Related
JAC, Drizzy, Cyanogen, CC, etc.. im looking at you.
I want to start building my own roms for the G1, but I'm struggling to bring together all the info I need. I'm no stranger to this kind of stuff, having built and themed roms for the Wizard for ages, but things were much simpler on that device with Kitchens and what have you.. all the tools and info were in one place. Cooking for the G1 seems to be a much more fractured process.
I know how to build a vanilla android from the source, thats well documented and I have no issues there, but I'm struggling when it comes to porting things in from one rom to another, for example, getting the hero apps running on other builds. Everytime I try to do anything interesting I just end up with a load of stale dependency errors and boot loops. I feel that I'm missing something critical here. I've read that you have to rebuild everything at the same time or the dalvik vm wont swallow it, but in that case I don't understand how you build precompiled code such as the htc framework and apks in with the source??
I'm a quick learner and if someone can point me in the right direction I'll have no trouble picking it up, but I'm pretty confused here. I'd really appreciate one of the big dogs taking 5 minutes out to show me the ropes. Thanks.
In b4 search, google, etc. I'm no n00b and believe me, I've tried. I'm loth to ask questions since I always prefer to find the info myself, but I can't find any kind of guidelines for building custom android roms anywhere. If someone provides me a link to a thread with this info in, I'll be suitably embarrased and skulk off to the corner.
yeah mang
goldenarmZ said:
JAC, Drizzy, Cyanogen, CC, etc.. im looking at you.
I want to start building my own roms for the G1, but I'm struggling to bring together all the info I need. I'm no stranger to this kind of stuff, having built and themed roms for the Wizard for ages, but things were much simpler on that device with Kitchens and what have you.. all the tools and info were in one place. Cooking for the G1 seems to be a much more fractured process.
I know how to build a vanilla android from the source, thats well documented and I have no issues there, but I'm struggling when it comes to porting things in from one rom to another, for example, getting the hero apps running on other builds. Everytime I try to do anything interesting I just end up with a load of stale dependency errors and boot loops. I feel that I'm missing something critical here. I've read that you have to rebuild everything at the same time or the dalvik vm wont swallow it, but in that case I don't understand how you build precompiled code such as the htc framework and apks in with the source??
I'm a quick learner and if someone can point me in the right direction I'll have no trouble picking it up, but I'm pretty confused here. I'd really appreciate one of the big dogs taking 5 minutes out to show me the ropes. Thanks.
In b4 search, google, etc. I'm no n00b and believe me, I've tried. I'm loth to ask questions since I always prefer to find the info myself, but I can't find any kind of guidelines for building custom android roms anywhere. If someone provides me a link to a thread with this info in, I'll be suitably embarrased and skulk off to the corner.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah man what the flux capacitor ive used chris soyar guide but its incomplete
http://ctso.me/2010/01/building-an-android-rom-part-1/
ive use this guys blog and now i know how to sign the update zip
http://blog.coralic.nl/2010/01/25/how-to-create-update-zip-using-your-build-aka-system-img/
but te middle part what really maters i where i f up at and each tut has diferent ways of doing thing even cyanogens i mess up in before i do make j4
http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.p...used::confused::confused::confused::confused:
Wow.. you dug this up from the deeps.. why the hell was I asking for Drizzy's advice!?
I figured it out eventually.. the information is out there and you can fill in any gaps with trial and error.
The main thing you need to grasp is which apks need to be signed together. As long as you get the signatures for the google apps and system apps aligned, it all falls into place.
I ASK THAT YOU READ ALL THIS BEFORE I GET TO THE FIX, BECAUSE THIS IS A MULTILAYERED TOPIC. I WANT EVERYONE TO READ THIS, NOT JUST DEVS OR SENIORS, BUT ALL THE LURKERS AND MEMBERS WHO'VE NEVER POSTED. I WILL ACCEPT ALL SUGGESTIONS AND IDEAS.
THAT MEANS YOU. AND YOU. AND THATS RIGHT...EVEN YOU!
IN THIS POST, I WILL DISCUSS BRIEFLY MY PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF MY HERO, HOW I WILL BRING MY SUCCESS TO PHONES AROUND THE USA, HOW I WILL JOIN THE LEAUGES OF DAMAGE, AND FLIPZ, AND ESPECIALLY DARCH, WHO WHILE WATCHED FROM A DISTANCE, WHEN THE TIME CAME FOR IT, BROUGHT ME THE ANSWER. AT THE END, I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION, TO BE FOLLOWED BY THE FIX[EDIT: REALITY; COMING SOON][sooner with your support!]
3 year lurker. xda is the only forum I've taken apart of in the community, and to a small sucess. I've actaully managed to help, learn, and now its time I give back to the community.
I FIRMLY BELIEVE I HAVE THE SKILLS REQUIRED TO BRING SOMETHING NEW TO THE TABLE, AND HAVE ENOUGH TO SPLIT IT BETWEEN EVERY PERSON SITTING AT THAT TABLE. WILL YOU JOIN ME AT THIS TABLE?
If anyone has ever looked at my profile, then you know I've only been a member since March 25th, and have been made a senior in just over a week(not that I'm bragging...). I'm no spammer, all my posts have been legit, and I have actually helped people. I still consider myself a noob, but I do believe I have earned my seniority, and hopefully the support of all the main devs, who have helped me beyond belief, and have responded to any major question I had, especially with what Ive been working on lately.
If you've logged on within the past 2 weeks, and followed my posts at all, then you know that even if I dont know the answer, I offer suggestions, and more importantly support. I distinguish flames, stomp on the trolls, and still manage to bring my ideas to the table, so its time to test and see if I can make these idea's come true.
I cannot do this without your help.
I am now going to quote one the the best devs on this forum, with the fix.
darchstar said:
mountaindont said:
wanna hop over on my trackball fix thread?
im so damn close, i can see the lights!
...get it?
im uploading the directory we gotta mess with now. i just know you can help!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're best bet would be to write an app to keep the trackball light forever on instead of trying to rewrite most of the frameworks and deal with all the dependencies to fix the trackball light.
if you really want to go and make the trackball stay always on by rewriting some code, i'd suggest you first look inside the framework jars with baksmali and find any lines which reference to the trackball, and see if you can somehow manipulate it to constantly echo 1 to the trackball led device in /dev to constantly stay on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I'm going to start understanding the Android platform to the degree that Darch and co do, the best place to start would be writing my first application (this will expose me to the framework, the commands, and how to manipulate the OS like never before). Something I've looked into, and have tried a couple things.
-keeping in mind, that in all reality, Sprints final release will give the option to decide light or touch responsive...at least, I hope so...-
I get my laptop back tomaro, and I will be studying the SDK to the T, and with the support of you guys, I will write an app to work on any 2.1 ROM, that will give you the option to keep the trackball light on or let it remain light sensitive[beta, first release] and eventually, options that will blow your mind. Things that handcent might incorporate, so you only have to use this app to pimp out the stock messaging app. Speed of flash. Customize vibration. Haptic feedback when clicking the trackball (links, function buttons, or just sitting on your homescreen, and you get that urge to just enjoy the pleasure of your customized vibration.) [future release, always FREE]
I dont know how long it will take me to learn the SDK enough to set something up from nothing and make this farfetched idea. I was hoping that someone could give me the scource code to a related app; handcent would be amazing, but something like Trackball Alert for the nexus one (its something, not nothing :-\) would be cool too. Or if you have programming skills, please, lets team up, I'm reading tutorials now. If I can complete "Hello Android", I'm sure I can make this happen.
THIS IS THE QUESTION THAT I ASK OF THE ENTIRE XDA COMMUNITY (lurkers, seniors, devs, and members who just want to test and give feed back)
WILL YOU SUPPORT ME?
If I ask a question (dont worry, this thread your reading now has gone through four topic changes to avoid clutter, I'll be sticking with this thread for updates, releases, and changelogs -
I might start one more thread to keep up on bugs-) will you help? Will you subscribe and help my idea come to life, and bring a whole new customization option app. Will the main devs take part, seeing as how this app could very well be included in future releases of their ROMS (I'll talk about my ROM idea's in another update) Will the seniors with a sick attitude be able to put their frustrations and rude answers in their pocket while posting in this thread? Bring positive energy in, with advice and sugestions, and crys of "good luck!"?
If its a team effort, its hardly an effort at all.
the basis of what what we have so far. i know what files need to be edited, this time im sure its [sys/class/leds/button-backlight] in this directory, there are sensor files, a "trigger file"(quite sure this will play a major role) that contains a series of commands that seem to tell the backlights and sensors how and when to act. I'm sure apps like Handcent and Trackball alert mess with the same files (and if not, what do they mess with to make these changes? would installing and taking a look at the permissions be a good place to start?). Anyone know how to get in touch with the devs, or some scource code of an app that affects the trackball? This would be a great start.
[/\]
quick rundown of my rom idea's. some of you read my MAJOR INTERNAL MEMORY ISSUE thread, which you all rose magnificently to the occasion, and I couldnt be happier. It was true team work, something I know we can do if we just unite like we did yesterday. You all solved my problem, and have proven to me the members of XDA are capable of anything, especially when united.
the fact is, damages latest leaks are the best platform to build upon, as when the final release surfaces, and we get an official RUU, it will work truely flawlessly. so this is most certainly what we need to base the app off of at first, as its the only one with the closest trackball fix. if darch and flipz n fresh all want to encorporate it into their ROMS, they more than entitled too, as I hope to get help from them in certain areas. my issue with the latest sprint leak: the OS is so big, it leaves you with barely any internal memory, and you pretty much have no choice but to use a2sd. ive never had to use a2sd on my hero, and this is disppointing (damage, this is NOT a shot at you, its a fact, one I plan on helping you adress. im in the middle of working on a cleaner foundation for you to work on). the rom will be fully "sensable" with some tweaks like that of no other. i will build on the foundation you've laid, to create a new foundation for you to build on (once more leaks surface)
[/\]
im off for the day, except for occasionaly visits on my Hero, so please feel free to comment. I'm looking for someone to help build this app, so anyone with app programming skills, PM your GTALK and we can chat about idea's. in the meantime, maybe someone knows a open scource app that would allow us to build off?
dear damage, darch, and flipz, please PM me your GTALK if your interested...although I could understand if your too busy with your ROMS, I dont mind taking on the load, as long as I have your support, and can ask for help. i will not cross the line and ask for the RUU's you've been getting damage, but I would love to hear your plans for future releases, whether or not you might be interested in using my app and perhaps help developing it.
c.a.l.i.n.g. a.l.l. d.e.v.s.
It is light sensitive tested by placing finger over the sensor above the sprint logo (upper right) flicked the track ball it comes on. Hopefully that helps beleive me I know how it is when you ask a question or look for help and you get nothing
mrbook said:
It is light sensitive tested by placing finger over the sensor above the sprint logo (upper right) flicked the track ball it comes on. Hopefully that helps beleive me I know how it is when you ask a question or look for help and you get nothing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a quick search in damages.thread (which i hate doing, his threads fill so fast.and questions get buried, right along with the answer) gave me the same conclusion. but the fact is, i want a constant trackball led, and im sure if people had the option, more people would want it too. most view it as a minimal bug, so dont bother. i guess, for me, the other bugs are so minimal that the trackballs led has become the biggest issue.
could someone please help? i spend alot of time on here helping as much as i can, id really appreciate it if someone with the same desired goal could devote some time to it. id be willing to help in any manner.
im sitting in my basement with all the lights out posting this, just to spend time with my long lost tb led.
BUMP
Did you try to turn off the Auto brightness feature for the display to see if this stops the Trackball from not turning on?
dcdave63 said:
Did you try to turn off the Auto brightness feature for the display to see if this stops the Trackball from not turning on?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have auto brightness off and it has no effect on trackball led.....
chfields said:
I have auto brightness off and it has no effect on trackball led.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes ive been playing with the power control widget since first flash. no joy. thanks for the idea, have anymore?
anyone?
bumpedybumpbump
Trackball Alert
There's a dude from the uk that builds an app for N1 that brings the ability to choose your own color and rate of the trackball lite. Try to send him an email see if he wants to jump in. The app is called Trackball alert. Its says its only for the N1 though.
Hope you can find a solution.
energizer1389 said:
There's a dude from the uk that builds an app for N1 that brings the ability to choose your own color and rate of the trackball lite. Try to send him an email see if he wants to jump in. The app is called Trackball alert. Its says its only for the N1 though.
Hope you can find a solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah ive seen the app. i will make sure to do that, i hope the brits want to help.
im sure us on xda.could find a solution, however.
i really hope sprint doesnt plan on releasing 2.1 like this. id be sorely disappointed.
Believe me, I understand what it's like to have a feature that's important to me and nobody else seems to care about. We all paid good money for these phones, and continue to pay good money every month for service, so I think that gives us each the right to at least ask about the things that we care about. (Well, unless you're trying to use Sprint VVM instead of GV. That's just plain dumb.....)
As far as the trackball light behavior goes, I think your probably screwed. That's something that will most likely have to be changed in the source code of whatever is controlling it. That seems to me like something that's probably coded in at a very low level of the OS itself. (Well, not the OS, actually. The OS is Linux. But it's probably hardcoded into the Android framework.)
As good a job as the rom devs on xda do, it's not like they're actually creating this software. They're just taking what others have created and packaging it in a way that works on our phones. My guess is that the people who can make the change you're asking for work in HTC's offices...
As far as the different colors, good luck. There's a reason that tweak only works on the N1. It's the only phone that has different colored LEDs back there to light up. You can be the best programmer in the world, but you still can't turn on a red light if the only light available is white......
subliminalurge said:
Believe me, I understand what it's like to have a feature that's important to me and nobody else seems to care about. We all paid good money for these phones, and continue to pay good money every month for service, so I think that gives us each the right to at least ask about the things that we care about. (Well, unless you're trying to use Sprint VVM instead of GV. That's just plain dumb.....)
As far as the trackball light behavior goes, I think your probably screwed. That's something that will most likely have to be changed in the source code of whatever is controlling it. That seems to me like something that's probably coded in at a very low level of the OS itself. (Well, not the OS, actually. The OS is Linux. But it's probably hardcoded into the Android framework.)
As good a job as the rom devs on xda do, it's not like they're actually creating this software. They're just taking what others have created and packaging it in a way that works on our phones. My guess is that the people who can make the change you're asking for work in HTC's offices...
As far as the different colors, good luck. There's a reason that tweak only works on the N1. It's the only phone that has different colored LEDs back there to light up. You can be the best programmer in the world, but you still can't turn on a red light if the only light available is white......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i exchanged a pm woth regaw, who is working closely with damage in building and testing the leaks. he seems fairly certain its a matter of messing with an xml file. lets cross our fingers for more information.
anyone have any clue what.xml file defines when and how the tb lights up?
mountaindont said:
he seems fairly certain its a matter of messing with an xml file. lets cross our fingers for more information.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That could be, too. Will be cool if it is. I'm still working on getting a full understanding of the Android framework, but that could be in an xml file now that I think about it.
That said, I stand by my point that these guys aren't exactly writing software from scratch. There comes a point where they can only do so much with the programs that they're repackaging.
Once that point is reached, it's really not fair or realistic to ask them to do much more until the real developers release new software and it gets leaked again.
subliminalurge said:
That could be, too. Will be cool if it is. I'm still working on getting a full understanding of the Android framework, but that could be in an xml file now that I think about it.
That said, I stand by my point that these guys aren't exactly writing software from scratch. There comes a point where they can only do so much with the programs that they're repackaging.
Once that point is reached, it's really not fair or realistic to ask them to do much more until the real developers release new software and it gets leaked again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i comletely understand what you mean, and whole heartidly agree. damage is getting these leaks from someone and simply modifying for beytter performance, and working out the bugs sprint hasnt quite got ironed out yet.
but!
originally, these 2.1 roms were based on the eris and legend leaks, meaning the devs have a sound understanding of taking the given software and rewriting it to work on the sprint network/our hardware
it can be done, a simple edit of an xml file, and if we team up, i see no reason it couldnt be done, and rather easily at that.
i dp regret i have no knowledge in this regard, but i know its a patch alot of peoe would jump on and definatly appreciate. damage and all the rest are artists, maybe its time we give baxk, ya know? i wish i could be more of a help, but for.now, all i can do it bring the devs together in hopes to make a speedy and stable patch.
if any devs are reading this, i just want you to know us here at xda do appreciate your work, and i hope us joes.can give back in someway.
i guess edits dont bump lol
sooo...
ahem
BUMP!
bumpedybumpbump
can someone help?
is no one awake?
its fridaaaaay!
im off for the night...any late night noobs or pros wanna take a look, you can easily use root explorer to view and edit the files, hopefully youll have more luck than i have (remember its a xml file!)
sys/class/leds/button-backlight/
gnite
correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think Damaged2.15 even touches those portions of the OS. I think you should be looking in the /system/lib/hw/ folder.
robchaos said:
correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think Damaged2.15 even touches those portions of the OS. I think you should be looking in the /system/lib/hw/ folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
okokokok, let me take a look
!!!!
I think that there are conflicts within there. most of those files are self explanitory, but what are the gralloc.default.so and gralloc.msm7k.so libs? IIRC the droid guys had keyboard issues and those files were included in the fix, so its possible they affect the lighting in some way. I don't think we can pull those files though, it didn't seem to want to boot after that. I think gralloc also has to do with opengl.
robchaos said:
correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't think Damaged2.15 even touches those portions of the OS. I think you should be looking in the /system/lib/hw/ folder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dammit, i was just trying to sleep.
i was told the file we need is an xml file, and i dont see any in there. HOWEVER; i do see lights.msm7k.so
and sensors.goldfish.so/sensors.heroc.so
which one should i look at first?
robchaos said:
I think that there are conflicts within there. most of those files are self explanitory, but what are the gralloc.default.so and gralloc.msm7k.so libs? IIRC the droid guys had keyboard issues and those files were included in the fix, so its possible they affect the lighting in some way. I don't think we can pull those files though, it didn't seem to want to boot after that. I think gralloc also has to do with opengl.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i was wondering what those two were also...no idea
i DO know the file we need to fix is xlm file...should be just a change of a command (or perhaps an addon) but i dont see a single xlm in the entire system/ folder...
suggestions?
Hi all,
I'm quite new to this android stuff, and especially modding. And I have to tell that I feel a bit lost.
After a few days browsing this forum and other places on the internet, I think I know what a ROM and rooting are. But here I see things like kernels, radio, bootloaders... could someone explain me what those are and how they are related together? Or show me an url that explains all this.
Thanks a lot!
Bricolo_fr said:
Hi all,
I'm quite new to this android stuff, and especially modding. And I have to tell that I feel a bit lost.
After a few days browsing this forum and other places on the internet, I think I know what a ROM and rooting are. But here I see things like kernels, radio, bootloaders... could someone explain me what those are and how they are related together? Or show me an url that explains all this.
Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im not real sure how to explain all this stuff in great detail but i will try and tell you all that i know. I think a kernel has to do with the drivers and things like that. A radio has to do with the everything that uses connections, i guess you would call it. Like your phone's network, wifi, bluetooth, etc. And for the bootloader i don't really know how to explain it but press and hold the power button and the trackball at the same time. thats the bootloader.
This should help some... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=619153
Bricolo_fr said:
Hi all,
I'm quite new to this android stuff, and especially modding. And I have to tell that I feel a bit lost.
After a few days browsing this forum and other places on the internet, I think I know what a ROM and rooting are. But here I see things like kernels, radio, bootloaders... could someone explain me what those are and how they are related together? Or show me an url that explains all this.
Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Bricolo!
Welcome to the forums!
I'll help you out here, but you're going to have to do some work too.
How about I do two, and you do two?
[Google]: android "what is a rom"
http://forum.androidcentral.com/hacking/6037-general-rom-faq.html
If you’re new to the Android platform (don’t be bashful, all of us were not too long ago), you’ll see terms floating around the forums that you might not be familiar with. “ROM” is one of those terms. A ROM image is a data file that contains information used on a Read Only Memory chip. For our purposes, that means a complete system image of an Android device. Each Android device has it’s own ROM image that contains files and code needed to boot the device up and run Android on it. But this is only part of a ROM. A ROM also contains a GUI (graphical user interface), required and useful applications, support files for those applications and the kernel. Let’s have a look at the parts that make a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-general-discussions/37418-what-rom.html
"ROM" is just a generic term for the software that makes up the OS, and a bit of a misnomer. This term could easily be changed to "OS sofware" or "system software". It does mean Read Only Memory, but ROM likely comes from that part of the system memory, since you dont want to be able to write over the system files (easily).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[Google]: android "what is a kernel"
http://androidforums.com/developer-101/62548-what-kernel.html
A kernel is basically the bridge between applications and the data processing at the hardware level. It serves as a level of abstraction for communication.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.applematters.com/article/how-long-will-apple-keep-the-mach-microkernel/
The easy answer is a kernel is the core of any operating system. DOS, Windows, UNIX, OS X and Linux all have some type of kernel. The implementations change but the basic concept remains the same. A kernel interfaces directly with the system’s hardware and is the lowest level of software. There are two types of kernels, micro-kernels and monolithic-kernels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[Google]: android "what is a radio"
Your site(s) here.
[Google]: android "what is a bootloader"
You can do it!
[Google]: android "what is a X"
Google: It really is that easy
Good stuff Paul, it's refreshing to see someone go out of their way to help a newbie every once in a while
There are more polite ways to respond to this guy. Some people learn through interaction. I'm glad someone went out of their way to explain things to this guy. It's a shame how cut throat this community can be sometimes.
I agree, the attitude and lame jokes are really immature at times. Thanks paul for putting a lil effort and explaining few of the key points than cracking the usual radio is a fm/am joke here, the extreme nerdism almost kills me! lol.
As for the cutthroat and "nerdism" out there in this community, you have to remember, most of us that are regulars are ones that have been on this forum for a loooooooong while and not just in the Nexus One sections. I have migrated from WM to Android and see these posts time and time again.
There are Stickied "Noob" guilds galore, there is a search feature, there are TONS of resources out there for someone who puts in a MINIMAL effort can get this BASIC information.
When I first came here, I didn't just open a new post on "what is a ROM and ..." I read, I researched and when something wasn't clear and needed more information that wasn't out there, THEN I posted.
Those of us that may seem like we have an attitude aren't mean people, we don't expect everyone to come here with all the answers an NO questions, we just have an expectation that they at least put forth a LITTLE effort on figuring something out.
Paul did a great job in searching, but you have to wonder why the OP didn't even TRY and google anything or search here?
The impression I got is that it is not worth the OP's time to even try, so they put up a post asking these questions and expected the community to do all the work for them and compile some massive resource into a post that the OP most likely won't read and then start asking questions that were already answered in replies or links.
I have seen this happen time and time again on this board and others, so yeah, I am a bit of a jerk when someone puts forth no effort of their own.
Thanks a lot, Paul and the guys that helped
About me asking, and being new here... I DID search on this forum, but didn't find everything I needed. I used the search function, read the sticky threads, googled... After this, I still had questions, meaning that the information I got was not sufficient and that the additional information I was seeking wasn't accessible enough here. So that's why I asked.
If you don't like new people asking questions, but only expect new members to be experienced ones that will arrive with software/tricks/roms/etc "gifts" for you,you should reconsider your lifes. Maybe as sultans or something similar I agree with the remark about nerdy attitudes. Do you really think this is needed? If my topic is unwanted here, some people called moderators will lock or delete it, it seems it hasn't happened so far...
Back to the initial topic...
Well, maybe I did not make things clear enough. I'm not a complete computer noob. I know what a ROM is (not being specific to android devices), what an OS is, how to write a few lines of code, etc...
From what I understood, the bootloader can be see as the bios in a PC. It can execute a few tasks (diagnostics, rom flash, starting the OS...). The ROM contains the OS, software, config, etc...
As I said, what I don't really see is how all the things are related to each other. On this forum (and other places) I see a lot of alternative ROMs. I do understand what they are and their use. However I also see topics about kernels and radios, and that got me a bit lost. Aren't they already included in the ROMs?
Also, I'd like to learn a bit about how alternative ROMs are created. When additional features (applications?) are added to a ROM (features that were existing on other devices), is it "simply" the application files that from the other device that have been included to the ROM? When new features are added (not coming from other devices, like trackball led), how is that made? I assume it is added to the code somewhere, so is all the code available?
Thanks for helping
I'm going to move this thread to the Q&A section, and also clean up the noob bashing. Remember, not only is bashing discouraged throughout the entire site, but doing it in the Q&A section will likely earn you a short vacation from XDA.
Thanks,
NATF
I'm posting this in the Development section because that is what I am trying to learn about. Please move me if I am mis-posting this.
I'm greatly interested in the the Roms people are making and everything that is being done on these forums. If someone wanted to start to learn about these things, developing and such, where should they start? Do I need to learn Java? Are there certain books I should be reading?
I can flash my phone like its my day job now, and I haven't come across any major problems I couldn't solve by reading, but I have no idea where to start to be able to develop things myself. If any developers here could maybe throw out a few tips on how to get started, what someone should focus on learning, etc., it would be greatly appreciated! I have plenty of time and a great desire to learn so I'm not intimidated by having to do the work, I just have to have some things to focus on. Thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give me!
I always wanted to know how make roms also I was looking around the internet but couldn't find anything that will describe it step by step word for word.
Maccie
It will be a huge writeup.But im sure someone will do it. I am still learning myself. There are some good topics around but different from what we have now
topshelf95 said:
I'm posting this in the Development section because that is what I am trying to learn about. Please move me if I am mis-posting this.
I'm greatly interested in the the Roms people are making and everything that is being done on these forums. If someone wanted to start to learn about these things, developing and such, where should they start? Do I need to learn Java? Are there certain books I should be reading?
I can flash my phone like its my day job now, and I haven't come across any major problems I couldn't solve by reading, but I have no idea where to start to be able to develop things myself. If any developers here could maybe throw out a few tips on how to get started, what someone should focus on learning, etc., it would be greatly appreciated! I have plenty of time and a great desire to learn so I'm not intimidated by having to do the work, I just have to have some things to focus on. Thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give me!
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There are a number of aspects to android development you have to learn to know how to build a full ROM from scratch. C is of course required for kernel building, and apps are built from java in the dalvik-vm, but can be built against sun java.
of course, to get started, you would need the android sdk available here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
then there's the cloning of the android git:
http://android.git.kernel.org/
and, specifically for the captivate, there's the captivate source code:
http://opensource.samsung.com/
then there's pulling off the vendor proprietary libs from your phone (which is a ***** and I believe you can grab them from wes's github, though I can't speak for their accuracy) here:
http://github.com/wesgarner/proprietary_vendor_samsung
building the entire android OS from source is a challenge, especially compensating for some changes Samsung has introduced. this is what a real ROM is. now if you're talking about "ROM"s like Cognition and Shep's and even Eugene's Hybrid/Frankin-Twiz... they aren't comparable. Not to belittle any of their efforts, but this is simple "drag and drop" from stuff built by Samsung. While they're very useful tools, there is little actual development going on in them. There are improvements and tweaks, for sure... but it isn't a *true* ROM. All these releases by DesignGears, Eugene, and Shep are good and effective, but it'd be a shame if they weren't because they are just files thrown together from Samsung's already compiled ROM(s). Even the AOSP Beta 3 (which I have a qualm with the name, because it isn't actually AOSP, it's files pulled from an already built AOSP tossed onto Samsung's ROM again) is just modifying binaries (decompile, edit, recompile).
for those, it's as simple as extracting the zip, replacing the files you want, and rezip it. modifying the update-script inside meta-inf if there's something you want to add.
Awesome post Kaik, thanks, I was wondering some of those too.
Thx that explained a bunch
Maccie
Thank you for taking the time to post that Kaik! It's nice to have a place to start! Anyone else have any tips or things they think might be good to check out?
last, but certainly not least and I can't believe I forgot this, is Unhelpful's toolchain to compile against:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=761923
he did a lot of testing with various combinations, and this was the best he found to reduce wakeup lag and other issues
Wow. Kaik. That was the most awesome response to that question I have ever seen. Most people just point to developer.android.com and say go learn to program and come back in 5 years.
Thank you for this very useful information. Your the man now dog.
johnyhoffman said:
Most people just point to developer.android.com and say go learn to program and come back in 5 years.
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Devs are not being mean or pissy, they are being honest and realistic. If development was just "point and click" XDA would not even be here. Give the devs/veterans a break and take it upon yourself to learn the basics and do some searches, if you are that interested.
I would love to just start making my own Android OS just the way I like too but to do that will require much more reading and learning, trying and failing.
You will probably not find "the answer" you are looking for but if you search, read and most importantly, respect the time, energy and anguish people have put into this site you will find the means to get where you want.
Otherwise you can expect... "Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well here is a modded ROM. I'll try that. Jeez, that sucks. How do I make my own? Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well ..." It is an endless cycle.
I'm not saying this to belittle anyone. Most have been there, including myself. I say this as a vote of confidence to all.
Hang in there, do the work, break some phones, read some books. Really! You have to!
koe1974 said:
Devs are not being mean or pissy, they are being honest and realistic. If development was just "point and click" XDA would not even be here. Give the devs/veterans a break and take it upon yourself to learn the basics and do some searches, if you are that interested.
I would love to just start making my own Android OS just the way I like too but to do that will require much more reading and learning, trying and failing.
You will probably not find "the answer" you are looking for but if you search, read and most importantly, respect the time, energy and anguish people have put into this site you will find the means to get where you want.
Otherwise you can expect... "Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well here is a modded ROM. I'll try that. Jeez, that sucks. How do I make my own? Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well ..." It is an endless cycle.
I'm not saying this to belittle anyone. Most have been there, including myself. I say this as a vote of confidence to all.
Hang in there, do the work, break some phones, read some books. Really! You have to!
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Click to collapse
this times one thousand. I linked you guys to some very useful sites when it comes to actually putting android together... but understanding how it all works, actually getting a successful build, fixing bugs, etc... I can't even begin to pretend to be able to help with that. if you have little to no experience in C and Java, these things will basically be useless to you. dev's aren't being mean when they brush you off like that, but usually if you can't figure out how to google what to do with the code, they don't have high hopes for what you'll be able to do with it once you find the code.
the idea isn't to be like "f*** off" when they say that, it's more of a "we'll help you when you learn, but you're the one who needs to take the first steps and you need to take the responsibility of learning on yourself."
I was actually referring to the fact that someone like me, a hobbyist programmer for about 10 years now, can make sense of his reply and use it to go forth and actually do something. Most of the guides you find on here that are supposedly pointed at noobs, do not layout things as easily as his post did.
Wasn't criticizing anyone, but I have seen less patience nowadays for any posts such as these.
Was just saying it was a gem of a post for me personally. Maybe it doesn't help the ultra noobs and the more experienced people see it as useless, but for someone with little time right now, it was a perfect post for me.
I can't seem to find a master list of apk's. I'm not talking about just stock, I mean everything. Kind of like a big giant kitchen. Not a list of what should be there, but actual download links. I am thinking the community would benefit from going to a single place to say "hmm....I'd like to try a different email.apk today." Basically a self-service kitchen. I can't count how many times I have to go pull apart a ROM to strip out the keyboard I like to put on my new ROM.
I think this will help cut down on many questions like "where can I find the patched mms.apk......" questions I see all the time. One place.
There is something similar to this in the Vibrant forum, but thought a giant consortium for Galaxy S would be best. Maybe it's something I'd have to work on, but I'd love to have it added to the WIKI. Think about it, you go download your favorite ROM/kernel, whatever, then add some spices........and voila! a kitchen without the hassle of downloading an entire ROM because you want to change one little thing.
Am I crazy? Have I really missed something in all my searches? Am I suffering from Search Overload?
Guess its time to bring a dead thread back to life because I was thinking about this myself just the other day... or is there already one that I'm missing?
I can and will host files if needed I have space and bandwidth that's going to waste.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
PARAGON RC5
So fresh and so clean
Jay_eS_Iye said:
Guess its time to bring a dead thread back to life because I was thinking about this myself just the other day... or is there already one that I'm missing?
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_NULL_ said:
I can and will host files if needed I have space and bandwidth that's going to waste.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
PARAGON RC5
So fresh and so clean
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hosting stock apps might be ok, but def. not paid non-stock apps..!
diablo009 said:
Hosting stock apps might be ok, but def. not paid non-stock apps..!
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Click to collapse
I wasn't thinking paid appear, but like different free ones that are already out there or apk's for different modified apps that you see on different roms as long as their creators are cool with it
Yes! That's my point. I'd love to have a list of modified stock apps I can scroll through. You know, like a list of all the available email apps (stock, aosp, gingerbread, themed, etc...)The wiki seems like a good place to post it cause then themers/chefs can post up links to their work.
I honestly started digging around last weekend trying to collect links through the forums, but my god is that a lot of work! However thee pay off would be HUGE for all of xda. I just wish I had more time to start it AND all themers/modders/chefs would have to use it! That's what I feel would be more difficult than anything. Trying to get everyone to keep updating it. especially considering many frame work apps are "cross-platform" if you will, meaning an email app from a Desire might work in my Captivate. I'd like to try anyways.
Who's up for helping me? If only I was unemployed i'd have the time.
P.S. This made me happy seeing that someone agrees with me. I thought I had gotten totally ignored.
Sent from my pocket.
Well there are these threads:
[REF] **Captivate MOD/Theme Directory**
has some of the mods listed on there, not much tho (like ROM specific modifications I've seen around)
APK Download
a list of stock APK's and some non stock
So I think starting with this and adding some others would be a good list, especially stickied