, I just generally don't like sense. That said, sense 5 does look interesting.
Sent from my EVO LTE using xda premium

Having options is nice!
Dharkan said:
Sense means HTC. I don't see any reason to buy HTC if I'm not gonna use sense.
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To a certain extent, yes, I agree with you on that statement. However, sometimes you just need a change and it is nice to have the option of running AOSP roms as well. I would much rather go back and forth between Sense/AOSP than TouchWiz/AOSP after having my GS3.

No. Roms are for old devices. Lol
Sent from my C6603 using Tapatalk 2

Why..

I have a question. Why cant we (flashaholics) settle down on one rom?. I my self am very content with my sonic rom, Nottach xposed, and other mods but am always looking for something bigger better newer. Why? Why I ask. Its a freakin phone. Make phone calls, text, surf the net and watch videos. Why do we constantly keep looking for other roms to flash even though the very rom we are on works perfectly and fills our needs. Im just wondering because I see the same people in various rom threads always flashing different roms. Two or 3 a week. Look. Im not saying its bad, I'm just trying to understand the need to look for the something better all the time. I my self am looking at other roms wondering how they are when I think the end result would be the same just minor differences. Just a thought.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA

primo523 said:
I have a question. Why cant we (flashaholics) settle down on one rom?. I my self am very content with my sonic rom, Nottach xposed, and other mods but am always looking for something bigger better newer. Why? Why I ask. Its a freakin phone. Make phone calls, text, surf the net and watch videos. Why do we constantly keep looking for other roms to flash even though the very rom we are on works perfectly and fills our needs. Im just wondering because I see the same people in various rom threads always flashing different roms. Two or 3 a week. Look. Im not saying its bad, I'm just trying to understand the need to look for the something better all the time. I my self am looking at other roms wondering how they are when I think the end result would be the same just minor differences. Just a thought.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA
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Click to collapse
I don't know if it's a need for something better at all - as most roms and etc are not so much better than one another and more so just different and bring a different experience.
I'd say it's just more of a hobby that people get in to because it's fun. Playing around with different themes, tweaking kernels for performance than battery life, switching from AOSP features to TW ones, playing with that roms unique feature than playing with another's, setting up a new home screen setup, etc etc.
Some people like collecting stamps, some people like tweaking and upgrading their car, and we just like pimping out our phone and trying new things!
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app

inlineboy said:
I don't know if it's a need for something better at all - as most roms and etc are not so much better than one another and more so just different and bring a different experience.
I'd say it's just more of a hobby that people get in to because it's fun. Playing around with different themes, tweaking kernels for performance than battery life, switching from AOSP features to TW ones, playing with that roms unique feature than playing with another's, setting up a new home screen setup, etc etc.
Some people like collecting stamps, some people like tweaking and upgrading their car, and we just like pimping out our phone and trying new things!
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda app-developers app
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Its an addiction! lol im downloading one right now

jamal717 said:
Its an addiction! lol im downloading one right now
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Addiction for sure. Plus alot of people are trying to find their "ideal" android experience. As stock falls way short. I remember the samsung captivate I had, daily flashing!! For me now I just want a bug free setup so I dont flash like I used to. Usually only flash when I notice the phone is acting up or I mess something up ...

miketucky350 said:
Addiction for sure. Plus alot of people are trying to find their "ideal" android experience. ...
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I was with you to this point, but I couldn't disagree more on this: ...
As stock falls way short.
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Not saying you're "wrong" because this is all opinion, but from my perspective, Jelly Bean hits the mark big time. In the nearly five years of Android, since rooting the G1, this is the first time I wasn't in a major hurry to get on a custom ROM. For me it's not the "Stock vs. Custom" aspect that drives me, but rather that stock unrooted keeps so many of the existing capabilities on lockdown. This phone and this OS kept me happy for a good minute.
That said, like others have mentioned, I love to tinker and there is no question that many custom ROMs improve on the Stock experience, even the JB stock experience.
But after the EVO, I kind of settled into comfortable favorites. Ran Calkulin's ROM for about 6 months and then MIUI (which is one ROM, but new every week) from when it first ported through the EVO3D and up until I got the SGSII. Flashed a few ROMs and then settled on the BluKuban and am now running that on my SGSIV.
I guess my flashing bug was pretty much tamed by 2010, but I definitely understand people who are flashoholics. I was one and it was like having a new phone every week. That was the appeal for me anyway.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium

Compared to the many here, I would say I'm definitely not a "flashaholic." I do, however, enjoy tinkering with my phone very much and "modding" my phone has now overtaken the modding needs I used to have for my car.
I like trying out new kernels, mods, and apps that enhance the useability, speed, reliability, performance, and battery longevity of my phone. I ask myself sometimes why I spend so much time doing this stuff and for me, it's for several reasons:
1. For me, smartphones are still relatively new (got my first smartphone last year in May, a S2) and therefore exciting. Like the media says, "A mini computer that fits inside your pocket." It's just so cool~!
2. Before I got into modding my car (and my wifey's and my mom's), I was really into the modifying and overclocking (watercooling) PC scene. Smartphones have rekindled my passion for technology and my nerdy side reemerged. When I was becoming bored and feeling kinda indifferent about the slowdown in the PC industry, the rise & dominance of smartphones have reignited my passion to learn something new and be excited again after each breakthrough in mobile technology.
3. I like to keep my phone up-to-date with the newest and greatest from Google and the many amazing developers.

primo523 said:
I have a question. Why cant we (flashaholics) settle down on one rom?. I my self am very content with my sonic rom, Nottach xposed, and other mods but am always looking for something bigger better newer. Why? Why I ask. Its a freakin phone. Make phone calls, text, surf the net and watch videos. Why do we constantly keep looking for other roms to flash even though the very rom we are on works perfectly and fills our needs. Im just wondering because I see the same people in various rom threads always flashing different roms. Two or 3 a week. Look. Im not saying its bad, I'm just trying to understand the need to look for the something better all the time. I my self am looking at other roms wondering how they are when I think the end result would be the same just minor differences. Just a thought.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah I feel you pain.. Seems to me you are like me and trying to chase that perfect rom. I had a galaxy Nexus for sprint and hated waiting for my roms to be ported. I would also check xda and when i see the thread title updated i got excited and downloaded immediately. I never backed up w/ apps like TB so always had to start fresh and honestly my gnex was never setup for easy access.(like when i need directions for maps it has ten pop ups slowing me down). Then i went on to mods kernels and others and was always wiping and flashing. I stuck to cm 10.1 because its self nightly updater. I was so excited with my S4 that i didn't think of rooting it till day 2. I wanted to root, run stock and install apps like cerebrus, af wall, and adaway but im coming on to day 20 and i haven't rooted it. I know if i root my phone will run slower and if it bugs, blame the root then i'll never feel happy and start flashing roms then get stuck in the loop again. NO! I almost considered getting an iphone 5 just so i can stop but didn't. Samsung is a big company and right now their rom is working for me. Im now hooked on cases. lol
Long story short,(incase you dont want to read ^)
You're not alone. Galaxy S4 is a damn good phone but like every other device, it has flaws. Try to get use to stock because even if "perfectRom" is released you'll find yourself going back buggy roms.
Or you can have someone password block xda and fight with the moderators and go cold turkey for 60 days. I know they say 30 but lets be safe.

all of the above is correct, if you just want a phone, get a iphone, if you want to play with things, roms/themes etc, then this is the phone, I personally did not buy a $500 phone to make a call with.

BECAUSE IT'S LIKE TECHY CRACK!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! *starts twitching in the kernel & mod forums*
Sent from my SPH-L720 using xda premium

is it just me

Is it just me or have the custom ROMs gotten boring. All of them are the same now. There is nothing really setting them apart anymore they all have the same features the same ui. Yes I know its KitKat but it really. Where is the difference.

Make one brotha! Stock based roms are pretty snappy as is and most devs have moved on to newer devices at this point. I'm still on Negaman's latest.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA Free mobile app

ACoolGuy said:
Make one brotha! Stock based roms are pretty snappy as is and most devs have moved on to newer devices at this point. I'm still on Negaman's latest.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA Free mobile app
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I have built plenty ROMs. And on two teams. I'm not a TW user. I've used nega rom seen issues with it and didnt like the theme but that was my own opinion.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA Free mobile app

Then my question to you is if you are capable of building your own rom.....the way you would like it for yourself, why complain that they are all the same? Why not build your own that could be very much different.....with the performance and the theming to fit your own taste. It really is as simple as that.

troyboytn said:
Then my question to you is if you are capable of building your own rom.....the way you would like it for yourself, why complain that they are all the same? Why not build your own that could be very much different.....with the performance and the theming to fit your own taste. It really is as simple as that.
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Look I'm not here to get slammed by people I was just putting it out there to find out from other people if they felt the same.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA Free mobile app

bthorne79 said:
Look I'm not here to get slammed by people I was just putting it out there to find out from other people if they felt the same.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA Free mobile app
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I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way. The only difference is they keep their whiny, disrespectful opinions to themselves.
We have a great group of developers here who spend tons of their unpaid personal time to put out some awesome roms. If their products don't meet your personal needs, make your own REMOVED.

frostedunit said:
I'm sure a lot of people feel the same way. The only difference is they keep their whiny, disrespectful opinions to themselves.
We have a great group of developers here who spend tons of their unpaid personal time to put out some awesome roms. If their products don't meet your personal needs, make your own REMOVED.
Click to expand...
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MOD REMOVED
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA Free mobile app

I agree. The roms available all seem too alike. Most have bugs. And if not they seem to lack features id put in standard.. i am not a rom dev.. but have been working on my own. It will be a compilation of miui aosp and aome cherry picks. But again.. its gonna be the same base.. what can i do to make mine different? We're all stuck using either samsungs crap base or cm... I'm getting discouraged. :'(

Why Android is so awesome
The beauty of Android is the ability to make it any way you like. It has already been said, but I would like to reinforce this idea. ROMs are all very similar because the MAJORITY of people have the same basic requirements from their phones. This means that the feature set that most people demand is very similar, and therefore the features offered in the various ROMs will be similar as well.
The people who make ROMs that are overly different from the 'normal' do it primarily for their own benefit, and their specific needs are not often shared by others. So these "unique" ROMs never really get out because there isn't a demand for them.
I personally have done many of my own "purpose-built" ROMs that go outside the normal, but posting them wouldn't make much sense, because the things that are different are not needed by other people. Also, supporting a COMMUNITY of people who use your ROM is much harder than supporting yourself. I can make ROM changes for myself, but I absolutely do not have time to try to upkeep a ROM thread. The work that those guys put in is INCREDIBLE. Making a ROM work for one person on one phone in one configuration is trivial compared to trying to roll out a mass-compatible distribution. The only ROMs that are worth that kind of time are the ROMs that suit the needs of many, not the needs of few. Therefore, the ROMs that are distributed online are all seeking to fill the same basic roles.
As to how you can make your ROM unique, that is like asking how to make a car unique. First you have to decide what you want. Do you want a race car (speed)? Do you want amazing gas mileage (battery life)? Does it need to be street legal (compatibility)? Do you care about color (theme)? Do you need a great sound system (music player)?
I think you begin to see what I mean. You can make a ROM unique in many ways, but you have to figure out what you want from the ROM before you can figure out what the ROM needs to be like.
You also mentioned that many ROMs are buggy. Get used to it. Especially if you are going to start building your own. I don't mean to sound harsh, but that is the nature of the game. If you want maximum stability, go back to stock. Everything has a trade-off. If you want great features, you will have to work through the glitches. I am not saying that a "perfect" ROM is impossible, but be prepared to put in the time. The ROM devs around here do everything they can, but ultimately they also have full-time jobs doing other things. If each of the custom ROMs on this forum had the 500 man full-time dev team that Samsung has, the ROMs would be just as stable. Unfortunately, that isn't the case.
Welcome to the world of Android, my friend. Have fun building!

I feel like that was completely unnecessary and very untrue. Ive ran several 'stable' AOSP/CM roms and the one im building is quite stable thank you.
A base is just a base. The features i add are always in demand. And some may or may not be activated upon flashing. Thats up to the user to
decide. imo this whole conversation seems to lure in bashers. All i did was ask for some simple advice. Ill take my leave now.

Daisflaque said:
I feel like that was completely unnecessary and very untrue. Ive ran several 'stable' AOSP/CM roms and the one im building is quite stable thank you.
A base is just a base. The features i add are always in demand. And some may or may not be activated upon flashing. Thats up to the user to
decide. imo this whole conversation seems to lure in bashers. All i did was ask for some simple advice. Ill take my leave now.
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I just want to say that I meant no disrespect! And I am very happy you have a stable ROM. All I was suggesting is that I would guess you have had some bumps in the road along the way. I am confident that you have worked through them, or are in the process of doing so, but I would wager to bet that in the future you will run into more bumps. You will fix them and all will be good.
I am simply trying to point out that in the process of adding new features, often we encounter issues, bugs, glitches, etc. If you haven't, then I think you are extremely lucky and in a league of your own as far as programming goes. Far above me and many others.
And if the features you add are always in demand, then I propose that you are adding features that are similar to what many others are adding. I could be wrong, but I feel that to meet the demands of the masses it is easy to fall into a trail that closely parallels others. There are certain unique differences, but in the end I think that this is why ROMs are similar today.
Anyway, please know that I meant you no disrespect or flame. I was just trying to explain my perspective on why there was not as much variation as we would all like, and why occasionally someone discovers a bug.

Very well written. And well said. Yes theres always a problem when adding/removing features.. but the point is to release when its stable/feature rich. Anyways. I thank you for the input. And soon DUI (DaisUI) will hit xda servers.

cuz aosp is aosp no matter how u look at it. differences are kernels.. updated toolchains.. and customizations... like nameless roms otg mode.. pretty neat.. or sokps dolby audio... its easy to cherry pick stuff u like about roms n drop them into cm... rom devs really just making stuff THEY like n sharing with us

I have just moved from sprint s3 to s4. Was a huge fan of m.o.a.r., wicked sensations, and wicked x. For their customized everything. I am NOT a programmer so please don't slam me. But most of the roms I have seen for the s4 are kind of vanilla. Are there any roms like wicked out there for s4 or is it time to learn to do it myself?

Reverend Gonzo said:
I have just moved from sprint s3 to s4. Was a huge fan of m.o.a.r., wicked sensations, and wicked x. For their customized everything. I am NOT a programmer so please don't slam me. But most of the roms I have seen for the s4 are kind of vanilla. Are there any roms like wicked out there for s4 or is it time to learn to do it myself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try out negalite
Sent from my SPH-L720 using XDA Free mobile app

dead forum is dead forum.. can't really complain considering how dead development for the device really is.. i think there are too many phones these days being released which does has an impact on how much modding happens. i remember the days of the ppc-6700/touchpro/2/etc and how those devices even after years there was tons of active stuff going on (and those were WM devices lol). now the peak of most devices tend to be 6 months before people seem to lose interest and they upgrade to the next phone with barely any improvements. i tend to stick to a phone for at least 2 to maybe 3 gens before i swap. currently i'm on the S4 and skipped the S5 because how lackluster it is.. will wait to see how the S6 looks like, but i think the S4 will be my last samsung for a while.. my eyes are set on the Xperia Z3 coming out to sprint this fall. samsung seems to be stuck in the plastic shell generation after generation.. well this is a whole other topic

tft said:
dead forum is dead forum.. can't really complain considering how dead development for the device really is.. i think there are too many phones these days being released which does has an impact on how much modding happens. i remember the days of the ppc-6700/touchpro/2/etc and how those devices even after years there was tons of active stuff going on (and those were WM devices lol). now the peak of most devices tend to be 6 months before people seem to lose interest and they upgrade to the next phone with barely any improvements. i tend to stick to a phone for at least 2 to maybe 3 gens before i swap. currently i'm on the S4 and skipped the S5 because how lackluster it is.. will wait to see how the S6 looks like, but i think the S4 will be my last samsung for a while.. my eyes are set on the Xperia Z3 coming out to sprint this fall. samsung seems to be stuck in the plastic shell generation after generation.. well this is a whole other topic
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S3 seems to be running strong still. Had I not dropped mine, I would have stayed with it.
Which rom are you running on your S4
I found Negalite and really like it... but it looks like its dead too.

You guys know there is a Unified Development forum for the S4 right? Most non-TW ROMs have moved to there.

KennyG123 said:
You guys know there is a Unified Development forum for the S4 right? Most non-TW ROMs have moved to there.
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For some reason that sub forum doesn't work with Tapatalk for me, always wants to open in chrome. Anyone else experience this or know why it happens?

greeg32 said:
For some reason that sub forum doesn't work with Tapatalk for me, always wants to open in chrome. Anyone else experience this or know why it happens?
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Redirects don't work on mobile apps. The real thread is located in the International Galaxy S4 section. Here is the real thread if you want to subscribe in Tapatalk http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s4/unified-development