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I'm a pretty much clueless when it comes to Linux or Android. I want to help the community as much as possible and want some advice on good literature for learning Linux and ultimately Android developing.
I have no previous experience with programming but am a well above average windows user. (kinda pathetic, I know.)
I thought this might be a good topic to start since alot of us seem to be pretty useless seem to want to contribute.
beyondinferno said:
I'm a pretty much clueless when it comes to Linux or Android. I want to help the community as much as possible and want some advice on good literature for learning Linux and ultimately Android developing.
I have no previous experience with programming but am a well above average windows user. (kinda pathetic, I know.)
I thought this might be a good topic to start since alot of us seem to be pretty useless seem to want to contribute.
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Developer.Android.com is a good place to start out if you are looking at the "how stuff works" - though if you don't have a clue how to program it will be over your head. Take a look over at geekfor.me - this site is hosted by Flipz one of the ROM devs here(Fresh Rom).
If you want to learn Linux, grab an Ubuntu or Mint ISO from their websites and burn it to a disk. then boot into the disk and run it "live". It's a little slow running off a CD rom drive, but better than isntalling on to a drive if you don't know what you are doing.
Most important thing to learn about this phone: HAVE FUN!
I installed Unbuntu 9.1 last week and have been messing around a bit, but not too much.
I'll have to take a look on android's dev site and Flipz page aswell.
Thanks for the advice!
I would like this thread to end up as a good reference for others so keep it coming!
Books wise, I would recommend:
Running Linux
Understanding the Linux Kernel
Hello, Android: Introducing Google's Mobile Development Platform
Android Application Development: Programming with the Google SDK
Professional Android Application Development
Unlocking Android: A Developer's Guide
gu1dry, that's exactly what I'm looking for.
Again, thanks folks.
beyondinferno said:
gu1dry, that's exactly what I'm looking for.
Again, thanks folks.
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I'm in the process of working through Hello Android. Pretty good book so far, im enjoying it and learning alot.
Good to see you've installed a Linux OS on your computer... that will help the most with learning how it works.
Experiment with it. Don't be afraid to break it and when you do break it (you will break it) learn how to fix it.
That's how you'll learn the most.
My favourite resources when first learning Linux were:
- to google "<topic name or what I want to accomplish> linux howto"
- irc.freenode.net #linux (you will probably get flamed a bit but it's a great channel to just read and watch/listen in)
Connect with very active and very focused Linux communities (and Android communities... like XDA ) and you'll be able to glean a ton of good information, even if it doesn't make sense at first.
I'm posting this in the Development section because that is what I am trying to learn about. Please move me if I am mis-posting this.
I'm greatly interested in the the Roms people are making and everything that is being done on these forums. If someone wanted to start to learn about these things, developing and such, where should they start? Do I need to learn Java? Are there certain books I should be reading?
I can flash my phone like its my day job now, and I haven't come across any major problems I couldn't solve by reading, but I have no idea where to start to be able to develop things myself. If any developers here could maybe throw out a few tips on how to get started, what someone should focus on learning, etc., it would be greatly appreciated! I have plenty of time and a great desire to learn so I'm not intimidated by having to do the work, I just have to have some things to focus on. Thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give me!
I always wanted to know how make roms also I was looking around the internet but couldn't find anything that will describe it step by step word for word.
Maccie
It will be a huge writeup.But im sure someone will do it. I am still learning myself. There are some good topics around but different from what we have now
topshelf95 said:
I'm posting this in the Development section because that is what I am trying to learn about. Please move me if I am mis-posting this.
I'm greatly interested in the the Roms people are making and everything that is being done on these forums. If someone wanted to start to learn about these things, developing and such, where should they start? Do I need to learn Java? Are there certain books I should be reading?
I can flash my phone like its my day job now, and I haven't come across any major problems I couldn't solve by reading, but I have no idea where to start to be able to develop things myself. If any developers here could maybe throw out a few tips on how to get started, what someone should focus on learning, etc., it would be greatly appreciated! I have plenty of time and a great desire to learn so I'm not intimidated by having to do the work, I just have to have some things to focus on. Thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give me!
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There are a number of aspects to android development you have to learn to know how to build a full ROM from scratch. C is of course required for kernel building, and apps are built from java in the dalvik-vm, but can be built against sun java.
of course, to get started, you would need the android sdk available here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
then there's the cloning of the android git:
http://android.git.kernel.org/
and, specifically for the captivate, there's the captivate source code:
http://opensource.samsung.com/
then there's pulling off the vendor proprietary libs from your phone (which is a ***** and I believe you can grab them from wes's github, though I can't speak for their accuracy) here:
http://github.com/wesgarner/proprietary_vendor_samsung
building the entire android OS from source is a challenge, especially compensating for some changes Samsung has introduced. this is what a real ROM is. now if you're talking about "ROM"s like Cognition and Shep's and even Eugene's Hybrid/Frankin-Twiz... they aren't comparable. Not to belittle any of their efforts, but this is simple "drag and drop" from stuff built by Samsung. While they're very useful tools, there is little actual development going on in them. There are improvements and tweaks, for sure... but it isn't a *true* ROM. All these releases by DesignGears, Eugene, and Shep are good and effective, but it'd be a shame if they weren't because they are just files thrown together from Samsung's already compiled ROM(s). Even the AOSP Beta 3 (which I have a qualm with the name, because it isn't actually AOSP, it's files pulled from an already built AOSP tossed onto Samsung's ROM again) is just modifying binaries (decompile, edit, recompile).
for those, it's as simple as extracting the zip, replacing the files you want, and rezip it. modifying the update-script inside meta-inf if there's something you want to add.
Awesome post Kaik, thanks, I was wondering some of those too.
Thx that explained a bunch
Maccie
Thank you for taking the time to post that Kaik! It's nice to have a place to start! Anyone else have any tips or things they think might be good to check out?
last, but certainly not least and I can't believe I forgot this, is Unhelpful's toolchain to compile against:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=761923
he did a lot of testing with various combinations, and this was the best he found to reduce wakeup lag and other issues
Wow. Kaik. That was the most awesome response to that question I have ever seen. Most people just point to developer.android.com and say go learn to program and come back in 5 years.
Thank you for this very useful information. Your the man now dog.
johnyhoffman said:
Most people just point to developer.android.com and say go learn to program and come back in 5 years.
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Devs are not being mean or pissy, they are being honest and realistic. If development was just "point and click" XDA would not even be here. Give the devs/veterans a break and take it upon yourself to learn the basics and do some searches, if you are that interested.
I would love to just start making my own Android OS just the way I like too but to do that will require much more reading and learning, trying and failing.
You will probably not find "the answer" you are looking for but if you search, read and most importantly, respect the time, energy and anguish people have put into this site you will find the means to get where you want.
Otherwise you can expect... "Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well here is a modded ROM. I'll try that. Jeez, that sucks. How do I make my own? Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well ..." It is an endless cycle.
I'm not saying this to belittle anyone. Most have been there, including myself. I say this as a vote of confidence to all.
Hang in there, do the work, break some phones, read some books. Really! You have to!
koe1974 said:
Devs are not being mean or pissy, they are being honest and realistic. If development was just "point and click" XDA would not even be here. Give the devs/veterans a break and take it upon yourself to learn the basics and do some searches, if you are that interested.
I would love to just start making my own Android OS just the way I like too but to do that will require much more reading and learning, trying and failing.
You will probably not find "the answer" you are looking for but if you search, read and most importantly, respect the time, energy and anguish people have put into this site you will find the means to get where you want.
Otherwise you can expect... "Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well here is a modded ROM. I'll try that. Jeez, that sucks. How do I make my own? Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well ..." It is an endless cycle.
I'm not saying this to belittle anyone. Most have been there, including myself. I say this as a vote of confidence to all.
Hang in there, do the work, break some phones, read some books. Really! You have to!
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this times one thousand. I linked you guys to some very useful sites when it comes to actually putting android together... but understanding how it all works, actually getting a successful build, fixing bugs, etc... I can't even begin to pretend to be able to help with that. if you have little to no experience in C and Java, these things will basically be useless to you. dev's aren't being mean when they brush you off like that, but usually if you can't figure out how to google what to do with the code, they don't have high hopes for what you'll be able to do with it once you find the code.
the idea isn't to be like "f*** off" when they say that, it's more of a "we'll help you when you learn, but you're the one who needs to take the first steps and you need to take the responsibility of learning on yourself."
I was actually referring to the fact that someone like me, a hobbyist programmer for about 10 years now, can make sense of his reply and use it to go forth and actually do something. Most of the guides you find on here that are supposedly pointed at noobs, do not layout things as easily as his post did.
Wasn't criticizing anyone, but I have seen less patience nowadays for any posts such as these.
Was just saying it was a gem of a post for me personally. Maybe it doesn't help the ultra noobs and the more experienced people see it as useless, but for someone with little time right now, it was a perfect post for me.
and i am a complete android noob. i have never had any android based devices. i am an iphone owner. any tips/hints on where to start? ive looked through the forums but im nothing but confused at the terms and stuff.
i would like to root the device, where do i start? i dont know what all this rom stuff is and all the talk. can anyone help me out?
also, i tried connecting to wifi through my iphone (jailbroken running MyWi), but the Nook wouldnt recognize it. is it because it is considered an Ad-Hoc network?
any helps/pointers/links for a noob would be great. thanks.
To keep it simple, you will probably just want to root it through autonooter:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=872490
The first post has good instructions, but this post has even more thorough ones:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=9816724&highlight=skip#post9816724
Youtube might crash after this. Although that second link I listed states to delete, you'd be better served by doing this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=9915878#post9915878
Welcome to the community!
First off, i would say to take a read through the main Nook color information hub, found here: http://nookdevs.com/Portal:NookColor
There is lots of info about the device, and things that can be done with it. Terminology is all over the place, so if you have something in ind, i would suggest asking a specific question.
In general, the Android system is a highly customized Linux system, built on a linux kernel. Android itself is the rom, and is the OS that you are actually booting too. The kernel is the supporting software for the OS, and contains the system drivers (among other things). Commonly, when a custom rom is developed, an associated kernel is released with it, but they can be changed, if they are made interchangeable. If you do to the dev forum, you will see people working on both pieces.
The rooting information for the NC is in the portal page, and should get you fully started. As for the ad-hoc issue, yes, you will need to do some work to get that working, also found in this and the development forums.
Yes, welcome! I, too, am from iPhone jaikbreak land with this as my first android device. You'll love it! it's flexible and slick. Everyone here is so helpful, so just jump in!
Sent from my Nook Color
Just landed on the NOOKcolor planet as well
I love my Droid 1 and thought the Ipad worked pretty cool. It's pretty heavy though and $500? No thanks.
If only there was a smaller, cheaper, user customizable option.... the NOOKcolor!
Found info on XDA about it. Did some research. Played with it a few times. SOLD!
This thread links to everything I need to know about rooting it like my Droid so off I go.
Thanks for all the hard work everyone.
Mikey
I know this is very off-topic, but I really need some basic help and you guys on XDA are hands-down friendlier and more helpful than the subject-specific forums i've tried to get help on. So here goes...
Regarding Playstation 3... there's a plethora of information on hacking/modding etc, but all seem to point to the general function of playing backed up games and black market games.
My lens blew out a few times on my old fat PS3, and i ended up buying a new slim one for gaming.
I have that old one sitting around now, and i would like to use it as a media PC in my living room. Do i need to "jailbreak" to do this or should i be looking for "homebrew" or what? I really don't know.
I know that i must have one of the older firmwares and that i'll be running linux
Can someone point me in the right direction? as in should I be following the same steps as the guys trying to play hacked games? or do i have a much simpler road ahead of me?
ANY constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
So here's the deal. I got an old X8 with Android 1.6 from ebay a few months back for the fun of it and I've been trying to install cyanogenmod or something similar on it so I could use it as a portable emulation device. Now I'll be honest, I'm a complete noob. (My greatest computing achievement is installing Puppy Linux on a laptop 5 years older than the X8.) I've scowered these here forums and other places on the web far and wide but still came out unsuccessful. I couldn't even figure out how to boot it in fastboot mode, which was the hurdle that killed it for me. I think so far I've only managed to root the thing, whatever comes after just keeps flying over my head. So here's what I would like to do.
-Install apps capable of decently emulating systems such as the PS1, GBA, GBC, N64, MD, 32X...
-Connect a gamepad through USB or BT (If even physically possible)
-Preserve the media playback abilities of the device as it came, as well as the ability to take photos
-Being able to browse the web and watch videos would be kinda cool too but I know it's a stretch...
I know that all the stuff I need is probably still out there somewhere but as I said I am a *complete and utter* noob with honestly little skill and patience.
So if anyone here is willing to help me with any guidance (or perhaps even a step-by-step guide, oh my!) on how to squeeze the best out of the wee thing with the best ROM, be it Cyanogenmod or anything else, or get it to work with a proper controller with the best apps and stuff, I will be very grateful. I'll offer you my French skills if you need them lol. Also sorry for writing a text brick...
PocketStationMan said:
So here's the deal. I got an old X8 with Android 1.6 from ebay a few months back for the fun of it and I've been trying to install cyanogenmod or something similar on it so I could use it as a portable emulation device. Now I'll be honest, I'm a complete noob. (My greatest computing achievement is installing Puppy Linux on a laptop 5 years older than the X8.) I've scowered these here forums and other places on the web far and wide but still came out unsuccessful. I couldn't even figure out how to boot it in fastboot mode, which was the hurdle that killed it for me. I think so far I've only managed to root the thing, whatever comes after just keeps flying over my head. So here's what I would like to do.
-Install apps capable of decently emulating systems such as the PS1, GBA, GBC, N64, MD, 32X...
-Connect a gamepad through USB or BT (If even physically possible)
-Preserve the media playback abilities of the device as it came, as well as the ability to take photos
-Being able to browse the web and watch videos would be kinda cool too but I know it's a stretch...
I know that all the stuff I need is probably still out there somewhere but as I said I am a *complete and utter* noob with honestly little skill and patience.
So if anyone here is willing to help me with any guidance (or perhaps even a step-by-step guide, oh my!) on how to squeeze the best out of the wee thing with the best ROM, be it Cyanogenmod or anything else, or get it to work with a proper controller with the best apps and stuff, I will be very grateful. I'll offer you my French skills if you need them lol. Also sorry for writing a text brick...
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Hello PocketStationMan. I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU THAT I HAVE A CYANOGENMOD ROM IN THE THREAD I HAD DONE A FEW DAYS AGO. DOWNLOAD IT FROM MY THREAD AND I HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION FOR YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME FROM THE FORUM DOING A NEW CONVERSTATION!!!
Stefanos53 said:
Hello PocketStationMan. I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU THAT I HAVE A CYANOGENMOD ROM IN THE THREAD I HAD DONE A FEW DAYS AGO. DOWNLOAD IT FROM MY THREAD AND I HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION FOR YOU. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTION DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME FROM THE FORUM DOING A NEW CONVERSTATION!!!
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Can it be done on Windows XP?
PocketStationMan said:
Can it be done on Windows XP?
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YES!!! BUT YOU MUST HAVE FLASHTOOL!!!
Stefanos53 said:
YES!!! BUT YOU MUST HAVE FLASHTOOL!!!
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Alright. Where should I get it from? Sorry if I sound like a moron but I really want to make sure I get proper guidance so I don't brick this little beauty.