Database Develop

[Q] Do I really need a custom ROM?

So what I have done to date on my Captivate.
1. Updated to latest Froyo 2.2 using Kies
2. Loaded .NET and etc
3. Rooted using SuperOneClick. Thanks ShortFuse
4. Titanium Backup. Thanks Joel
5. Android Central Sideload Wonder Machine. Thanks Android Central
6. Captivate Toolbox. Thanks Bay_wolf
7. Installed wireless tether 2.0.7 Thanks harald.mue, ulfada
8 Pimped my Captivate- Thanks systoxity, nbs11, and other XDA developers.
Now I'm to the point to ROM or not to ROM. Everything is working great. Further I am hesitant about the possibility of bricking my phone. Should I go for it? What ROM to use? What program to get ROM on phone?
Many thanks in advance.

majsig said:
So what I have done to date on my Captivate.
1. Updated to latest Froyo 2.2 using Kies
2. Loaded .NET and etc
3. Rooted using SuperOneClick. Thanks ShortFuse
4. Titanium Backup. Thanks Joel
5. Android Central Sideload Wonder Machine. Thanks Android Central
6. Captivate Toolbox. Thanks Bay_wolf
7. Installed wireless tether 2.0.7 Thanks harald.mue, ulfada
8 Pimped my Captivate- Thanks systoxity, nbs11, and other XDA developers.
Now I'm to the point to ROM or not to ROM. Everything is working great. Further I am hesitant about the possibility of bricking my phone. Should I go for it? What ROM to use? What program to get ROM on phone?
Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This isn't development...

majsig said:
So what I have done to date on my Captivate.
1. Updated to latest Froyo 2.2 using Kies
2. Loaded .NET and etc
3. Rooted using SuperOneClick. Thanks ShortFuse
4. Titanium Backup. Thanks Joel
5. Android Central Sideload Wonder Machine. Thanks Android Central
6. Captivate Toolbox. Thanks Bay_wolf
7. Installed wireless tether 2.0.7 Thanks harald.mue, ulfada
8 Pimped my Captivate- Thanks systoxity, nbs11, and other XDA developers.
Now I'm to the point to ROM or not to ROM. Everything is working great. Further I am hesitant about the possibility of bricking my phone. Should I go for it? What ROM to use? What program to get ROM on phone?
Many thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really just comes down to if you like your Captivate the way it is. If you aren't happy with the performance you get from it then try a few out. I recommend Cognition for a stock like experience and Serendipity for the most stable and kept up to date ROM.

This really doesn't belong in this section. It should have been posted in the General or the Q&A sections.
Well what you have done in all those steps, other then Titbu is actually done in one step by flashing a rom.
If you pay attention to the steps your risk of bricking is minimal. Just read all the rom threads and see which one floats your boat. Cognition 4.1.1 is a very stable rom. Firefly is another stable rom. You might like Fusion also as that and Cog are based off the curren kcb1 release from att.
You will need odin 1 click to return to stock. You will have to download Rom Manager and install Clockwork recovery. That puts an update.zip on your phone that boots you into recovery mode so you can flash a rom. Once you put clockwork on the phone its best to copy the udate.zip to your comp or to an ext sd card so you can just move it over after you flash back to stock when you updated roms.
First and foremost is read as much as you can before doing anything.

Thanks for the brief input. It was not my intent to post in the wrong forum. I'll repost in the Q/A.

Pm a mod and have them move it instead of double posting.

sparker366 said:
Well what you have done in all those steps, other then Tibu is actually done in one step by flashing a rom.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
10 char

The answer is Yes.

like they said above you could have done by flashing but you would still need root and rom manager first which if you already have 2.2 means flashing a kernel via .tar which used to mean odin but now we have neldars app. so it's not really one step, even on 2.1 noone is doing signed .zips that run in 2e recovery so you still need to root and install cwmrecovery.
basically roms have some nice features like getting rid of tw mms which many versions of have bugs and timing errors that can cause double messages or incorrect order of messages or in some cases messages to the wrong contact, if you dont have that issue now flashing a rom with tw mms may cause it or it may not. aosp mms is safer but only works with samsung lockscreens on some roms, watch for that if you like the puzzle piece functionality. but there may be many enhancements like removed bloat(unless you like the samsung bloatware) minfree tweeks, mobile ap which may be more stable than using an app for wifi hotspot, plus random shortcuts ect.ect. many of these things you can do but some are features of the base rom and require flashing, 2.2.1 baseroms are smoth as butter, especially the ones from china and 2.2.1 kernels will make the phone benchmark better.
then there is kernels which you can flash now without the rom, kernels can make the phone feel smoother and the screen brighter and better colors and add volume to the headphone amp which i dont recommend because mine clips at anything above the stock setting. also there is undervolt and overclock ect... i would recomend maybe a speedmod kernel or glitterballs work, some galaxy s phones can not exceed 1.2 ghz i dont know of anyone that cant overclock but for me 1.2 is 100% stable 1.28 is 90% stable 1.3 is about the same maybe a bit more stable and 1.4 is about 30% stable i can do it but need to be really carefull about what's running and for how long, not really usable. kernels other than glitterballs mat cause your phone to die while charging but i here the sucker punch kernel has a lower occurrence of that than past kernels. speed mod is not overclock and is safe and makes a big difference!
then there is modem.bins and gps. the two are related. if you have good gps now flashing a modem.bin can make that go away and vise/versa there isn't any rules as to what works/doesn't because every phone is different. but other than gps you need to match a captivate rom to a captivate modem. this is because on north american captivate roms changing the modem and kernel to a non captivate version will disable bluetooth calling.
then there is hsupa, it's a bit over rated in a good service area, my isp gives me about the upload bandwith at home that i get without hsupa, my home internet is fine for browsing but im not hosting any files. on the otherhand it may help in lower service areas somewhat or if you tether multiple devices. to enable huspa you need a non north american captivate rom and kernel and modem.bin, you need to decide if that is important and at a slight risk of losing some gps performance as it is so inconsistent it is hard to tell what may or may not work for you.

Moved to Q&A as not android development

I love di11igaffs roms and espyel roms they are better than stock froyo hands down id flash u wont be sorry
sent from cappy with di11i rom

[Q] is there a gingerbread that works well with bell?

I'm looking for a gingerbread install for a bell I9000-m basically just need to make sure that the swype keyboard is fairly decent or similar to the bell one and whichever replacement is found here.
Im guessing I'll need a link to a stock modem driver but I've never done this before with much success besides just kindof bumbeling through a bit.
Let me know anything that could help in my quest here.
I would like to find some links to a good set of files for this update. I've read at many places that for bell you must ask for specific files for this task as it must be more complicated for the bell setup for some reason.
Even a Nexus S firmware if port-able to this device would be fine.

chamunks said:
I'm looking for a gingerbread install for a bell I9000-m basically just need to make sure that the swype keyboard is fairly decent or similar to the bell one and whichever replacement is found here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any firmware for the i9000 works on the i9000m. There are plenty of threads in the development section with gb roms. Just download the KC1 modem for either Odin or CWM and flash that - I won't get into details, there are a bazillion threads discussing how to do this properly on the i9000m
chamunks said:
Let me know anything that could help in my quest here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=656&nojs=1#goto_forumsearch
chamunks said:
I would like to find some links to a good set of files for this update. I've read at many places that for bell you must ask for specific files for this task as it must be more complicated for the bell setup for some reason.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to stop reading whatever forums you're reading, and stick to this one. There are no specific files, and it is no more complicated than any other i9000.
chamunks said:
Even a Nexus S firmware if port-able to this device would be fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then use Cyanogenmod. Again, all of these are in the development subforum.

You mention Cyanogenmod but wouldnt that be froyo?
I didnt really mean just link me to the specific forum subgroup I was hoping for some more specific direction I realize my question wasn't that clear i suppose. Anyways I've basically just had trouble changing the firmware on this device before and I really dont want to end up bricking it with a bad firmware flash.
Basically a good starting point example link would be fantastic I will do some more research and if i manage to do this myself I will post my findings just to close the thread.

Flash JVH and then flash KC1 modem, done.

I also dont want to install a beta gingerbread release if at all avoidable and mostly a vanilla or highly reccomended third party custom would be fine too.

JVH is official release in parts of Europe. I'm with Bell, running JVH with KC1 modem since its release and absolutely no issues.

chamunks said:
You mention Cyanogenmod but wouldnt that be froyo?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, CM7 is 2.3.4 which is Gingerbread. Cyanogenmod 6 (which was froyo afaik) never really came to be on the i9000.
chamunks said:
I didnt really mean just link me to the specific forum subgroup I was hoping for some more specific direction I realize my question wasn't that clear i suppose. Anyways I've basically just had trouble changing the firmware on this device before and I really dont want to end up bricking it with a bad firmware flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There isn't really anything specific for the i9000m. Really, its just a matter of picking a rom and following the flashing instructions. If you're flashing a stock release (like JVH lets say), use Odin, flash the tarball with update bootloader checked and once thats done, flash an appropriate modem for Bell (for 850mhz), like KC1 that I find works very well.
If you're flashing a cooked rom, like those in the development subforum, then you'd flash something like JVH, flash an appropriate kernel with clockworkmod (I prefer speedmod, but there are others), then you'd install the cooked rom through cwm recovery.
chamunks said:
Basically a good starting point example link would be fantastic I will do some more research and if i manage to do this myself I will post my findings just to close the thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1011901
That thread should have all the information you need on flashing JVH along with screenshots and links to the roms.
chamunks said:
I also dont want to install a beta gingerbread release if at all avoidable and mostly a vanilla or highly reccomended third party custom would be fine too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As others have said, JVH is an official release for a lot of European carriers. It will work fine on the i9000m. I was running JVH + KC1 Modem for a while before switching to the latest Cyanogenmod nightly (which works absolutely fantastic now).
If you're looking for an official Bell Gingerbread release.... you'll just have to keep waiting. Bell is slower than the second coming. Just keep a full KC1 or JL2 (with bootloaders) around so you can flash back to stock if you need be.

Also, you said you had trouble flashing before. I'd suggest following that link in my post above, and if you get stuck, come back and we can step you through.
And finally, you really can't brick you phone as long as you are able to access download mode and 3 button recovery. Absolutely make sure you can access these two modes before flashing anything.

I have actually had issues getting into recovery mode sometimes but not usually, but have no problem entering download mode. I think at one point I wound up with upload mode... which doesent seem to be documented... But dont quote me on that one as it was a while ago (after searching high and low on my NAS I cant find the photo i took sorry). I have actually had to send this phone off to bell to get them to fix it twice now.
Once due to my inability to do this properly without making a forum post asking these question and another due to a bad Kies update sending my phone into a boot loop.
So you say Cyanogen nightly works well im thinking I might give that a shot as im sure there are good reasons why you would want to use cyanogen over another release. Im just hoping for no weird Telco specific crap on my phone unless its Bell specific if i must have even that.
Would I go into the ROM list thread for the cyanogenmod nightly? http://goo.gl/IBbEm
Which leads me to this? http://goo.gl/b5UwG
or is there a better way to obtain CM7? Also what would be a good location to try and find my modem driver (KC1)?
I'm sorry to spam questions here but one final one. Would there be a good boot loader that I should strive for, if any?

SaneinOne said:
JVH is official release in parts of Europe. I'm with Bell, running JVH with KC1 modem since its release and absolutely no issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am running the above now. I was on Darky 9.5, then upgraded yesterday to Ficeto JVB, Dark Core 2.2 and Darky's v10 RC6. Then flashed Dark Core 2.3.
I then flashed KC1 modem this morning.
Running great and loving the rom so far.. its a base rom, so not a lot of features in it but at least i can customize it to how i like it so far.

I've downloaded this file I9000UGKC1 ## 512.PIT 2.2 2011 March from samfirmwares I'm hoping it works out well for giving me the modem driver.
And
Gingerbread 2.3.3: XWJVH from http://goo.gl/AEYzr to get a gingerbread release with a boot loader.
I will now look for a copy of odin hopefully it doesn't matter which version I get but I've noticed there is allot of fuzz when it comes to odin versions or even where to obtain it even. I want to obtain it from a legitimate source but it seems as though there is no specific location as to where to get it.
At some point I would like to try Cyanogen as everyone holds it in rather high regard though I'm not really sure what the benefits would be.

Some roms on here come with odin. You can also get it from samfirmware. The development thread is where you will find all information for each release. There's a few sources for cwm flashable modems. Odin isn't bad at all, it can be a little finicky with win 7 64 bit for some people but I have had no problems with it at all. Good luck and hope you find a rom that suits you.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

shadoslayer said:
There isn't really anything specific for the i9000m. Really, its just a matter of picking a rom and following the flashing instructions. If you're flashing a stock release (like JVH lets say), use Odin, flash the tarball with update bootloader checked and once thats done, flash an appropriate modem for Bell (for 850mhz), like KC1 that I find works very well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you see much of a difference with the KC1 modem? Im running the JVO modem and it works fine for me usually have 3-4 bar connection, 3G tends to run quite often and get a 1Mbps down and 2 Mbps up connection, only thing I notice is that it runs on the 1900 band mostly
Any benefits to switching to KC1? Battery savings?

Do you see much of a difference with the KC1 modem? Im running the JVO modem and it works fine for me usually have 3-4 bar connection, 3G tends to run quite often and get a 1Mbps down and 2 Mbps up connection, only thing I notice is that it runs on the 1900 band mostly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Turns out the
PDA: XWJVH
MODEM: XXJVO
CSC: NEEJV3 or XEEJV3 (Only difference between NEE and XEE is the CSC code)
Build Date: Wed May 4 18:03:59 KST 2011
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seems to work fine with working modem from http://goo.gl/02b7S
BUT
there is no OpenVpn OR SIP and those are the two things that I really wanted out of gingerbread.

I personally found JL2 better than KC1. I get up to 5mb/s down and 3mb/s up.
About cyanogen, you gotta try it to see . I didn't believe the difference would be noticeable either...
If you want modems for cm7, click the JL2 modem link in my sig, there's a post full of them.
For modems for other roms, look over there : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=876391
And just like everyone else said, you can flash i9000 roms on i9000m without any problems - in fact even flashing a different modem isn't necessary, depending on your provider, it's just better.

those are features commonly found within the custom roms for jvh

Thanks for this thread. Provided the modem for me to get this working properly.

If I were you I would stick with a Daryky rom. his 10 finaly is a little slow and glitchy at times so I recommend 10 RC6. it's a stock jvh rom with his tweeks. Cyanogen is basically vanilla rom. it's so fast (the best i've flashed so far) but it's missing swype, like you stated you wanted that. I tried getting the beta swype but it didn't work. anyways i'm actually liking the gingerbread keyboard haha. so ya, if you need swype stick with darky rom, if your looking to try an amazing rom try cyanogen.

The swype beta installed without any problems for me on cm7...
The only thing is I speak french, so either I get the english keyboard, or I get the "France" french one... which is AZERTY... u_U

spectre85 said:
If I were you I would stick with a Daryky rom. his 10 finaly is a little slow and glitchy at times so I recommend 10 RC6. it's a stock jvh rom with his tweeks. Cyanogen is basically vanilla rom. it's so fast (the best i've flashed so far) but it's missing swype, like you stated you wanted that. I tried getting the beta swype but it didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used Darky's rom for a looong time before switching to something else. I really didn't like the theme (at the time), and I found roms that seemed to perform better. I also ran a deodexed JL2 that I cooked myself for a while.
You can get swipe APKs from just about any custom rom out there, just pull the apk out of the .zip and install it. Or, I just signed up for swipe beta and installed it - works great.
Anyway, I guess the bottom line is that there are so many options available, and so many fantastic cooked roms available in the development thread, that trying them and finding one you really like is the only way to go.

Couple of ROM questions

Hello, SGS newbie here (phone not actually arrived yet, will be here Monday).
I think the phone looks amazing, only thing I'm not mad on is the iPhone look and feel Samsung have gone for with the home screens, so I'm thinking of either customising it or putting a different ROM on the device. Cyanogen, Darky's and MIUI are the ones I've read about the most.
What is Darky's? Is it more or less a stock Android with LauncherPro, or is it more than that?
Edit: also wondering - is the Samsung Gingerbread ROM worth trying, does it solve some of the performance problems of earlier versions?

Everything is worth trying! If you want to skip the usual newbie routine, then jump straight ahead to an AOSP ROM like CM7 or MIUI... You won't regret it.

Try Tweaky's AOSP
click on my signature to check out Tweaky's AOSP rom - a slim and quick Nexus S (purer Android) look-a-like rom
oh....and I expect your phone will come with GB installed any way...if not, depending on your supplier, Kies may offer you the firmware upgrade when you install it, and despite some reports (in my opinion) it represents a big improvement over 2.2 Froyo.
All the new custom roms are based on 2.3.3 gingerbread any way

Also pretty newbified here, but is it possible to get GB simply on a kernel flash and stay on stock rom, or will i have to flash a custom rom to do this. I have froyo 2.2 but speedmods kernel - pretty happy but would like to try out GB.

wangchung_sucks said:
Also pretty newbified here, but is it possible to get GB simply on a kernel flash and stay on stock rom, or will i have to flash a custom rom to do this. I have froyo 2.2 but speedmods kernel - pretty happy but would like to try out GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just flash the JVH gingerbread with bootloaders.
STOCK.

wangchung_sucks said:
Also pretty newbified here, but is it possible to get GB simply on a kernel flash and stay on stock rom, or will i have to flash a custom rom to do this. I have froyo 2.2 but speedmods kernel - pretty happy but would like to try out GB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Navigate to Ramad's stock rom thread, choice of stock 2.3.3 rom there, both odexed and deodexed

Cm7 is pretty much same as nexus s rom with lots of additions( theme manager,dsp,cyanogenmod settings,etc). You can also try sammy gb roms if you wish( flash with odin,there is guides about it just google) but you have to downgrade the bootloaders before you go back to cm7 ( I bet you will)

Thanks for the info folks. I guess I'll stay on the stock rom at least for a few weeks and get used to it although I reckon I'll use launcherpro with it as I don't like the samsung launcher.
Vivasanti said:
JVH
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's something else I meant to ask, what are these three letter codes I see around - are they version numbers for the Samsung roms?

That's something else I meant to ask, what are these three letter codes I see around - are they version numbers for the Samsung roms?[/QUOTE]
ABC ABD ABG versions of firmware build 2.2.1 version ABC followed by ABD etc
samfirmware.com for build list ..
jje

New to captivate

I just got a captivate last night and i have unlocked and and rooted it
it has a firmware of 2.1 - update 1
idk if thats the most recent update
i was told i can not update the phone with a t-mobile sim card in it so can anyone post a thread on updated versions and what do you all think is the best rom?
THANKS

There is no "best" rom. It's what's "best" for you. Read the forums and learn to flash 2.2 roms first.
I must warn you, flashing becomes very addictive.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Yea i know i have a sidekick 4g and ive tried about every rom on it
thanks for the info though

Tyler0309 said:
Yea i know i have a sidekick 4g and ive tried about every rom on it
thanks for the info though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend trying MIUI, the customization is what puts it over the top!
Here are a few different versions of MIUI:
Galnet**What I prefer**
http://www.galnetmiui.co.uk/twooey/v3/Twooey-V3-i897.zip
Prototypes release
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1066885
MIUI.us
http://roms.miui.us/1.8.12/MIUI.us_captivatemtd_1.8.12_Eng_Deo_ZipA_Signed.zip

Ok ill give it a try..do i have to update to a different version> im running 2.1 right now

Tyler0309 said:
Ok ill give it a try..do i have to update to a different version> im running 2.1 right now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've not been on 2.1 since phone came out. I would use odin one click to goto 2.2 stock. Root it then install cwm and then follow this guide if your going to try Galnet's MIUI.
http://www.galnetmiui.co.uk/content/forum/guides/(guide)-i897-galaxy-s-captivate-gb-bootloaders/
Then just pop the MIUI.zip on root of sdcard and install from CWM.

Tyler0309 said:
I just got a captivate last night and i have unlocked and and rooted it
it has a firmware of 2.1 - update 1
idk if thats the most recent update
i was told i can not update the phone with a t-mobile sim card in it so can anyone post a thread on updated versions and what do you all think is the best rom?
THANKS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow... so... You should probably READ a lot more before flashing anything, but I'll give you a few hints to get you going:
1) Make sure you understand what a "PBL", "SBL", "Kernel", and "Modem" are and how they are placed/installed in your phone.
2) Learn how to correctly and safely use ODIN (and/or Heimdall).
3) Learn about the various methods of recovery for "soft bricks", and if necessary for your hardware revision, possibly invest in a jig (also learn what a jig is)
4) There are 2 different types/branches of ROMs for the Captivate:
-- Samsung Branch
-- AOSP Branch
Within the "Samsung" types you have:
- i9000 ROMs (like JVP, JVR, JP8, etc)
- i897 ROMs (like JF6, KF1, etc)
Within the "AOSP" types you have:
- CM7
- MIUI
- Other AOSP-based ROMs
Which is "better" is relative. CM7 and MIUI have features that aren't present in the Samsung ROMs, and both offer a bit more customization than the Samsung ROMs. However, only the Samsung ROMs offer GPU accelerated video playback, and they tend to have significantly better battery life than the AOSP-type ROMs. Also the Samsung-type ROMs used to be much more stable than the AOSP branches, but recently, the tide may have turned in the other direction. Some of the low-level radio settings are also unavailable in any of the AOSP builds. And finally, some of the Samsung stock camera features are unavailable in CM7/MIUI.
It really all depends what you want... Do you want closer to stock "open source" Android? Or do you want Samsung's vision of what they think Android should be?
Also, the whole kernel/modem part is dependent on what branch of ROM you plan on running. When using a i9000-Samsung ROM, you pretty much have to use an i9000 kernel and modem. When using a i897-Samsung ROM, you pretty much have to use an i897 kernel and modem. The rules for CM7/MIUI are a bit more vague, but at the very least you'll need to use a CM7/MIUI (most AOSP-type kernels are interchangeable) compatible kernel.
The best advice is really to try them all out and see what you like the most. If you're currently on stock 2.1 (which it sounds like you are), at the very least you should upgrade to some variant of Gingerbread (2.3.4 preferably). You will definitely notice a big difference in terms of speed and functionality. From there, well, it's all really up to you...
OR alternatively, just start throwing stuff on your phone and see what happens. Just PLEASE don't come crying back in the Captivate General forum with a "OMG I bricked my phone!!! Plz help!!!" thread. Fair warning...

Just a suggestion, but become familiar with Odin one click. Make sure your captivate has 3 button recovery, and read, re- read, and read again the directions of every rom before you flash it. Always make a nandroid back up if possible, and read the threads.if you have questions, so did someone else and the answer is probably already out there .use search. Some People will rip your head off if you don't. as far as miui goes .....i was a flashaholic when I got phone. After switching to miui, It is very unlikely that I will ever leave. Best rom ever imho. And it updates every Friday so that satisfied the flashing urge. Usually it gets better with each release. The last couple have been a little rough though. Might want to spend the 8 bucks and have a download jig on standby. Can get it from mobiltech videos. Its worth it though
Sent from my I897 using XDA Premium App

Shammyh said:
Wow... so... You should probably READ a lot more before flashing anything, but I'll give you a few hints to get you going:
1) Make sure you understand what a "PBL", "SBL", "Kernel", and "Modem" are and how the are placed/installed in your phone.
2) Learn how to correctly and safely use ODIN (and/or Heimdall).
3) Learn about the various methods of recovery for "soft bricks", and if necessary for your hardware revision, possibly invest in a jig (also learn what a jig is)
4) There are 2 different types/branches of ROMs for the Captivate:
-- Samsung Branch
-- AOSP Branch
Within the "Samsung" types you have:
- i9000 ROMs (like JVP, JVR, JP8, etc)
- i897 ROMs (like JF6, KF1, etc)
Within the "AOSP" types you have:
- CM7
- MIUI
- Other AOSP-based ROMs
Which is "better" is relative. CM7 and MIUI have features that aren't present in the Samsung ROMs, and both offer a bit more customization than the Samsung ROMs. However, only the Samsung ROMs offer GPU accelerated video playback, and they tend to have significantly better battery life than the AOSP-type ROMs. Also the Samsung-type ROMs used to be much more stable than the AOSP branches, but recently, the tide may have turned in the other direction. Some of the low-level radio settings are also unavailable in any of the AOSP builds. And finally, some of the Samsung stock camera features are unavailable in CM7/MIUI.
It really all depends what you want... Do you want closer to stock "open source" Android? Or do you want Samsung's vision of what they think Android should be?
Also, the whole kernel/modem part is dependent on what branch of ROM you plan on running. When using a i9000-Samsung ROM, you pretty much have to use an i9000 kernel and modem. When using a i897-Samsung ROM, you pretty much have to use an i897 kernel and modem. The rules for CM7/MIUI are a bit more vague, but at the very least you'll need to use a CM7/MIUI (most AOSP-type kernels are interchangeable) compatible kernel.
The best advice is really to try them all out and see what you like the most. If you're currently on stock 2.1 (which it sounds like you are), at the very least you should upgrade to some variant of Gingerbread (2.3.4 preferably). You will definitely notice a big difference in terms of speed and functionality. From there, well, it's all really up to you...
OR alternatively, just start throwing stuff on your phone and see what happens. Just PLEASE don't come crying back in the Captivate General forum with a "OMG I bricked my phone!!! Plz help!!!" thread. Fair warning...
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Well said.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA Premium App

Tyler0309 said:
I just got a captivate last night and i have unlocked and and rooted it
it has a firmware of 2.1 - update 1
idk if thats the most recent update
i was told i can not update the phone with a t-mobile sim card in it so can anyone post a thread on updated versions and what do you all think is the best rom?
THANKS
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a very simple and easy way to start with...
2.1 is eclair..
2.2 froyo
2.3 gingerbread..
means 2.1 is oldest and 2.3 is latest in case of official roms..
so obviously new version will hav more features and faster in speed...
so now u can take baby step and install 2.2 ..and use it for few days..and get the feel of it..then again after sometime u can install 2.3...
or else u can directly jump to 2.3....which is gingerbread....u can install stock kf1 on ur phone..its leaked official gb...if u search a bit..u will get it..
then u can use it for a lil while and get the feel of gb stock rom..in the meanwhile u can read xda abt available custom roms..and then install any of them...
coz every memeber here in xda will suggest the custom rom they r using..coz they r lovin the rom then only they r using....like for me..since the time i started flashin..i always used APEX ROM..so i will say its the best....
but again thats just me..
so decision is always urs...

[Q] Can I get back to 2.2.? from 2.3.3?

So, I am thinking about putting custom ROM to my SGS i9000. Its currently with Android version 2.3.3.
I've been reading through this forum and most of custom ROMs are for Froyo? I mean many of instructions say that you have to be on Froyo if you want to use this ROM.
My question is must I get back to Froyo somehow or is it possible to put custom ROM for my current Android version?
Sorry about my noobishm. And I hope my english is good enough for you to understand.
Many thanks
-Jani

Check out the link in my signature.

Wrong, most of the custom roms are based on gingerbread. Stay as you are mate more excitement to come
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA Premium App

You can always switch between 2.2. and 2.3.x. The only thing you need to pay attention to is that you need to flash the proper bootloader.
Flashing a bootloader is risky insofar as if the bootloader is not flashed properly, your device is thoroughly bricked and can only be revived by Samsung (or someone with the proper hardware). Furthermore with Froyo you may erroneously flash a locked bootloader which would make you stuck with that one ROM for the rest of your device's life, so make sure you only flash unlocked ones.
This said, there are actually few ROMs out there that still rely on Froyo (Insanity comes to my mind as an example). So you probably won't need flash Froyo just because of custom ROMs. Simply follow DonVito2020's link and choose a Gingerbread one.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1221298&page=2
Look at the fifth comment. Nice instruction, but is it safe one?
I'm gonna try it if it is.

Erakko said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1221298&page=2
Look at the fifth comment. Nice instruction, but is it safe one?
I'm gonna try it if it is.
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It looks like a good how-to. Whether it is safe or not I cannot tell without looking into the files, however since the post links to Gingerbread ROMS, not Froyo ROMs, it is most certainly safe, as far as the bootloader is concerned (at least I have never heard of locked Gingerbread bootloaders for the Galaxy S).
Though since you are already on stock Gingerbread, take a look under at the Baseband Version under Settings - About Phone. The last three letters will tell you which release of Gingerbread you have. In my case the baseband is I9000XXJVR, so I have JVR.
If you already have JVQ or JVP, you can flash the kernel and then Darky's Rom directly. Just don't forget to backup everything.