Database Develop

when can we expect custom ROM's ???

guys, i cant wait to install custom ROM on my tattoo. i hardly congratulate those who worked really hard in getting this tattoo rooted...
but whats the real use when we cant play with this little device without exploiting it fully .....
sorry if i am humiliating all those who are actively involved in the development, but i am little more curious like rest of us. hence i am asking this question here....
roughly how long it will take to produce custom ROM after rooting a device ???

Expect an average development time between two days and one year but it might differ plus/minus 20%...
I understand your impatience but asking things that are already written elsewhere because the truth is reluctantly to believe ("nobody knows how long it will take") doesn't speed up anything! We don't write "We don't know" because we think it is funny to know more then the rest...
-bm-

Could you tell us what is needed for a custom rom? I'm new in android hacking, or mobile hacking in general. All I know is that for WinMo devices you'll need a hardSPL, application unlock and a RUU.
I think there will be less questions if we know what we're waiting for. Time is, at least for me, not really a question since there are numerous wonderful developers here and we all follow progress in the other threads.
For the tattoo we now have root access and r/w access to the file system. What else is needed? A new boot loader, a flash utility, kitchen?
I tried to find it elsewhere in the forum but information is scarce and/or scattered so it's quite hard to find out what is going on. Most information I found are howto's, but what we actually want here in this stage of development are whyto's .
Please, enlighten us

manuvaidya said:
guys, i cant wait to install custom ROM on my tattoo. i hardly congratulate those who worked really hard in getting this tattoo rooted...
but whats the real use when we cant play with this little device without exploiting it fully .....
sorry if i am humiliating all those who are actively involved in the development, but i am little more curious like rest of us. hence i am asking this question here....
roughly how long it will take to produce custom ROM after rooting a device ???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
NOT LONG....
1 month atmost... i have a good friend in ahmgsk and he just needs a buzz
and he complile what ever we needed for running the rom !
and if he do this ill maybe donate him me own tattoo donate ...naa ill post a pack for the dude with the tattoo. i guess..witch me self had for free by the way ..with the wish of me rooting it ... someone else did it .. HECK..
to late ..
THX Marsdroid

To easily flash ROMs, we'd need a S-OFF Bootloader and also a custom recovery that enables us to actually flash the ROM to the phone.
However, since HTC tried to play 'god' with our Tattoo/Click and bar off any root exploits or custom ROMs, it's tricky. We've had to play around with root, and now we've got the system partition writable, soon we can get flash_image to work.
Myself, I expect to cook a community ROM (CoburnROM 360) when we've got all the tools in place.
Online kitchen/automated tools like the Relentless Rom Roaster is a plus, but not a essential item to have on your arsenal. Real Devs use Linux and the command line!
Now, it's just a matter of playing the wait game. Dream about all the customizations in a ROM you'd like, and when the day has come (it most likely happen in the near future! ), we can plop the update.zip on the MicroSD, reboot into (custom) recovery and let the fun begin.

This is exactly the reason why I'm holding off with making root permanent on mt phone. I'll wait till everything becomes stable and more can be done with root, i.e. installing custom ROMs.

sheik_yerbouti said:
This is exactly the reason why I'm holding off with making root permanent on mt phone. I'll wait till everything becomes stable and more can be done with root, i.e. installing custom ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good idea. Mine at the moment is temp root, I jsut run the exploit and do the export commands to get a shell, instead of hardwriting su in my Tattoo.

is the custom ROM ready ??? i want to test it on my tattoo simultaneously i wanna root it at that time itself... so if you succeed in preparing cooked ROM, pls post it here for testing.
i will test it for you.... cant wait for its release... keeping my fingers crossed coburn.....

manuvaidya said:
is the custom ROM ready ??? i want to test it on my tattoo simultaneously i wanna root it at that time itself... so if you succeed in preparing cooked ROM, pls post it here for testing.
i will test it for you.... cant wait for its release... keeping my fingers crossed coburn.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The more you refuse to spend even 3 or 4 minutes to read through the forum, the longer you will have to wait for a custom ROM because you are stealing our time to develop one because we have to answer senseless posts. This time I won't post the link you are looking for because it will take you around 10 seconds to find Coburn64's thread - its just one view!
-bm-

@bm, there is no link for downloading a custom ROM buddy, i saw coburn's thread..... but there is no mention of when we can expect custom ROM.....
anyway, i thought you might be knowing the approximate date.... ok, i will wait till you receive.... dont waste your time.... carry on with your good work. i appreciate your contribution towards this project..... keep up the good work bro...

Seek and ye will find gold

[Q] Where do i start?

Hi i've been using the x8 for 2 months now running on GingerDX v009.. I've learned many things from this community.. and i wanna learn more..
For starters.. How do i build a ROM? using ROM kitchen? if yes which one is compatible with our X8? Will i need extensive knowledge in linux or in programming?

With the ROM kitchen you don't actually build a ROM, you just give it some features (I've tried it). If you know anything about coding and stuff like that, I've been told that the android developers site is a good start. I'm a beginner myself. So far I've made only an icon pack apk LOL

Chris95X8 said:
With the ROM kitchen you don't actually build a ROM, you just give it some features (I've tried it). If you know anything about coding and stuff like that, I've been told that the android developers site is a good start. I'm a beginner myself. So far I've made only an icon pack apk LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL
I want to start too. Can you or any other give me an "How to start guide for NOOBS" for me? I'm really noob in this xD

Before you start developing, you should know how Android works. As I said before, you will find everything you need in the Android Developers site. And..c'mon! You can't start making ROMs when you haven't even made a simple app yet!

I want to start developing apps, and after that developing some modifications to existing apps and system files. When i know how to do that i can simply make a rom because i know how to compile roms on kitchen
Sent from my X8 using XDA App

Anybody knows any Dev Guide like the one in Android Developers, but in Portuguese?
It's better for me to understand. I can read and understand in English but is more dificult for me :S

RockitOut11 said:
Anybody knows any Dev Guide like the one in Android Developers, but in Portuguese?
It's better for me to understand. I can read and understand in English but is more dificult for me :S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a look at this.
I don't know if this is good, because I didn't read it all... but I think it may help you
http://www.slideshare.net/jorgecardoso/introduo-programao-para-android
(this link is in portuguese, so don't bother going there if you don't understand)

Online tutorials might help you... There are a lot of them out there... Choose the one which you feel is better... I'm also on the same boat as you..
I personally prefer "thenewbiston" channel.. There you can find tutorials for android application development as well as java(which is very important for app development)..
Then you can move onto cooking roms...
All the best....

adiles said:
Online tutorials might help you... There are a lot of them out there... Choose the one which you feel is better... I'm also on the same boat as you..
I personally prefer "thenewbiston" channel.. There you can find tutorials for android application development as well as java(which is very important for app development)..
Then you can move onto cooking roms...
All the best....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you, the "thenewboston" channel is great, it's so much easy to learn with his toturials!
i will now start developing some little things, just for fun

[Q] Rom Cooking .

Okay So Basically I Just Started Working With The Rom Kitchen Can Someone Give Me Some Pointers On How To Get A Specific Rom Booting or Anything Else I Need To Know ?

Man do yourself a favor a READ and search for awhile.... all you ever do is ask for handouts. Development is not easy. Its not just a matter of asking questions. You had 134 views of this page before I responded. That's 134 people that didn't wanna help you... if that doesn't say anything I dont know what will.
self proclaimed XDA resident prick

Jurellz said:
Okay So Basically I Just Started Working With The Rom Kitchen Can Someone Give Me Some Pointers On How To Get A Specific Rom Booting or Anything Else I Need To Know ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no specific guide to porting, developing, etc. As Matt said, read. And lots of it. I personally started by playing with aosp and CM source, but you currently cannot due to kernel.org being down, but you can go to my signature and read my thread on compiling aosp gingerbread on Ubuntu. It will help you understand how some things work. Try taking apart a ROM and learn the layout of the files and read up on what different folders and files are. The rest is really just trial and error. I started with no experience at all. Hell I still don't know any coding languages, but that's why I'm in college.

dastin1015 said:
There is no specific guide to porting, developing, etc. As Matt said, read. And lots of it. I personally started by playing with aosp and CM source, but you currently cannot due to kernel.org being down, but you can go to my signature and read my thread on compiling aosp gingerbread on Ubuntu. It will help you understand how some things work. Try taking apart a ROM and learn the layout of the files and read up on what different folders and files are. The rest is really just trial and error. I started with no experience at all. Hell I still don't know any coding languages, but that's why I'm in college.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the positive feedback!

Development resources?

I am looking to learn to develop for this phone. After so many people have left we are in desperate need.
I have experience coding on PC and light experience on WINMO 6....
I am reaching out to the community for resources on how to learn to develop for the Vivid. Any Direction will be appreciated.

I would also be willing to learn to develop for this phone. I'm a computer science student at MIT and have coding experience, but have not done anything related to Android so I'm not sure where to begin.

Kraizk said:
I am looking to learn to develop for this phone. After so many people have left we are in desperate need.
I have experience coding on PC and light experience on WINMO 6....
I am reaching out to the community for resources on how to learn to develop for the Vivid. Any Direction will be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try this kitchen. It kind of works if you start from custom Rom as base.
At least gives you idea of what you have to do. You can than develop more depending on how good ur Unix or scripting skil are
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=633246
Sent from my HTC Raider X710e using XDA App

WARNING: If your HTC device is not listed below, and it does NOT use a 'YAFFS'-based filesystem (e.g. usually the mid-range and high-end devices don't use YAFFS), do not attempt to flash a ROM that you built with this kitchen. Instead, you must do the following if your device is NOT listed:
Create a file under the kitchen's /tools/edify_defs folder, with the name being the same as the value of ro.product.device (found in your device's /system/build.prop file).
See the template file in the edify_defs folder to see how to set the mount points inside the file you created. Look at the other files in that folder for examples on how to do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the Vivid is not listed as one of the compatible devices, do we need to do this? I saw the Rezound on there is why I am asking

I too am going to give it a stab. I have experience working with Cyanogenmod as well as a ton of C/C++/Unix/Scripting/Driver experience. Lets see what we can make.

I used it and there is nothing device specific stuff that should matter
Sent from my HTC Raider X710e using XDA App

No dont grab some one elses...incorrect....Grab the kitchen from dsixda grab an ruu run it till it opens to first screen dont install or go any further...goto search,search your c drive for rom.zip....copy this file to somewhere else on your computer and your started....
WC
zombie.raised said:
You can try this kitchen. It kind of works if you start from custom Rom as base.
At least gives you idea of what you have to do. You can than develop more depending on how good ur Unix or scripting skil are
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=633246
Sent from my HTC Raider X710e using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

I would appreciate any suggestions for resources too. I have not programmed in many years but I figure, what the hell, might as well give it a go.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk

True platform development resources are slim right now...
Read this website http://www.kandroid.org/online-pdk/guide/index.html for a decent but outdated overview of platform development and bring-up.
Check this post from Cyanogen http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=6243873
At the bare minimum do what WC said but I don't recommend you use someone else's custom ROM as your base for a multitude of reasons. If for no other reason, you'll inherit any flaws they may have unknowingly introduced and you won't understand the changes they implemented to make the improvements they made.

I'm a little rusty, but my team and I develop on the HTC Dream/Magic. I own about 6 devices right now and just gave away 3 others to a developer on my team. It's kind of funny, even though I've owned all these devices, I've never really developed on any of them since there's always so many other people already doing so.
But since everyone left and there's no competition right now, I think I might start developing again, I just need to know what you guys want and I'll see what I can do.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk

Infinimint said:
I'm a little rusty, but my team and I develop on the HTC Dream/Magic. I own about 6 devices right now and just gave away 3 others to a developer on my team. It's kind of funny, even though I've owned all these devices, I've never really developed on any of them since there's always so many other people already doing so.
But since everyone left and there's no competition right now, I think I might start developing again, I just need to know what you guys want and I'll see what I can do.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to see some new guys giving it a try. I wish I could invest the time and had the knowledge to do it myself.
I think most are just looking for a good solid ICS rom, with Tethering working... anything else would pretty much be a bonus. I think "MOST" would be appreciative of pretty much anything at this point

Wild Child said:
No dont grab some one elses...incorrect....Grab the kitchen from dsixda grab an ruu run it till it opens to first screen dont install or go any further...goto search,search your c drive for rom.zip....copy this file to somewhere else on your computer and your started....
WC
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was dsixda kitchen , I think that is pretty good and now quite a few people use it even now.

zombie.raised said:
That was dsixda kitchen , I think that is pretty good and now quite a few people use it even now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He was making a point to not use someone's custom rom
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium

If that's the case, than from my experience it is a bit harder for someone with no knowledge to start with stock ROM. Out of the box the kitchen did not work very well with any stock ROM. It was easier to tweak a custom rom because the DEV had fixed the issues which I don't know if every one can solve. e.g some may just struggle to get system.img to work in this kitchen , again that can be trivial for some to fix and some noob's may find it hard.

zombie.raised said:
If that's the case, than from my experience it is a bit harder for someone with no knowledge to start with stock ROM. Out of the box the kitchen did not work very well with any stock ROM. It was easier to tweak a custom rom because the DEV had fixed the issues which I don't know if every one can solve. e.g some may just struggle to get system.img to work in this kitchen , again that can be trivial for some to fix and some noob's may find it hard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's all trial and error my friend. Later tonight when class is over I'll try to create a rom from the Telstra 3.5 RUU. I tried the ICS stock rom, but I wasn't able to deodex about 50 or so files. Hopefully this time around the process will go smoother.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium

Thats not learning then,thats taking someone elses work,start as everyone else did,everything is out there to be [email protected] all have to learn somehow,but the way your saying isnt the correct way to learn...its called kanging,then tweaking something here and there and calling it your own creation....truely learn something and start from scratch,we all did,so why would you expect it should be easier for you?
zombie.raised said:
If that's the case, than from my experience it is a bit harder for someone with no knowledge to start with stock ROM. Out of the box the kitchen did not work very well with any stock ROM. It was easier to tweak a custom rom because the DEV had fixed the issues which I don't know if every one can solve. e.g some may just struggle to get system.img to work in this kitchen , again that can be trivial for some to fix and some noob's may find it hard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

As far as resources go, download the kitchen, and DO NOT use it, rather analyze how it works. Look over the scripts and see why it does what it does, if you don't understand something, google it.
That'll help some of the beginners here.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk

We all are having issue with deodexing the ics,att has **** all over the place....this is why i suggested a lower build as per your inquiry...
doktor buknasty said:
It's all trial and error my friend. Later tonight when class is over I'll try to create a rom from the Telstra 3.5 RUU. I tried the ICS stock rom, but I wasn't able to deodex about 50 or so files. Hopefully this time around the process will go smoother.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

zombie.raised said:
If that's the case, than from my experience it is a bit harder for someone with no knowledge to start with stock ROM. Out of the box the kitchen did not work very well with any stock ROM. It was easier to tweak a custom rom because the DEV had fixed the issues which I don't know if every one can solve. e.g some may just struggle to get system.img to work in this kitchen , again that can be trivial for some to fix and some noob's may find it hard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't consider that development and the OP asked for development advice. My previous post provides ample information to "do it the right way", team that with extracting your source from RUUs and you've just become a real dev. You will possess the necessary knowledge and tools to create your own ROM.
Then after you create your ROM if you still have problems that another dev has resolved you can respectfully contact that dev for guidance on what they did to resolve it.
That's the way I would want someone to use my work anyway.

Read this website http://www.kandroid.org/online-pdk/guide/index.html for a decent but outdated overview of platform development and bring-up.
Check this post from Cyanogen http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=6243873
Use the aforementioned kitchen to extract "stock" carrier base ROMS if you choose not to build from source.

[Q] Samsung Captivate - Best ROM For Begginers...

Hey Guys...
First of all - I am Amazed by the level of this forum... Its truly great...
I am Very new to XDA. I Still managed to figure out essential things for my captivate.
I spent straight 8 to 10hrs [Approx a Month ago] reading and searching variety of threads, links and videos and got the Idea about rooting, Custom ROM, Flashing etc...
[I must Repeat - "Just Idea", Because having no real background and knowledge about anything related to these things... I obviously feel like Still Missing a lot of basic terms]...
Anyways - Point for explaining all that is to Make my 'Beginner' Level clear... B'coz Members here called as beginners are also quite good with all these basic terms...
I am using 'LANIGHT' ROM right now...
Now the problem is... There are still some bugs in this version... [Camera, SMS, etc]
So the question is:
1. The Best, latest and most stable version of ROM out there - which would be great for beginners like us? [We can have this thread for the updates of such ROM time to time] - For Us - This part seems very difficult to figure out...
2. Also the process of installing that ROM...
3. And if there is a quick way to figure out the 1st question in forum... Except spending hours just reading the threads... Very very difficult work... [Hats of to you guys...]
Thanks in advance...

ooDEWoo said:
Hey Guys...
First of all - I am Amazed by the level of this forum... Its truly great...
I am Very new to XDA. I Still managed to figure out essential things for my captivate.
I spent straight 8 to 10hrs [Approx a Month ago] reading and searching variety of threads, links and videos and got the Idea about rooting, Custom ROM, Flashing etc...
[I must Repeat - "Just Idea", Because having no real background and knowledge about anything related to these things... I obviously feel like Still Missing a lot of basic terms]...
Anyways - Point for explaining all that is to Make my 'Beginner' Level clear... B'coz Members here called as beginners are also quite good with all these basic terms...
I am using 'LANIGHT' ROM right now...
Now the problem is... There are still some bugs in this version... [Camera, SMS, etc]
So the question is:
1. The Best, latest and most stable version of ROM out there - which would be great for beginners like us? [We can have this thread for the updates of such ROM time to time] - For Us - This part seems very difficult to figure out...
2. Also the process of installing that ROM...
3. And if there is a quick way to figure out the 1st question in forum... Except spending hours just reading the threads... Very very difficult work... [Hats of to you guys...]
Thanks in advance...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. This question can't be answered. For many reasons but mainly because the Best ROM for you, that feels in your needs and such won't be the same as let's say, the best ROM for me. The best you can do if look at the features list and go through the last few pages of the ROM to know about the bugs/issues. There isn't a perfect ROM, just gotta find the one that suits you the best.
2. Follow the ROM's instructions in the OP (Don't forget the Gapps)
3. Refer to #1. Also, for respect for the Devs and to avoid flaming, threads like these often get closed.

Hey, we all start somewhere
Welcome and BWolf gave you some very sound advice. I've been flashing new ROMs pretty much on a daily basis this week to find the ROM that suits me the best. Enjoy flashing and playing around with different ROMs. The nice thing about this phone is that pretty much there are ways to revive it if something "happens."

Bane99 said:
Hey, we all start somewhere
Welcome and BWolf gave you some very sound advice. I've been flashing new ROMs pretty much on a daily basis this week to find the ROM that suits me the best. Enjoy flashing and playing around with different ROMs. The nice thing about this phone is that pretty much there are ways to revive it if something "happens."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude hats off to you. Very correct. Even I flash ROMs almost daily. The worst thing ever happened to me was a boot loop and a home made jig saved me. Now I have a confidence that nothing can stop my phone. :thumbup:
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium
---------- Post added at 04:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:32 PM ----------
ooDEWoo said:
Hey Guys...
First of all - I am Amazed by the level of this forum... Its truly great...
I am Very new to XDA. I Still managed to figure out essential things for my captivate.
I spent straight 8 to 10hrs [Approx a Month ago] reading and searching variety of threads, links and videos and got the Idea about rooting, Custom ROM, Flashing etc...
[I must Repeat - "Just Idea", Because having no real background and knowledge about anything related to these things... I obviously feel like Still Missing a lot of basic terms]...
Anyways - Point for explaining all that is to Make my 'Beginner' Level clear... B'coz Members here called as beginners are also quite good with all these basic terms...
I am using 'LANIGHT' ROM right now...
Now the problem is... There are still some bugs in this version... [Camera, SMS, etc]
So the question is:
1. The Best, latest and most stable version of ROM out there - which would be great for beginners like us? [We can have this thread for the updates of such ROM time to time] - For Us - This part seems very difficult to figure out...
2. Also the process of installing that ROM...
3. And if there is a quick way to figure out the 1st question in forum... Except spending hours just reading the threads... Very very difficult work... [Hats of to you guys...]
Thanks in advance...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Choosing a rom is a hit and trial method. Just go to captivate android development forum and choose any rom which looks good download it and flash it using recovery. Most common thing is clockwork mod recovery to install any ROM. keep flashing different roms until you find the one that suits you. Happy flashing. :thumbup:
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda premium

Avikar said:
Dude hats off to you. Very correct. Even I flash ROMs almost daily. The worst thing ever happened to me was a boot loop and a home made jig saved me. Now I have a confidence that nothing can stop my phone. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to hold off buying a jig... until I truly needed one. Thanks to one click odin and heimdall, if anything happens, then you're always good to flash back to stock and try again
I highly recommend a jig as it can save you from a LOT of headache.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=20710788&postcount=6
You can buy one or build it yourself. It's a great investment and insurance plan
Feel free to flash whatever Captivate ROM you like, just pay attention to the flashing procedures in each thread (as Bwolf said).

BWolf56 said:
1. This question can't be answered. For many reasons but mainly because the Best ROM for you, that feels in your needs and such won't be the same as let's say, the best ROM for me. The best you can do if look at the features list and go through the last few pages of the ROM to know about the bugs/issues. There isn't a perfect ROM, just gotta find the one that suits you the best.
2. Follow the ROM's instructions in the OP (Don't forget the Gapps)
3. Refer to #1. Also, for respect for the Devs and to avoid flaming, threads like these often get closed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks...
But I will still Like to know The recent ROM - Which is stable and good for beginners Like me.

OK, start with CM10 stable.

ooDEWoo said:
Thanks...
But I will still Like to know The recent ROM - Which is stable and good for beginners Like me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Beginners like you? IMHO, there are lots of different beginners and you haven't shared enough for me to know what kind of beginner you are.
By recent and best, do you mean that you just want a stock ROM, perhaps rooted, but otherwise pretty much the same as the last stock release, Gingerbread KK4? It is 'recent' - because it is the latest and final official release, more recent than earlier releases.
Or do you want a ROM that is unofficial, won't be supported by your carrier or by Samsung, but that runs Jelly Bean 4.2 with an occasional bug or broken feature?
Beginner is relative to the field in question, yes? An Olympic gold medal swimming winner in his first year in medical school is a beginner at surgery,
Do you excel at really carefully reading and understanding all instructions before you start on a task?
So, if you are starting as a complete newbie, maybe go for KK4 Gingerbread and add the Corn Kernel. Get stable with that. Get comfortable making nandroid backups, and using root browsers to back up efs and other folders. get comfortable moving the files to your pc, to the external sd card, etc.
After getting all the stuff backed up with good knowledge about how to restore it all, then go flash a stable 4.1 or 4.2 jelly bean rom. you will need to flash twice. oh, and get gapps, too.
does this all sound like jibberish? read the sticky threads, read the glossaries, etc,.

If you're looking for a ROM with a lot of UI and benchmark improvements, Captivating by Sephi looks great, although I haven't tried it myself. No one here really wants to pick 1 specific ROM, because everyone is different and don't want to be rude to the dev's .
Flashing ROMs on the Captivate is fairly simple, and as others have stated if you have a jig (if you don't want to buy one pre-made, you can make your own w/o soldering, there's a guide in this forum for it), you can just play around with different ROMs and can almost always fix the phone if anything bad should happen.
Just browse XDA until you find one that you think you may like, read the reviews, and try it out for yourself

I recommended Captivating ROM by she phi.. U will not disappointed
Sent from my SGH-I897 using xda app-developers app

I consider myself a beginner and I like Cyanogenmod 10.1. I am using the nighties and I find it quite stable and easy to update.