Database Develop

Custom roms are slooooooooooooooooow.....

I'm not new to flashing custom roms in the WinMo world but, I just got my Hero like 3 days ago. I have searched and read about everything here so far and from what I have read the reason for flashing custom roms is SPEED and CUSTOMIZATION.
Well, I have flashed twice and ended up re-rooting and going back stock. I'm not trying to take anything away from the developers because I know it's hard work. I did it with my old TP with WinMo for a couple of years. When I flashed my custom WinMo roms they where ALWAYS faster than any stock rom.
HOWEVER it seems to me like none of these roms for the Hero are ready for prime time yet and from what I'm reading all of the decent developers have crossed over to the Evo so the chance of us getting some decent roms in minimal at best.
So my question is should I just wait till something is released that is more stable or should I cross over as well? AGAIN I'm not trying to take anything at all away from the developers. I expected some differences coming from WinMo. I just wanted to know if anyone else felt the same way. If not, what rom are you running? Is it faster than the stock .6 rom from sprint? Does the camera work?

What ROMs did you try? I've used DamageControl and am now on Darchdroid and have had no issues on either. Both run way faster and have way better battery life than stock. Everything works. There are tons of members here that would say the same thing...

What ROMs have you tried? Any ROM with an overclocked kernel will be faster than stock. All current ROMs also have working camera.

Are you waiting until everything finishes syncing? The first 20 minutes of your ROM experience will be a little slow as it pulls down whatever info you plugged in for Google/Facebook/Twitter/etc., but once that's done your custom ROM will be smooth sailing. I've used Fresh 2.0d, 2.1.2, PureHero, and now DarchDroid 2.7 and they've all been substantially faster than stock. Especially with OC and JIT, there's a tangible difference.
I'd trying something again and let everything sync up. I've been impressed by DarchDroid, but I'm also an AOSP fan.

What roms have you tried?
I use Buufed 2.0b and it is very fast. I used FreshToast 2.1, which was also fast until I jacked with the settings. Others are also fast as well.
If you are describing the first boot after flashing a rom, that may be because dalvik-cache needs to be built...this take a few minutes to do, but it is a one-time thing (unless you move to another rom or wipe your dalvik-cache).
abadasstanker69 said:
I'm not new to flashing custom roms in the WinMo world but, I just got my Hero like 3 days ago. I have searched and read about everything here so far and from what I have read the reason for flashing custom roms is SPEED and CUSTOMIZATION.
Well, I have flashed twice and ended up re-rooting and going back stock. I'm not trying to take anything away from the developers because I know it's hard work. I did it with my old TP with WinMo for a couple of years. When I flashed my custom WinMo roms they where ALWAYS faster than any stock rom.
HOWEVER it seems to me like none of these roms for the Hero are ready for prime time yet and from what I'm reading all of the decent developers have crossed over to the Evo so the chance of us getting some decent roms in minimal at best.
So my question is should I just wait till something is released that is more stable or should I cross over as well? AGAIN I'm not trying to take anything at all away from the developers. I expected some differences coming from WinMo. I just wanted to know if anyone else felt the same way. If not, what rom are you running? Is it faster than the stock .6 rom from sprint? Does the camera work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Its not like the developers left along time ago. All of them pushed out a final release before they left, and it was only 2 devs.
Also, they all run smoother then stock. Have you tried damagecontrol? Or try ANY of the overclocked roms. You can get OC on any rom now with separate flashable kernels.
Darchdroid is also the most basic rom you can use, but not basic in the area of customization. Its the only rom not built on htc framework, so there is close to zero bloat and it runs extremely smooth.

abadasstanker69 said:
I'm not new to flashing custom roms in the WinMo world but, I just got my Hero like 3 days ago. I have searched and read about everything here so far and from what I have read the reason for flashing custom roms is SPEED and CUSTOMIZATION.
Well, I have flashed twice and ended up re-rooting and going back stock. I'm not trying to take anything away from the developers because I know it's hard work. I did it with my old TP with WinMo for a couple of years. When I flashed my custom WinMo roms they where ALWAYS faster than any stock rom.
HOWEVER it seems to me like none of these roms for the Hero are ready for prime time yet and from what I'm reading all of the decent developers have crossed over to the Evo so the chance of us getting some decent roms in minimal at best.
So my question is should I just wait till something is released that is more stable or should I cross over as well? AGAIN I'm not trying to take anything at all away from the developers. I expected some differences coming from WinMo. I just wanted to know if anyone else felt the same way. If not, what rom are you running? Is it faster than the stock .6 rom from sprint? Does the camera work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running Darchdroid and recommend you do too. It is faster than the most fastidious fast rom.

I don't wanna put anyone out there and I can't really remember the specific ones I tried but one that stood out was here
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=683746
Everyone kept saying great things about a "fresh" rom so I figured that was it. When I used it the thing ran slow, my camera didn't work, and my picture messages wouldn't come in.
I was going to use another one but, I just thought it was a relatively new phone so maybe there wasn't sufficient work done yet

thatjerk said:
I am running Darchdroid and recommend you do too. It is faster than the most fastidious fast rom.
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Yeah, I am going to agree. As far as overall speed, Darchdroid is the best. I'm also partial to Launcherpro over the included ADWLauncher. I have 7 homescreens full of stuff and it still runs fine.

Which version of Fresh did you use? I've had some issues with the earlier 2.x versions, but it's been pretty stable since 2.0d.
EDIT: FreshToast...I've ran that one for the longest time. The only time it would go slow on me is when I jacked with the settings in SetCPU.
abadasstanker69 said:
I don't wanna put anyone out there and I can't really remember the specific ones I tried but one that stood out was here
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=683746
Everyone kept saying great things about a "fresh" rom so I figured that was it. When I used it the thing ran slow, my camera didn't work, and my picture messages wouldn't come in.
I was going to use another one but, I just thought it was a relatively new phone so maybe there wasn't sufficient work done yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Check out how fast this is..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0&sns=em

wow such fast responses! lol
Sorry if I stepped on any toes but, I just tried a couple and got results that where no where near the instantaneous difference you got in the WinMo world. Maybe I should have stuck with it for a while longer....
I did have a little info up on Facebook but I REFUSE to twitter!! LMAO The contacts I have are numerous so maybe that's a contributing factor. I'm not sure. I really wanted a Froyo rom but, from what I understand, it's still in Beta.
I really just want something fast and reliable. I often use my bluetooth for HOURS on end so something less harsh on the battery would also be extremely helpful.
I will try whatever suggestions you guys have. I know you have been in the Android world way longer than me. I had XDAndroid on my TP but this is a dramatic difference.

thatjerk said:
Check out how fast this is..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0&sns=em
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Click to collapse
LMAO I got RickRoll'D

abadasstanker69 said:
I don't wanna put anyone out there and I can't really remember the specific ones I tried but one that stood out was here
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=683746
Everyone kept saying great things about a "fresh" rom so I figured that was it. When I used it the thing ran slow, my camera didn't work, and my picture messages wouldn't come in.
I was going to use another one but, I just thought it was a relatively new phone so maybe there wasn't sufficient work done yet
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Camera works in that ROM. If you had another experience, something was done wrong.

thatjerk said:
Check out how fast this is..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0&sns=em
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Click to collapse
Well played, sir. If you want to watch a real benchmark of Freshtoast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byhykf6D6m4

illogic6 said:
Camera works in that ROM. If you had another experience, something was done wrong.
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I don't see how I could have "done it wrong" I mean it's pretty self explanatory. I opened the camera app and got a broken TV set in purple and blue on my screen. Everything else worked....just slowly. Maybe a bad download.....maybe. I don't know. But how could someone possibly flash wrong and still get it to run? That makes no sense.

abadasstanker69 said:
I don't see how I could have "done it wrong" I mean it's pretty self explanatory. I opened the camera app and got a broken TV set in purple and blue on my screen. Everything else worked....just slowly. Maybe a bad download.....maybe. I don't know. But how could someone possibly flash wrong and still get it to run? That makes no sense.
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You need to make sure you wipe in recovery before flashing a new ROM. It sounds like that could possibly be the issue.

illogic6 said:
You need to make sure you wipe in recovery before flashing a new ROM. It sounds like that could possibly be the issue.
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I never read anything about that! lol wow I feel like such a noob. Do i do that from the menu that pops up when restarting? The one I update the custom rom from?

illogic6 said:
Well played, sir. If you want to watch a real benchmark of Freshtoast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byhykf6D6m4
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that's just sexy

abadasstanker69 said:
I never read anything about that! lol wow I feel like such a noob. Do i do that from the menu that pops up when restarting? The one I update the custom rom from?
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Yes. Wipe data, dalvik-cache, and sd-ext if you have one.
Flash the custom ROM. When it loads sign into your gmail and give it 5ish minutes to synch your calendar/contacts/mail from the cloud. Once that is completed, you'll want to head to the market and grab "overclock widget" and make sure you're clocked to appropriate speeds.
From then on, the speed improvement should be obvious.

Should I install froyo?

Hey guys. Just got a captivate a few days ago and I love it except for the gps. I was just wondering if the leaked build of froyo improves the gps at all and if its worth updating before they release the official one. If so, where can I find the latest version of the leaked build? Thank you for any help.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

The leaked Froyo does not necessarily improve on GPS because many people don't have issues where many people do. Give it a shot and search different methods of changing your LBStestmode settings to see what works. Second, for me it was worth installing as 2.2 offers stuff you cant have on 2.1 such as the newer Gmail, flash 10.1 and other goodies. It is faster as well. Search the threads in the Dev section for different ROM's and how to flash. Ask questions about flashing after doing exhaustive searching because you will be able to find most answers in those threads.

flashman2002 said:
The leaked Froyo does not necessarily improve on GPS because many people don't have issues where many people do. Give it a shot and search different methods of changing your LBStestmode settings to see what works. Second, for me it was worth installing as 2.2 offers stuff you cant have on 2.1 such as the newer Gmail, flash 10.1 and other goodies. It is faster as well. Search the threads in the Dev section for different ROM's and how to flash. Ask questions about flashing after doing exhaustive searching because you will be able to find most answers in those threads.
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Click to collapse
x2...makes the phone 100x better.

Cognition 2.2 Beta 9.1.1
Grab this and never look back.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

I'm kinda on the fence about this as well. I should be getting my Captivate tomorrow and I have been doing a crap ton of research in the past few days. Everything I have read points to either the "Official Leaked Froyo 2.2" or the newest "Cognition v2.2 BETA9.1.1". My only concern is the known issues that are listed on the Cognition website...
MMS won't work if you have "(" or ")" in your phone numbers
Contact groups sometimes opens the wrong group, you can fix this by replacing it with an I9K contacts.apk, but then you lose AT&T contact syncing
No Voodoo voices, supercurio is working on this (first boot will take awhile, be patient!)
Everyone has the same device_id
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this true with both builds listed or just with the Cognition v2.2 BETA9.1.1? I'm also completely new to Android being that I am a fomer iPhone junkie. So any help, how-to's, or info would be appreciated. In all honesty I was going to start here, youtube.com/watch?v=S9YnSVvfHpQ and if that wasn't successful go ahead and try Cognition. I'm just the type of person that likes to have things working properly and fast, like everyone else.
And for those wondering why I have been a member for over two and a half years and this is my first post, I have usually been able to find what I need and not had to ask questions.

I would point out that DesignGears has a perfectly rockin' cognition for eclair too. My first flash was 2.1.4 and it was amazing compared to stock eclair.
nothing really helps the gps, you either got it good, or not. (much research into that opinion btw.)
Cog 8.1+ is the shiz atm.
There's a couple of other froyo flavors also. I wouldn't go back to eclair at this point.
If nothin' else, it's a crap ton of fun flashin' and figuring stuff out. I'd do it just for that.
Not sure on MMS. I had no problems with it, but my numbers were already formatted without the parenthesis.

The ability to do these type of things is what lead me to the Android platform over the iPhone OS, it's just too locked down even with it being jailbroken IMHO. I'm just basically looking for a point of refferance I suppose. Basically the things to do and not to do to the phone you know. For me it's more of a challenge because I'm learning something new. I don't know if it's because I'm not looking in the right places or what but it seems like step by step guides are hard to come by regarding this stuff.

unless you use the i9000 ROM with captivate kernel, all Captivate Froyo builds are based off the captivate beta of Froyo.
It had a enough bugs that i rolled back to 2.1. Don't get me wrong, it is stable - but I figure i will wait for a more bug free beta to be the basis of my Froyo jump.

mindbuRn said:
The ability to do these type of things is what lead me to the Android platform over the iPhone OS, it's just too locked down even with it being jailbroken IMHO. I'm just basically looking for a point of refferance I suppose. Basically the things to do and not to do to the phone you know. For me it's more of a challenge because I'm learning something new. I don't know if it's because I'm not looking in the right places or what but it seems like step by step guides are hard to come by regarding this stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not so much. You just gotta be patient and diligent. There's a couple of gems laying around but they are usually in the middle of a thread. The cognition thread for example. It's a beast to keep up with but given time you can digest most of what you need there. And there are plenty of links throughout that will clarify or intimidate as your experience and skill allow. Trouble is there's a TON of junk because people get impatient, or lazy I guess. Same questions, over and over.
I came to the captivate from a blackberry. Not much customization goin' on there. So as a stone noob, I read the cognition thread from post 1. All of it. I am a pretty confident android operator now. And I can't read nor write a line of code. In any language!
And you can too. Get busy, Grasshopper.

If you live on campus or rely on some sort of enterprise WIFI then go to froyo. Using eclair I could NEVER connect to the wifi at my school. It would say that I was connected of course but no data would transfer.
I switched to Froyo and haven't had problems since.
Also, my GPS is rockin!

alphadog, what "bugs" did you have when using Froyo? And what you mentioned is a lot of where my confusion comes into play, "kernals and ROMs" are like greek to me and I have no idea what they are or what the difference is between the two.
Sulphur, thanks so much for the advice. I'm gonna go check out the Cognition thread now and see what I can dig up. That's really what I needed, just a starting point. I'm thinking as of now I will go with the latest Cognition build for a bit and see how that goes.
DirtyRasa, no campus here but I do rely on wi-fi pretty heavily. I use it at home all the time to cut down on charges to my bill for data usage, so that's good to know. Just curious though, are you using the leaked Froyo or the Cognition build? And if you have had both which one do you prefer?
cybercowboy, wasn't trying to jack your thread or anything but I was in search of the same info as well.

mindbuRn said:
And for those wondering why I have been a member for over two and a half years and this is my first post, I have usually been able to find what I need and not had to ask questions.
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Click to collapse
More power to you. I see tons of people on here less than a month with hundreds of posts more than me.
-->Back on topic. YES go with Froyo! There are many options available, but for noobs, i'd reccomend the either a DG ROM or the leaked and tweaked.

Thats no problem mindburn. The more information the better. I actually flashed to the leaked froyo last night and so far so good. Gps is still horrible. I think im gonna try the cognition build tonight and see what I like better. Ill let you know.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

cybercowboy372 said:
Thats no problem mindburn. The more information the better. I actually flashed to the leaked froyo last night and so far so good. Gps is still horrible. I think im gonna try the cognition build tonight and see what I like better. Ill let you know.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Thanks man, almost sounds as though you are one step ahead of me actually. I get my phone tomorrow and I was going to actually try the leaked first and then cognition. Let me know how things turn out for you and I will in return do the same.

So I got the phone yesterday and let me say, when I got it out of the box I knew I was going to like it. This damn thing looks sexy as hell! Anyway, 10 minutes after I got it I had successfully upgraded to the leaked Froyo and rooted the phone. Everything is going fine and I haven't had any problems thus far. It is at times a little buggy but I have learned that if I kill some of the tasks, the speed seems to improve. I thought about try Cognition today but when I load it up, I've only got the odin.exe, PDA.tar, & PIT.pit. Do I have to have CSC & ETC file mentioned in the program as well? Also, what exactly are these things, I didn't have to do anything like this on the stock Froyo.

U should of done DG's AOSP beta 3! That's what I'm rocking and have had it for almost a month and its amazing! I wanted to use cognition but I read on ppl saying they had bugs or it just wasn't stable for them. But to each their own! Unfortunately when I last checked DG closed the thread on that ROM. Glad to know u got froyo going! I made the switch from an iPhone jailbroken to the captivate and it's amazing! I'm still new to android but u just gotta read everything and their r so many ppl who are willing to help!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

With the announcement of the official froyo coming out in about two weeks, i think i'll just stay where I'm at for right now. I don't wanna try and win the triathlon with only a week training.

mindbuRn said:
So I got the phone yesterday and let me say, when I got it out of the box I knew I was going to like it. This damn thing looks sexy as hell! Anyway, 10 minutes after I got it I had successfully upgraded to the leaked Froyo and rooted the phone. Everything is going fine and I haven't had any problems thus far. It is at times a little buggy but I have learned that if I kill some of the tasks, the speed seems to improve. I thought about try Cognition today but when I load it up, I've only got the odin.exe, PDA.tar, & PIT.pit. Do I have to have CSC & ETC file mentioned in the program as well? Also, what exactly are these things, I didn't have to do anything like this on the stock Froyo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The pda and pit file are all you need. he just put everything in those two files. Flashes just fine that way.

Just a quick update for everyone, I am now running the latest Cognition 2.2 BETA 9.1.3. And I *MOD EDIT* love it! This thing is super fast now, pretty amazing really. I also somewhat have my homescreens the way that I want them as well. Only questions to everyone now is what do you all run? What are your must have and go to applications? Like the best of the best kind of thing.
BTW Sulphur, thanks!

mindbuRn said:
Just a quick update for everyone, I am now running the latest Cognition 2.2 BETA 9.1.3. And I *MOD EDIT* love it! This thing is super fast now, pretty amazing really. I also somewhat have my homescreens the way that I want them as well. Only questions to everyone now is what do you all run? What are your must have and go to applications? Like the best of the best kind of thing.
BTW Sulphur, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad to hear it and no problem. My must have's are Launcher Pro, Root Explorer, xda app, and silly as it sound, beautiful widgets. I dunno. Taste has no template.

CM7. Worth it?

I have had my cappy since release and have been flashing roms since. I'm some what of a techie so I have had no issue with the process and feel comfortable flashing CM7, but is it worth it. Should I wait or indulge myself? Thanks for the input.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

Personally I think you should go ahead and try it. It's by far the best rom I have ever ran and don't plan to go back to other roms for a long time if at all. It just runs so smoothly and just has an overall good feel to it. As far as everything is working for me it is very stable and usable no real issues that matter after the most recent update so I absolutely love it

It's worth it to try it. Just try it and see if it fits your tastes.
And if you don't like it, it's worth it to flash back to stock
I tried it and liked it, I just know that the CM7 team is going to be pushing out bigger and better things... It's just a matter of when. So for now, I'm sticking with Cog 4.1 and a custom kernel.

Thanks for the input guys. I think I'm going to give it another week and sed what else they release then I'm going for it!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

Make sure you know what works and what doesn't and if that's important to you. I know HD video doesn't and that might be a minor/non issue to those who say CM7 is great and works flawlessly for them. You have to apply your own criteria because someone elses may be far different from yours.

Miami_Son said:
Make sure you know what works and what doesn't and if that's important to you. I know HD video doesn't and that might be a minor/non issue to those who say CM7 is great and works flawlessly for them. You have to apply your own criteria because someone elses may be far different from yours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems you have made it a personal crusade out of warning people of the inherent dangers of CM7. Anytime someone asks any questions there you are. I don't think I've heard anyone including myself say that the rom is flawless but I could make a long list of bugs from every rom that has ever been released for the Captivate. Hell, I remember when DG put out Cog based on the 10/10 leak and he was pushing updates almost every night to fix things.

Known Bugs
Front Facing-Camera (Obviously, as our Cappys don't have Front-Facing Cameras)
Polling problem on RIL (works after lock and unlock)
2G/3G toggle (works if no data connection is active)
Compass (works not at 100%)
USB sharing of external SD-Card
commands: reboot recovery, reboot download (maybe not possible to implement)
FM-Radio
TV-Out
If you're fine with the above, I actually think it's really stable for a Beta. It's up to you The process is a bit hard to do than a normal ROM though.

Roof King said:
Seems you have made it a personal crusade out of warning people of the inherent dangers of CM7. Anytime someone asks any questions there you are. I don't think I've heard anyone including myself say that the rom is flawless but I could make a long list of bugs from every rom that has ever been released for the Captivate. Hell, I remember when DG put out Cog based on the 10/10 leak and he was pushing updates almost every night to fix things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could point you to a dozen posts where users of CM7 either downplayed the issues or claimed it was running flawlessly on their Cappy. I can also point you to as many posts of people who screwed up the install or had other issues with it. Both get pretty tiresome.
This thread is no different than asking which ROM is best and should be closed just like those are. It really is a personal preference. At the least, it should have been asked in the CM7 sticky, that's what they're here for.

Roof King said:
Seems you have made it a personal crusade out of warning people of the inherent dangers of CM7. Anytime someone asks any questions there you are. I don't think I've heard anyone including myself say that the rom is flawless but I could make a long list of bugs from every rom that has ever been released for the Captivate. Hell, I remember when DG put out Cog based on the 10/10 leak and he was pushing updates almost every night to fix things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems he is on a crusader against a lot of things. The eternal pessimist
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Miami_Son said:
I could point you to a dozen posts where users of CM7 either downplayed the issues or claimed it was running flawlessly on their Cappy. I can also point you to as many posts of people who screwed up the install or had other issues with it. Both get pretty tiresome.
This thread is no different than asking which ROM is best and should be closed just like those are. It really is a personal preference. At the least, it should have been asked in the CM7 sticky, that's what they're here for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lets be fair, there have been tons of threads because someone bricked their phone flashing cognition, serendipity, etc. I have helped some that have soft bricked their phone just trying to root.
There have been hundreds of threads because of odin soft bricks.
I am on two weeks with it on my phone. the issues that exist, if you read, are all avoidable. I am not "claiming" anything other than it is more than stable enough for daily use, but it is a work in progress.
Is it worth it, yes, as long as you can read and comprehend. Treat your phone like the valuable hardware it is, and don't flash if you are unsure
Ps. Have you submitted your mod application
CM7

I'm running Juiced 1.2. I love it.

mcord11758 said:
Is it worth it, yes, as long as you can read and comprehend.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a major caveat in here, seeing how common sense is at a premium these days.
Ps. Have you submitted your mod application
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm already a mod or admin at several other sites, including a cell phone site. They all have pretty much the same rules and expectations and about the same number of users that disregard both. Mr. Clown and Zelendel do a fine job, but the users also have a responsibility to help out when possible. There are a number of stickies in this subforum specifically for certain ROMs. They were created to help reduce the clutter and keep the forum focused. This thread should have gone there along with a number of others. If people would just take a moment to think before starting a thread, this place would run a lot smoother, especially for those who view it from their devices. Just sayin'.

[Q] Captivate Custom ROM Noob!!

Hi,
I have a few questions about Custom ROMs:
1. I have a basic idea about custom ROMs, but what why are there different Kernels for the same hardware? And is one better than the other? What makes a certain Kernel, better? As I understand with custom ROMs, you don't really have a choice in choosing the kernel you run, because each ROM is built on a specific kernel - am I correct about this?
2. I am looking to put a gingerbread 2.3 ROM on my Samsung Captivate, and I am looking for a ROM which is minimalistic Android and doesn't come with, shall we say 'bloatware' - for the lack of a better word. Of course, I would be looking for something stable and optimized for performance. Any recommendations?
Thanks.

1) Different kernals do offer different features. But they are swapable. That is why the kernals are available in seperate threads in the dev section. The biggest feature that is kernal dependent is overclocking. I have never been a fan of overclocking, don't think its needed on this phone. I also have never had good luck flashing different kernals. Whenever I have tried that the ROM runs buggy, freezes, lots of FCs. While you can change the kernal at any time, I have always found best performance with the kenal the dev chose to include with their ROM. I'm sure there are a hundred people here that would disagree with that. Just like ROM choice it's a personal decision.
2)ALL the ROMs here 2.2 or 2.3 will be de-bloated. I have tried all the 2.3 ROMs, and the only thing that is consistent with them is their unstableness. I can't get more than 2 hours of use without a freeze that needs a reboot, or it rebooting on it's own. The only reason I a sticking with a 2.3 ROM is Netflix. The app works on the 2.3 ROMs, but I cannot get it to work on 2.2. If you want something stable and optimized for performance: stay on FroYo. I recommend FireFly. If you want to take the plunge to 2.3 (after you have read EVERY GB sticky twice, paying attention to the bootloader info, or you'll have an expensive paperweight) I recommend GR, Perception II, or Mosaic. Mosaic was the most stable for me, but runs the same touchwiz as froyo, so it just feels like buggy froyo. The other two run touchwiz 4 from the SGS II.

[email protected] said:
Hi,
I have a few questions about Custom ROMs:
1. I have a basic idea about custom ROMs, but what why are there different Kernels for the same hardware? And is one better than the other? What makes a certain Kernel, better? As I understand with custom ROMs, you don't really have a choice in choosing the kernel you run, because each ROM is built on a specific kernel - am I correct about this?
2. I am looking to put a gingerbread 2.3 ROM on my Samsung Captivate, and I am looking for a ROM which is minimalistic Android and doesn't come with, shall we say 'bloatware' - for the lack of a better word. Of course, I would be looking for something stable and optimized for performance. Any recommendations?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to respectfully disagree with quarlow. He is right about the the kernel swapping, and whatever kernel that comes with the ROM is gonna work and work well. The thing that distinguishes different kernels from one another is again the ability to OC and there is also BLN features and UV capabilities, so it is all user preference. HOWEVER it is the same as flashing a ROM. I have NEVER had an issue or seen a ROM get freezes or FC's because of flashing a different kernel. Not unless your are OC'ing. But it could just be my luck too (with the exception of the trident kernel which came OC'd to 1.4ghz, which was silly because if your phone can't handle that, it won't boot.. luckily mine can)
As far as the 2.3 ROMs go, again I have to disagree. I have been running CM7 for weeks without a single issue. As a matter of fact it keeps getting better. I'm not gonna talk up CM7 but I will say if that other user cannot get more than 2 hours without a freeze or having to reboot, then he is doing something wrong. I have tried Perception (beta2), and C5 RC3.. both are nice. Especially if you want a samsung ROM with all the features you are used to. CM7 is completely different built from AOSP. IMO, they are all really stable to use on a daily basis. Again, if my phone was freezing or needing a reboot every couple hours i would NOT be telling you they are stable.
All the 2.2 ROMs are sweet.. all user preference. Like the quarlow said, make sure you read the OP and re-read the instructions. Bootloaders are something you don't want to F up But, CM7 just got easier, and you don't have to flash any i9000 bootloaders.
Just my 2cents
...no offense quarlow

Coreym said:
...no offense quarlow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I take no offense, that's why I said there are probably a hundred people that will disagree with me ... the kernel game is not a game I enjoy. I have never had trouble until I had a ROM with OC enabled, and got the sleeping death, flashed a different kernel, and got freezes, general buggyness, and FCs. I ended up downgrading to the older non-oc version to avoid the sleep death, and had no problems. I have only flashed a kernel a few times before that, and because of that experience none since. Maybe my experience was a fluke ...
I have never tried CM7 because the last time I looked at the installation instructions I didn't feel I understood them well enough ... because of how different it was to the FroYo ROMs of the time (Recovery then install ... 2 steps). Looking at it now, it's not nearly as unusual after all the i9000 GB ROMs. I really have had bad stability with the i9000 GB ROMs. Not that it freezes every two hours, but after two hours of constant use it freezes, and needs a reboot, or every once in a while while listening to music the music stops and I look at my phone to see it have rebooted for no reason. All of the i9000 GB ROMs I have tried did this (some worse than others): Perception, Continuum, GR, Mosaic, Symply, subpression, etc. I've gone back to Stock eclair with a Master Clear, wiped the various caches, nothing I do seems to fix this. I have attributed it to the Beta tag that is still attached to most of the ROMs. Maybe this weekend I'll give CM7 a try.

quarlow said:
I take no offense, that's why I said there are probably a hundred people that will disagree with me ... the kernel game is not a game I enjoy. I have never had trouble until I had a ROM with OC enabled, and got the sleeping death, flashed a different kernel, and got freezes, general buggyness, and FCs. I ended up downgrading to the older non-oc version to avoid the sleep death, and had no problems. I have only flashed a kernel a few times before that, and because of that experience none since. Maybe my experience was a fluke ...
I have never tried CM7 because the last time I looked at the installation instructions I didn't feel I understood them well enough ... because of how different it was to the FroYo ROMs of the time (Recovery then install ... 2 steps). Looking at it now, it's not nearly as unusual after all the i9000 GB ROMs. I really have had bad stability with the i9000 GB ROMs. Not that it freezes every two hours, but after two hours of constant use it freezes. All of the i9000 GB ROMs I have tried did this: Perception, Continuum, GR, Mosaic, Symply, subpression, etc. I've gone back to Stock eclair with a Master Clear, wiped the various caches, nothing I do seems to fix this. I have attributed it to the Beta tag that is still attached to most of the ROMs. Maybe this weekend I'll give CM7 a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, i guess now that i look back on C5, there was some lagginess to it- but having the samsung cameras back were a bonus CM7's install is now done from froyo ROMs.. Much easier than the Odin stuff before. Don't even need a computer now

Quarlow ... I think you got a lemon..
If everything was as buggy as you make it out to be I don't think the captivate would have as much dev support as it does. Or as many flashers, If all of us are running fine on our phones and you are the only one with these huge issues that I've never even heard of (force closing from swapping out a kernel) maybe your phone has got a less than adequate component in there, inconsistent builds are a very real thing and looks like yours sucks...

studacris said:
Quarlow ... I think you got a lemon..
If everything was as buggy as you make it out to be I don't think the captivate would have as much dev support as it does. Or as many flashers, If all of us are running fine on our phones and you are the only one with these huge issues that I've never even heard of (force closing from swapping out a kernel) maybe your phone has got a less than adequate component in there, inconsistent builds are a very real thing and looks like yours sucks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I fix that? Go to att with "Bad GPS"? My GPS has been fine. I have a build 1006, had this on hold for me the day they released. Never had shutdown issue except that OC kernel I tried. My warranty is going to be up in a month, think I should try to swap before that runs out?
Sent from my Captivate running GR-12

I'd say so ... I have never had the issues you have. I have run every rom with every kernel, never once caused a force close and all the gb roms I've been on have been pretty stable 2 days without even charging let alone reboot.
Does your phone actually have ****ty gps cause if you use that excuse you're gonna have to prove it ... if however your phone for some "strange reason" doesn't boot at all you could use the "i was using kies and it never came on" excuse....
But if you have bad gps while on stock that should be enough to swap it out.

My GPS has always been fine. Longer time to get a lock than my iPhone before, but with 15 seconds it always gets a lock. Would I be better to go with random shutdown?
Sent from my Captivate running GR-12

[Q] My head is spinning - how to evaluate ROMs/kernels - wait for ICS?

First - Kudos to XDA and all of the amazing developers and contributors. I never believed in the concept of "too much of a good thing", but this place has me thinking that it might be possible.
I want fast and stable (unlike others looking for slow and unstable ). Due to the frequent releases and unimaginably long threads, I'm having trouble pinpointing the info that I need. Since the forum doesn't allow me to ask opinions, please provide guidance on how to find the data.
It does seem that there are several dependable choices and I can't go wrong by rolling the dice among them. Is that a fair statement? I only want to do this once, because I do not have the time or skills to evaluate and compare the installations.
And then there is ICS. The ROMs seem imminent. Anyone want to speculate on the ETA of a stable release? Would it make sense to wait?

I will get back to you later when I'm on my computer, reserved. ...
Sent from my I897 using xda premium

steveorg said:
First - Kudos to XDA and all of the amazing developers and contributors. I never believed in the concept of "too much of a good thing", but this place has me thinking that it might be possible.
I want fast and stable (unlike others looking for slow and unstable ). Due to the frequent releases and unimaginably long threads, I'm having trouble pinpointing the info that I need. Since the forum doesn't allow me to ask opinions, please provide guidance on how to find the data.
It does seem that there are several dependable choices and I can't go wrong by rolling the dice among them. Is that a fair statement? I only want to do this once, because I do not have the time or skills to evaluate and compare the installations.
And then there is ICS. The ROMs seem imminent. Anyone want to speculate on the ETA of a stable release? Would it make sense to wait?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on your needs, and what you're running now. There are some very good/stable GB releases, I personally like Mosaic 8 the most. Apex 10.1 is also very good. For something a little different, Miui is also very good. I suffer from somewhat poor battery life on Miui in comparison to Mosaic 8.
ICS is looking good, but there are some pretty major issues in the way right now, we really do need a kernel for our devices even though the i9000 works. There is no data(3g), and no Google calendar sync are the main issues for me. Obviously the dev's are working their butts off to get ICS going, and I dont like to speculate on timelines, because you just never know. Someone could crack the code today, or it could be weeks.

kangi26 said:
...I suffer from somewhat poor battery life...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for mentioning battery life. That's a factor that I hadn't considered. I guess that I should expand my question to ask what are the factors that I should consider? So far I have three:
Stability
Speed
Battery life
---
If more are suggested, I'll add them to this post as they come in.
---
when pairing up a kernel and rom they must be the same android version (eg 2.2 2.3.3 or 2.3.5) build code (kk kj ) isnt important. (thanks TRusselo)
Do not reinstall apps that previously "fixed" issues like battery life, memory issues and GPS inadequacies because they may introduce instability, which sometimes may persist after the app is uninstalled.
Flashing is quick and easy. TiBU restores, settings tweaks and home app set-up is time consuming. Accordingly, kick a few tires to help decide which ROM works best for you.

well all the gingerbread roms are "stable". ( froyo too obviously)
many things can affect speed and battery- kernel, your apps, your habbits.
if trying a froyo first before "movin on up" MUST TRY firefly 3.0 with onix kernel. battery life worth drooling over! and many themes available for it.
gingerbread, many great roms.
when it comes to kernels, lately ive been seeing alot of "highly tweaked" kernels (eg red nebula) that well, just seems like over-kill (especially without kernel source) and to a new user is kinda "head spinning" stick with something simple and close to stock to start. samurai is a good place to start, or boogs kernels...
when pairing up a kernel and rom they must be the same android version (eg 2.2 2.3.3 or 2.3.5) build code (kk kj ) isnt important.

TRusselo said:
...many things can affect speed and battery- kernel, your apps, your habbits...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume that apps that run in the background or are processor intensive will be slower and consume more power. Is there any info to determine which ROMs or kernels are better with those kind of apps?
TRusselo said:
when it comes to kernels, lately ive been seeing alot of "highly tweaked" kernels (eg red nebula) that well, just seems like over-kill (especially without kernel source) and to a new user is kinda "head spinning" stick with something simple and close to stock to start. samurai is a good place to start, or boogs kernels...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the kernel source an issue for someone that is not a developer? How?
TRusselo said:
when pairing up a kernel and rom they must be the same android version (eg 2.2 2.3.3 or 2.3.5) build code (kk kj ) isnt important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll add that to the list above. Thanks, and thanks for all of your info.

steveorg said:
I assume that apps that run in the background or are processor intensive will be slower and consume more power. Is there any info to determine which ROMs or kernels are better with those kind of apps?
Is the kernel source an issue for someone that is not a developer? How?
I'll add that to the list above. Thanks, and thanks for all of your info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most of those issues will be determined by the apps you run, not so much the kernel you run.
On Mosaic, I have very good performance with Talon, and Semaphore
Sent from a autonomous device

While going through the excellent XDA and Android Terms and Acronyms, I came across the definition for No-Wipe Package:
NO-WIPE PACKAGE: A rom update package that leaves the user's market apps intact while still performing the updates to the system files. Restoring from backup is not necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that seem like a strong reason to use a package. Does anyone know which ROMs come with a No-Wipe Package?
However, is there any advantage to clean installs through backup/restore? Can a No-Wipe Package be used when going from Froyo to Gingerbread?

No wipe packages are usually for one ROM, when some stuff has changed but not the firmware version or anything super major.
Most roms are wipe packages, titanium backup pro comes in real handy, menu> batch> restore missing apps. And walk away til its done.

steveorg said:
And then there is ICS. The ROMs seem imminent... Would it make sense to wait?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I too was wondering about this.
I'm on FireFly 3.0 and was thinking of going to Dlev 4.2.
I don't like flashing roms because it takes to long to get the phone back to my config. I prefer to flash and stick with it for some time.
Should I/we stick with a GB rom or wait for ICS?
Is there anything mind blowing in ICS that will change our world as we know it?

geeksquad2 said:
Should I/we stick with a GB rom or wait for ICS?
Is there anything mind blowing in ICS that will change our world as we know it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, too say ICS is "imminent" is just an overstatement..........if you have not done anything to oyour phone, or have little experience, ICS maybe a step too far ahead.
If you want to go straight to Gingerbread, that may more understandable.
In my OPINION, Apex 10.1 (a i9000 ROM) or Pinnacle 1.2 (a SGH-1987 ROM) are great top-of-the-line ROMs, especially because watsa includes his own ODIN packages and they are ready to go. A no-brainer for most folks. The instructions and packages are a big plus.

Now that I'm done
The upgrade was a much more painful experience than expected, but well worth the outcome.
I wanted to do it once, and I succeeded if you redefine "once" as 5 ROM flashes with full TiBU restores, settings tweaks and home app (GO Launcher) set-up. I also performed several other ROM and Kernel flashes where I just briefly checked out the look and feel and how well a few features worked. Surprisingly, basic apps such as the Market could be problematic. Even more surprisingly, the same ROM could perform differently when reflashed.
I suspect that is partly because I had a very sick cappy. Some of my problems were caused by too many app fixes that caused their own problems. One of the reasons for the multiple flashes with TiBu restores was to isolate the trouble makers while the rest of my apps were installed. In the end, I removed every app that "fixed" issues like battery life, memory issues and GPS inadequacies. Now that I know better, I think of these apps as personal bloat ware that should not be installed with any new ROM or kernel until you've had a chance to understand if you have problems requiring a fix. Sometimes, even installing and then uninstalling seems to create permanent problems.
I also learned not to be intimidated by flashing. It's an easy to understand and quick process. The key is to check out the ROM before the hard part - TiBu restores and customizing the settings.
BTW - The winner was (drum roll please ) - Illuminance 2.1.1. It has several SGSII features (new Swype is nice), seems fast, doubled my battery life and has been stable. I compared it to a friend's brand-spanking new AT&T SGS II and my reborn cappy held up. For example, the SGSII was a a bit faster on loading Google Maps, getting a fix and loading a traffic overlay, but not so much that there was a functional difference.
I actually flashed Illuminance 3 times - once just to kick the tires. I removed it once because my bloat created instability and caused the Market not to work. The only minor issue I have left is GPS optimization. The GPS works well (previously was often useless and very slow), but from reading this forum I believe it could be snappier and more accurate.
I added some of these observations to my second post on this thread.

Personally, I'd say just flash MIUI and then wait for the ICS port to become stable enough to be used as a daily driver without any major setbacks. But only because that's what I'm doing
The main attraction of MIUI is its huge degree of customization. You can customize everything from the battery icon to the framework itself without ever having to reboot your phone. You just find a theme you like and apply it.
The only downside of it is the battery life. While in use, it's the same as any other Samsung/CM7-based ROM, but it usually drains at ~5% per hour when in standby. Of course this can be kept at around ~2% an hour if you keep wifi/data/sync turned off (personal experience, ymmv).
... The more you know
Herp derp Captivate XDA Premium.

chappatti said:
Look, too say ICS is "imminent" is just an overstatement..........if you have not done anything to oyour phone, or have little experience, ICS maybe a step too far ahead.
If you want to go straight to Gingerbread, that may more understandable.
In my OPINION, Apex 10.1 (a i9000 ROM) or Pinnacle 1.2 (a SGH-1987 ROM) are great top-of-the-line ROMs, especially because watsa includes his own ODIN packages and they are ready to go. A no-brainer for most folks. The instructions and packages are a big plus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so I spent a week or so reading up, and finally this afternoon, I flashed over to Pinnacle v1.2. I noticed that there was a v1.3, but I didn't get it.
It worked like a charm! I was done in under an hour. Thanks for your advice!

i would add that if you are getting into flashing a lot of different roms, its worth getting the paid version of Titanium Backup because it can restore all of your apps and settings in one step, rather than with the free version, where you have to click "install" for each one as the batch process happens. it will literally save you hours for all of maybe $6

If you really don't want to lose anything and you're getting into flashing it might be worth your money to invest in mybackup pro ontop of titanium backup pro.
It will restore call logs, sms, mms, specific app settings (like if you use a market keyboard), plus alot more. Its definitely worth it, you can restore nearly everything between after switching roms to a new daily driver.
Flashing is a disease so don't be surprised when you get the urge to look up whats new in a couple weeks and wanna try the different ICS roms and such, make all the backup software extremely important.

geeksquad2 said:
I too was wondering about this.
I'm on FireFly 3.0 and was thinking of going to Dlev 4.2.
I don't like flashing roms because it takes to long to get the phone back to my config. I prefer to flash and stick with it for some time.
Should I/we stick with a GB rom or wait for ICS?
Is there anything mind blowing in ICS that will change our world as we know it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No...not really (on Beta 2 ics)...its just cool
I would update though.....really stable.

There is not a true beta 2 ICS for the Captivate, ytt3r hasn't done it yet.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium

b-eock said:
There is not a true beta 2 ICS for the Captivate, ytt3r hasn't done it yet.
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its the i9000 build with a custom captivate kernel....works the same as it would if it were a i897 rom.

Dude I know what it is... But there isn't a beta 2 kernel for the captivate yet...
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium