Database Develop

Why cant we just use the stock launcher?

In all the major ROM's for the Nexus, nearly all use ADW Launcher. And for the life of me, I cant understand why. Personally I find it slow, ugly and messy although I can understand why some would prefer it to the the stock one. However, why not just let the users download their preferred launcher from the market? Why does everyone feel the need to include that crap in their ROM?
Im not trying to start a flame war, Im just curious whether there is something Im missing here. Personally, I find myself sticking to Modaco's ROM and using Launcher Pro.

I remember the stock launcher being fairly buggy itself, and it was kind of lame not being able to switch out the Phone/Browser buttons. In my experience LauncherPro has been the fastest launcher out there, but I can't pull myself away from ADW's home screen swipe gestures.
P.S. - I understand not wanting to start a flame war, but you sure did write your post as if you were leaning that way.

isolated_epidemic said:
..P.S. - I understand not wanting to start a flame war, but you sure did write your post as if you were leaning that way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree!
..cause if you want, it´s no prob to exchange it to stock...

I am just frustrated as I feel I cant get a "clean" ROM with everything I want without having ADW infused into it all. Maybe its just my mild OCD tendencies, but even after installing Launcher Pro, I just know that ADW is there as well, and on Cyanogen it even has its own section in the system settings.. gah!

Well firstly, ADW is free. So it's no problem including it in Roms that are also mostly free.
Launcherpro has a link to a Plus version that is not free, so it's not a good idea to include that since there will be people complaining about trial versions etc.
The stock launcher is still stock, custom roms try to be as non-stock as possible, so it's a good idea to replace it with something like ADW, especially when it's so much better than stock.
If you must know, I only use Launcherpro.

musashiken said:
Well firstly, ADW is free. So it's no problem including it in Roms that are also mostly free.
Launcherpro has a link to a Plus version that is not free, so it's not a good idea to include that since there will be people complaining about trial versions etc.
The stock launcher is still stock, custom roms try to be as non-stock as possible, so it's a good idea to replace it with something like ADW, especially when it's so much better than stock.
If you must know, I only use Launcherpro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good answer! May as I ask what ROM you're using?

Untouchab1e said:
I am just frustrated as I feel I cant get a "clean" ROM...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you consider CM as a clean ROM ?

In my opinion:
Stock launcher is not buggy, it just less functionality & customization.
ADW.Launcher is nice with functionality and free, but recently it has less updates at the moment. It didn't look messy for me.
LauncherPro - due to it plus edition and source close, they is not possiblity added in any rom. At the moment I find it pretty cool, current use launcher and the launcher that make me leaving ADW.Launcher at the moment. I more prefer simplicity on theming, ADW just too complexity to build your own theme even just a small changes on dockbar. For friendly wise, definately LauncherPro. The only draw back I found about LauncherPro is not support semi-transparent status notification bar and no Samsung Galaxy S like apps drawer + off course semi-transparent on it.
Zeam - a new launcher (maybe not so new) I just notice recently, smooth and looks pro as well but less function compare with above 2 at the moment, it looks having a great opportunity in future.
** I also prefer developer keep the original stock one as all third party launcher all can download via Market. I also suggest that developer better don't integrate any third party launcher setting in their custom ROM as if user not using it, it looks weird.

Andrewtst said:
In my opinion:
** I also prefer developer keep the original stock one as all third party launcher all can download via Market. I also suggest that developer better don't integrate any third party launcher setting in their custom ROM as if user not using it, it looks weird.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly... I just dont see the need to include any non-stock launcher in the ROM to begin with when there are so many out there to choose from.

If you find adw slow and buggy it is user error, adw can be told how fast it needs to be in settings, if your still lagging you probably use a **** ton of useless widgets, in that case change the vm heap size and keep launcher in memory, that should do the trick

CyanogenMod is a collaborative open-source effort to improve Android and provide functionality not available out-of-box. And quite frankly, ADW.Launcher does add a hell of a lot of functionality as compared to the stock launcher (kinda like Eliot's Music Mod which add functionality to the stock Music app which is also included in CM).
Tweak your ADW.Launcher setting to improve it's performance.
If you want the stock Launcher, it's really quite simple to switch to it...
Code:
adb remount
adb push StockLauncher.apk /system/app/Launcher2.apk
adb shell
> rm -f /system/app/ADWLauncher.apk
> pm uninstall com.android.launcher
> reboot

musashiken said:
Well firstly, ADW is free. So it's no problem including it in Roms that are also mostly free.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, community mods like CM use ADW, not because it's free, but because it's open-source.

After all the ROMs i've tried, i still prefer LauncherPro + MCR combo. Even though it doesn't have 720p recording, it's rock stable.

I agree with th OP. If you can get it from the market for free, then why cook it into the rom? Some of us are actually happy with the look and performance of the stock launcher. I do see the attraction to all of the customization of the third party launchers, but I personally don't need it.

I posted the flashable zip below in another thread somewhere on XDA earlier since I agree with the OP.
replace-launcher-hdpi-signed
Just flash it over a 2.2 rom that uses ADW instead of CM. It simply removes ADW and adds stock Launcher2 from AOSP. Works fine on CM6 at least. I used to use this one before but I have since added several more tweaks to make it the way I like it.

Just add it yourself. There are system apps I don't like, that developers add to their roms, but I remove them myself via adb. By ranting you are being less productive than rather learning how to use adb. Google it, it's what I did and it solves all of your problems.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

one thing i hate about the stock launcher is its not as smooth as launcher pro. you can see the frame rate chop when swiping screens. launcher pro is so smooth you cant even see that, unless you use live wallpaper, that makes it a little choppy.

Hmmm....so THAT's my problem...I always wondered why the drawer was so choppy. Well thank ya very kindly!
I'm an iPhone convert, so ADW is one of my favorite launchers for the fact I can put anything into the dock that I want, and make it look pretty at the same time. That's my favorite part about android, all the customization possibilities! Oh, and Flash Player

"All" the roms aren't using adw.
All the roms as just tweaked copies of CM6.

I can understand the OP's frustration. My least favorite part, and possibly only complaint, of CM6 is the replacement of the stock launcher with ADW. I find the feature creep and lack of UI refinement of ADW bothersome. It's not new user friendly, and even I was tripped up the first time I inadvertently swiped up on the screen and lost the status bar. Additionally the stock launcher is not available in the Market like AWD is making it difficult to track down and install manually and when the market version gets is updated, anyone that wants to run the newest version ends up with two copies installed and it's not obvious which is the newest when it comes time to pick the default home app.
Bad decision in my opinion, but the people putting CM together put in a lot of hard work and ask for almost nothing in return so I'm willing to accept it.

Honeycomb theming vs Honeycomb ROM

Besides the obvious access to particular Honeycomb apps, what other benefits does Honeycomb offer on our G-Tabs?
I ask because it seems like some people prefer Honeycombs GUI but I also noticed that one is able to theme their tablets to look like Honeycomb while staying on a non-Honeycomb based ROM.

What tipped it for me to go ahead and install the Bottle of Smoke alpha:
- improved widgets, including scrollable Gmail previewer
- Gmail app is fantastic
- access to 3.0-only tablet-optimized apps (like Touchdown for my Exchange email)
- laying out the homescreens is easier since you can preview the widgets
Just a couple of things I've discovered (I just applied this ROM yesterday...):
- improved Market interface
- HC themes approach but do not fully capture the "holographic" feel of HC
-the notification system is different enough that I'm not sure whether I like it better or not.
I'm not mentioning the particular quirks of the BoS alpha - there are threads here and elsewhere that chronicle those. They should definitely be part of your decision, as it takes a good measure of patience to deal with.

I went to the Century Eyes Rom by roebeet, and I'm loving it. It gives me the tablet feel with no bugs. I do miss the market and Youtube apps from honeycomb though.
(Century Eyes = Notion Ink Adam's EdenUI)

Although being just an alpha and lacking flash support, I don't see myself moving away from BOS anytime soon. Granted quite few areas still have bugs to be worked out, visual asthetics alone have me hooked on roebeets rom. Not to mention it surprisingly runs very well vs. coming from vegan rc1. I have live wallpaper going, of course oc-ed, and I can still play game any for the most part with little to no lag. The menu/context menu layout for adding/changing wallpaper, active/recent apps menu, default keyboard, and default browser ease of use are my main reasons for sticking with it. If you want a rom with minute issues, this one is obviosly not for you. But if you can sacrifice a random reboot every other day and don't watch youtube all the time like me, BOS is a keeper and will only get better.
Edit: I should also note that my gtab is mostly for recreational use. A friend of a friend bought it bout a month ago now, tried doing something without proper knowledge, soft-bricked it, gave it to my friend who in turn gave it to me while the original owner bought an Ipad a week later. So I dont find it appropriate to use the term 'daily driver' since I see it as a very fun toy currently so my opinion on ROMs should include this.

In all honesty, I would have been mad if I hadn't found such a good modding community for this device. The stock is terrible.

So i have the BoS alpha installed , it runs very smooth - the only real FC come from open-gl not being available yet, well that and the apps that arent compatible with the nvidia kernel in general... i hope this helps a bit, if not please let me know exactly what apps your planning on using, and ill test them and post a video on youtube for you to see how well they run. my channel on youtube is ( youtube.com/itsnothowyoudie ) the latest video shows the homescreen and a couple apps including the scrolling gmail, which btw is great.
ps. one thing that has annoyed me, not being able to resize the widgets (;

I am also running Century Eyes. It offers the tablet feel, with improved resolution over all other Froyo ROMs. The resolution and the scrollable widgets are the best of Honeycomb, but I need Hardware Acceleration for flash. I use the streaming TV and movie apps, and it is required that you have flash enabled.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb-C27sIuX0&feature=player_embedded#t=0s

I am running the Evervol GB ROM with the Honeycomb 3D-SBicons theme and it looks so much like HC that you wouldn't believe it. Especially when using Launcher Pro with scrollable widgets. Amazing! Plus, almost everything works (flash, camera, both sd cards, usb to pc, etc.).

I also like honeycombs browser which syncs my bookmarks with the chrome browser. Been waiting for android to do this, I have tons of bookmarks on my computer so this helps a lot. The new 4.1 version of bottle of smoke is very smooth and works very well for me.

I think I'll wait until one of the Honeycomb ROMs hits final release. I need it to be able to do everything I can currently do in froyo before switching (open GL, flash, video playback, etc...)

Good ROM
Sidriel said:
I went to the Century Eyes Rom by roebeet, and I'm loving it. It gives me the tablet feel with no bugs. I do miss the market and Youtube apps from honeycomb though.
(Century Eyes = Notion Ink Adam's EdenUI)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Refering to battery, the best rom i think, i dont like the hidding status bar and i couldnt use the long search whit other programs, I like this rom so much i hope it could be fixed!!

EL TEJANO said:
Besides the obvious access to particular Honeycomb apps, what other benefits does Honeycomb offer on our G-Tabs?
I ask because it seems like some people prefer Honeycombs GUI but I also noticed that one is able to theme their tablets to look like Honeycomb while staying on a non-Honeycomb based ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer the OPs post: Froyo gave genuine performance improvements and features i.e. batterly life, reduced sluggishness, Flash (which had limited support on earlier Android IIRC), but AFAIK Honeycomb gives mostly UI improvements -scrollable widgets, etc. However, some of those 'UI improvements' are also significant improvements in how the tablet is used as well as how it looks (i.e. UI = user INTERFACE and not just how the home screen looks).
See here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_version_history
Honeycomb on gTab has some tradeoffs, but if you want to keep all the Froyo functionality you can try different launchers on any ROM, although I'm sure Froyo launchers have limitations when compared to the Honeycomb launchers. I am currently using VTL launcher on Vegan 5.1.1 (Froyo), I would not call it a 'Honeycomb Replacement' but the ROM (Vegan 5.1.1) is way better than the stock ROM and the launcher (VTL) is way better than the stock launcher, and everything that I need still works, including camera, keyboard, video, and PvZ.
For ideas on setting up your launcher/home screen see here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=862030

Recommend Honeycomb FlashBack or GtabComb,
You basically won't have camera functionality and some Flash won't work in browser. Most Games will work, the cool 3d ones at least.
Just give it a try, its as easy double clicking the nvflash exe

I switched back from GTABcomb to cm7 because there is one particular app didnt support. The back support is not that good. On the good side, you have everything mention here by other members but flash is only playable through opera browser and no HW acc. The sound is louder too on HC and screen more responsive.

I'm running FB 5.5. Visually, it is more satisfying than GB or Froyo.
Gmail widget and app handles email better.
Stock Calendar app and calender widget is better as well.
YouTube and Market HC is visually better as well.
Flash works in browser opera and stock.

qkster said:
I'm running FB 5.5. Visually, it is more satisfying than GB or Froyo.
Gmail widget and app handles email better.
Stock Calendar app and calender widget is better as well.
YouTube and Market HC is visually better as well.
Flash works in browser opera and stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not to mention the Netflix 1.3 apk works perfectly now, all youtube vids play in full screen, No sleep of death, etc. TV.com acts weird and runs small like it's on a phone but I may play around with different versions. At this point the only thing I'm really missing is the camera. To be honest I think I only want it because I can't have it. I'd probably go 6 months without using it if it worked. I did notice that FB 5.5 runs a bit slower than GTABComb 3.2. I got 3345 quad score on GTABComb with the built in OC script where I get about 2450 with SetCPU at 1400mhz on FB 5.5. Overall I feel like both of these HC roms have evolved to a point where the leary should jump in and give them a shot. You won't be missing much and what you gain is seeing your tablet run visually the way it was meant to.

Currently running GTabComb 3.2 and it's pretty good. Stable, quick. Been considering Illuminate as well. I will say HC is such a slicker interface over Froyo or GB. I definitely would like to stick with HC now that I've played with it.

[Q] Stock Browser JB

Hello, i search for many days, after installing Pi-Llama v0.3 rom which is excellent, fast and excellent battery life, but only default the disparition of the stock browser which is the best for me.
Tried with Titanium backup from a previous save of the original rom, but it fail
Maybe because it's odexed.
How can i do? Hate Chrome, or other browser like Maxthon, Dolphin,...
Thanks for your response

The stock browser is dead because Google decided to develop Chrome instead of the stock browser. Therefore, on most ROMs (even OTAs) 4.1 and 4.2 for various devices, the old browser is no longer there. And even if there's still a copy around then it might be open for infections since it's no longer being developed.
So there is not really much of a choice you have. You'd better learn to love some other browser (I personally love Opera Mobile and Opera Beta the best, even from before the stock browser died).

Vistaus said:
The stock browser is dead because Google decided to develop Chrome instead of the stock browser. Therefore, on most ROMs (even OTAs) 4.1 and 4.2 for various devices, the old browser is no longer there. And even if there's still a copy around then it might be open for infections since it's no longer being developed.
So there is not really much of a choice you have. You'd better learn to love some other browser (I personally love Opera Mobile and Opera Beta the best, even from before the stock browser died).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your clear response. Finally i stop this search and learn to use Chrome. Have try Opera too but too hard to synchronise my computer favorites on the phone. Or that's very easy on stock browser and Chrome.
And because of i use a lot favorites shortcut, want absolutely this on my phone.

Discussion : which browser are you using?

It's mostly a battle between Chrome, Firefox and Opera but, maybe you tried a more obscure browser and it work great for you? I loved the old AOSP browser because it was light on memory and ressources but it's not being maintained anymore and using it pose a security risk. Google Chrome has all the bells and whistle and it support pretty much everything but it's also memory hungry, it eat so much memory that other app in the background are dropped out of your memory to make place for Chrome. It leads us to Firefox, it support less thing but, memory usage is not too bad. Opera is also good.

I've tried quite a few and keep coming back to Firefox.
I don't really have a reason why as I suspect it's a tad slower than most and I see it pretty high on the battery usage on my tablet but it's always just been my "go-to" browser.
I had used Dolphin too for a long time and I can't remember why I stopped. I think it might've been that I didn't like the differences between the tablet and phone interfaces. I am apparently quite fussy.

koimr said:
I've tried quite a few and keep coming back to Firefox.
I had used Dolphin too for a long time and I can't remember why I stopped. I think it might've been that I didn't like the differences between the tablet and phone interfaces. I am apparently quite fussy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may give a try to CAF Chromium browser, it's a Chrome fork compiled with optimization for Qualcomm devices. I'll try it and see if it's better on memory usage. My main complaint with Chrome is that, it eat as much memory as it can, then other apps in the background are forced out of RAM. So, when you want to open other apps, they have to be completely reloaded instead of just restarting them from RAM. Also, I'm fussy too...

Firefox. My beloved (and needed) extensions work on Android. And it's synchronized with my desktop too.

Chromium
Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

Firefox i use linux on laptop so both phone and laptop are coordinated

Been using Dolphin for a couple of years. The main initial reason was the cookies/browsing data clearing is only one swipe and click away when browsing, super handy as I read a newspaper every day which only allows 10 free articles a month lol. Clear data, instantly ready for another 10 articles.

Been a fan of Opera since my first Android phone

Used NoChromo for a while (built in adblocking) but now back to using opera mini or lightning. Use lightning with java script turned off, which makes for a super fast browser. Generally breaks discussion/commenting and some page navigation. But works equally well with java script turned on and is very lightweight.
Find chrome is far too resource hungry and I really don't like the firefox tab interface.

Most of popular like chrome, Firefox, Dolphin are good performer.... Depends upon your needs and usage..... But I am big fan of uc browser and using it for a long time... Better in memory management... Has in built ad blocker.... Its to had limited addons support.... Also has Flash compatability.... Most under rated browser of the store but works like butter for me switching tabs also easiest.... Give it a shot....

Nico3d3 said:
It's mostly a battle between Chrome, Firefox and Opera but, maybe you tried a more obscure browser and it work great for you? I loved the old AOSP browser because it was light on memory and ressources but it's not being maintained anymore and using it pose a security risk. Google Chrome has all the bells and whistle and it support pretty much everything but it's also memory hungry, it eat so much memory that other app in the background are dropped out of your memory to make place for Chrome. It leads us to Firefox, it support less thing but, memory usage is not too bad. Opera is also good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Using uc browser for browsing fb and downloading while chrome for browsing every other site.
Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

I have had good luck with Maxthon. I prefer a older version of it though.
Sent from my XT1563 using Tapatalk

Previously using dolphin but now using ghostery as my main browser

I'm using Boat Browser as it looks great, is stable and fast and has support (PRO) for Firefox account, so I can easily check my PC bookmarks from Waterfox.
Sent using XT1562 - stock 5.1.1

Try Browser (Chromium) from XDA LABS, it is optimized to qualcomm devices, works perrrrrrrfect and fast

M46 build from 19.12.2015 is the newest one?

knives69 said:
Try Browser (Chromium) from XDA LABS, it is optimized to qualcomm devices, works perrrrrrrfect and fast
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already tried CAF-Chromium, yes it's faster than official Google Chrome but there was still bugs and lags preventing me from using it as a daily driver. Sometimes, web pages get stuck and the app become totally unresponsive and I had to do a force close. For now, I'm back with Opera, not too bloated it's light on memory and it has all the features I need.

Using Firefox because I like the way it works. Interface is, to me, the best of the bunch and all in all it has the best performance. Used Opera a lot but had a lot of excellent | horrible experiences with it. That is, sometimes it was great but often things would not render properly or it would die. Chrome has generally been slower than FF for a couple years now and FF has been much more stable. Chrome blocks much more.
I just want a browser that doesn't make me care about which one I am using. FF is that. It just works.
Also, it gives me more control over crap like webrtc.

I mostly use Opera mini as it loads page faster, it saves data, it consume less memory, and second choice is puffin Web browser it's lighting fast I bet. It supports flash, and had many more advantages.

I always go back to Firefox. I need adblock. I've already accepted annoying ads in apps. So blocking adds in the browser is at least some satisfaction.
Sent from my XT1562 using Tapatalk

Best browser for battery life?

Which browser uses less battery? Samsung's internet browser or Google Chrome?

I think is the stock browser (Samsung browser for Samsung phone and chrome browser for phone made with it).
I think a stock's apps are always better than other for performance and battery life.
The company made phone optimisation with stocks apps not for all applications on play store!

Both of these use a lot of battery. Background stuff.
At least Samsung's browser gives you utility e.g. ad blockers.
Try 'Brave' browser, see if you like it.

I have been using Kiwi for a bit less than a month. The fact that it's Chromium based and that it has night mode and allows me to use the bottom search bar makes it simply perfect for me. BUT, there are drawbacks, you don't have the Google News feature, the animations are kinda sluggish and other small things.

deraiz12 said:
I think is the stock browser (Samsung browser for Samsung phone and chrome browser for phone made with it).
I think a stock's apps are always better than other for performance and battery life.
The company made phone optimisation with stocks apps not for all applications on play store!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
False ! Stock browser especially when it's chrome can't be battery optimized In settings, use native apps it's battery killer especially chrome

kolembo said:
Both of these use a lot of battery. Background stuff.
At least Samsung's browser gives you utility e.g. ad blockers.
Try 'Brave' browser, see if you like it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you a proof of this?

deraiz12 said:
Have you a proof of this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I use it, it's good