Hi all,
First of all, I wish to preface this by saying how appreciative I am of the assistance and wealth of knowledge I have found on this forum. Without it, I must say I would have been pretty disappointed with my HD2 n its purely stock form. Much like the appstore is the iPhone's primary selling point, I believe the customisable nature of WinMo devices is their main selling point and is the reason I chose to purchase an HD2 over an iPhone (other than the cost/Tech Specs) of course. This thread is in no way intended to take away from the amazing work our chefs do!
I would also appreciate if any "If you don't like customising, why are you here?" comments off this thread also as that is not in any way what this is about. god knows I have destroyed enough PC BIOSes and mobile phones trying to customise them or tweak them for the maximum achieveable performance before it all became so mainstream.
I know this kind of a question is going to get people into "attack the n00b" mode really quickly, but i feel it is a legitimate question which could spark some insightful and intelligent discussion.
I was just wondering what your honest opinions are regarding the use of cooked ROMs.
At present I am using an up to date stock ROM with many added tweaks including CHT1.7.1 and the tweaked graphics drivers and am more than happy with the way the phone looks and operates. there is no software that is missing from the stock ROM which I feel would benefit me in any way and the phone seems to operate quickly and seamlessly and so far I have not experienced any reliabillity issues.
With a long standing background in the electronics and software development field, I have always been quite a strong believer in the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" principal, but as I consider you guys and girls to be an intelligent bunch with a wealth of cumilative knowledge, I am interested in your opinions on the cooked VS customised stock ROM debate.
From what I can gather the benefits of a well developed cooked ROM such as EnergyROM or CleanEX ROM are as follows:
Menus are neatly organised and catagorised.
Extra software which is considered to be useful is preloaded.
Interface is tweaked (albiet usually no moreso than it can be with a few mods loaded on to a stock ROM)
UI and animation speed improvements.
The arguements against are as follows:
Risk (however low it is) of bricking your device
Compatabillity with different devices
Warrenty is voided (even though this can in most cases be avoided by flashing bck to a stock SPL)
Reliance on one person, or just a few people for updates rather than a huge company.
Personally, I have never used a cooked ROM, but I have been considering installing the EnergyROM on to my HD2 s it is the most closely matched cooked ROM to the way I have customised my stock ROM, however as I am currently quite happy with the way I have my stock ROM set up, I am wondering if there are any extra benefits that I have missed. It would almost seem that in my case, I am better off just sticking with the tweaked stock ROM as it serves all my needs and scouring pretty much any thread relating to a cooked ROM, I seem to stumble upon a LOT of bugs (hich have usually been fixed in subsequent releases).
To me it would seem that a lot of the time, the appeal of cooked ROMs is the "Elite" and "Geeky coolness" factor rather than actual functionallity.
Discuss....
Excellent post mate and I hope it's taken in the spirit it's intended and you're spared all the usual nonsense when questions are asked.
I've been on here a few months, but rarely ventured into the ROM's section, fairly competent with everything in the "Themes + Apps" section and like you, have my phone looking and performing pretty much how I'd want it.
All I'd perhaps want, and the reason I dip in here every now and then for a look, is perhaps a ROM which removes some of the redundant (for me) applications, ie Twitter, Footprints, Stocks etc to perhaps speed things up a little as my RAM is constantly at 60% and I'm getting low on internal storage memory despite installing everything which can be to the SD card.
But again, I wonder if there is perhaps more to this ROM flashing and whether I'd notice any real advantages which I'd not considered?
One other question for anyone who feels like answering, and it will seem silly. Are the softkeys in 6.5xx all aligned with the right hand one set further in than the left (ie non-symetrical), may seem a minor thing, but it just doesn't look right to me and if I was going to flash to something newer, I'd like to know if it can be changed.
Probably complete "noob" type questions, and apologies for partial hijack of the OP's thread, but as someone else had dared to ask some points that I'd like answered, I thought I'd stick my oar in and we can both be flamed together then.
Thanks for the support
I am the admin on another forum so I am not afraid or unfamiliar with flameage!
I'm looking forward to seeing what discussions this sparks
i think a VOTE would be great for this page....
Hi I would think the best advice would be that if you are happy with your ROM and you are not having any issues with it. Stick to it, this way you will have the peace of mind that your warranty is still in tact and you will not have to revert to reflashing to original stock without any risks.
Flashing on the other hand is fun and I feel the ROM cooks do a fantastic job of tweaking them so they work most efficiently. The chefs also remove programs that are not used that often which gives us more memory to install programs that we will actually use and the chefs also update to the newest builds for software which is dorment in the stock roms e.g. google maps,opera etc. If you update these on stock roms, it takes away valuable space due to the programs installed twice (you cannot usually replace the stock ROM versions and overwrite them with newer builds).
Naturally you will get issues cropping up with things going wrong and this is mainly due to the fact that the chefs use the newest builds before they are released officially so you can have a feel of new things that are put into them. I personally like to stick to one or two chefs and follow their progress, this way you will generally be ok as you will be aware of any minor problems and their fixes. If you flash many different ROMs with different chefs, you may encounter different problems with each of their ROMs and feel that ROM flashing seems to cause more problems than solutions.
I hope this clarifies some of your queries.
chiraag said:
i think a VOTE would be great for this page....
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I considered it, but I thought a vote makes it a little too black and white. I'd rather a more in depth discussion on the pros/cons
Adiction!!
There's nothing wrong with stock ROM's what a little tweaking can't solve.
and there wil always be problems and things that don't suite you in a cooked ROM.
Bud if you would try it once it wil become an adiction to find the newest and/or the fastest that suite your needs the best.
if you follow the guide's the change of bricking your phone are slim bud there is always the posebilety
I think it's one of the best things of my HTC and no risk no luck.
(bud don't listen to me because i'm an addict)
Well it took a while before I flashed a cooked rom into my phone. I use Artemis roms, and those are the only one I have tried yet - and I really do not think I will ever try another since most of them have silly and ugly mods baked in.... I like the newer 6.5.5 with bigger soft buttons and the "start" down on the left. But the most important thing is speed - with artemis, everything the phone can do, the phone does it faster running Artemis than Stock rom. Often _much_ faster. Starting Opera 10 for example takes roughly 2 secs with Artemis, 5-6secs with stock...
I started to flash custom ROMS because I got sick and tired waiting for HTC to solve my problem with data connection. I tried all sorts of official and unofficial tweaks and patches without success so I decided to take the risk with the flashing adventure.
After flashing a few ROMS from different chefs I eventually found THE ONE that solved my frustrating problem out of the box. Not only that but I was also very impressed by the performance and by the chef himself - always there, always wanting to improve, always fair and balanced. So I settled for it and it's the only ROM I flash to my phone.
I would also like to add that I prefer the close to stock philosopy because I want to do the customization myself. Even so, in my opinion custom ROMS have the following advantages compared to stock:
- you have many options to chose from
- they prove to be faster and more stable
- you have LIVE support from the chef and the other users
- you get updates much, much faster and more frequently (even if beta builds)
- you get all sorts of goodies cooked in the ROM (tweaks, apps, etc.)
- with the ROM I use you also get an app built by the chef himself to tweak the ROM to your likings
- it's rather fun to do it
just my 2 cents
I'm the same as the above poster. I got sick of waiting for my mobile operator to update the ROM (O2). I had SMS problems, data connection problems, freezong problems, the list goes on.
Then i turned into a frantic flasher..up to 5 times a day, looking for the latest and greatest. I was forever setting my phone up and it was taking over my life! I even tried cooking my own with pretty decent success.
I'm now more settled and gone for a ROM thats closer to stock with a few tweaks. It does what i want and pretty quickly too. Its a million miles away from the original phone i got back in early December, but that a good thing.
on a functional level much of the surface features that cooked roms offer could in theory be done with cabs and tweaks, but some things can only be cooked in.
also, cooking in a fix or tweak means it is there from the start, so when you hard reset it the system isn't needing to be patched, so the fix is more stable.(generaly)
on another level many of the chefs really do know a thing or two about building roms and can make them smaller faster and more stable than the stock releases.
I personally never flashed a device...I have to admit that with CHT1.7.1 things been running smoothy and perfectly. The idea of removing some applications on standard ROM sounds really great like footprint,shares,music sense...which i dont use.
As Sentinel196 says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" , i guess i come from the same school in that sense.
by the way with all the cutomization available for CHT i find it really hard if people do not like their htc hd2
I do believe the HD2 is a very good compromise between 'works out of the box' and 'can tweak 'til the cows come home'. It's a modders dream but at the same time probably the only WinMobile device that I thought to myself "I might actually stick with a stock rom, it works"
Curiousity got the better of me... WITHIN HOURS... of getting the device. First off I noticed I was locked to Vodafone's stock rom (it was obviously a Vodafone customer selling on a new handset), I couldn't get the latest rom from HTC so HSPL'd it and flashed to stock 1.66. Good stuff, it was working fine for me.
Then I got curious again some days later and tried 6.5.5. I definitely prefered 6.5 to 6.5.5 and believe it feels much more 'balanced' on a device of this nature (giant screen, few hardware buttons) so decided I wanted to go back to 6.5 after some days of use. I remembered the stock rom did have a lot of 'junk' attached to it, despite operating blazing fast. I found CleanEX on here and from the description it sounded like a good compromise - the stock rom but with junk removed, more 'under the hood' tweaks added and all underlying software updated. Fantastic. I've been flashing to it 'til now and can't see me going anywhere else for the time being.
So yeah, the HD2 out of the box (for the most part, I realise some people have experienced bugs) is a decent device. However, coming here turns it into an AMAZING device capable of just about anything. Having the choice is fantastic. When people ask me about me about my HD2 Vs. the iPhone I can't help but be honest and state 'the iPhone just works', if you want the HD2 to fulfill its full potential you'll need to 'dedicate time to it and be one with your inner geek.'
For people stuck with locked down operator roms, the rom section on XDA is invaluable as it would seem o2 UK (my operator) have ONLY JUST upgraded their rom from the version people were using in Nov '09. Sorry, but that is ridiculous and no customer should have to wait that long for a device like this to have its bugs ironed out when people 'breaking the rules' can have it right off the bat with a bit of a learning curve. Just another reason why operator branded bull**** is a waste of everyone's time -- like movies being released in the US months/years before the UK in the 90s & til mid '00, it took file-sharing to fix that!
I also strongly believe if people are willing to come here and read the 'basic' threads & take a little time out, support here is absolutely second to none. Better than an RMA to HTC, better than your operators forums, just fantastic. This does however support the idea that the HD2 is somewhat another device kept alive by XDA-developers... which I'm sure will become more apparent in the future after WinPhone7 is released.
tl;dr - The HD2 is a HTC phone which, once again, benefits more than anything from the development, tweaks, mods, hacks, customizations and support given here.
Some excellent posts so far. Thanks everyone!! Looking forward to some more insight.
I'm certainly becoming more and more tempted to HSPL and flash a cooked ROM just to satisfy my inner nerd and curiosity!
Until a few weeks ago I was a stock ROM user. To be honest the stock rom was ok but just didnt seem very stable to me with resets a normal part of life. Having looked through the various ROM threads I decided to stick with a fairly stock cooked rom and chose Artemis.
After the first few days it was very apparent that this was the way forward. Artemis transformed my HD2 into what I believe the device should have been, stable and a joy to use.
I think before you can decide on a cooked ROM you need to decide on what you want a cooked ROM for. Is it for stability (in my case) or for added features such as extra tabs, preinstalled cabs etc.
I cant fault Artemis v11, is as stock as you can get with a cooked ROM and is fast, stable and very user friendly but I expect that others will have critism over this ROM against another, like I say there are many great chefs out there and its down to personal choice which is the best.
I love cooked ROMs. This is my first Win Mo device and I have to say when I first got it I was pretty disappointed(December last year). Was pretty damn buggy and slow! O2 UK didn't seem in any hurry to release any of the improved ROMs(not sure if they have even released an update now). I did the various tweaks that people have listed to improve the phone and was pretty pleased with the result. When HSPL came out I figured I would give a cooked ROM ago as if me a n00b doing a few tweaks could make my phone better imagine what pros could do! Flashed Duttys HG series and was blown away! Have been flashing them ever since (tried a few others but always come back to Duttys). It feels nice to have all the latest software bundled up and tweaked for me! Just about to flash from HG v2.5 (COM5) to HG v2.6 (COM5). Will be maybe the 20th time I have flashed my phone Gets better each time
Always cooked. Stock roms are always lacking something... cooked, especially with kitchens allow you to play around and have fun.
Now, regarding the future of cooked roms? that much is very very doubtful. I doubt we'll see many WinMo cooked roms after 2010.
I first had the default ROM 1.43 and everything was allmost OK with little glitches here and there (first of all the battery didn't last long) then I had the official 1.48 update wich I promptly applied and everything worked the same with little things improved (still terrible battery life) then after a couple of months of constants soft resets or taking out the battery for a reset I decided to try Miri's ROMS wich are great (I always prefered the close to stock) but still with battery problems until I learned I can upgrade the radio only without damaging the ROM wich I did and somewhat improved, but just a little, then I tried Dutty's wich are great roms (still close to stock and more stable at least the COM2 version) finally I decided a couple of days ago to give a try to EnergyROM which have additional software and I whent the GTX route, and I really love it, speccially since the battery is lasting me longer with the same radio update as my previous rom and with the lovelly GTX theme but some things like CHT seems to work better cooked in that installed separatedly, in my opinion I think you will have a lot of benefits using a custom ROM, but first use the original rom a couple of months to evaluate if your unit is functional (try everything: FM radio, GPS, light sensor, etc.) and then when you get to know your device try the custom rom of your choice and prepare to be amazed, once you go custom....
Good luck!
Maybe i am talking about the wrong thing here but i will say it. In the HD2 there is very little (if not nothing at all) noticeable difference between stock and custom Rom (except some registry modifications that you can do them with the stock rom as well). It is mainly in the addiction that cooking provides that you can see a difference. In the HTC Touch HD although the difference between stock and custom rom (mainly the Custom Roms that come from the HD2) is VERY VERY BIG. The last stock rom that HTC provide is 1 year old (7/4/2009) with 6.1 Windows, Black and White slider icons, Manila 1.XX etc. So in some cases i thing Custom Rom is more needed that the Stock Rom. But in the case of the ultra-fast HD2 i believe that the difference is much much smaller.
Wow - a front pager!
Sentinel196 said:
I would also appreciate if any "If you don't like customising, why are you here?"
[...]
I know this kind of a question is going to get people into "attack the n00b" mode really quickly, but i feel it is a legitimate question which could spark some insightful and intelligent discussion.
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Sentinel196 said:
I am the admin on another forum so I am not afraid or unfamiliar with flameage!
Click to expand...
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Just thought I'd share in case you hadn't noticed; despite your concerns, you managed to make the 'front cover' of XDA-Devs!
http://www.xda-developers.com/
Next - Time Magazine?!
Good post, well deserved. Enjoying the conversation and Mass-Debating(!).
Hirshy
Related
Hi, I've had a Hermes running WM5 for a while until I got fed up with the usual crashes and some other performance issues. A few days ago I installed WM6 and though it has some interesting new features it's still a little bit heavy and I'd rather have better performance than a pretty interface.
Can someone recommend some good ROMs or alternative OSs for the Hermes? Maybe some tweaks to improve speed... For example: it takes way to long to load the contact list or show who's calling when a call comes in.
I've been waiting for Ubuntu Mobile and/or Android to come out but apparently those will take some more time...
If you are running a stock rom thats probably you're problem. They are full of "Bloat" apps for your carrier. First thing is (if you're not sure its unlocked) unlock your Hermes with the unlocker v3a on the upgrading thread. Then Hard SPL your Phone on the same forum - Hard SPL, or how not to brick your hermes (this will void warranty) and then pick a lite rom or rom you like off the forum. I personally like PDAViets roms as they are VERY fast. If you aren't used to flashing and want stability look at the wm6 roms and not the wm6.1 roms as there are issues being reported by others...
Cheers....
Thanks, I actually flashed the device a few days ago with WM6 Black 3.0 or something like that... It's kinda heavy
I did the HardSPL upgrade before flashing and all went ok. What I haven't done is upgrading the radio. What's the object of upgrading that?
Anyway, I'll give PDAViets a shot!
The black roms are fairly old now and I haven't seen any in developement. Would try either schaps, pays, Binky11, CRC's, PDA corner...... the list goes on. As I said, I tend to favour PDAViet.
As for the radio, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!". This is the part of rom upgrading that produces the most bricks... If you find no problem with your radio, its advisable to leave it alone. Changing to the latest ISN'T always the best as they tend to be better or worse depending on your carrier. If you can see what the latest radio rom is that your carrier is using you MIGHT upgrade to that BUT try not to flash this too often... You have been warned.....
Have fun and happy upgrading...
Cheers...
Indexing
Why there is no sticky post, which contain in its first message, all the latest versions of all the ROMs available in the forum ?
It can be updated from time to time, and always contain the latest versions of all the roms available in the forum.
if there's allot of maintaince to do, at least it can contain links to posts, which the ROM owner can update.
If there's already such a post, I'd be very happy to get the link...
Most of the roms on the site are in developement. They are made by people who are curiose to see what they can do and who may have a certain need from their os. They are nice enough to share their hard work with the rest of the community and for this we thank them profusely...
The only way you can be sure of finding the rom you want is to keep your eyes peeled on the "Hermes wm6" part of the forum. Find out who makes the roms you like then do a search for those.. They're ALL floating around here somewhere...
Cheers....
I wonder how many people will agree with me. I have spent the last several months playing around with different ROMs -- both 6.1 and now 6.5. I have found that it takes me at least 5 hours to put everything "back in" after uploading a ROM (I admit that I have 20-odd programs and lots of tweaking to do which I cannot automise) and have decided that this is really a waste of time. I am neglecting ACTUALLY WORKING on my phone (I have several projects going; one is compiling a dictionary). My family has also suffered from lack of attention. I find that when I wake up, the first thing on my mind is: Is there a new ROM for me to download today?
So I have stopped this madness. I have gone back to the latest generic English ROM and have started to add various CABs to suit my needs for new stuff For example I have the 'Growing' panel, and lots of other things like the new calculator from 6.5. I think this is the way forward for me. Of course, I just might give in to temptation as the ROMs get better -- who knows? And I will always be grateful to the cooks.
I wonder how many people would agree with what I have just written; would love to read your comments... Thanks
I fully agree with you. I haven't used a single cooked ROM yet, still I have a lot to do with finding the right software for my phone, installing it, uninstalling it again, adjusting the settings, etc. It consumes a LOOOT of time and it definitely has a great impact on my life at this time. Hope that I will have everything I need soon
I would agree if the new roms brought nothing to the table but after using itje's 4.5 rom i can't say i agree. That was just a spectacular development.
I think the ROM developement here is amazing and the proof of people creativity on .xda. I admire it.
At the same time I don't use it.
No time, no need.
Don't want any risk either.
Generic UK is good. I wait for R3.
doministry said:
I think the ROM developement here is amazing and the proof of people creativity on .xda. I admire it.
At the same time I don't use it.
No time, no need.
Don't want any risk either.
Generic UK is good. I wait for R3.
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I couldn't have said it better.
Klaus1960 said:
For example I have the 'Growing' panel, and lots of other things like the new calculator from 6.5.
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Click to collapse
Where did you get a calculator from 6.5? I'm looking for a nice free calculator and that sounds nice
Beside, I agree with you, I think it will coast a lot of time, I didn't install a custom ROM and I'll wait for the official R3AA Rom, I think the custom ROMs are great, and I'm a lot browsing through the threads, but I do need a lot of time...
I agree with you.
I have tried most of the english ROMs for X1. And i tell you the best ROM is the official generic ones(generic UK in my case)
Almost all the cuztom roms out now have problems, little bugs here and there. I like Jacks ROMs best, because he always tries to perfect his ROM. Even the little enhancment tweaks which are posted here, they are not worth it.
Just stick with the official stuff and use the product that are made good developers (like HTC and SPB)
I for one am pretty happy with the nX1i ROM. Its lite and works like a charm.
But yea...its pretty darn annoying to have to install everything back into the device.
Klaus1960 said:
I have found that it takes me at least 5 hours to put everything "back in" after uploading a ROM.
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5 hours? Did you use UC to automate the install process? I had UC for almost everything (e.g. software install, software registration w/ registry or file copying, shortcut moving, customization ....etc) and it take about 20 mins and require no attention. It may take some time beforehand for UC, but worth it since the one time process will work for any UC custom rom w/ any device (w/ minor change) in the long run.
Klaus1960 said:
So I have stopped this madness. I have gone back to the latest generic English ROM and have started to add various CABs to suit my needs for new stuff
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Click to collapse
Isn't that you are doing the same thing except it's just on a stock rom (and no UC to automate yr process)?
I am not either a flashing fun.
I ve had 2 WM phones b4 (MIO & ETEN) with very buggy official ROMs. And a good custom ROM could give tones of added value at these old times.
But with X1 things are different. The latest version of the official ROM is quite good. Not any serious issues.
A good reason to flash a custom rom could be if u like Manila (which I don't)
ATM, I am using nX1i which is actually same as the official, except some junks removed and some newer version apps and I am very happy with it.
Maybe it’s just me but I wanted air my views on current crop of cooked ROM’s. I have been an avid flasher since the glory days of cooked ROM’s from the Hermes (TyTN) era but recently I no longer feel the urge to flash, I guess the novelty has worn off me or I’ve just become a boring old fart whatever but to me it seems that a lot of talented chef feel the need or urge to release a ROM every other day with all the bells and whistle i.e. latest drivers, builds etc…. Quantity rather Quality!! The latest and the greatest does not always mean it’s the best!!!
Initially it’s great to have that choice and flash the ROM of the day until the next, just like a kid in a sweet shop all that choice but surely is it not better to release a ROM a few weeks or month down the line then to release it almost on a daily basis? At least that way one would be able to see significant improvements on the ROM!
I would like to make it clear there are very good cooked ROM’s here that would put some stock ROM’s to shame and with the recent advent of the 576 RAM hack it’s just another valid reason for novice to flash, all I’m saying is can we have more Quality ROM’s then Quantity it’s getting to the point “Too many cook spoil the broth”
well, there are many broths out there, not only 1 broth. So it doesnt matter to me.
i am inclined to agree, up to a point.
I used to cook firmware for LG phones (Viewty / Renoir) and often got accused of releasing too many, sometimes just days apart. My arguement then, and now, is that nobody if forcing you to upgrade.
However, the choice of cooked roms is mind-boggling, and there seems to be no definitive comparison table to easily show the differences between them, and the information supplied with each one is not always accurate. I have only had my HD2 for a week now, (and still loving it ) and i have flashed about 5 different roms, and keep going back to the same one, Leo Lite, by Mr Vanderlay. For me it is the best. And so far, seems to be the fastest for my own useage.
I do think there needs to be some collaboration between cookers to make comparisons easier. And perhaps slowing down releases, just a bit would make a world of difference.
Not naming names or ROMS, but some i have tried are indeed the latest and greatest, but some fundamental things remain broken and are therefore not useable in an everyday situation. This is a PHONE after all, and whats the point of reinstalling everything evry single day?
Find something you like, and stick with it
I think the section should be more organised, e.g. a WM6.5 and 6.5.x subsection with WM build and Manila build specified in tags.
g.lewarne said:
i am inclined to agree, up to a point.
I used to cook firmware for LG phones (Viewty / Renoir) and often got accused of releasing too many, sometimes just days apart. My arguement then, and now, is that nobody if forcing you to upgrade.
However, the choice of cooked roms is mind-boggling, and there seems to be no definitive comparison table to easily show the differences between them, and the information supplied with each one is not always accurate. I have only had my HD2 for a week now, (and still loving it ) and i have flashed about 5 different roms, and keep going back to the same one, Leo Lite, by Mr Vanderlay. For me it is the best. And so far, seems to be the fastest for my own useage.
I do think there needs to be some collaboration between cookers to make comparisons easier. And perhaps slowing down releases, just a bit would make a world of difference.
Not naming names or ROMS, but some i have tried are indeed the latest and greatest, but some fundamental things remain broken and are therefore not useable in an everyday situation. This is a PHONE after all, and whats the point of reinstalling everything evry single day?
Find something you like, and stick with it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Of course no one is forcing anyone to flash! and yes I do have a preferred ROM, my own custom ROM!
Jack E said:
I think the section should be more organised, e.g. a WM6.5 and 6.5.x subsection with WM build and Manila build specified in tags.
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Click to collapse
+1
Great idea. I'd love something like that as well. I feel overwhelmed trying to swim through all the choices sometimes.
Hi !
I think some chefs should work toghether creating the best rom ever ;-)Collaboration is the best !!
not wishing to sound elitist, cos im pretty noob at the whole cooking game, but do you not think the lack of a super simple join the dots scheme actually helps prevent accidents by forcing people to do a little investigation themselves?
if it were boiled down to "click here for best rom" people with zero idea what they are actually doing would be flashing like crazy, then complaining when they get a brick.
samsamuel said:
not wishing to sound elitist, cos im pretty noob at the whole cooking game, but do you not think the lack of a super simple join the dots scheme actually helps prevent accidents by forcing people to do a little investigation themselves?
if it were boiled down to "click here for best rom" people with zero idea what they are actually doing would be flashing like crazy, then complaining when they get a brick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i think you misunderstood, what we have said is some sort of comparison chart / better named and layed out ROM section would make it easier for everybody. Nobody has stated they want a "click here for the best ROM" system.
eg:
ROM SECTION
--------------------WM 6.5
-----------------------------"Freds rom v1.1" 21889 Manilla 2.5.2010 WWE
-----------------------------"Marys rom v4.5" 21890 Manilla 2.5.1922 GER
--------------------WM 6.5.x
-----------------------------"Andys rom v1.0" 25315 Manilla 2.5.1921 WWE
-----------------------------"Janes rom v2.3" 24001 Manilla 2.5.2010 ITA
whats so wrong with that sort of layout? at least it makes it easaier to find the type of ROM you want rather than trawling through 3 or 4 pages of highly confusing rom names that get all muddled up. Its even worse where some chefs have WM6.5 and 6.5.5 roms with similar names.
Since Leo is currently the most powerful WM device, most cooks definitely would get one, and is understandable lot more cooked roms would be available.
You folks should feel lucky for that. (man, I am still waiting for the NA version...)
jackleung: import one from Australia! 850 3G compatible!
Also, someone tried to create some 'sense' of the ROMs by making www.xdaroms.com but it comes a bit short.
The concept is sound but some things need to happen to make the site great. Namely:
1) Chef support: Dedicated accounts where they can upload freely, add details, etc.
2) UI revision: It looks like the same damn mobile oriented sites we've seen for the past decade
I like the fact that there are many releases and so quickly. I also like the fact chefs are pushing the latest tech to us so quickly even if the rom is not perfect. release early get bug reports release fix etc.. its moving the platform forward and keeping it interesting imho. sure some better organization would be nice but the changelogs on the chefs pages for me do a good job of telling me what's inside the latest creation.
now I have just cooked my own rom I want more faster latest releases of dev branches to play with
I think too that there are too many choices without clear layed out differences between them.
I hope that there were some comparasion but I think its just a matter of variety
There is no substitute for real-life usage bug discovery, so I think releasing newer tech as soon as possible (letting people know that it is sort of beta and will contain bugs) means those bugs can be found and resolved quicker.
Actually, most chefs do tag the topics with WM6.5 or WM6.5.3 and mostly even include the Sense version.
After a while you realize what rom offers what. Personally, i stick with one rom that i am happy with, until the cook changes something that doesn't fit my needs anymore.
Also generally there are concepts to rom design: Some chefs cook roms with particular flavor, i.e. tweaks, hacks, design changes (such as custom task bar, backgrounds, boot splashes), and some just create "stock rom like" roms, that mostly offer either a stock rom with removed junk, or a stock rom with updated components. I prefer the latter.
gfreek said:
Maybe it’s just me but I wanted air my views on current crop of cooked ROM’s. I have been an avid flasher since the glory days of cooked ROM’s from the Hermes (TyTN) era but recently I no longer feel the urge to flash, I guess the novelty has worn off me or I’ve just become a boring old fart whatever but to me it seems that a lot of talented chef feel the need or urge to release a ROM every other day with all the bells and whistle i.e. latest drivers, builds etc…. Quantity rather Quality!! The latest and the greatest does not always mean it’s the best!!!
Initially it’s great to have that choice and flash the ROM of the day until the next, just like a kid in a sweet shop all that choice but surely is it not better to release a ROM a few weeks or month down the line then to release it almost on a daily basis? At least that way one would be able to see significant improvements on the ROM!
I would like to make it clear there are very good cooked ROM’s here that would put some stock ROM’s to shame and with the recent advent of the 576 RAM hack it’s just another valid reason for novice to flash, all I’m saying is can we have more Quality ROM’s then Quantity it’s getting to the point “Too many cook spoil the broth”
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I feel the same, in fact my new years resolution this year is to only flash stock ROMs!. My HD1 was the worst for it, every other day I would be flashing a new ROM, the pattern would normally go something like this:
Week 1
"Steve" finds a new way of improving speed and creates a ROM including the fix, I flash it but find that a few other things are broken.
Week 2
"Sam" then builds a ROM with the new speed improvement and nothing broken. So I flash it. But then realise that its blisteringly fast, because the ROM has nothing in it!
Week 3
"John" then builds a ROM that looks beautiful and has many applications, but lacks the new speed improvements. I flash, and am back to square one! And the cycle continues...
I don't think its anybodies fault, and I don't want anything to change, but I think that perhaps some of the more experienced users are feeling a little jaded now. Whereas the newer users are still in the honeymoon phase of being able to flash new, varied ROMs! I also think that there is more competition between chef's these days, and users demand the new discoveries in their favourite ROMs. (576mb / 1gz for example), meaning that the cycle is becoming ever shorter, as people are discovering new things almost daily!
it is very hard to flash rom every day this way you cannot keep any data on deice you need to inistall programms every day apply tweaks every day so so hard
Schooleydoo said:
I feel the same, in fact my new years resolution this year is to only flash stock ROMs!. My HD1 was the worst for it, every other day I would be flashing a new ROM, the pattern would normally go something like this:
Week 1
"Steve" finds a new way of improving speed and creates a ROM including the fix, I flash it but find that a few other things are broken.
Week 2
"Sam" then builds a ROM with the new speed improvement and nothing broken. So I flash it. But then realise that its blisteringly fast, because the ROM has nothing in it!
Week 3
"John" then builds a ROM that looks beautiful and has many applications, but lacks the new speed improvements. I flash, and am back to square one! And the cycle continues...
I don't think its anybodies fault, and I don't want anything to change, but I think that perhaps some of the more experienced users are feeling a little jaded now. Whereas the newer users are still in the honeymoon phase of being able to flash new, varied ROMs! I also think that there is more competition between chef's these days, and users demand the new discoveries in their favourite ROMs. (576mb / 1gz for example), meaning that the cycle is becoming ever shorter, as people are discovering new things almost daily!
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Well said, I couldn't agree more!
All true and all the different choices don't make it easier but I do notice I usually stick to a few cooks having my favorite roms...
I mean, I like a certain windows build, certain looks (default white clock, no transparent stuff), some basic apps and functionality, no need for a document tab, etc...
As a result I stick mostly to the Miri roms (and every now and then I try another, now running energy since I really liked that on the touch pro) so once you have your mind made up about what you want in general a number already drops out of the picture.
Wouldn't it be better to ask some of this enthusiastic "chiefs" to help developping Android instead for developping redundant versions of windows mobile in different "flavours". It is just waste of time. We need Android, where the real fun is!
Don't worry, NRGZ28 has no plans to retire yet (I hope ). This thread may get closed or may only get a few replies, but your feedback is appreciated if you would be kind enough to post a few words...
It's not one of the usual "which ROM should I choose threads". I'm experienced here enough not to annoy you all that much!
The problem is that since I flashed my first EnergyROM on my Diamond or TP (can't remember which), I can't divert from them. Great for NRGZ28...that's obviously the desired effect, but I see so many other ROM threads in these fora, and it's obvious so many people choose them over EnergyROMs for one reason or another. Basically, I like the fact that they look great and come "fully-loaded", and a big thing for me is that the latest WM build (currently 23563) is used to cook from. A "stock" or "lite" ROM isn't much good to me as I would just fill it with all the same stuff anyway, only not being cooked in it probably wouldn't all work together so well.
What I'm asking for is what others are using instead of EnergyROM and why.
What I'm most worried about is that I'm so stuck on EnergyROMs that I might be missing something else. I recognise completely that all of the ROM chefs are super talented in what they do and I wouldn't know where to begin in cooking myself. I mean I like to think that I'm pretty well techie-minded, but the thought of ROM cooking hurts my head! All those XIP and SYS and pagepools, lua script & manila files, all the ExtROM stuff that gets constantly updated that I wouldn't be able to get hold of, not being in the right circles. I just can't bring myself to try because I know it could always be better.
But also, I don't like to constantly flash all the time, once a week is enough I think and this is what keeps me from testing other ROMs.
Thanks for reading and I hope I didn't just waste 2 minutes of your life and a few kilobytes on the xda server! I'm sure there are more "EnergyROM addicts" out that are wondering if anything else compares.
Whatever ROM you choose you will be missing something. The right question is:
Can I live without that feature/application/tweak/theme/etc?
Choosing custom ROM over stock has its obvious advantages. Using stock has its advantages also: warranty is not violated, you have support from manufacturer etc.
Custom ROMs are different story. They are made by individuals according to their taste: from eye-candy (or lack of it) to choice of apps and tweaks.
EnergyROMs have nice eye-candy, they are nicely optimized with good app choices. There are ROMs that are faster. There are ROMs that are close to stock look, so you can modify it according to your own taste. There are ROMs with no additional apps so you can install exactly what you need. Some chiefs refresh their ROMs more frequently than NRGZ28, so you get new build faster.
Personally, I stick to the "good old" 21XXX builds and flash only when there is important update in newer build. Something like improvement in speed or some feature that is important to me (battery life, newer Office build, or fix for something that was not working as it should).
EnergyROMs are used by many so bugs and problems are found much faster and, consequently, fixed faster.
I have tried almost all other ROMs but for some reason, EnergyROM on HD2 presents for me, personally, perfect combination of looks, features, stability and battery life.
You make some very valid points...am I right in considering you an EnergyROM addict too?
In fact all of what you have said is completely my way of thinking. Although I use the 23XXX builds. For some reason I have some (un)healthy compulsion to have the latest of everything, which is one of the main reasons I use EnergyROM in the 1st place (and I also why I bought a HD2 when I had a perfectly good TP2, much to my wife's dismay!
)
I couldn't go back to having the "Start" and "X" buttons at the top. That's SO 4 months ago!
Anyone else wanna throw anything in?
Admire al chefs but..
Yes, I admit I have a NRG addiction as well.....
I do try other chef's cooking as well, especially because NRG takes the time to release new builds, and others come out with theirs earlier. I find myself time after time going back to his, either 'downgrading' or flash one of his as soon as they come out.
What other ROMs I try?
I would categorize them like this:
1. Eye candy - Some chefs here are extremely talented is combining their own looks, or co-operating with people with high skills of developing beautiful looking screens.
2. Performance - I always look for a ROM that will have no lag , be memory efficient (not that the HD2 lacks any) , and one without bloating.
I think the appeal NRG ROMS has on me (at least) is the combination of the Italian beauty (see the cars they make) and the German precision. On top NRG is here in the US, and it gives him another advantage for me. Not sure if he is on AT&T or not, but until now any recommendation he has (like going back to 2.07 radio) was a great advice.
I try from time to time Miri's , Tom Codon's , IT's (sorry, not on this forum any more, but still a great chef) and Dutty's, even some others. All are great piece of work, and I do want to take the opportunity and thank all of them, but as stated - NRG's are always the ones I finally keep on my phone, and dare travel with..
i think there are some fundamental differences in chefs way of thinking.
I for one (and i know a few others who have stated as much) are cooking primarily for ourselves. we just choose to share the work. I will listen to requests, and if it is valid that it gets taken care of. Of course bugs affect everyone, so they take a priority.
Many other Chefs seem to "cook for the masses" and therefore appeal to a wider audience.
I dont think it is any any way fair to consider one chef over another by something as simple as post count on their rom thread (not saying you do this its just an observation).
If you feel comfortable with a style of rom, there is nothing wrong with sticking to it. but as you say, it never hurts to look, and so you have.
Going back time and again to one chef is more a compliment to that person, and nothing to be concerned over.
matmaneyre said:
But also, I don't like to constantly flash all the time, once a week is enough I think and this is what keeps me from testing other ROMs.
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I flash every morning (atleast)...sometimes even before taking a crap
Anybody knows any bone diseases I may end up with, please warn me !
On the better side of the thread intention , I for one personally end up with a Clean rom with no extra apps so I can make it my 'own'.
Always two sides to a coin... or many sides to a paper note if you fold it
Let me give you some background information. 2 years ago I was taken in by the beauty of the Sony Ericsson Xperia x1i.
Now while this phone looked amazing the interface was really bad and I was forever getting frustated.
Then I discovered this site and Then it happened! I became a flashing addict!.
I loved Itjes Touch it series with manilla and windows mobile 6.5/.5 builds which made the phone alot more usable.
So April came round and I was due an upgrade and I heard alot of buzzing about the HTC HD2 and after watching lots of videos and reviews I knew this is what I needed.
Now the unit I got was an 02 branded unit and it worked excellent but I knew it would be a matter of time before my addiction takes over and before I knew it I was flashing a diffrent rom everyday.
But I have found there to be so many bugs and problems with the custom roms that last week I decided to return to the stock o2 rom and I have to say the phone now just works! no problems, no lag during streaming, no glitches.
So I think I am done with the flashing random roms thing now.
Anyone else returned to the stock roms after feeling disatisfyied by customer roms?
Never tried flashing yet, I am on stock 1.66.707.1 ROM
I too had Sony Ericsson Xperia x1i and like you decided to flash it. I really didn't like the custom UI so decided to revert back to the stock ROM. But - on account of me being a complete noob - I somehow managed to brick the phone!
So I claimed, and got the HD2.
So far I’ve not flashed any custom ROMs as I don't really want to run the risk of destroying my beloved HD2 and I’m actually happy with the stock ROM (1.72.206.3) and using CHT I just customise everything else - pretty much on a daily basis!
Very tempted to flash it with android when it's fully ready, but I guess only time will tell if that happens.
there arent problems...but i dont wanna brick my hd2 because of "i wanna have the newest thing" blablaaa
maybe i'll flash android, but as long as my stock 1.48 wm rom is working, im pretty happy...thanks to cookie
DN41
The energy rom on my phone runs 100% smoother with 10,000% less glitches and lockups than the stock Tmous one did
I know everyones opinions are diffrent which is fair enough. But for me I have found the stock roms to be the best and most reliable.
Not taking anything away from our chefs as I know they do an excellent job but Custom roms are not for everyone.
I think I just want a phone that just works and does not need to be constantly tweeked for it to do some of the simpletest tasks.
yea after years of flashing i no longer use custom roms, I do however use tweeks to get it how i want it, no rom is perfect for everyone. I just got fed up of all the different roms that promised loads and where no better than stock imho.
I've flashed so many times I don't set up my quicklinks anymore. I just have grey squares showing and in a couple days I'll reinstall a new set of grey squares aka flash a new rom. My G2 arrives on the 5th.
ddgarcia05 said:
I've flashed so many times I don't set up my quicklinks anymore. I just have grey squares showing and in a couple days I'll reinstall a new set of grey squares aka flash a new rom. My G2 arrives on the 5th.
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/\
See this is how i was too at first.. the Tmous rom was more unstable than the worst rom on here.. i had to pull the battery on my wifes and my phone at LEAST daily the first week we had them.. Chasing that dragon and trying every new flash the second it comes out might not be the way to go as far as stability. but i DO know Tmous stock rom was garbage.
So maybe your O2 stock rom is just a more stable rom off the shelf than ours was.. in which case youll understand why it is hard to relate.
m0bmentality said:
/\
See this is how i was too at first.. the Tmous rom was more unstable than the worst rom on here.. i had to pull the battery on my wifes and my phone at LEAST daily the first week we had them.. Chasing that dragon and trying every new flash the second it comes out might not be the way to go as far as stability. but i DO know Tmous stock rom was garbage.
So maybe your O2 stock rom is just a more stable rom off the shelf than ours was.. in which case youll understand why it is hard to relate.
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Thats a very fair statement, I have no experiance of what the TMOUS rom is like so am not able to speak of all types on stock roms.
But as far as the O2 rom goes its just boot screen and a wallpaper otherwise it is the generic 1.72 rom and mius the wifi router which I have installed anyway.
I agree with the above post where alot of chefs make promises for vast speed improvement etc where really its just the same as any other rom.
Ive read that the O2 roms are pretty bad.........
I was stock for a good 6 or 7 months until I flashed an energy rom, the only reason I flashed was to see what all the fuss was about........
The first t mobile rom that came with the phone (1.66 i think) was stable however there was no youtube client, installing any of the youtube clients available always led to me losing the ability to use media players and the htc video player, apart from that the rom was ok........
The next official t mobile rom (1.72) was absolutely fine, i never experienced a problem. Like I said, I got fed of reading about how great custom roms were and decided to see what all the fuss was about.....
I even got an arsey comment from someone on here about how I must be "the only person on here still using a stock rom" lol
I flashed the energy rom thats in my sig and have stuck with it to this day because it "just works" its faster than the stock, has no bloatware and nice extras like shake2save rotate screen etc... the downside is the battery life....
That said, If I had to go back to a stock rom i really wouldnt be that bothered... I guess I was lucky that the tmo uk one was a good one though...
See My Siggy
I have tried various roms including the stock rom that came with my phone....
The stock rom SUCKS.
Energy was good; Chucky was good for android but minimal (not complaining).
Current rom is better than stock and great for Android....
Stock Roms are buggy too, just after awhile; slow respone and lagging becomes "acceptable". I had a MotoRokr E8 for a year! I know what slow and unresponsive means......
The Chefs here often exceed the stock rom's abilities and functionality....
KUDOS TO THE CHEFS.
running the stock t-mobile us rom here on a 3 week old phone and absolutely no issues other than THIRD PARTY apps not exiting correctly but that was resolved with a restart of the deice and the apps have been good since
you can try Duttys ROMs if you haven' yet. The best for me. No Bloatware, close to stock, extremely fast and stable and as always, Android friendly.
I had a few problems with the original Tmo us rom but nothing bad enough to make me leave it. The upgraded version while still buggy is much better. Again, I have no desire to leave it though. When the next iteration of this phone hits perhaps I'll switch But without tethering WM7 is out of the question until it gets put in.
The stock and latest TMobile ROM for the HD2 runs very well.
I did not want to change it after doing all the registry tweaks and 3D Drivers, etc.
Then Android came and I had to make a move.
I tried several custom ROMs, and you are right, they all were not me.
Some had stuff I did not like, and in my opinion, were not better than stock.
Until I found the ENERGY ROM in my signature.
It still needs a few registry tweaks and LEOCPU, but once is set, it is the best ROM I ever had.
I think is perfect.
Very organized, clean, beautifull and fast.
It has the latest drivers from the HTC Oboe, the new WM6.5 Devise to be released now in October 2010 in China.
Lots of improvements over stock ROM. In communications, system upgrades, software, etc.
Including the most recent release of Sence for Windows Mobile, version 2018.
So yes, there are better than stock ROMS out there.
The last update for the HD2 was on May 2010.
NRGZ28 has incorporated updates in his latest Energy ROM, that are 4 to 5 months newer.
I've always liked stock roms. I ran the stock TMOUS TP2 WM 6.1 ROM forever, since I heard the 6.5 ROMs ate all the memory. I'm currently still running the 2.13 stock rom on my TMOUS HD2, but I'm considering the leaked pie rom.
Well, I am running 1.66 Stock ROM, CHT 1.61 and had no single freeze the last 6 months, my HD2 softresetted once a week after SPB Backup or after a flight.
I applied almost all reg tweaks posted in tips&tricks, use BsB and thats fine for me.
What prevented me from flashing custom ROMs was that I ALWAYS read carefully the comments of the users flashing it. And there is no single custom ROM where it reads ONLY: runs flawless.
So this is mostly not the fault of the cook though but the fact that we have to deal with so many languages and providers that prevent a cooked ROM from running flawlessly in any language and provider environment.
Of course the cooks program their ROMS in their native lang and with the preliminaries of their provider so this is why their ROMS simply cant work flawlessly on EVERY HD2 in this world.
Maybe this is why the upcoming WP7 is so restrictive in hard- and software to guarantee a smooth function in every country with every provider (in case it WILL run smooth )
enyaj said:
you can try Duttys ROMs if you haven' yet. The best for me. No Bloatware, close to stock, extremely fast and stable and as always, Android friendly.
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+1 here for Dutty's ROMs. Fantastic, close to stock, yet running latest Sense etc. Have been great for me and no need to keep updating - I just update on major changes and I'm well happy with it.
I'm the opposite had my hd2 from vodafone with just about the worst ROM that could have been provided constantly crashing and generally rendered my phone unusable so fed up with waiting for vodafone to release an update i flashed a custom rom and ain't looked back i was using energy's rom but for the last week I've been using elegancia rom without HTC messaging and I'm amazed how good it is also using darkstone Android and no issues with either makes my phone awesome