The TownHall Meeting has been officially started. Here are the rules of engagement:
Ok, enough joking for now. Here are the true rules of engagement:
1. Posts that are flaming or flame bait are to be deleted, no questions asked.
2. Language to be edited on sight....
3. No banning, No infractions.
4. Moderators will act only as a mediator, so we will not be taking sides with anyone.
Welcome everyone
@everyone,
Please respect the rules above and I can guarantee you that by the end of the day, we will have a much happier and friendlier atmosphere in this place.
Summary of action items
This was a good meeting in General and it has covered all of the things that I had in my agenda. A few action items on our (mods) end:
1. New threads for ROM updates: Rom threads become quasi chaotic after page 100 or so. Since Chefs update most of their work often, I would suggest that chefs open a new thread for each version with a date and version number to distinguish it from the previous one (maybe even a name)
ie [ROM] 12/15/10 - Inchybrid v 1.2 - all is good now
2. Rom Review Thread: In order to minimize the clutter of the usual "what rom is best" questions, we will start a ROM thread where chefs can post a link to their roms on the first few posts and users will be able to leave reviews (not necessarily feedback), but reviews. So, when someone comes asking for the best rom, that person can be directed there.
3. Wiki update and guides (sticky): These need to be heavily updated, but will certainly be a useful tool to help people with questions.
4. Location / shape of the Report button: I will talk to the other admins and see what can be done about this one.
5. Preventing non-devs from making new threads in Dev: We are currently discussing a system for this. We will keep you posted if and when we reach a conclusion.
6. Off Topic Lounge: There will be a thread in General for you guys to blow off steam. Nothing fancy, but you can post there without having to open a new thread in OT general
Now, onto the action items results and requests from us (mods)
1. Further flaming for questions will not be tolerated. I gathered from this meeting that everyone agrees on a stance that people need not be flamed for asking anything. If there are questions in the wrong areas or simply don't feel like answering, refrain from posting and report it to us. We will move it to Q&A or General depending on the question. Building on this point, if anyone is caught flaming someone who posted in the correct section, that person will be given a vacation.
2. Rule 12 (aka Kanging): Rom chefs (no matter if they are themers or zip wizards), if they are using someone else's efforts as a base for their rom, they are to abide by Rule 12 by asking permission and posting the due credit in the opening post. Kanging will not be tolerated.
3. Donations: This was barely brushed but I feel that we reached an understanding rather quickly on this one. Chefs shall not ask for Donations to release early work.
4. Posting any kind of flaming will not be tolerated. If you feel that a post shouldn't be there, please let us know and we will take care of that.
I think this pretty much summed everything up. If I missed something, please let me know. I expect everyone to adhere to codes of conduct in this site. Thanks to all for attending.
I think the problems in the Development forums stem from a general misconception of what it means to be a "developer" and how one earns that title. Often I will hear people flame people like Team Whiskey or Master as mere "re-skinners", because the main(not all) thing that is in their changelog is mere aesthetic changes. I think the mods should post clearly that anything that involves changing the rom should be considered a type of development, even if only graphical development. This would dissolve any type of hate towards people that reskin or release graphical modifications to already existing roms.(IMHO)
Ok, since we are off to a slow start, there are a few topics that I would like to address today. The biggest one, in my book anyways, is forum conduct.
We have had numerous complains coming from the Vibrant fora from newcomers (n00bs) complaining that they cannot even dare ask anything due to fear of being flamed to smithereens. Anyone care to elaborate on this?
lralexl said:
I think the problems in the Development forums stem from a general misconception of what it means to be a "developer" and how one earns that title. Often I will hear people flame people like Team Whiskey or Master as mere "re-skinners", because the main(not all) thing that is in their changelog is mere aesthetic changes. I think the mods should post clearly that anything that involves changing the rom should be considered a type of development, even if only graphical development. This would dissolve any type of hate towards people that reskin or release graphical modifications to already existing roms.(IMHO)
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Thanks for starting things off...
So, what you are saying is that a lot of the flaming occurs due to skinners being deemed as kangers. Am I getting this right?
I'm sure there are other personal issues, but I have seen much flaming on reskinning.
lralexl said:
I'm sure there are other personal issues, but I have seen much flaming on reskinning.
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Fair enough, let me bring forth the rule that addresses this issue "Using the work of others"
12. Using the work of others.
If you are developing something that is based on the work of another Member, you MUST first seek their permission, and you must give credit to the member whose work you used. If a dispute occurs about who developed / created a piece of work, first try to settle the matter by private message and NOT in open forum. If this fails then you may contact a moderator with clear evidence that the work was created by you.
Convincing evidence will result in copied work being removed. If there is no clear evidence you created the work then in the spirit of sharing all work will remain posted on the forums.
These rules apply to all software posted on XDA unless that software comes with a license that waives these rules.
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In essence skinning is ok so as long as the member seeks permission from the original dev. It looks like the biggest problem is either a misunderstanding about this rule or lack of knowledge about its existence by both accusing party and "guilty/innocent" party. As a general rule of thumb, if you are making a rom that is based on someone else's work:
* Ask for permission
* Give credit where its due
Simple as that.
Interesting point...
From my experience on hero, people tend to post a theme pack for a ROM. For example, a few regular users port the same few themes into each new ROM I make, and release an add-on patch for it.
They don't go and release it as a separate ROM, but if they did, I have no doubt they would ask me about it first, and I would say sure, but with the caveat that we don't want it to happen too often... What would people think if we had one ROM that is tweaked theme-wise a few times and re-posted as separate ROMs?
There's no "right" answer, but provided people ask the original developers, and give credit per rule 12, then there is no issue with the rules there, so users would be allowed to.
Whether or not it is a "ROM" is up to individual perspectives then.
egzthunder1 said:
Fair enough, let me bring forth the rule that addresses this issue "Using the work of others"
In essence skinning is ok so as long as the member seeks permission from the original dev.
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I don't even think its a permission issue really. I've just seen in a few threads people calling a skinner a developer, and then you'll have a flamefest erupt of people saying that skinning or winzipping isn't developing. I think this leads everyone more away from the truth that it's all contributions to the community and should be treated as such.
As far as the flaming issue goes, I think that people are too quick to respond to bait. If a post is flamebait, I wish people would just ignore it. I think that would help a lot. Maybe along with thanking there could be a voting system for unhelpful posts? I don't know.
On a different note, I think it would be useful to have a review thread for every ROM in the General forum. Constructive reviews only. This would help keep Development threads for bugfixing and dev issues instead of 8 million "what's battery life like?" User screenshots, battery life comments, general performance commentary, etc could all be in the review thread. If someone posts "omg this rom rulez" or "it sucks" they could be given a canned response to give an actual constructive review in that review thread. Just a suggestion. Thanks.
lralexl said:
I don't even think its a permission issue really. I've just seen in a few threads people calling a skinner a developer, and then you'll have a flamefest erupt of people saying that skinning or winzipping isn't developing. I think this leads everyone more away from the truth that it's all contributions to the community and should be treated as such.
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Ok, I think that we are getting closer to the heart of the matter. Conceptions of what people's role is should not be grounds for calling someone out or flaming them. The whole thing actually gets simpler from this point on.
One (implied) rule of thumb is that if the "dev" in question cannot support their release, you are more than likely dealing with a themer or a "zip wizard" and as such, you are probably better off trying to find the source of the rom and apply the theme/fix as a separate add-on.
Keslynn said:
As far as the flaming issue goes, I think that people are too quick to respond to bait. If a post is flamebait, I wish people would just ignore it. I think that would help a lot. Maybe along with thanking there could be a voting system for unhelpful posts? I don't know.
On a different note, I think it would be useful to have a review thread for every ROM in the General forum. Constructive reviews only. This would help keep Development threads for bugfixing and dev issues instead of 8 million "what's battery life like?" User screenshots, battery life comments, general performance commentary, etc could all be in the review thread. If someone posts "omg this rom rulez" or "it sucks" they could be given a canned response to give an actual constructive review in that review thread. Just a suggestion. Thanks.
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It may be a bit of added work, but the Rom review thread is not a bad idea. Just keep it clean from clutter and you have a very good tool to prevent new threads of "What is the best rom?" kind from erupting... I like that!
When it comes from flaming, some people will just put out flame bait for the hell of it. What I need, or at least I would like to see, is for everyone to stick to code of conduct and either ignore it, report it, or else, just not add to the fire.
First, we do recognize that we have a problem. We know this because 1) developers are leaving and forming their own sites because they don't like some of the things going on here. And 2) newer people are afraid to post here. Instead, they go to other forums and ask questions and state that they are afraid to post here. Both of these are big problems for the health of the site.
So, we look at the root causes. Most of them stem from 1) a lack of courtesy or 2) a lack of proper conduct. But I think the problems start with:
1. The Samsung Vibrant's stock software is not up to par due to some poor performing components, such as the GPS.
2. Samsung and T-Mobile have failed to communicate with their community.
3. Many people have come to sites like XDA for help.
What this means is that we have a lot of people in the Development forum who really aren't developers. But, they are here because they want help making their Vibrants perform better. That's not an excuse. I'm just saying that we probably have a lot of people in the Developer section who probably should be in QA or General section.
I think we would do well to:
1. Create a NooB forum, or emphasize the General forum as the place to be.
2. Post all new released ROMs in its own forum (not General, but "ROMS" or "Releases") That way people can go there for ROMS and for SUPPORT.
3. I would hope that this would enable the development forum to get back to being one were developers (or people who are interested in developing) could hang out.
Lastly, there are just some people who are like to cause trouble or are overly sensitive. I'm not sure what to do with them. But if they can't play nice, probably the first thing is to "parent" them and see if they can play nice. If that doesn't work, then it is time for a "timeout", or a temporary or permanent ban.
Lastly, while I appreciate the TownHall meeting, let's not lose site of the good things happening here. I would say that the majority of people are following the rules and making meaningful contributions. But if just 10% of the people do bad things, it colors the entire community.
The Vibrant subforums have seemed to be more Wild West than anything. I feel there should be a better mod presence. Don't get me wrong, I know exactly how difficult it is to do all the moderating, especially given how much of it is behind the scenes, but I feel that there is still some regulation lacking. We need to see more people get warned within threads that get out of hand, and frankly, some banning might get the message across that XDA is going to stop taking this crap from people. This board has gotten ridiculous w/ the flaming and incessant bs. Moderation can only go so much, since it's really up to the posting base to change their ways and be more respectful towards one another in order to truly make a long-term difference, but in the short-term we need some better, more aggresive moderation since changing peoples' posting habits will not be a quick thing to happen.
Proud to be a noob
I think there does seem to be a general consensus around us "noobs" about our failure to use the "search" function in a thread that has over 600 + pages of posts. God knows I would love to just flash a ROM and read basic information or FAQ's from the developer (the one individual who SHOULD know more about their own product than anyone) if I have questions, but when you have over 200 posts about how much others love/hate the ROM/developer or personal rants or recommendations/requests for the ROM they have had no part in developing, it does make it difficult to filter out the answer to the force close issue I am experiencing (for example). Then the flame wars begin! How DARE I ask that question since it was answered previously 42 pages back with a link to another developers thread, posted on page 418 of their 700 page manifesto...you get the hint. Finding basic answers to questions is challenging at best, and most newcomers end up getting ridiculed to the point of not wanting to have any further part, or end up flaming right back. Newsflash : just because you have flashed every possible combination of ROM/kernel/modem, does in no way make you an expert. Leave that to the people that make the ROM. Replies should be streamlined to relevant information allowed only, or force a PM if you want to discuss something irrelevant or bash a newcomer if it makes you feel better.
Keslynn said:
As far as the flaming issue goes, I think that people are too quick to respond to bait. If a post is flamebait, I wish people would just ignore it. I think that would help a lot. Maybe along with thanking there could be a voting system for unhelpful posts? I don't know.
On a different note, I think it would be useful to have a review thread for every ROM in the General forum. Constructive reviews only. This would help keep Development threads for bugfixing and dev issues instead of 8 million "what's battery life like?" User screenshots, battery life comments, general performance commentary, etc could all be in the review thread. If someone posts "omg this rom rulez" or "it sucks" they could be given a canned response to give an actual constructive review in that review thread. Just a suggestion. Thanks.
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I was think about that the other day...that's a good idea and that way the develoment forum will be kept clean.
lralexl said:
I'm sure there are other personal issues, but I have seen much flaming on reskinning.
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Are you able to comment on the personal issues or are you simply surmising?
Thanks
WB
egzthunder1 said:
Ok, I think that we are getting closer to the heart of the matter. Conceptions of what people's role is should not be grounds for calling someone out or flaming them. The whole thing actually gets simpler from this point on.
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To expand on this point, I've noticed people flaming over pretty much any definition. Someone posts that they're disappointed by GPS performance or screen burn in, and they get an argument over what constitutes a "feature" of the phone and told that their concern is not important. People forget that what might not be important to them may be a dealbreaker for someone else.
egzthunder1 said:
Ok, since we are off to a slow start, there are a few topics that I would like to address today. The biggest one, in my book anyways, is forum conduct.
We have had numerous complains coming from the Vibrant fora from newcomers (n00bs) complaining that they cannot even dare ask anything due to fear of being flamed to smithereens. Anyone care to elaborate on this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since that's where I spend most of my time I can say for certain that this is true. I think there's a lot of younger kids in the vibrant forum who like picking fights and just generally being less than friendly. It seems like the answer to most questions asked is go search for it yourself. The information is readily available most of the time if theyd just look, but there's no reason to be rude about it.
With that said, I think since the thanks button has been added its made for a better atmosphere--so far. Definitely a welcome addition that will hopefully keep things civil.
Hi, I'm looking for a rom that can help me to save my battery. I'm using Existenz 3.3.0 on my Sony xperia SP but I'm realizing that device autonomy (battery range) is very low. I find the Purexperice Sirius that seems more performing about battery. what is your opionion about it? What do you think the best rom with the best range? I forgot to tell you that I've loocked bootloader so the rom must be compatible for it. Sorry for my bad english and thank you.
CM11 or slimkat are very good.
ROMs and they way the perform are user based opinion. You can not ask us what the best ROM is. Since you will get diffrent answers.
The best solution is a backup and try it yourself
mrjraider said:
ROMs and they way the perform are user based opinion. You can not ask us what the best ROM is. Since you will get diffrent answers.
The best solution is a backup and try it yourself
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Of course our opinion is important, but I appeal to people of this forum who have tried various rom to direct me to the best rom with best battery usage about the global statistics. I I formulated the question in a wrong way. :laugh:
To be 100% honest
These kind of threads are not really wanted here on XDA
It is not written in the Rules but it is logical that you try out before you ask any opinion
santi8912 said:
Hi, I'm looking for a rom that can help me to save my battery.
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Hello, and welcome to the forum,
Before you click the "New Thread" or "Post Reply" buttons, please take the time to read some rules/guidelines for posting in this forum:
1) Read and follow the Forum Rules:
Plain and simple. No further explanation needed
2) Post your message in the proper subforum (see above):
All questions, requests, and help & troubleshooting needs, go in the Q&A Help & Troubleshooting subforum, if one exists for your device, and any misplaced messages will be promptly moved to their respective location. Users that make it a habit of posting in the wrong forum will be addressed accordingly. If you're unsure of where your post or thread belongs, please read the Forum Rules again.
3) No off-topic discussion:
While some Moderation Teams may allow some off-topic discussion and the creation of off-topic threads, we do not. There is an entire General Off-Topic forum devoted to this type of discussion and there are enough threads already available to meet anyone's off-topic needs. All off-topic threads, and posts containing off-topic discussion, will be deleted promptly and without warning. If you're concerned with the amount of off-topic discussion and misplaced questions in the Development forums, please consider making a Q&A Thread for your ROM/Kernel/Project/etc.
4) No threads or posts asking for the best/most stable ROM/Kernel/Mod/whatever, or created for the purpose of comparing Phones/ROMs/Kernels/Mods/whatever:
These threads/posts will be deleted promptly and without warning. They have a history of causing problems due to trolls, and fanboys, along with various troublemakers, and therefore are no longer allowed. Regardless of that, there is really no way to judge whether or not a particular piece of work is better than another because it's all relative to begin with. If you want to know what piece of work is better for you, install something and try it out for a while. If you don't like it, try something else. Our Developers work hard to provide us their contributions, free of charge. Please show them the respect they deserve by trying something out and giving them your feedback.
5) Don't ask for an ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival):
Asking for an ETA is the XDA equivalent of telling a Developer that the free work they do just isn't enough for you. It usually comes across as rude and/or demanding, and most developers will take offense to it. Even if a particular Developer doesn't mind being asked for an ETA, there are many that do, and there's a good possibility that it will incite arguments in the forum. In the end, it's just best to avoid doing it altogether. If you have no other choice but to ask for an ETA (i.e. the work you're doing absolutely depends on it), then please, do it through a private message and keep it out of the public forums.
6) Keep your signatures at a respectable size:
While members are given a great deal of freedom in creating personalized signatures, it is expected that this freedom is not abused. Abnormally large signatures are obnoxious to most users and they tend to be a major distraction from the topic at hand. If your signature is double the size of an average post or larger, expect be asked to change it. If you're not sure whether the size of your signature is within the respectable limits, feel free to contact a member of the Moderation Team that is assigned to this forum for clarification.
7) Be nice:
It's not that hard. If you can't say something nice to someone, don't say anything at all. If you feel the need to respond negatively to someone, please refer to #8.
8) Report all violations of the aforementioned rules/guidelines and DO NOT respond to them in the open forum:
If you happen to notice a rule violation, use the "Report Post" button in the upper right hand corner of the offending post, or send them a polite reminder through private message so they may resolve the problem on their own (for minor violations of course). Please do not respond to posts that are in violation of the rules in public. Regardless of the fact that it leaves more work for us to do when cleaning the forum, responding to them in public only compounds the issue and it puts you at risk of getting in trouble yourself. Moderators have much more effective ways of dealing with these situations than by arguing back and forth and disrupting the entire conversation, so please, let us handle it.
If there are any questions or concerns regarding this or any other matter, please feel free to contact a member of the Moderation Team that is assigned to this forum. You can find a list of the assigned Moderators at the top of each sub-forum page.
With that, here are a few great threads to help you get the most out of your experience here...please take advantage of them:
Get the most out of XDA!!
How to make a good THREAD, POST, QUESTION or POLL
Why you get short/one word answers! (The Long Answer)
How to give constructive feedback to developers
How To Logcat
GPLv2 tips for developers
Getting a moderator's help
And as always...
Thank you, and have a great day!
Code:
Thread closed
Hi,
I've had a very bad experience at XDA because i've unfortunately come across a developer who has humiliated me to the extent that now i'm hesitating to post any query in the respective forum. I want to report the situation but am not able to find a proper medium. Can anyone make me aware of the proper channel in order to seek help?
I always feel watched and ready to be abused all the time since my time here because of that person. I cannot live with fear, i need to find a solution to it.
Best regards.
More
I have been humiliated to the extent that not i'm hesitant to post regarding my query because of a developer who intimidates me, provides discomfort to me and leads to my depression.
The developer challenged me and ordered all the members to not help me because he thinks of himself that highly. This is so disgusting and insulting for me to bear. He called upon all the members to not co-operate with me! As if he owns the whole place.
He has talked very rudely to me and now i fear doing any activity on XDA since his intimidating posts can hit me any time and any where.
On top of that the moderator has cleaned the thread and has not done any justice. The developer abused me and robbed me of my rights in the community and the moderator has done nothing. I will not be silent on this issue.
I will stop only when my grievance would be heard and appropriate action will be taken.
Someone from the X+ forum just pointed me here and knew you were on about me, I'll tell you how to deal with my "abuse"
@Judge Joseph Dredd
because I'm an RC
AND
@eagleeyetom
Because I'm an RD
take your complaint to them
Can we cease this pointless discussion and move on? While I understand your concerns, bringing them in public should not take place. We have reports, private messages etc. to deal with such things.
I know that some people are more fragile than the others, but come on... It has been already dealt with by one of moderators.
Thread closed.
Regards,
Tom
Hi everyone. I was selected as one of the 60 finalists for the OP3 peer review team, and now I need your help getting into the top 30, and what better place to come to than xda? Currently I sit at 31, and every vote counts. You can vote for me here: (You will have to remove the space before the .net and .eu)
Mod Edit: Link removed.
I'm also the #1 Canadian candidate, and the #3 North American, so if you're from here, show some love
You can view the current results here:
Mod Edit: Link removed.
Now, the things I mainly want to cover are the battery life, strength of the cell signal, fluidity of the OS, and temperature measuring during daily and extensive use. I am posting here not just as a way to get votes, but as a sort of request-taking procedure. If there are any specific things you would like tested (besides putting it in a blender, I don't work for BlendTech) I am willing to do them and contribute that to my official review, which I will link here. If you have any questions regarding myself, my plans on what to test on the phone, or anything else, I am more than willing to answer any and all questions. Thanks for your support!
Hi!
You are welcome to enjoy XDA as it's meant for, info, sharing, helping, etc. But it's not a place to rally others for votes for off site endeavours. :good:
Please, no duplicate threads either.
Thread closed.