[Q] (how do I) take a rooted froyo to rooted gingerbread - G2 and Desire Z General

Howdy!
After making sure to watch the intro video (and being quite amused at the truth of the matter), I have done my best to search the various threads for information on upgrading my G2 (rooted, running froyo) to gingerbread.
In reading through the threads:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=801206
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1202060
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1206930
I have learned the following -
Visionary is likely to brick the phone
This will tell me if I have s-off (which I do):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=26276528&postcount=3
G2 drivers for ADB are a real PITA, as it cannot just be a driver... no~ I have to install a freaking sync package from HTC, which requires several other packages to be installed -_-
Other information that may be useful:
[gsm.version.baseband]: [12.28b.60.140eU_26.03.02.26_M]
[ro.build.description]: [1.22.531.8 CL277427 release-keys]
# uname -r
uname -r
2.6.32.17-g9ab3677
So near as I can tell, I have S-Off, and a froyo version that wants to upgrade to Gingerbread. Now for the question(s):
1. With CWM, is it possible to install the Gingerbread update?
2. If not, do I need to install a different bootloader, and will that enable me to not only install the gingerbread update, but also retain root?
I would like to retain my current phone experience (applications, call log, sms/mms history, etc etc), and to that end have used Titanium and sms backup. If there is a better/more complete backup solution for the phone, I am open to suggestions
Many thanks, and if I am missing something glaringly obvious, I can only hope my post (and responses) can assist someone else who is missing what I am as well.

Think the easyiest way to have an rooted Gingerbread Rom is flashing one from the rom thread index...do you want to have sense?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1493365

first of all i suggest leaving cwm, just preference and having said this youll be able to flash a new rom just fine with this. cant answer your bootloader question as you never posted which one you have. i highly doubt you do.
first step - titanium backup, back up all. yes sms backup + works great
now boot into recovery and choose nandroid backup (always do this before flashing a new rom, radio, spl etc.)
after this is done wipe everything you can, then flash a superwipe script (youll find them easily with the search button)
now flash your rom - the guide linked before has nearly every rom made in the last year or more for the g2/dz (sometime will need to flash gapps, kerenel, mods etc over rom - just look at op to see if this is required)
now reboot
congratulations gingerbread user!

If you're already rooted to Froyo then you're already at a good start. I too prefer the 4EXT Recovery option versus the ClockworkMod (though either will work for the purpose).
You simply would need to backup what settings you can, reboot into recovery, turn on USB Mass Storage copy over something like say CyanogenMod 7.2.0 for Vision/G2/Desire-Z (though may want to partition/format your SD card if needed prior to copying files over to it, and backing up what you copied to it), turn off USB storage (so recovery can access card).
Make sure you do a factory reset, cache wipe, dalvik wipe, battery stat wipe etc, then flash the new ROM (and the google apps zip file if needed as well), then reboot.
That'd be one way of going about it, in the sense of say CyanogenMod 7 (gingerbread).
Other roms should be just as easy just make sure they work for your radio/etc (CM7, CM9, EliteMod for example has worked for my G2 both on the older and newer .19 radio).
The main thing to remember is if you're going to be flashing a new rom especially to a completely different android version you will want to wipe everything on the phone so you don't accidentally 'mix' old and new files on the phone causing a lot of problems.
PS: I don't know of it's just windows or what, but on my mac I've never had a problem with adb being a PITA I just simply unpack the SDK into a folder, run an app to download more support and then from the command line I can simply type adb and the likes. Though you technically don't *need* adb if you already have a rooted phone since you can install either ClockworkMod or 4EXT Recovery via the app found in the marketplace since those apps have a recovery installer, and then course once you reboot into recovery you can just turn on USB toggle to copy over the files you need after you've configured your SD card.

First off, thank you for the replies. I will try to answer things coherently, as I am amazed I was as coherent as I was last night while composing the message :silly:
@lez42: Thank you for that link to the list of ROMs. If I missed it in the FAQ, I apologize, and site my continued over-searching leading me to the wrong spot. If at all possible, I would like to keep my setup (apps, contacts, logs, history, random notes in a notepad application that is not actually text editor, etc), as I will inevitably forget something from before, or some random customization that I do not even realize I have until something is amiss.
That, and I am not actually sure what the Sense UI actually is
@demkantor: I think I have a misunderstanding as to what the bootloader is. I was under the impression that CWM (ClockWorkMod) was the bootloader. If this is not the case, I would be interested to learn what it is, and what other bootloaders are available. Again, my understanding is that CWM replaced out the hboot on the G2 when I was working on the root process initially.
I have a Viewsonic GTab that I routinely change the ROM on (finally found a ICS ROM I like for it), but I am less concerned about the data on that device, as it is a "sometimes use", and my G2 is a "constant use" that I am fearful of nuking and starting from scratch.
Though, if there is a really compelling, stable, and feature-rich ROM that includes things like wifi calling, and no randomly lacking support for G2 hardware (experience from the GTab tells me camera and sound there is a bit of a PITA), I will suck it up, and nuke and pave.
@kbeezie: For the winders/osx/linux drivers, Linux has been the easiest for me, but they tend to not hide things. Not a whole heck of a lot of experience with MacOS, as my job has me interface more with Linux on the server side, and winders on the user side. My challenge there was using adb to access the phone (I used another laptop previously that I did not feel like digging out, as my wife is already more than patient with the various bits of computer hardware cluttering up shared space), as winders did not see the G2, and HTC did not just provide the inf/dll to use as a driver. But I digress...
Never used 4EXT Recovery, but am open to trying new tools, and see if they better suit the purpose. Could I be a further pest, and inquire as to where would could find information? A quick google search leads me to believe that this application in the market would well be worth the few bucks the developer is asking for (specially for all the features listed on their site). Though, if I am not properly understanding the bootloader/recovery aspect of things, I would like to be better educated. My understanding is that the bootloader is what comes up initially on the phone if you hit a combination of buttons, thereby giving you access to the recovery tool, like CWM. I was under the impression they were all part and parcel of the whole genie gig.
That said, is there a good ROM that is (mostly) production ready that would allow for the wifi-calling, and me only having to worry about this in another several years? I am somewhat interested in what all you have in your sig:
Code:
Device: TMobile G2 (122-1248MHz - My SetCPU Profiles - Undervolt Table)
ROM: EliteMod ICS 120624 - 2gb ext4 - 256MB sdswap - 96MB DataSwap (16GB Sandisk Ultra)
Kernel: EliteKernel 120625 Radio: 26.13.04.19
Recovery: 4EXT Recovery Touch 1.0.0.5 RC5
Battery: Generic 3500mAh "Fat Battery"
Extras:
T-Mobile Wifi Calling for CM9/Andromadus/AOKP ROMS
Headphone Volume Boost
Seems some of that is pretty experimental, but have you had good results using those items? And is it worth it to get a fat battery?

can't say on the fat battery but I didn't like mine on the g1 and imagine it to be cumbersom on the g2 as well. but elitemod ics is one of only two ics roms id recommend for the vision the other be mimicry. that said go with elitemod cm7, everything works without a glitch fully customizable, all the features and amazing battery life. but again you should try a few and pick for yourself
clockwork is you custom recovery, 4ext is another custom recovery option for a few devices. the app you refer to is avalible at the market and can make things easier for beginers down the line and is similar to rom manager. I highly recommend 4ext. you can get the recovery free but supporting the devs is more than a good idea
your hboot is your bootloader is your spl (secondary program loader) the terms are somewhat interchangeable. this is like bios on your windows, sorta. it starts up your software and can be used to flash ota relases. a great help if you loose recovery. also alows for functions such as fastboot
bout to go to sleep, feel free to ask any more questions if I missed some
Sent from my HTC Vision using xda premium

mastergara said:
@kbeezie: For the winders/osx/linux drivers, Linux has been the easiest for me, but they tend to not hide things. Not a whole heck of a lot of experience with MacOS, as my job has me interface more with Linux on the server side, and winders on the user side. My challenge there was using adb to access the phone (I used another laptop previously that I did not feel like digging out, as my wife is already more than patient with the various bits of computer hardware cluttering up shared space), as winders did not see the G2, and HTC did not just provide the inf/dll to use as a driver. But I digress...
Never used 4EXT Recovery, but am open to trying new tools, and see if they better suit the purpose. Could I be a further pest, and inquire as to where would could find information? A quick google search leads me to believe that this application in the market would well be worth the few bucks the developer is asking for (specially for all the features listed on their site). Though, if I am not properly understanding the bootloader/recovery aspect of things, I would like to be better educated. My understanding is that the bootloader is what comes up initially on the phone if you hit a combination of buttons, thereby giving you access to the recovery tool, like CWM. I was under the impression they were all part and parcel of the whole genie gig.
That said, is there a good ROM that is (mostly) production ready that would allow for the wifi-calling, and me only having to worry about this in another several years? I am somewhat interested in what all you have in your sig:
Code:
Device: TMobile G2 (122-1248MHz - My SetCPU Profiles - Undervolt Table)
ROM: EliteMod ICS 120624 - 2gb ext4 - 256MB sdswap - 96MB DataSwap (16GB Sandisk Ultra)
Kernel: EliteKernel 120625 Radio: 26.13.04.19
Recovery: 4EXT Recovery Touch 1.0.0.5 RC5
Battery: Generic 3500mAh "Fat Battery"
Extras:
T-Mobile Wifi Calling for CM9/Andromadus/AOKP ROMS
Headphone Volume Boost
Seems some of that is pretty experimental, but have you had good results using those items? And is it worth it to get a fat battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On OSX it's pretty much similar least on the command line since most of the same commands if not behaviors act nearly identical once you pop open the terminal app (or in my case iTerm2), you just run dab and such like it were a linux binary, which I can do from anywhere since it's already in the PATH env. (OSX at the command line is a tad closer to FreeBSD than it is Linux, but I can still easily just pop up and type ssh [email protected] -p port, and it'll work with paired keys and all that rather than having to fiddle with the likes if puTTY if you get the idea). So never had to worry bout drivers so much with that for my phone. If you're a linux user adb/etc should be just bout as easy to deal with.
EliteMod ICS is experimental since there's no official/stock ICS rom for the G2/Vision to work off of. That being said if you want GingerBread EliteMod CM7 is a nice stable one that has been tweaked in much the same way. You could if decided to just go with the main CyanogenMod 7.2.0 base for the G2.
4EXT does have a free version, but I chased to donate, the recovery image is pretty packed with some info and abilities and it's a much nicer touch screen interface than say the ClockWorkModTouch (which still requires power button as 'back' instead of just tapping the back button like in 4EXT). It also let me convert my system partitions from EXT3 to EXT4, as well as create the sd-ext partition as ext4 which is better performing and my current rom supports it. In any case I like it a lot more than CWM.
Far as buttons on the phone, you mainly have three choices of bootup, 1) FastBoot [usual place that you can flash a new firmware, radio, etc if your recovery won't let you), 2) Recovery [RaMon, CWM, 4EXT, etc], where you can flash a radio if you have an unlocked boot loader, flash roms, partition the SD card, set up swap, make backups that you can restore from etc. 3) The main system.
Far as the fat battery this particular 9$ one is only about a day old as I just got it, I prefer the rubberized feel of the battery door it comes with and makes it a bit easier for me to hold and one-hand-text if I wanted to, or gives me kind of a back lip to hold while the screen is open. It's actually not that bad on bulk in my opinion as I can still slip it into my pocket and holding it isn't that bad. Side View:
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And where I got it from: http://www.ebay.com/itm/251065892927
I seen similar ones listed from china, but I don't like shipping from china so I got that one shipped from the US (even if it may be the exact same product). There was course the BLACK 3600mAh and such around 20-30 from say amazon, and accessory geeks etc, and there is of course the Mugen 3600mAh one for around I think 85$, but I didn't like how those kind of had a 'dome' over the speaker output where as this one is flat against the speaker.
So far it's been on battery for about 14 hours (had google play streaming some music during some of the screen off time), most of that time on standby as I just woke up, when you receive it you gota charge it least a good 6 hours or so, or til the phone basically stops saying 99% and says 100% [ie: thats when the overcharge switch in the battery flips, and basically tells the phone it's charged], otherwise you pop it in, and it thinks you're at like 65% but you're actually near dead on the battery and you'll appear to have battery like dropping like a rock, but it's just that they ship the battery with next to no charge so you gota fully charge it and 'teach' the phone so to speak.
I was using the stock 1300mAh HTC battery prior, with my SetCPU profiles and the undervaluing it did pretty good on idle too (But probably would have been at 60% after 14 hours mostly screen-off and not 85%) But like I said it's a new battery to me so far as it's duration I'm still testing that, but I still like the feel of the extended battery door. Most won't but I do.
Far as being worth it for you, well if you're planning on sticking with Gingerbread and won't be messing with undervolting and such, then your stock 1300mAh may be fine, though there is a mugen 1800 if you want a thin battery with more juice.
Regardless if you go Gingerbread or ICS using the SetCPU profiles does help, such as lowering Mhz during screen off. If you can get into adb output the values of vdd_levels , i.e.: cat /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu0/cpufreq/vdd_levels if you don't have another means of seeing your current voltage tables and set your maximum speed from there.
Meaning if you want to set a profile in SetCPU to run screen-off at 245mhz -> 368Mhz, check the vdd_levels, because for example in mine I have:
Code:
245760: 900
368640: 925
768000: 925
Makes no sense to limit the phone to 368Mhz when 768Mhz draws the same amount of power from the phone, and having it lower than 768Mhz with the screen off might impact the phone's ability to wake or receive a call quickly enough. So yea the voltage tables do come in handy even if you are not going to be undervolting.

Related

What to expect after rooting?

I have a relatively new Aria that I have been considering rooting. Several reasons.
1. Not impressed with the onboard memory and would like to delete bloatware such as Peep, AT&T Maps/Navigator/Hot Spots, Footprints, Friend Stream, IM, Latitude, and a few others. A few of those apps keep showing up in my ATK list, so I'd like to just get rid of them, as I have no intent to use them...why let them wreck my RAM?
2. Speed. I've read enough forum posts to believe that my device will run selected apps faster. Make it so.
3. Use MicroSD card for apps. Hate to be limited to the internal capacity. I expect to partition the new SD card, 1GB dedicated to apps. New card likely to be 8GB.
Here are the questions...
1. I'll be getting a new SD card before the rooting begins. How important is the whole Class 2/4/6 thing. Is Class 4 good enough?
2. If I simply swap out the SD card with a new one before the root, what would I lose besides the photos, movies, music that I have manually transferred to the existing SD card?
3. How do I go about backing up the phone for restoration if the rooting thing doesn't work out?
4. What apps/functionality will I find in the phone after the rooting?
5. Is there a list of apps/files that should not be deleted after the rooting?
6. What is all this "flasing ROM" talk about? How do I chose what I should be flashing? What are the differences and does my device model matter in this decision?
I saw your post in the android forums also and will try to help you out. I can't help you much with your questions about just rooting it, as I switched to a CM6 ROM right after I rooted mine. I am also new the the Aria/hacking world and have only had my Aria for 4-5 days. With that said, I'll help with what I can. If anyone sees my n00b mistakes, please correct me.
1. For an Aria a class 4 MicroSD will be plenty. From what I've read, the classes only relate to write speed and not read speed. Class 4 writes at 4MB/s Class 6 at 6MB/s. I believe this means you would just have to wait a little longer for the files to write to the card. Also, read speed is always faster than write speed. I've also read that the speed rating is not universal. Some companies list their Class rating as their read speed instead of write speed. I've read that Kingston is one of the ones that actually list it as write speed. With this knowledge, I decided to buy a 8gb class 4 MicroSD from Kingston.
2. Before you root, I would format the new MicroSD card and move everything from the old one onto the new one.
I'm getting tired... it's nearly 2am and I can't answer your last questions without researching into all of it. I'll quickly type up what I can answer though.
3. When I rooted my phone, I was walked through using the Ubuntu LiveCD in the IRC. I think I made a backup using Clockwork Recovery, but I'm not totally sure if this program comes on the phone or if I put it there. I've read about unrooting some phone, but know little about it. I do suggest using the Ubuntu LiveCD method for rooting though. It definitely was simple. I also suggest going into the IRC if you are unsure of anything in the rooting process. They are really helpful there even though they don't have to be. Here's a link to the Ubuntu LiveCD root method. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=741824
4. Like I said, I switched to the CM6 ROM right after rooting so I am not familiar with a stock Aria that's just been rooted. I am pretty sure that it doesn't install any apps and just gives you superuser access to modify the programming.
5. Don't uninstall anything that you aren't sure of unless you make a nandroid backup in Clockwork first. I don't believe it's that simple to just go in there and delete important files anyway. I know that on CM6 I had to access the adb to delete some things. I won't get further into that.
6. A ROM is sorta an emulator. Think how people play Nintendo games on their computers. The ROM emulates a Nintendo system on your computer, so a ROM for your phone emulates another operating system on your phone. (in this case Android 2.2 would being emulated on your phone) You don't have to install a new ROM after you root your phone. You can if you want, but you don't have to. As far as what version to install... I do not know the exact differences in each ROM. I am running CM6 Liberty A012 and don't have problems with it. The different builds of CM6 just fix bugs, I believe. I don't think they are 'theme specific', for lack of a better term, meaning that one isn't better than the other for gps use or whatever. Finally, as long as you have an HTC Aria, your device will work for any mod listed in this Aria forum.
Hopefully I didn't confuse you more and hopefully I didn't give the vets of this forum more work to fix my mistakes. I also hope that what I wrote is at least a little better than letting it go unanswered, as I assume you are as impatient for information as I am.
Anthony1s, your post is spot on except for a bit of confusion on what the term "ROM" really means. You basically have the idea right except that it really has nothing to do with emulation. You aren't emulating an operating system on your phone; you are running it natively!
The "ROM" (in terms of how it applies to an Android phone) is basically the main operating system and a collection of apps necessary for the phone to function. When you "flash" a ROM, you are replacing what is currently on the phone with a new version of the operating system. That's all you really need to know as far as Android ROMs are concerned.
For the Aria, there aren't a ton of options yet on which ROM to use. The Liberated ROMs by attn1 are created by taking the default ROM that comes with the phone and making minor adjustments -- namely, deleting a few built-in apps that most people don't want and removing boot up sounds. If you use this ROM, your phone will appear to function virtually unchanged from the way it comes out of the box. Everything will look the same, it will still have Sense UI on Android 2.1 (Eclair), etc. If the only thing you want is to remove some of the "bloatware" apps, I suggest using one of the Liberated ROMs instead of trying to delete the apps manually. It's a lot simpler this way.
There's also the CM6 Froyo ROM. You can read the thread on it to see all the differences, but it uses Android 2.2 (Froyo) with the default Android UI (not Sense UI). Also, if you install this, you have to do a complete reset on the phone to clear all settings/etc., which is not necessary with Liberated. The CM6 ROM is still in an early development stage which means there are probably some bugs that you will encounter although it may not be anything too significant, whereas the Liberated ROM seems to have almost everything working correctly. The main advantage of this build is the fact that it uses Froyo which has some speed improvements for apps among other new features.
Hopefully that answers all your questions.
Thanks Drumist. I got a question that I've had on my mind for two days. I've read that the Nexus One gets more MFLOPS because froyo 2.2 uses a JIT compiler. Does the CM6 ROM use a JIT compiler or is that something we have to wait for in the official release? I don't mean to hijack, but your knowledge reminded me of my question.
Yes, the CM6 ROM has the JIT compiler. It's one of the reasons the benchmarks for the Aria on CM6 are almost double that of the stock rom. You can actually turn it off as well if you hit Menu > Cyanogen Mod Settings > Performance Settings.

[ROM][Rogers 2.2] Simpfinity 1.6 Feb 6, 2011 *NO LONGER IN DEVELOPMENT*

See http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=11470392&postcount=98 for the reason why I discontinued development.
Simpfinity 1.6
Short blurb:
Simpfinity is a ROM aimed at Canadians, by a Canadian (but not only for Canadians!). It's simple, elegant, and a powerhouse if you want it to be.
Changelog
1.6
Removed more unnecessary system APKs
Updated SuckerPunch Kernel
Changed to KP1 modem
1.55
Removed SMS from call log
Added Voice Search by default
Tweaked puzzle lock screen
1.5
Removed the TouchWiz launcher, as it was draining battery like crazy, even when not being used. This means:
Bettery battery life!
Added LauncherPro as the default launcher
Removed Samsung Keyboard
Added themed Gingerbread Keyboard
Fresh install required, no update will be given to this version
1.01
Removed flash player being installed by default since it can be installed from the market
Removed the TouchWiz Wallpaper chooser
Removed the TouchWiz Live Wallpapers
Removed other junk
Base Stats:
Rogers Froyo 2.2 JL1-based
SuckerPunch-SmR #40 1400MHz 100-Hz OC/UV Kernel
KP1 Modem
Features:
Removed Rogers Bloat
Removed Samsung Bloat
Large APN List
Updated Google Apps
Blue Circle Battery Mod
Any other stock Rogers JL1 features, such as the 4 touch buttons lighting up when the screen is pressed
Faster Window Transitions/Animations
Lockscreen sounds enabled by default
ThinkFree Office is installed as a regular app, so it can be easily uninstalled if you do not want it
Kernel Features:
Android 2.2.1 JPX Source
Works on all stock Froyo 2.2 and 2.2.1 ROMs and popular custom ROMs
Hardcores Speedmod K12P Patch
Supercurios Voodoo Sound v3
Hardcores Brightness Fix
Includes Neldar's Backlight Notification
339MB RAM and all features should work
Uses CFQ I/O Scheduler by Default
Includes Hardcores Startup Speed Tweaks
Properly working TinyRCU Patch
Patched lowmemorykiller
OC up to 1280mhz
UV Support using Voltage Control App
Includes hpcall support
IPv6 Privacy Extensions enabled
More information on the kernel available here.
Added apps:
Voltage Control 3.0
Voodoo Control App 0.4
SGS Kernel Flasher
Spare Parts
Galaxy Tuner
AOSP News and Weather App/Widget
Known Issues:
Bluetooth headset static *see bottom of post for a workaround*
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Thanks To:
UOT Kitchen for providing the PNG's that made the battery mod possible
MikeyMike01
Mammon88 for the call log fix
chrisryn
existz for the kernel
This ROM has been tested by me for several days now and works awesome from my testing.
Installation:
Copy the zip to your sdcard, reboot into recovery, and flash! The updater script should take care of all needed wiping, so unless you have a lagfix that isn't supported by SuckerPunch, you shouldn't have to do anything but flash. If you're on a stock ROM with 3e recovery, please read this.
Note: I'm not sure if the lagfix and tweaks are enabled by default, so after installing go into recovery and check. If they're not, enable the recommended tweaks and enable the lagfix if so desired! If you're coming from stock let me know what happens so I can update this section.
Also, if you experience charge death please read the kernel thread.
Warning: Just like every other ROM, you flash at your own risk. If my ROM somehow blows up your phone, makes your phone do a flying dragon kick to your face, or makes your girlfriend leave you for me, I will not be held responsible.
Download!
Simpfinity 1.6
Simpfinity 1.55
Simpfinity 1.5
Simpfinity 1.0
Simpfinity 1.5 to 1.55
Simpfinity 1.0 to 1.01
If you want bluetooth calling support you unfortunately have to use the stock kernel and modem for the moment, however you can still have voodoo! Just flash this, courtesy of s44.
I gotta try this tonight! thanks!!
by the way I should disable voodoo first before flashing if im coming from cognition correct?
ckelvin87 said:
I gotta try this tonight! thanks!!
by the way I should disable voodoo first before flashing if im coming from cognition correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your partitions are EXT4, you shouldn't have to disable voodoo, but it can't hurt.
How's this on battery?
What are your Undervolt settings?
Any bugs that you know of?
Any other random information I might need to know?
crecsky said:
How's this on battery?
What are your Undervolt settings?
Any bugs that you know of?
Any other random information I might need to know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find battery life to be similar to just about every other ROM out there. The most important factor in battery life is the kernel, and when undervolted SuckerPunch is fantastic on the battery. From what I can tell 30+ hours should be possible with moderate usage.
I'm a battery life whore, so I personally do not overclock unless I need it for a specific app (Like a PSX emulator for example). My 1000MHz UV settings from low to high are as follows:
-150,-150,-150,-125,-125 - I haven't experienced a crash yet with these settings, but remember that every phone is different and what works for me may not work for you.
I'm not aware of any bugs, but let me know if you find any! I'm not amazing like MikeyMike01, designgears, the Phoenix/Firefly team, the Andromeda team or many others, but I'll do my best. There shouldn't be any bugs that aren't present in the stock ROM, but it's possible I messed something up.
Not really sure on any other random information, but you might want to consider using APN Backup and Restore to backup your APN's, just in case my list doesn't work for you for whatever reason.
Why did people rate this 3 stars? Trolls, looks good btw
Nickel Dime Bay said:
Why did people rate this 3 stars? Trolls, looks good btw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you
I'm not sure why. Someone rated it 1 star before there were even any replies.
I like the blue Battery.
what all customizations did you do for the screen shot?
rockosifraldi said:
I like the blue Battery.
what all customizations did you do for the screen shot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just LauncherPro and the background. Nothing else is changed from the stock ROM. If there's interest I can definitely post up the wallpaper.
It's all good. Just wanted to know.
I've got a Rogers Captivate and I live in Calgary, so I should be good.
I'm giving it a go so I'll let you know.
And with the Voltage Control, when it crashes the phone is still on and can receive messages and stuff but the power button doesn't turn the screen on right? It's happened to me a couple times on other roms and I'm just trying to figure out if it because of bad settings I have.
crecsky said:
It's all good. Just wanted to know.
I've got a Rogers Captivate and I live in Calgary, so I should be good.
I'm giving it a go so I'll let you know.
And with the Voltage Control, when it crashes the phone is still on and can receive messages and stuff but the power button doesn't turn the screen on right? It's happened to me a couple times on other roms and I'm just trying to figure out if it because of bad settings I have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's one way for it to crash, yeah. The most common way though is for it to hard-lock during use, ending up with you having to pull the battery to reboot.
How is this Canadian? ie how does it differ from the americanized versions? What was not changed to keep it canadian?
I support all your hard work and I'm looking forward to a canadian version but it just looks like rogers rom minus samsung/rogers bloat with a new kernel +APN backup and restore +a few apps...
unless I'm missing something
disellusional said:
How is this Canadian? ie how does it differ from the americanized versions? What was not changed to keep it canadian?
I support all your hard work and I'm looking forward to a canadian version but it just looks like rogers rom minus samsung/rogers bloat with a new kernel +APN backup and restore +a few apps...
unless I'm missing something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's basically what it is, plus the battery mod, a few settings tweaks, as well as a better kernel and modem. What makes it Canadian is the Rogers ROM itself. The other Rogers ROMs here are Americanized, whereas mine is not.
The Locale is English (Canada) rather than English (US), and the stock keyboard has Canadian spellings of words as well as the American ones (though if the Canadian spellings are removed from the other ROMs I do not know). The default time and date format is also day/month/year, rather than month/day/year.
There aren't a ton of differences between my ROM and say Cognition 3.04, but I spent a lot of time tweaking the stock ROM to my liking, and even longer packaging it into something installable, because I figure there's other people out there who would like it as well. If a single person uses my ROM and likes it, I'm happy with that.
good job mate. I will try this weekend.
GPS should be okay as well I presume.
Great Canadian ROM, EH?! I will try this out tonight. Yes, great to have Canadian locale built into Rogers Froyo. Thx.
shawn122 said:
good job mate. I will try this weekend.
GPS should be okay as well I presume.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From my testing, GPS seems to work fine. I can get a lock in my basement even, if I try really hard.
Auridran said:
From my testing, GPS seems to work fine. I can get a lock in my basement even, if I try really hard.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Holy crap! You have to be running a GPS extension through a window or something. I can't even do that! Great job though. I may adjust the locale and play with this for the heck of it.
Have you changed any of the GPS files in this ROM?
I assuming from your original post that all you did was trim fat and left the Rogers stock in check? If so I'll definitely install this.
If haven't already, ive been using the combo of:
- Stock Rogers 2.2 ROM
- SuckerPunch (or SpeedMod) Kernel
- KP1 Modem
Quite honestly i've had better results than with the JK4 to me in terms of GPS. Instant locks and tracking in Toronto. As long as you leave the Rogers stock ROM unchanged and don't use the "GPS fixes" to alter it.
The only features i really think need to be added to the stock Rogers ROM are the Gingerbread Keyboard (which gives you voice input that doesn't come stock ), an accurate battery mod and the extended power menu (to give you the reboot features).
Anyway, if you feel like trying it out for the next version of this ROM I highly recommend it.
Auridran said:
Simpfinity 1.0
The updater script should take care of all needed wiping, so unless you have a lagfix that isn't supported by SuckerPunch, you shouldn't have to do anything but flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wait wait
Does that mean the script is going to WIPE my internal SD?
I plan to flash this without wiping my internal SD because it's got pictures and lots of other ROMs and tweak zips and such and I am at work and do NOT want to backup my entire SD...
Please clarify, and thanks!
adamholden85 said:
Holy crap! You have to be running a GPS extension through a window or something. I can't even do that! Great job though. I may adjust the locale and play with this for the heck of it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha yeah, I honestly don't know how I did it, but it happened! I tested the GPS outside today and got 9 satellites in about 9 seconds.
sniperIT said:
Have you changed any of the GPS files in this ROM?
I assuming from your original post that all you did was trim fat and left the Rogers stock in check? If so I'll definitely install this.
If haven't already, ive been using the combo of:
- Stock Rogers 2.2 ROM
- SuckerPunch (or SpeedMod) Kernel
- KP1 Modem
Quite honestly i've had better results than with the JK4 to me in terms of GPS. Instant locks and tracking in Toronto. As long as you leave the Rogers stock ROM unchanged and don't use the "GPS fixes" to alter it.
The only features i really think need to be added to the stock Rogers ROM are the Gingerbread Keyboard (which gives you voice input that doesn't come stock ), an accurate battery mod and the extended power menu (to give you the reboot features).
Anyway, if you feel like trying it out for the next version of this ROM I highly recommend it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try what out? Do you mean the Extended Power Menu or KP1? And no, there are no "GPS fixes" - I don't find them necessary.
kppanic said:
Wait wait
Does that mean the script is going to WIPE my internal SD?
I plan to flash this without wiping my internal SD because it's got pictures and lots of other ROMs and tweak zips and such and I am at work and do NOT want to backup my entire SD...
Please clarify, and thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it won't wipe your internal SD. It only wipes your System/Data/Datadata/Cache, and a couple other things like all other ROMs.

ROM Speed Test - CM7 variants on G1 / Dream

Searched for this, and found CM6 speed test results, but none for CM7 and if the kernels are different, options can be different, so results can be different.
I've tried various ROMs since CM dropped official G1 support, and they're all very similar, but I needed somewhere to document the settings that work best for me.
I only use Quadrant for my benchmarking. I feel it's well-rounded in its tests, it's free, and I get a seemingly completely arbitrary number at the end.
The best Quadrant score I can recall getting was 373, although I can't help but think I once got in the low 400s. I do remember trying every trick I could to get it into the low 300s, but I'm consistently getting 360's and peaking at low 370s with the current setup.
I'm currently running FireRat's CM7 Magpie, version 2011-09-26, which is only one version behind his latest as of this posting. I am running ADW Launcher as downloaded from market (because I like how its menu entries are arranged better -- that's the only reason). I have only 2 screens, and really don't even need that many.
Performance Settings Adjustments:
MENU / SETTINGS / CYANOGENMOD SETTINGS /
Code:
PERFORMANCE
CPU
ONDEMAND, 176, 614, Restore on boot=Yes
Compcache - 18% (Default)
NO JIT
NO DITHERING
YES PURGING OF ASSETS
NO MEMORY LOCKS
VM Heap=24m (default?)
My Micro-SD is a class 4, 4GB. Partitioned [*FAT32][~350M Ext4][64M Swap]
and I'm not using the swap partition AFAIK.
Non-performance settings adjustments:
(Really, I doubt any of these have much effect if any at all on performance)
Code:
Menu/Settings
CyanogenMod Settings
Application
*All left at defaults
Display
All unchecked except 0 and 90 degrees rotations
Input
Only change was long-press home, set to show 12 screens.
Interface
Edited my power widget to my liking. Doubt it has any effect on speed.
Status Bar Tweaks
Checked: All except Status Bar Brightness.
AM/PM set to small, Alternate Signal left at default (bars)
*Everything else in "Interface" left at defaults.
Lockscreen
Disable - unchecked
Style Options - Ring, Ring, Custom App Starter, added Camera, default background
Widget Options
Always display battery
Centered
No to the Music
Next Calendar (doesn't seem to work)
--All Calendars selected
--Reminders-Only not checked.
--Lookahead 3 days.
Unlock options -- All left at defaults (all unchecked)
No to the Gestures.
Finally, in MENU/Settings/Applications/Preferred Install Location, SD EXT is selected. In Applications/Development, USB Debugging is on (disabling it did not speed things up any) and stop-via-long-press is disabled (probably no effect).
I *am* running a theme, but since a theme is mainly just picture swaps (I think?) it shouldn't affect much. I'm running GlassMix. Not the coolest, but not bad at all. I rather like it.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Feel free to reply with your best quadrant score and settings that got it -- preferably on the same ROM but other CM7-based ROMs would be welcome comparisons...
The first ,i learn,thanks
Getting a quadrant score of 393 with 2.3.5 GRP CM7, overclock to 614 MHz, purging of assets on, and the disabling verify-bytecode hack. Fastest I have seen on a g1! I get 369 with normal CPU clock.
slowpoke88 said:
Getting a quadrant score of 393 with 2.3.5 GRP CM7, overclock to 614 MHz, purging of assets on, and the disabling verify-bytecode hack. Fastest I have seen on a g1! I get 369 with normal CPU clock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might have to try this ROM out. When it first showed up, it seemed to be little more than a compilation direct from CM7 and AOSP sources, which of course anyone who can follow a HOWTO can do themselves... and many have. Back then, I felt this guy was just one more of those guys. I wasn't convinced he really had any developing experience before starting with it, and I really wasn't impressed with him personally, based on comments he made in several threads -- particularly against a known (if sometimes disliked) developer who has contributed a decent amount to the community. I'll have to go back and see what all has been done recently in this ROM if its performance is consistently good enough that the hack you mentioned worked so well (it made no difference on the CM7-Magpie I'm running).
EDIT: Nevermind, turns out I didn't know who I was talking about.. actually, I did know who I was talking about, it just turned out he was someone other than the person who actually started GRP so nevermind all this (read next two posts)...
cj chitwood said:
Might have to try this ROM out. When it first showed up, it seemed to be little more than a compilation direct from CM7 and AOSP sources, which of course anyone who can follow a HOWTO can do themselves... and many have. Back then, I felt this guy was just one more of those guys. I wasn't convinced he really had any developing experience before starting with it, and I really wasn't impressed with him personally, based on comments he made in several threads -- particularly against a known (if sometimes disliked) developer who has contributed a decent amount to the community. I'll have to go back and see what all has been done recently in this ROM if its performance is consistently good enough that the hack you mentioned worked so well (it made no difference on the CM7-Magpie I'm running).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The guy who made that rom was jbirdvegas, before he made it to the cyanogenmod team. If he made it into cyanogenmod team, he must have known what he was doing.
Sent from my Froyo on Dream/Sapphire using Tapatalk
maximo360 said:
The guy who made that rom was jbirdvegas, before he made it to the cyanogenmod team. If he made it into cyanogenmod team, he must have known what he was doing.
Sent from my Froyo on Dream/Sapphire using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, okay, then forget my last statement cus I was under the impression it was someone else entirely... maybe someone was going to make their own and started with GRP as a base... but the way I read this guy's posts, it looked like _he_ started GRP. Thanks for the clarification (I probably could have found this out if I had taken time to research the ROM, come to think of it... () )
i get 360s too
cj chitwood said:
Oh, okay, then forget my last statement cus I was under the impression it was someone else entirely... maybe someone was going to make their own and started with GRP as a base... but the way I read this guy's posts, it looked like _he_ started GRP. Thanks for the clarification (I probably could have found this out if I had taken time to research the ROM, come to think of it... () )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its ok, i know why, you must think dw9906 made the rom, but he was just building the rom and posting it here because jbird gave him consent to do so since he was going to be unable to continue the rom since he was accepted to the CyanogenMod team. I'm not sure if he started GRP by himself, I think it was a couple of people who started it.
Also, i have one question for you, which rom FEELS faster for you, Cyanogenmod 7 Magpie, or ADS Magpie?
I noticed you used to run ADS Magpie and are now running CM 7 Magpie, and I'm just curious to know why.
Good info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
maximo360 said:
Its ok, i know why, you must think dw9906 made the rom, but he was just building the rom and posting it here because jbird gave him consent to do so since he was going to be unable to continue the rom since he was accepted to the CyanogenMod team. I'm not sure if he started GRP by himself, I think it was a couple of people who started it.
Also, i have one question for you, which rom FEELS faster for you, Cyanogenmod 7 Magpie, or ADS Magpie?
I noticed you used to run ADS Magpie and are now running CM 7 Magpie, and I'm just curious to know why.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Uhm, honestly, they do FEEL about the same, which is why speed isn't the biggest concern for me. BOTH of them get laggy at times, and by laggy I mean two things
1) Sometimes scrolling through my apps drawer is blocky (not smooth).
2) Sometimes apps take a while to open, or, simply to do things.
Usually, 1) happens more frequently, but it doesn't bother me as my phone's doing a LOT of things.
2) However, doesn't happen that often on either ROM. However, when it happens, it's always after I've been running several different programs, especially maps with GPS enabled.
Usually, I have most of my phone turned off, so GPS, 3G, rotation, none of that comes into play in the list of things my phone is doing. If I had them running all the time, I'd be on FroYo or Eclair, not Gingerbread. The phone couldn't handle it. Or, I couldn't handle the phone.
In the end, the two are largely the same for me. The main reason I chose Firerat's over And DiSa's is that the Firerat ROM has CPU government built-in, where I have to have a CPU setting utility with ADS. Also, there was some thing or two else that Firerat/CM7 have built-in that ADS/ezGingerbread do not. Maybe the sound equalizer? Not that I run that too often, but it's nice to have.
EDIT: And you're right, I thought it was DW. Plus, you explained there why it must have seemed that DW just picked up someone else's work... he did! but I know now why, and I was missing that info before, so thanks again... Still didn't care for the interaction 'tween him and Firerat but that was something else (and yeah, FR isn't the easiest to get along with but I tend to let peoples' personalities just kinda slide -- usually -- especially in a text forum where tonal variations aren't heard ).
Damn, 311 using froyoByLaszlo

Moderator, please close. glossary refined and replaced

To the noobs: any technical jargon used in a definition should be defined elsewhere in the glossary. To the experienced users: I am a noob writing for other noobs, so please feel free to correct any glaring errors. I would like to keep the definitions both functional and phrased generally in layman's terms. I know I have left out a lot of details, some intentionally, some through ignorance. Further discussion is welcomed.
Glossary
*228 - This is the number to dial from any Verizon phone to activate it. Option 1 activates the phone (linking it to your number and account). Option 2 updates the data roaming, which can evidently enhance your data connection if done from time to time.
3 Finger Salute - Using 3 fingers, you hold down the Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power buttons on the sides of your phone. This will boot you into your recovery program. It can also be used to reboot a frozen phone without pulling the battery. This will not work on all ROMs, particularly those using MTD.
adb - Android Debug Bridge - This is a method to connect your home computer to your phone. Generally speaking, it requires properly installed Samsung drivers and the use of the usb cable that came with your phone. People use adb for all sorts of things, including rooting and salvaging a messed up phone. You may see forum discussions where people discuss coding terminology in little grey boxes. These are generally adb commands.
example: adb push something.txt /sdcard/something.txt
AOSP - Android Open Source Project - This refers to the fact that Google shares its Android source code with the world, perhaps its main differentiation from Apple. Any software developer can work with this code. Functionally speaking, developers create AOSP ROMs for the Fascinate. AOSP ROMs could be considered the most pure version of Android, or Android "the way Google intended."
.apk - This is the file extension of ordinary apps and widgets used in Android. If you have the .apk file of a certain app, and you know what to do with it, you can run that app on your phone.
Example conversation:
Noob: I really like this new ROM, but I miss the Samsung Program Monitor widget.
Expert: Just copy the .apk from Nitsuj's stock ROM onto your SD card and install it using Root Explorer
Noob: What's Root Explorer?
Expert: *sigh*
Auto Reboot - This is a check box in Odin. It determines whether your phone will reboot itself after flashing a file in Odin. It doesn't really seem to matter a great deal whether or not it is checked. There seem to be a lot of opinions on this subject. Generally speaking, leaving the box unchecked will not cause any problems.
Battery pull - Phones can become frozen in all sorts of awkward positions. They sometimes freeze on boot-up screens. They sometimes freeze on screens you won't even recognize. The traditional quick fix was to pull the battery out of the phone, give it a minute, put the battery back in, and then reboot. While this method often works, there is some evidence that it may be harsh on your sd card. The battery pull has essentially been replaced by the act of holding "Volume Up" and "Power" for a while (at least 5 seconds, maybe 10). Shutting down by holding these two buttons is widely regarded as safer than a battery pull.
BLN - Back Light Notification - This refers to a popular concept whereby the LED softkeys on the bottom of the phone will blink as a means of notifying the user of missed calls, new texts, emails, etc. Not all kernels are compatible with BLN, and it seems to be a hot topic in the development forums. On phones with compatible kernels, an app will need to be installed from the Marketplace to actually control the settings.
Bloat - a.k.a. Bloatware - This term describes all the software that Verizon installed on the phone, but would not allow you to uninstall. Bloat means different things to different people, but it's basically anything stuck on the phone that the user doesn't want. Opinions obviously vary. Common examples of bloat include the NFS Shift racing game, Vcast apps, and Bing.
Boot Loop - This happens when something goes wrong and does not allow your phone to boot properly. There are numerous causes and numerous fixes.
Brick - a.k.a. Paperweight - The ultimate threat that keeps noobs from rooting, this is what people call a phone that does not work at all. It basically has the functionality of a brick or toy block. "Brick" is also used as verb, as in the act of turning your phone into a brick. There are several well established ways to brick phones. The one that noobs are most likely to encounter is the dreaded "Phone" button on Odin. Don't ever touch the phone button, EVER!
CM7 - CyanogenMod7 - This is an alternate version of Android 2.3 put together by a sharp group of developers who are involved in the Android Open Source Project. The CM7 ROM is perhaps most known for its ability to be customized by the user.
CWM - Clockworkmod Recovery - This is an enhanced (understatement) alternative to the phone's normal recovery program. CWM is absolutely central to rooting. Most rooting guides will have you install some version of this program right away, for good reason.
CWM, once installed is accessed as follows:
1. Power down your phone.
2. Using 3 fingers, hold down Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power (see the guides for more specific directions).
Common uses of CWM include:
1. A complete data wipe of your phone (erases all apps, but not your ROM or kernel)
2. Wiping of the cache (often used before making major changes to your phone)
3. Wiping of the dalvik cache (also often used before making major changes to your phone)
4. Wiping battery stats. Some short battery life problems have more to do with your phone's interpretation of your battery than the charge of the battery itself. Wiping these stats can sometimes solve poor battery life issues.
5. Creating and using Nandroid backups.
6. Flashing custom ROMs and kernels (and other things). Users who are crazy about rooting and development will try several new ROMs and kernels in a single day. CWM makes it very easy to install these things and go back and forth.
Debloated - This describes a phone that has had the Verizon bloatware removed. Debloating is one of the main motivations for rooting. It can make a phone run more smoothly by getting rid of a lot of things that run in the background. It's also just nice not having all of those useless icons clogging your app drawer. There are two common ways to debloat that most noobs will encounter:
1. Root your phone, install an app called Titanium Backup from the Android Marketplace, and "Freeze" anything you consider bloat.
2. Root your phone and install a custom ROM. These ROMs basically come debloated from the developers.
Dev - Developer - These are the people who understand how to write and modify code in the android platform. They are the ones that make rooting fun and easy for the rest of us. They not only create fascinating developments (no pun intended), they package them up in neat little files that simpletons like us can download and install on our phones in a tidy fashion. It is always sad for the community when a recognized dev moves on to another phone. The Fascinate currently has a lot of devs working in a lot of different directions. It's a testament to the inherent potential of this phone.
Download Mode - This is a setting in which you will put your phone when using Odin. There are other ways, but most noobs will reach download mode by powering down, removing the battery, and holding volume down while plugging the factory usb cord into the computer and phone. Odin can only communicate properly with your phone if the phone is in download mode.
Droidstyle's Guide - This is the holy gospel of noob rooting. It can be found in both the General section and Q&A section of xda's Samsung Fascinate forums. Noobs should read every page of the ensuing discussion. A noob with the ability to read and follow directions can be successfully rooted in a matter of minutes. Most of your silly questions that you want to post throughout xda have already been answered in this magnificent guide. Countless questions throughout all Android forums have been answered with nothing more than a link to this guide. If you follow Droidstyle's directions TO THE LETTER, you will be able to successfully do a lot of cool stuff with your phone without experiencing any of the monstrous rooting headaches you may have read about online.
Eclair - Android 2.1. Google likes to name its software releases after sweet foods. The Samsung Fascinate originally shipped with Eclair and hung onto it a really long time. It lacks so many features of later releases, though, that it is essentially a relic that won't come into play.
EH03 - This was the latest (and perhaps final) OTA firmware update from Verizon. Most normal non-rooted Fascinate users will be on the EH03 build number because Verizon basically pushed it out to our phones over the airwaves. It implies that your phone is using Android 2.3 and the EH03 radio. Previous builds shared the alpha-numeric naming system (eg dl09, dj05). Not all builds were officially released by Verizon. Some just sort of showed up on the devs' computers so they could tinker with them.
F. Reset Time - This is a check box in Odin. It's not clear that anyone knows the exact details of what it actually does, nor is it clear what will happen if you leave it unchecked vs checked. It seems to reset some arbitrary counter in your phone. As a general rule, you can either follow the instructions of whatever guide you're using or just leave the checkbox how you found it.
Fassy - a nickname for the Samsung Fascinate
FC - Force Close - This is when an app stops working unexpectedly. This can happen to both rooted and unrooted phones. It doesn't cause any damage to the phone. In most cases, the app can just be opened right back up. It seems to depend on a lot of factors, including the quality of the app itself. ROMs and kernels that experience very few FCs are said to be "stable."
Flash - This is a term used to describe the installation of software onto your phone. It refers to fundamental changes in your phone's operating system. It is different from just installing an app from the Marketplace. Commonly, people will flash ROMs, kernels, patches, and radios. There are basically two ways to flash new software onto your phone:
1. Odin
2. CWM Recovery (or a comparable recovery program)
Freeze - There are two meanings in general use. One might use this term to refer to his or her phone becoming unresponsive. More commonly, though, it refers to a special ability of a program called Titanium Backup. This program can be downloaded from the Android Marketplace, but it requires a rooted phone to work. When Titanium Backup is used to freeze an app or process, that app or process is essentially gone from the phone. It won't show up in the app drawer, and it won't be running in the background. The difference between freezing and uninstalling, though, is that anything frozen can be quickly "thawed," also with Titanium Backup. With the touch of a button, the missing app or process is right back where it used to be. This is a convenient way for newly rooted users to test the waters of debloating.
Froyo - Android 2.2. Google likes to name its software releases after sweet foods. In this case, they refer to frozen yogurt. Some custom ROMs are still based on 2.2. They are known for being extremely well developed and extremely stable.
GB - Gingerbread - Android 2.3. Google likes to name its software releases after sweet foods. Most of our phones are running on this release of Android. There are numerous ROMS and kernels compatible with Gingerbread. These are a good starting point for newly rooted users, as they will feel quite familiar.
GW - Geewiz - This is a three piece set of software put together by djp952. He has created a ROM, a kernel, and a custom Recovery (an alternative to CWM). All three can be used together, or each can be installed separately. This package of software is currently well respected for its smoothness and stability, as well as for its ongoing development.
ICS - Ice Cream Sandwich - Android 4.0. Google likes to name its software releases after sweet foods. This is Android's latest iteration. It comes pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus from Verizon. Several developers have created ways to install ICS on the Samsung Fascinate.
Kang - Generally used as a verb, this means to take bits and pieces of someone else's coding and to then integrate it into your own. Granted, noobs won't be doing this, but devs do it all the time. For the most part, this is considered a welcome practice among friendly devs, provided it is done correctly and politely. Kanging often serves to better the community as a whole. The key for devs is to give credit to the other devs from whom they have kanged.
Kernel - This is one of the two main components (ROM being the other) of the software running on an Android phone. It is the piece of software that connects the hardware (screen, softkeys, vibration, speakers, etc.) to the other software components. An unrooted phone comes with a stock kernel. It is stable but somewhat slow. Practically speaking, installing a custom kernel will make your phone feel much faster and smoother as it moves through screens and opens apps. To install a custom kernel, you must first install a custom ROM. Custom kernels can also unlock several abilities of rooted phones. Examples include:
-wireless tethering (ignoring that pesky $30/month charge from Verizon)
-control over how and when the softkeys at the bottom of the screen light up
-overclocking/undervolting
-voodoo lagfix
KGB - A custom kernel built by comradesven. This popular voodoo kernel is well known because of its many options for customization. It is also considered quite stable and fast. It is the everyday kernel of many rooted users. When installed, it comes with an app that allows a user to easily customize a number of features on the phone.
Lean Kernel - Created by imoseyon, this voodoo kernel is known for its simplicity and stability. He intentionally leaves out a lot of the "bells and whistles" to keep the experience simple, smooth, and fast. Imoseyon works with several phones, so it is imperative that you have the correct version of Lean Kernel, the one appropriate for your phone.
MIUI - This term is a transliteration of a Chinese name for a special customization of Android actually developed in China. MIUI ROMs can be installed on the Fascinate. They change the look and feel of the Android system, moving it closer to something resembling iOS. A lot of custom development has been done with the software code from the MIUI system.
MTD - This is a technical term used by devs to describe the software organization in your phone, as it relates to things called partitions. The bottom line is that the stock organizational system, called BML, is somewhat fixed and limited, whereas MTD offers devs a great deal of flexibility.
Nandroid - This is a backup of your entire phone as it stands at that moment in time (ROM, kernel, text messages, your Angry Birds progress, etc.). It is stored on your sd card, which is somewhat immune to your tinkering. A Nandroid backup is a good failsafe for the times when you might want to try out that new experimental kernel your favorite dev has been working on. The files can also be saved on a home computer/flash drive/etc. for safe keeping. Nandroid backups are created using a recovery program like Clockworkmod Recovery. CWM can also use old Nandroids to restore a phone to its previous condition.
Noob - If you have to ask what this means, this is what you are. It's a derivation of "newbie" or "newb," someone who's new to the activity at hand.
OC - Overclocking - Computer processors operate at a variety of speeds. When a manufacturer sells a product (like a phone) to the general public, they strictly limit the speed at which the built in processor can operate, even though the processor may be capable of more. This is to promote stability and reliability. Rooted users can overclock their phone's processor, raising the maximum speed at which it can operate. This can be done through various apps, including Voltage Control. There are limits, though. Running a processor at too high a speed can cause overheating and/or glitches.
Odin - This is a program of seemingly mysterious origins that allows your home computer to communicate with your phone. You download it to your home computer. Good communication with your phone requires the installation of Samsung drivers on your computer as well as the use of the USB cable that came with your phone. Among other things, Odin can be used to root your phone, install CWM Recovery, install custom ROMs and kernels, and return your phone to stock after you've screwed it up.
*NEVER touch the "Phone" button on Odin. It should be labeled "Destroy your Phone"
OTA - Over the Air - These are the official firmware upgrades that Verizon has released over the life of this phone. They were either pushed out to our phones in the middle of the night or offered up for us to download at our convenience. The latest one, EH03, came in December of 2011. Generally speaking, rooted users do not receive OTA updates. Also generally speaking, this doesn't really matter. The updates can be found on xda, and it is unlikely that the Fascinate will ever receive another OTA update.
Patch - This generally refers to a zip file that can be flashed using CWM. The file usually contains updates or small modifications to an existing ROM or kernel. A great example is the patch that reprograms the phone dialer's voicemail button to open Google Voice instead of the standard voicemail or Visual Voice Mail.
PDA Button - This is the button you will want to use when using the Odin program. You should always avoid the "Phone" button.
Pit file - This is a type of file used with Odin when returning your phone to stock. There is a "Pit" button on Odin you can push to enter the pit file you wish to use. An example of a pit file that you will probably use is Atlas_v2.2.pit.
PWGB - Powerwashed Gingerbread - This is a custom ROM created by ccampos784 (with other credits given). Its name implies what it is, a cleaner version of Gingerbread. It is widely regarded as a well-debloated reliable ROM.
Radio - a.k.a. Modem - This generally refers to the software that manages the phone's connection to the outside world, not the physical device itself. Verizon would release new versions of this software from time to time in their OTA updates. The two most popular ones are currently EH03 (the latest) and EC09. Both of these work with Android 2.3. The choice of radio can determine your 3g download speeds. It's difficult to say that one is better than another. Different users find good results with each one. Both radios are available as zip files that can be flashed in CWM.
Recovery - Your phone comes with a recovery program. You have to choose to boot it up as an alternative to booting up your phone's normal touchscreen interface. An ordinary phone user would probably never even see this program. It's not pretty. It's just functional. It is basically a list of commands and technical terms that you can navigate using the phone's volume up & down buttons and the power button (to select). Essential to rooting are the special recovery programs. The most popular of these by far is CWM Recovery.
Re-Partition - This is one of the check boxes in Odin. This box should be checked only when returning your phone to stock. Of Odin's various check boxes, this is the only one for which widespread agreement of its use exists.
ROM - This is one of the two main components (kernel being the other) of the software running on an android phone. It generally determines the overall appearance of your phone, including which apps are installed by default. The ROM that comes installed on your phone right out of the box is known as the stock ROM. Created by devs, there are numerous custom ROMs available for the Fascinate. Popular ROMs a newly rooted user might try are Superclean3, PWGB, and GeeWiz.
Root - When you buy your phone from Verizon, Verizon still controls it. You are simply a user who is allowed to perform various Verizon-approved activities on it. Gaining root access to your phone grants you the control that Verizon had previously held. Rooting quite literally makes you the "Superuser," opening numerous possibilities for improvement, customization, and ruin. Root access is essential to having a fast, fully customized phone.
Root Explorer - This is an app downloadable from the Android Marketplace. As it requires Superuser permissions, it is only functional for rooted users. Its abilities far exceed those of standard file management apps. For example, Root Explorer can copy .apk files directly into the system/apps folder in Android. It's a great way to get that obscure Samsung widget reinstalled on your phone after your favorite developer's ROM washed it away and called it bloat.
Samsung Drivers - This is a small piece of downloadable software that will need to be installed on your home computer before it will be able to communicate with your phone (via Odin or adb).
SC3 - Superclean3 - This is a popular custom ROM created by Nitsuj17 (with other credits given). It has a lot of bloat removed, and it has several excellent additions. It also has a wide variety of readily available patches that allow users to further customize or reinstall things they miss about the stock ROM. It is known for being both fast and stable, and it is widely regarded as an excellent choice for newly rooted users interested in trying a custom ROM.
Skin - This is a program that a phone manufacturer creates with the goal of making its phones more user friendly. It is basically an interface that sits on top of the pure Android guts underneath, hence the term "skin." The skin that comes with Samsung phones is called TouchWiz. This is why our phones don't look quite the same as our friends' HTC or Motorola phones, even though they are all using Android. Some people love TouchWiz. Some people hate it. Some custom ROMs are designed to be used with TouchWiz. Others are designed to be rid of it.
Superuser - A rooted phone will have a new icon in the list of apps called Superuser. This is what distinguishes a rooted phone from a non-rooted phone. There are numerous apps available on the web and Android Marketplace that require "Superuser permission" to do what they do. Common examples of these apps include Titanium Backup, Root Explorer, and Voltage Control. When a rooted user first runs one of these special apps, the app will ask for Superuser permission. Since you are now the Superuser, you get to press the button that says allow or one that says deny.
Swype Beta - One of the early perks of rooting, the latest version of Swype is not available to unrooted users because the Fascinate comes with a special pre-installed (and perhaps outdated) version of Swype. Upgrading gives a slicker version of Swype with a more advanced word selection logic. You must follow a few steps to do it correctly:
1. Change the input method to the Android keyboard (settings->language & keyboard).
2. Uninstall Swype using Titanium Backup.
3. Go to the Swype website, give them your email address, and then follow their lead.
.tar - This is the file extension for the files that get flashed via Odin. The file to install CWM, for example, is a .tar file. Another example is the file that returns your phone back to stock.
TB - TiBu - Titanium Backup: This is an app available on the Android Marketplace. It is for rooted users only, and it requires Superuser permissions to operate normally. Its two main functions are:
1. Creating backups of your phone (or parts of it) in case you screw it up
2. Freezing apps and other stuff you don't want (i.e. debloating)
Thanks button - Once you have created an established account at xda and made a post or two, you will begin to see a button with a little thumbs up sign next to the word "Thanks." This can be found on the lower right corner of someone's post. Pushing this button lets the person who posted know that their work is appreciated. It is considered polite to thank anyone who has helped you, whether or not it was in direct response to your own question. It is always polite to thank the devs whose software you are using. Xda tallies these thanks and gives experienced users a quantifiable measure of their contributions to the community. You will see a thanks meter under other users' names. Helpful people and prolific devs can have hundreds or thousands of thanks.
Troll - This describes a person who attempts to transform a civil forum discussion into a battle of harsh words. They generally lure people into a massive argument by posting inflammatory remarks that are just slightly off topic. They then sit back and laugh to themselves as the argument develops into the nerd equivalent of a bar fight. To feed a troll and make him stronger, just respond to him. To weaken him, report his posts to moderators.
TW - TouchWiz - see "Skin"
UV - Undervolting - This is a means of attempting to reduce battery consumption when using custom kernels. Rooted users can accomplish this through one of several apps, with Voltage Control being a common example. The point of whether UV reduces battery consumption is highly contentious, but there does seem to be a theoretical basis for its validity, as well as a preponderance of anecdotal evidence.
Voodoo - a.k.a. Voodoo lagfix - There are basically two main types of kernels, voodoo and non-voodoo. The stock kernel that comes with your phone is non-voodoo. It uses a certain type of file organization that is considered extremely stable. It is also somewhat slow, evidenced by the lag many users have experienced on this phone from day one. Non-voodoo kernels, slow and reliable, are the family sedans of kernels. The voodoo kernels are the sports cars. They organize file systems differently, allowing for reduced lag. To extend the metaphor, they are also more likely to be involved in crashes. Lacking the rock solid reliability of their non-voodoo counterparts, voodoo kernels have a somewhat sordid reputation in older forum posts. Overwhelming evidence, though, seems to indicate that many of the current voodoo kernels are quite stable. Many rooted users will tolerate the occasional force close or reboot to gain the speed benefits that voodoo kernels provide.
Examples of non-voodoo kernels: Stock, GeeWiz
Examples of voodoo kernels: KGB, Lean Kernel, Glitch
*Note: Changing to a voodoo kernel or switching between voodoo kernels requires no special precautions. Changing from a voodoo kernel to a non-voodoo kernel requires special precautions.
Wipe x3 - This term refers to the act of wiping the slate clean on your phone. It removes all apps you have installed and any data associated with those apps. It will not erase Android, your ROM, your kernel, or anything on your sd card (your photos and videos are on your sd card by default). The Wipe x3 is often done before making major changes to your phone's system. The process is accomplished through a recovery program such as CWM. Here are the 3 commands (hence the "x3"):
1. wipe data/factory reset
2. wipe cache partition
3. wipe dalvik cache
*Note, performing a wipe data/factory reset will reportedly wipe the cache partition and the dalvik cache, so steps 2 & 3 may be redundant.
zip - For our purposes, this refers to the file type for files that can be flashed with CWM or other recovery programs. For example, if you would like to install the Superclean3 ROM, you would need to download the zip file called sc3_milestone2_full and place it on your sd card.
jawman27 said:
Droidstyle's Guide - This is the holy gospel of noob rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL Best Part!
May i add
"3 finger salute"- slang; this refers to a way of getting into your recovery.[HOWEVER this method is not useful for MTD roms!] holding down the power Button, the volume up, and the volume down button. This could also be used for a phone that is frozen as well to initiate a reboot without pulling the battery.
I know it is in the cwm section but some older devs refer to it as that.
Plus we know most noobs get through one definition of this and TL: DR
But very well put together!! Kudos
"3 finger salute"
Done. Thanks. It's nice to hear feedback from experienced members.
Enyo. - noun. Possible 11 year old prodigy and uberdev. Provides lulz for the Fascinate forums, both intentional and unintentional. See ” KANG".
All kidding aside, this thread is a great idea.
dsrhokie said:
” KANG".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All kidding aside, I missed that one.
Kang: The process of creating a code based of someone else's code or reapplying code that someone else created into your own code (e.g. git cherry-pick) [credit: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Terminology ]
edit: Got ninja'd on the definition, yours is better jawman....
Well done sir! Between your glossary and my guide, new users will learn everything in a matter of a hour or so....If you look back a year ago this information may of taken a month to aquire.
droidstyle said:
Well done sir! Between your glossary and my guide, new users will learn everything in a matter of a hour or so....If you look back a year ago this information may of taken a month to aquire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. That means a lot. I may not have ever rooted if not for your guide. I'm all in now, though.
droidstyle said:
Well done sir! Between your glossary and my guide, new users will learn everything in a matter of a hour or so....If you look back a year ago this information may of taken a month to aquire.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup yup... took a lot of digging a year ago. Nice work.
This was a well thought out guide. I don't consider myself a noob anymore but I still learned a thing or two (like Nandroid).
I hope this gets stickied!
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
Nice thread ! I was extremely fortunate to fall under the good graces and guidance of Droidstyle when I ventured ( blindly) into the world of rooting and flashing. I can't even count how many times his guide saved my device. I ALWAYS reference his guide when I try to help people on here. Although it is sometimes frustrating asking " noob" questions in XDA ( flaming) , there are a great bunch of people on here that WILL help at least point you in the right direction . Kudos to the OP for writing this glossary!
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
A few corrections:
adb - Our favorite Uberdev forgot to finish his alphabet packet (just kidding, Uberdev )
AOSP - a mistaken spelling for soap; even our elected lawmakers forgot to finish their alphabet packets, because they tried to make showering mandatory when they tried to pass a bill called SOPA.
.apk - file extension for an application. In this economy, we often have to file many applications to get even one interview for a job.
Auto Reboot - sometimes, with no warning at all, while you're in the middle of playing Angry Birds, your phone just automatically reboots, usually indicating something wrong with your installation. This is occasionally a bug in the ROM or kernel, but if you're a noob, it's probably your fault
Bloat - this is a nice way of saying you have gas because you ate a few too many chili dogs.
Brick - what thugs sometimes throw through your window so you'll be too scared to snitch on them.
Clockwork Recovery - when your kitchen clock is dead, you may have to replace your battery so it will recover.
Debloated - see Bloat above - this is how you likely feel after you pass gas.
Droidstyle's Guide - this makes it much easier for experienced users to answer noob questions in ROM threads; instead of actually answering the noob's question directly, you can say "just look at Droidstyle's Guide." This saves a ton of typing and a ton of time. Think of it as prescribing chicken soup for a patient regardless of what's wrong with him or her
Eclair - the last thing patients with tooth decay should eat, and the first thing we actually eat.
Force Close - this was what Circuit City stores had to do when the economy tanked and all the customers were getting their electronics from Best Buy.
Flash - what nutjobs sometimes do in public when they disrobe.
Freeze - either what you have to do to your ice cream sandwich to keep it from melting, or one of the villians in the movie Batman and Robin.
Froyo - what hipsters tell themselves is more trendy to eat instead of ice cream.
Gingerbread - building material for a house in a German fairy tale.
GeeWiz - what kids used to say in the 1950s when their parents grounded them.
Ice Cream Sandwich - another bad idea for people with tooth decay. See Eclair above.
Kang - either a nickname for Captain Kangaroo, or one of the three old Klingons in the Star Trek Deep Space Nine episode "Blood Oath."
Kernel - an individual piece of corn. You want as many of these as possible to pop (without getting burnt) when you microwave your pouch of Pop Secret.
KGB - the principal intelligence agency of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Lean Kernel - a low-fat flavor of Pop Secret. See Kernel above.
MIUI - a sound kittens often make when they want your attention.
OC - a teen drama series that aired on the Fox Network from 2003-2006.
Odin - one of the characters in the movie Thor.
Patch - what pirates sometimes wear over one of their eyes.
Radio - what people used to listen to in the 20th century
Recovery - what people have to go through after serious injuries or sicknesses.
Root - the part of a plant that keeps it anchored in the ground.
Samsung Drivers - NASCAR drivers whose cars have the Samsung logo on them.
Skin - what certain celebrities show too much of on the red carpet.
TB - an acronym for tuberculosis.
Troll - a short, ugly character from a fairy tale; these often live under bridges.
UV - a type of radiation that will give the aforementioned celebrities sunburn if they continue to show too much skin under direct sunlight.
Voodoo - part of a fellow XDA member's username. http://forum.xda-developers.com/member.php?u=4500750
Wipe x3 - the minimum number of times you have to wipe after #tweetingwhilepooping.
zip - what men have to do after #tweetingwhilepeeing (this is often when men ease nature while sitting down so they can keep using Twitter on their Android phones).
Terminators run on Android
Thank you very much.
Sticky it!
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
In all seriousness, this was an extremely well-written glossary, a valuable resource for the Fascinate community. Very impressive.
Terminators run on Android
Thanks, guys. I'm flattered. I never expected to have such big names even look at this, much less enjoy it.
I should point out to all the noobs reading this that most of the definitions in the glossary are created from the various forum posts of droidstyle, skynet11, neh4pres, xwhofarted, and others like them. Please be sure to use the 'Thanks' button under their names from time to time.
Oh, and nice variant, Skynet. I particularly enjoyed "Patch."
neh4pres said:
Sticky it!
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to, but I'm still not clear on the method or etiquette of having a thread stickied.
Should I request myself, or would it be better to have one of the more experienced members do so? I think the glossary has room for improvement (though I've reached the 30,000 character limit), so I'm fine to wait until it's more refined.
To do this correctly, I think we'd need to have droidstyle's guide stickied directly above it. A lot of the stuff at the top of the general section is a bit outdated anyway, so I think it would be a good idea to do it eventually.
jawman27 said:
I'd love to, but I'm still not clear on the method or etiquette of having a thread stickied.
Should I request myself, or would it be better to have one of the more experienced members do so? I think the glossary has room for improvement (though I've reached the 30,000 character limit), so I'm fine to wait until it's more refined.
To do this correctly, I think we'd need to have droidstyle's guide stickied directly above it. A lot of the stuff at the top of the general section is a bit outdated anyway, so I think it would be a good idea to do it eventually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe copy and paste into a new thread and then claim a few posts before others can reply. Then you will have more room.. I'm sure it will be stickied sooner or later.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
neh4pres said:
Maybe copy and paste into a new thread and then claim a few posts before others can reply. Then you will have more room.. I'm sure it will be stickied sooner or later.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will do. Thanks for the tip.

2012 Fascinate Rooting Glossary for Noobs - Definitions in layman's terms

We noobs, for good reason, are encouraged to search the forums for answers. The conversations between high level users, though, can sometimes be hard to follow. This glossary should help. It is not a guide. I don't know enough yet to create a guide. It's only a glossary that offers a bit of guidance here and there.
To the noobs: any technical jargon used in a definition should be defined elsewhere in the glossary. To the experienced users: I am a noob writing for other noobs, so please feel free to correct any glaring errors. I would like to keep the definitions both functional and phrased generally in layman's terms. I know I have left out a lot of details, some intentionally, some through ignorance. Further discussion is welcomed.
Glossary
*228 - This is the number to dial from any Verizon phone to activate it. Option 1 activates the phone (linking it to your number and account). Option 2 updates the data roaming, which can evidently enhance your data connection if done from time to time. In certain situations, a dial pad may not be available during the activation call. As an alternative, you can dial *22890 to directly program your phone. Depending perhaps on where you live and which ROM you are using, you can dial *22891 to directly update your roaming. If that fails, you can try *22899 to update roaming, but some users report that this may be risky. Other alternatives include setting up a speed dial as *228,,,,1 or *228,,,,2. The phone reads the commas as two second pauses. Your phone will dial *228, wait for a bit, and then press 1 or 2 automatically.
3 Finger Salute - Using 3 fingers, you hold down the Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power buttons on the sides of your phone. This will boot you into your recovery program. It can also be used to reboot a frozen phone without pulling the battery. This will not work on all ROMs, particularly those using MTD. In fact, if you do it while on an ICS ROM, you will get to see what a bootloop looks like.
adb - Android Debug Bridge - This is a method to connect your home computer to your phone. Generally speaking, it requires properly installed Samsung drivers and the use of the usb cable that came with your phone. People use adb for all sorts of things, including rooting and salvaging a messed up phone. You may see forum discussions where people discuss coding terminology in little grey boxes. These are generally adb commands.
example: adb push something.txt /sdcard/something.txt
AOKP - Android Open Kang Project - A play on the terms "kang" and "AOSP," this is part of a large multi-dev effort to bring the latest Android developments to a number of phones. For our purposes, it is currently under development as a Jelly Bean ROM that we can flash onto our phones. AOKP milestone 6, the final iteration of AOKP ICS, is still regarded as one of the most functional and stable ROMs available for the Fascinate.
AOSP - Android Open Source Project - This refers to the fact that Google shares its Android source code with the world, perhaps its main differentiation from Apple. Any software developer can work with this code. Functionally speaking, developers create AOSP ROMs for the Fascinate. AOSP ROMs could be considered the most pure version of Android, or Android "the way Google intended."
.apk - This is the file extension of ordinary apps and widgets used in Android. If you have the .apk file of a certain app, and you know what to do with it, you can run that app on your phone.
Example conversation:
Noob: I really like this new ROM, but I miss the Samsung Program Monitor widget.
Expert: Just copy the .apk from Nitsuj's stock ROM onto your SD card and install it using Root Explorer
Noob: What's Root Explorer?
Expert: *sigh*
Auto Reboot - This is a check box in Odin. It determines whether your phone will reboot itself after flashing a file in Odin. It doesn't really seem to matter a great deal whether or not it is checked. There seem to be a lot of opinions on this subject. Generally speaking, leaving the box unchecked will not cause any problems. Some problems have been reported in the situation of a failed flash of bootloaders when the box was checked.
Battery pull - Phones can become frozen in all sorts of awkward positions. They sometimes freeze on boot-up screens. They sometimes freeze on screens you won't even recognize. The traditional quick fix was to pull the battery out of the phone, give it a minute, put the battery back in, and then reboot. While this method often works, there is some evidence that it may be harsh on your sd card. The battery pull has essentially been replaced by the act of holding "Volume Up" and "Power" for a while (at least 5 seconds, maybe 10). Shutting down by holding these two buttons is widely regarded as safer than a battery pull.
BL - Bootloader - a.k.a. Boot Loader - This is the rudimentary software that kicks in when a phone is first powered up. Its only real goal is to get the operating system up and running. Some phones, like those from Motorola, have a "locked" bootloader, making it more difficult to use custom kernels. The Fascinate's bootloader was never locked. Here's where it gets complicated: bootloaders are broken down by Android version. There are Eclair bootloaders, Froyo bootloaders, and GB bootloaders. Just being on one version of Android, though, does not mean that you have the corresponding bootloader. It seems that stock Gingerbread phones don't use a Gingerbread bootloader. In fact, to put a GB bootloader on your phone (highly recommended for modern ROMs) you will need to flash a GB bootloader file.
BLN - Back Light Notification - This refers to a popular concept whereby the LED softkeys on the bottom of the phone will blink or light up as a means of notifying the user of missed calls, new texts, emails, etc. Most modern kernels are compatible with some form of BLN. Sometimes, an app will need to be installed from the Marketplace (Google Play) to actually control the settings. More and more, though, the settings can be controlled from within the ROM itself.
Bloat - a.k.a. Bloatware - This term describes all the software that Verizon installed on the phone, but would not allow you to uninstall. Bloat means different things to different people, but it's basically anything stuck on the phone that the user doesn't want. Opinions obviously vary. Common examples of bloat include the NFS Shift racing game, Vcast apps, and Bing.
BML - This is a technical term used by devs to describe the software organization in your phone as it relates to things called partitions. BML is the older, less flexible, and somewhat slower of the two organizational schemes currently available for our phone (MTD being the other). BML was long regarded as the more stable system. MTD ROMs, though, because of their performance benefits and available features, are now the gold standard. A stock Fascinate uses BML, as do several of the custom ROMs (GW, SC3, ,PWGB, TSM Res). Anything involving ICS or JB uses MTD.
Boot Loop - This happens when something goes wrong and does not allow your phone to boot properly. It will actually look like it is repeatedly attempting, but failing to boot up. There are numerous causes and numerous fixes. If you want to see what it looks like, you can do a 3 finger salute while on an ICS ROM.
Bootani - Boot animation. This is the image you see when your phone first boots up. The stock bootani is the Verizon logo. Developers tend to insert their own custom bootanis, and users often like to insert their own as a means of further customizing their phones.
Brick - a.k.a. Paperweight - The ultimate threat that keeps noobs from rooting, this is what people call a phone that does not work at all. It basically has the functionality of a brick or toy block. "Brick" is also used as verb, as in the act of turning your phone into a brick. There are several well established ways to brick phones. The one that noobs are most likely to encounter is the dreaded "Phone" button on Odin. Don't ever touch the phone button, EVER!
Cache - Common to many operating systems, Android included, this is a file where frequently accessed data is stored so as to perform overall performance. Wiping (i.e. clearing/emptying) the cache does not delete any user data, as the cache is rebuilt over time as the phone is used. Functionally speaking, many problems (poor performance, freezes, reboots) can be addressed by rebooting into recovery and wiping the cache and Dalvik cache.
Analogy: when you're reading a book, you could put it back in the bookshelf every time you get to a stopping point. However, it's much easier just to store it on your nightstand (your cache) for a while until you're finished reading it. That way you can access it much faster. If your wife/mom/maid comes and cleans off your nightstand, the book still exists, you just have to take the time to go get it out of the bookshelf again.
CM7 - CyanogenMod7 - This is an alternate version of Android 2.3 put together by a sharp group of developers who are involved in the Android Open Source Project. The CM7 ROM is perhaps most known for its ability to be customized by the user. The CyanogenMod team considers CM7 to essentially be finished, polished, and stable.
CM9 - CyanogenMod9 - This is CyanogenMod's version of ICS. Various releases have been available to the public for some time. Updates continue to be released. Many of the ICS ROMs on our phones carry bits and pieces of CM9. CyanogenMod's development attention has now shifted to CM10.
CM10 - CyanogenMod10 - CyanogenMod's version of JB, currently under rapid development. The various iterations are available as nightlies, which can be downloaded from CyanogenMod's website.
CNA - Codename Android - This is a ROM that, like many others, was available as ICS and is now available as a JB ROM.
CWM - ClockworkMod Recovery - This is an enhanced (understatement) alternative to the phone's normal recovery program. CWM is absolutely central to rooting. Most rooting guides will have you install some version of this program right away, for good reason.
CWM, once installed is accessed as follows:
1. Power down your phone.
2. Using 3 fingers, hold down Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power (see the guides for more specific directions).
Common uses of CWM include:
1. A complete data wipe of your phone (erases all apps, but not your ROM or kernel)
2. Wiping of the cache (often used before making major changes to your phone)
3. Wiping of the dalvik cache (also often used before making major changes to your phone)
4. Wiping battery stats. Some short battery life problems have more to do with your phone's interpretation of your battery than the charge of the battery itself. Wiping these stats can sometimes solve poor battery life issues.
5. Creating and using Nandroid backups.
6. Flashing custom ROMs and kernels (and other things). Users who are crazy about rooting and development will try several new ROMs and kernels in a single day. CWM makes it very easy to install these things and go back and forth.
There are two versions of CWM that most Fascinate users will deal with. There is the CWM 2.5 (CWM-recovery-ALL.tar) that is used for basic rooting or flashing ROMs that are closer to stock (SC3, GeeWiz, TSM Res). Then there is CWM 4 (CWM4_fixed_for_CM7-ODIN.tar) used for flashing MTD ROMs. There are some differences between the two, but they basically work the same way. See Droidstyle's guide for more details. Often, after successful installation of a ROM/kernel combo, one will find a new recovery installed on the phone. Not to worry, though, they all work in very much the same fashion.
Dalvik - This is what's known as a "Java virtual machine." It's the part of the software incorporated into all Android devices that actually runs the apps. It is named after a fishing village in Iceland, home to the ancestors of the developer who first designed the software. For our purposes, when problems occur with our phones, one of the first steps to try would be to reboot into the recovery program and use the available commands to wipe cache and Dalvik cache.
Debloated - This describes a phone that has had the Verizon bloatware removed. Debloating is one of the main motivations for rooting. It can make a phone run more smoothly by getting rid of a lot of things that run in the background. It's also just nice not having all of those useless icons clogging your app drawer. There are two common ways to debloat that most noobs will encounter:
1. Root your phone, install an app called Titanium Backup from the Android Marketplace (Google Play), and "Freeze" anything you consider bloat.
2. Root your phone and install a custom ROM. These ROMs basically come debloated from the developers.
Dev - Developer - These are the people who understand how to write and modify code in the android platform. They are the ones that make rooting fun and easy for the rest of us. They not only create fascinating developments (no pun intended), they package them up in neat little files that simpletons like us can download and install on our phones in a tidy fashion. It is always sad for the community when a recognized dev moves on to another phone. The Fascinate currently has a lot of devs working in a lot of different directions. It's a testament to the inherent potential of this phone.
Development Forum - This is the section of the xda Samsung Fascinate forums that is to reserved for actual development. In this section it is ok for noobs to READ, NOT TO POST. It is important to keep this section uncluttered to promote rapid and efficient exchange of information. It is not the forum in which to post your questions. Also, if you like a dev's work, etiquette dictates that you don't necessarily need to tell him in the Development Forums. You can simply hit the "Thanks" button. He will understand what you mean. The fact that some noobs may have posted in these forums does not serve as justification for other noobs doing the same.
Devil Kernel - This is a relatively new kernel on the Fascinate scene. There is a version for ICS, an alternative to the well-established IcyGlitch kernel, and there is a version for JB. It is the product of German developer DerTeufel1980, and it is undergoing rapid development.
Devil Recovery - As the name suggests, this is a recovery program (an alternative to CWM) from dev DerTeufel1980. Flashing his ROM or kernel will often give you his recovery.
DIDLE - Deep Idle - Some custom kernels can unlock this ability within your phone to dramatically reduce power consumption while idle. Predominantly, it works when the phone's screen is off, but some feature (e.g. a music player) is still running. Some tests by developers show impressive results for decreased battery drain while using DIDLE. Unfortunately for Fascinate users, it must be used with great care because it is well known to cause the Sleep of Death.
Dirty Flash - To properly install a ROM, one should always wipe all user data before doing so. This doesn't mean that the ROM won't flash if you refuse to do. To dirty flash, just clear cache and Dalvik cache and then flash your ROM in recovery.
Why would you do this? Because you're feeling lazy, and you don't want to have to restore your apps and settings.
Why shouldn't you do this? Because you'll have a lot of problems with your phone, call them bugs, blame it on the ROM, and then clog up the development forums with problems that no one else seems to be experiencing.
Download Mode - This is a setting in which you will put your phone when using Odin. There are other ways, but most noobs will reach download mode by powering down, removing the battery, and holding volume down while plugging the factory usb cord into the computer and phone. Odin can only communicate properly with your phone if the phone is in download mode.
Droidstyle's Guide - This is the holy gospel of noob rooting. It can be found in both the General section and Q&A section of xda's Samsung Fascinate forums. Noobs should read every page of the ensuing discussion. A noob with the ability to read and follow directions can be successfully rooted in a matter of minutes. Most of your silly questions that you want to post throughout xda have already been answered in this magnificent guide. Countless questions throughout all Android forums have been answered with nothing more than a link to this guide. If you follow Droidstyle's directions TO THE LETTER, you will be able to successfully do a lot of cool stuff with your phone without experiencing any of the monstrous rooting headaches you may have read about online.
Eclair - Android 2.1. Google likes to name its software releases after sweet foods. The Samsung Fascinate originally shipped with Eclair and hung onto it a really long time. It lacks so many features of later releases, though, that it is essentially a relic that won't come into play.
EH03 - This was the latest (and perhaps final) OTA firmware update from Verizon. Most normal non-rooted Fascinate users will be on the EH03 build number because Verizon basically pushed it out to our phones over the airwaves. It implies that your phone is using Android 2.3 and the EH03 radio. Previous builds shared the alpha-numeric naming system (eg dl09, dj05). Not all builds were officially released by Verizon. Some just sort of showed up on the devs' computers so they could tinker with them.
F. Reset Time - This is a check box in Odin. It's not clear that anyone knows the exact details of what it actually does, nor is it clear what will happen if you leave it unchecked vs checked. It seems to reset some arbitrary counter in your phone. As a general rule, you can either follow the instructions of whatever guide you're using or just leave the checkbox how you found it.
Fassy - a nickname for the Samsung Fascinate
Fast Charge - This is a feature on some ICS ROMs that can be turned on or off. When enabled, it allows your phone to draw as much charge as possible regardless of the charging source. Without fast charge, your phone will place artificial speed limits on charging when plugged, for example, into the USB slot on your computer. Fast charge bypasses these limits, letting your phone believe it is always plugged into a wall charger. It is worth noting that your phone will not be recognized by your computer as a USB device when fast charge is enabled. It will only charge.
FC - Force Close - This is when an app stops working unexpectedly. This can happen to both rooted and unrooted phones. It doesn't cause any damage to the phone. In most cases, the app can just be opened right back up. It seems to depend on a lot of factors, including the quality of the app itself. ROMs and kernels that experience very few FCs are said to be "stable."
Flash - This is a term used to describe the installation of software onto your phone. It refers to fundamental changes in your phone's operating system. It is different from just installing an app from the Marketplace (Google Play). Commonly, people will flash ROMs, kernels, patches, and radios. There are basically two ways to flash new software onto your phone:
1. Odin
2. CWM Recovery (or a comparable recovery program)
Freeze - There are two meanings in general use. One might use this term to refer to his or her phone becoming unresponsive. More commonly, though, it refers to a special ability of a program called Titanium Backup. This program can be downloaded from the Android Marketplace (Google Play), but it requires a rooted phone to work. When Titanium Backup is used to freeze an app or process, that app or process is essentially gone from the phone. It won't show up in the app drawer, and it won't be running in the background. The difference between freezing and uninstalling, though, is that anything frozen can be quickly "thawed," also with Titanium Backup. With the touch of a button, the missing app or process is right back where it used to be. This is a convenient way for newly rooted users to test the waters of debloating.
Froyo - Android 2.2. Google likes to name its software releases after sweet foods. In this case, they refer to frozen yogurt. Some custom ROMs are still based on 2.2. They are known for being extremely well developed and extremely stable.
Gapps - Google Apps - When flashing custom ROMs, the apps on the phone are usually deleted. As an alternative to going to the Marketplace (Google Play) and re-installing all the favorites (Google Maps, Google Talk, Google Voice, etc.), many devs have packaged these into a tidy zip file that can be flashed via CWM. Why don't they just put the Google Apps in the ROM, you ask? Custom ROMs and Google Apps get software updates at different rates, so keeping the two separate allows users to always have the most up-to-date version of each. On MTD ROMs such as CM7 or anything ICS, you generally must flash the gapps package to get the Android Marketplace (Google Play).
GB - Gingerbread - Android 2.3. Google likes to name its Android releases after sweet foods. Most of our stock phones are running on this release of Android. There are numerous ROMS and kernels based on Gingerbread. These are a good starting point for newly rooted users, as they will feel quite familiar.
Github - This is a web-based service where developers can post their code. Depending on the situation, their code can be accessed by other users, modified, or just shared with the world. The site encourages the kind of open source development for which Android is famous.
Governor - This refers to the type of logic your phone uses to control how fast its processor ramps up when needed or slows down when not. The choice of governor can influence overall performance and battery life. In the past, the governor could be selected using an OC/UV program such as Voltage Control or NS Tools. More and more, though, the governor controls are being integrated into the ROM/kernel combo, and can be found under 'Settings.' No one governor is right for everyone. The fun is in experimenting. Here are some (not all) examples and brief descriptions:
performance: Keeps the processor always ramped up to to maximum; useful for benchmarking
ondemand: Rapidly ramps up the processor when needed; gradually slows it down when not needed
conservative: Similar to ondemand, but ramps up more slowly
userspace: The user can define the parameters (for advanced users only).
lazy: This was developed specifically for Android by xda dev Ezekeel. He states it is an enhanced version of ondemand, tuned to our phones' capabilities. Don't be fooled by the name. He tested it with numerous processor-intensive applications.
interactive: Uses a logic to try to predict how quickly it needs to ramp up processor speed, attempting to balance battery life and performance
interactiveX: A tweak on interactive (by dev imoseyon), which locks the processor at the minimum speed when the screen is off
smartass & smartassV2: Modified interactive governors by dev erasmux, they use logic to determine how quickly to ramp up or slow down; designed to optimize battery life without sacrificing performance.
powersave: This keeps the processor always set at the minimum frequency. The name may be a bit misleading, as certain processes will just take longer, using up more battery.
Here's a more complete list from someone who knows a lot more than I do.
Gummy - This is a ROM based off of AOSP. Like many other collaborative dev projects, tt was formerly ICS and now JB.
GW - Geewiz - This is a three piece set of software put together by djp952. He has created a ROM, a kernel, and a custom Recovery (an alternative to CWM). All three can be used together, or each can be installed separately. This package of software is currently well respected for its smoothness and stability, as well as for its ongoing development. GeeWiz is widely considered to be an excellent choice for newly rooted users. The dev has recently released a media player ROM (i.e. no phone component) to get some life out of the old fassy through its Wi-Fi connection.
Heimdall - This program is similar to Odin. It was created by an Australian software company called Glass Echidna. It can be used to flash files onto your phone. Some users prefer this program over Odin. Heimdall can be used with Mac computers, whereas Odin can not. Many high level users regularly use both Heimdall and Odin.
Helly Bean - A Jelly Bean ROM from dev DerTeufel1980.
Hybrid - This describes a system where your phone begins to use some of the better features available in tablets, particularly when it comes to the use of available screen space. Basically, it makes a lot of stuff on your screen smaller so more can be shown on the screen at the same time. A ROM called ParanoidAndroid is currently considered the best iteration of hybrid mode, although other ROMs incorporate it to a certain extent.
ICS - Ice Cream Sandwich - Android 4.0. Google likes to name its Android releases after sweet foods. It comes pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus from Verizon. Several developers have created ways to install ICS on the Samsung Fascinate.
Icy Glitch - This is a custom kernel created by a collaborative group of devs headed up by ssewk2x and Tk-Glitch. It is only for use with ICS ROMs such as AOKP and THS. It was extremely popular during the time when ICS was the bleeding edge. Many ROMs of that era were released with an optimized Glitch kernel pre-installed.
init.d - This is a type of script used by developers when they modify Android code. You hear the term a lot because modifications using this type of script have far-reaching effects in the overall performance of the phone. High level users (who aren't quite devs) can even insert bits and pieces of init.d scripts to make minor tweaks to their phones.
Inverted - By default, most Google apps consist of a white screen with dark lettering. Inverting changes this to a dark screen with light letters. There are several advantages to this. Beyond the aesthetic advantages, it tends to be easier on the eyes in low light situations and reduce battery consumption. Inversion is done by talented individuals called themers. For our purposes, groups like Team Baked often put out inverted GAPPS that we can flash instead of the regular ones. There are even 'blacked out' ROMs, where everything is dark.
I/O Scheduler - This refers to the type of logic your phone uses to order and process read and write requests to your phone's hard drive. There are several types, which are listed below, but there is no magic bullet. The joy is in finding the one that works for you in terms of performance and battery life. It is worth noting, though, that certain schedulers were designed to be used with mechanical rotating hard drives, taking the drive's rotational position into account. This does not apply to our phones, which use solid state drive technology. In older ROMs, a scheduler could be selected by using an OC/UV control program such as Voltage Control or NS Tools. In modern ROM/kernel combinations, the scheduler can be selected through the integrated settings. Specific descriptions are beyond the scope of this glossary, but simple Internet searches can expand on any of schedulers listed.
Examples: noop, deadline, cfq, bfq, sio, vr, bfs
* In the absence of a dev's recommendation, if you don't feel like reading up on the subject, you can leave the scheduler at the default or choose noop or sio.
JB - Jelly Bean - Android 4.1. Google likes to name its Android releases after sweet foods. This is the latest version of Android to hit the streets, and devs are flocking to it , making all JB development new and exciting. The development has reached a state where very stable ROMs are readily available.
Jig - This is a tiny Frankensteinian device made of a small chip, a transistor, and the tip of the little micro-USB connector that you plug into your phone to charge it or attach it to your computer. When your phone will not go into download mode through normal means, putting a jig into the phone when the battery is in will make your phone go into download mode. You can make one yourself or buy one online for less than $10.
Kang - Generally used as a verb, this means to take bits and pieces of someone else's coding and to then integrate it into your own. Granted, noobs won't be doing this, but devs do it all the time. For the most part, this is considered a welcome practice among friendly devs, provided it is done correctly and politely. Kanging often serves to better the community as a whole. The key for devs is to give credit to the other devs from whom they have kanged.
Kernel - This is one of the two main components (ROM being the other) of the software running on an Android phone. It is the piece of software that connects the hardware (screen, softkeys, vibration, speakers, etc.) to the other software components. An unrooted phone comes with a stock kernel. It is stable but somewhat slow. Practically speaking, installing (flashing) a custom kernel will make your phone feel much faster and smoother as it moves through screens and opens apps. Generally speaking, installing a new kernel will not change the basic appearance of your phone or erase any of your phone's information. Custom kernels can also unlock several abilities of rooted phones. Examples include:
-wireless tethering (ignoring that pesky $30/month charge from Verizon)
-control over how and when the softkeys at the bottom of the screen light up
-overclocking/undervolting
-voodoo lagfix (This only applies to phones with BML-based ROMs. MTD ROMs don't need lagfix.)
-custom boot animations
KGB - A custom kernel built by comradesven. This popular voodoo kernel is well known because of its many options for customization. It is also considered quite stable and fast. It is the everyday kernel of many rooted users. When installed, it comes with an app that allows a user to easily customize a number of features on the phone.
Lean Kernel - Created by imoseyon, this voodoo kernel is known for its simplicity and stability. He intentionally leaves out a lot of the "bells and whistles" to keep the experience simple, smooth, and fast. Imoseyon works with several phones, so it is imperative that you have the correct version of Lean Kernel, the one appropriate for your phone. It works with TouchWiz ROMs such as SC3 and TSM Res.
Linaro - This is a team of software engineers developing open source software for numerous platforms, particularly as it relates to getting maximum bang for the buck from systems with memory and hardware limitations. For our purposes, many Linaro modifications are making their way into our custom ROMs, promising increased speed and responsiveness.
Logcat - This is a log of all of the processing activity your phone did over a certain period of time. This is useful for bug reporting, as devs can examine logcats and attempt to determine the source of the error(s). Many threads in the development forum request logcats to go alongside any bug reports. A logcat can be generated through adb, and there are also some apps that will do it for you. Random complaints aren't terribly useful for devs, but logcats generally are. This classic cartoon illustrates how many devs feel about disorderly complaints about their work, even though most are far too polite to say anything.
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Milestone - Devs are always trying to incorporate the latest and greatest features into their ROMs. The add-ons are incorporated as parts of new releases, or "builds." This is what makes development exciting, but it also leads to bugs. Milestone builds occur when the devs sit back, roll up their sleeves, and work the bugs out of all the awesome features they've crammed into their work. The milestones are considered the relatively safe and stable builds. When installed correctly, they rarely experience major bugs.
MIUI - This term is a transliteration of a Chinese name for a special customization of Android actually developed in China. MIUI ROMs can be installed on the Fascinate. They change the look and feel of the Android system, moving it closer to something resembling iOS, the iPhone's operating system. A lot of custom development has been done with the software code from the MIUI system. Many devs will integrate bits and pieces of MIUI into their own ROMs. For example, the TSM Resurrection ROM allows you to use the MIUI battery indicator, which looks completely different from the standard battery indicator.
MTD - This is a technical term used by devs to describe the software organization in your phone, as it relates to things called partitions. The bottom line is that the stock organizational system, called BML, is somewhat fixed and limited, whereas MTD offers devs a great deal of flexibility. Heavily customized ROMs like those from CyanogenMod or anything MIUI rely on MTD file organization. All of our ICS and JB ROMs use MTD. MTD ROMs, generally speaking, experience very little lag, as compared to BML ROMs. When returning to a normal BML ROM from an MTD ROM, special precautions need to be taken.
Nandroid - This is a backup of your entire phone as it stands at that moment in time (ROM, kernel, text messages, your Angry Birds progress, etc.). It is stored on your sd card, which is somewhat immune to your tinkering. A Nandroid backup is a good failsafe for the times when you might want to try out that new experimental kernel your favorite dev has been working on. The files can also be saved on a home computer/flash drive/etc. for safe keeping. Nandroid backups are created using a recovery program like Clockworkmod Recovery. CWM can also use old Nandroids to restore a phone to its previous condition.
Nightly - Nightlies - Some rooted users like the idea of having the most stable, tested, and reliable ROMs available. Others prefer the excitement of being on the cutting edge. Nightlies are the untested regular releases of whatever a certain dev happens to be working on at the time. They package them up, post them online, and let the discussions ensue. These are not for the faint of heart. They are for people who are comfortable addressing freezes, boot loops, and force closes. Having said that, the current nightlies from CM10 are actually quite stable.
Noob - If you have to ask what this means, this is what you are. It's a derivation of "newbie" or "newb," someone who's new to the activity at hand. In many ways, the noob is defined by his actions rather than by the amount of time he's spent rooting phones or posting on xda. Here are a few standard behaviors that will immediately brand someone as a noob:
-Posting new threads to ask questions that have been answered dozens of times. (Hint: It's best to search before posting)
-Posting ROM complaints (without logcat), beginner questions, and other non-development topics in the development forums (It has been theorized that this will ultimately be the end of xda)
-Diving in and flashing away without reading and then posting about your problems (Everyone needs to read the Guide.)
NSTools - This is an app that requires superuser permissions. It can be used to control a variety of the phone's features that are unlocked when running a custom kernel. It can enable fast charge, BLN, overclocking, and undervolting. It often comes pre-installed with ICS ROMs. Most JB ROMs have no use for it.
OC - Overclocking - Computer processors operate at a variety of speeds. When a manufacturer sells a product (like a phone) to the general public, they strictly limit the speed at which the built in processor can operate, even though the processor may be capable of more. This is to promote stability and reliability. Rooted users can overclock their phone's processor, raising the maximum speed at which it can operate. This can be done through various apps, including Voltage Control and NS Tools. Some ROMs even have the controls built into their settings. There are limits, though. Running a processor at too high a speed can cause overheating and/or glitches.
Odin - This is a program of seemingly mysterious origins that allows your home computer to communicate with your phone. You download it to your home computer. Good communication with your phone requires the installation of Samsung drivers on your computer as well as the use of the USB cable that came with your phone. Among other things, Odin can be used to root your phone, install CWM Recovery, install custom ROMs and kernels, and return your phone to stock after you've screwed it up.
*NEVER touch the "Phone" button on Odin. It should be labeled "Destroy your Phone"
OP - Original Post - This refers to the first post in any given thread, the one that started the thread in a discussion forum. A common noob mistake is to hop into a thread on page 27, read for 30 seconds, and then chime in with a question. He is often directed to the OP, which contains the answer to his question.
OTA - Over the Air - These are the official firmware upgrades that Verizon has released over the life of this phone. They were either pushed out to our phones in the middle of the night or offered up for us to download at our convenience. The latest one, EH03, came in December of 2011. Generally speaking, rooted users do not receive OTA updates. Also generally speaking, this doesn't really matter. The updates can be found on xda, and it is unlikely that the Fascinate will ever receive another OTA update.
Patch - This generally refers to a zip file that can be flashed using CWM. The file usually contains updates or small modifications to an existing ROM or kernel. A great example is the patch that reprograms the phone dialer's voicemail button to open Google Voice instead of the standard voicemail or Visual Voice Mail.
PDA Button - This is the button you will want to use when using the Odin program. You should always avoid the "Phone" button.
Pit file - This is a type of file used with Odin when returning your phone to stock. There is a "Pit" button on Odin you can push to enter the pit file you wish to use. An example of a pit file that you will probably use is Atlas_v2.2.pit. To return to stock, you would use a pit file along with a stock ROM, putting both into Odin at the same time. Droidstyle's guide provides detailed instructions.
Project Butter - This is a Google initiative, launched with Jelly Bean, aimed at reducing phone lag, both real and perceived. It involves research into human visual perception, the pairing of GPU and CPU, graphics buffering, and so on. It's purpose is to make your Android phone run "like buttah."
PWGB - Powerwashed Gingerbread - This is a custom ROM created by ccampos784 (with other credits given). Its name implies what it is, a cleaner version of Gingerbread. In its day, it was widely regarded as a well-debloated reliable ROM.
Radio - a.k.a. Modem - This generally refers to the software that manages the phone's connection to the outside world, not the physical device itself. Verizon would release new versions of this software from time to time in their OTA updates. The two most popular ones are currently EH03 (the latest) and EC09. Both of these work with Android 2.3 and the various Android 4.0 ROMs. The choice of radio can determine your 3g download speeds. It's difficult to say that one is better than another. Different users find good results with each one. Both radios are available as zip files that can be flashed in CWM.
Recovery - Your phone comes with a recovery program. You have to choose to boot it up as an alternative to booting up your phone's normal touchscreen interface. An ordinary phone user would probably never even see this program. It's not pretty. It's just functional. It is basically a list of commands and technical terms that you can navigate using the phone's softkeys, volume up & down buttons, and the power button (to select). *Note, the touchscreen is being used more and more in newer recovery programs* Essential to rooting are the special recovery programs such as CWM Recovery. A special recovery program, which is flashed via Odin, will replace the stock recovery program for a rooted user.
Re-Partition - This is one of the check boxes in Odin. This box should be checked only when returning your phone to stock. Of Odin's various check boxes, this is the only one for which widespread agreement of its use exists.
ROM - This is one of the two main components (kernel being the other) of the software running on an android phone. It generally determines the overall appearance of your phone, including which apps are installed by default. The ROM that comes installed on your phone right out of the box is known as the stock ROM. Created by devs, there are numerous custom ROMs available for the Fascinate. Popular Gingerbread ROMs a newly rooted user might try are Superclean3, PWGB, and GeeWiz. The current favorites of the Fascinate community are CM10, AOKP Jelly Bean, and ParanoidAndroid Jelly Bean. The process of flashing a custom ROM to your phone will, generally speaking, erase everything on your phone.
Root - When you buy your phone from Verizon, Verizon still controls it. You are simply a user who is allowed to perform various Verizon-approved activities on it. Gaining root access to your phone grants you the control that Verizon had previously held. Rooting quite literally makes you the "Superuser," opening numerous possibilities for improvement, customization, and ruin. Root access is essential to having a fast, fully customized phone.
Root Explorer - This is an app downloadable from the Android Marketplace (Google Play). As it requires Superuser permissions, it is only functional for rooted users. Its abilities far exceed those of standard file management apps. For example, Root Explorer can copy .apk files directly into the system/apps folder in Android. It's a great way to get that obscure Samsung widget reinstalled on your phone after your favorite developer's ROM washed it away and called it bloat.
Samsung Drivers - This is a small piece of downloadable software that will need to be installed on your home computer before it will be able to communicate with your phone (via Odin or adb).
SC3 - Superclean3 - This is a popular custom ROM created by Nitsuj17 (with other credits given). It has a lot of bloat removed, and it has several excellent additions. It also has a wide variety of readily available patches that allow users to further customize or reinstall things they miss about the stock ROM. It is known for being both fast and stable, and it is widely regarded as an excellent choice for newly rooted users interested in trying a custom ROM.
Skin - This is a program that a phone manufacturer creates with the goal of making its phones more user friendly. It is basically an interface that sits on top of the pure Android guts underneath, hence the term "skin." The skin that comes with Samsung phones is called TouchWiz. This is why our phones don't look quite the same as our friends' HTC or Motorola phones, even though they are all using Android. Some people love TouchWiz. Some people hate it. Some custom ROMs are designed to be used with TouchWiz. Others are designed to be rid of it.
SOD - Sleep of Death - This is when your phone goes into standby mode but then goes into a catatonic state somewhere between being asleep and completely powered down. Users report various degrees of SOD. Some ROMs and kernels have been associated with it, as have certain apps, certain radios, and certain SD cards. Experimenting with fringe OC/UV and didle settings are often responsible these days. Generally, a battery pull (or better, Volume Up + Power) will revive the phone. Once a phone experiences a SOD, it seems likely that it will happen again, so a fix will need to be instituted. A modification of OC/UV settings or a return to stock and clean installation of your ROM, kernel, and apps are recommended.
Superuser - A rooted phone will have a new icon in the list of apps called Superuser. This is what distinguishes a rooted phone from a non-rooted phone. There are numerous apps available on the web and Android Marketplace (Google Play) that require "Superuser permission" to do what they do. Common examples of these apps include NS Tools, Titanium Backup, Root Explorer, Voodoo Sound, NS Tools, and Voltage Control. When a rooted user first runs one of these special apps, the app will ask for Superuser permission. Since you are now the Superuser, you get to press the button that says allow or one that says deny.
S Voice - Korean Siri, courtesy of Samsung.
Swype Beta - One of the early perks of rooting, the latest version of Swype is not available to unrooted users because the Fascinate comes with a special pre-installed (and perhaps outdated) version of Swype. Upgrading gives a slicker version of Swype with a more advanced word selection logic. You must follow a few steps to do it correctly:
1. Change the input method to the Android keyboard (settings->language & keyboard).
2. Uninstall Swype using Titanium Backup.
3. Go to the Swype website, give them your email address, and then follow their lead.
*ICS and JB ROMs don't contain any traces of Swype, so steps 1 and 2 can be skipped for them
.tar - This is the file extension for the files that get flashed via Odin. The file to install CWM, for example, is a .tar file. Another example is the file that returns your phone back to stock.
TB - TiBu - Titanium Backup - This is an app available on the Android Marketplace (Google Play). It is for rooted users only, and it requires Superuser permissions to operate normally. Its two main functions are:
1. Creating backups of your phone (or parts of it) in case you screw it up
2. Freezing or uninstalling apps and other stuff you don't want (i.e. debloating)
Telus - This is a Canadian telecom company. They offer a Samsung Fascinate that is very similar the one from VZW. The Telus Fascinate only works on a GSM network, whereas the VZW Fascinate works on CDMA (GSM and CDMA are different wireless signal technologies). Kernels for the Telus Fascinate won't necessarily be interchangeable with those for the VZW Fascinate.
Thanks button - Once you have created an established account at xda and made a post or two, you will begin to see a button with a little thumbs up sign next to the word "Thanks." This can be found on the lower right corner of someone's post. Pushing this button lets the person who posted know that their work is appreciated. It is considered polite to thank anyone who has helped you, whether or not it was in direct response to your own question. It is always polite to thank the devs whose software you are using. Xda tallies these thanks and gives experienced users a quantifiable measure of their contributions to the community. You will see a thanks meter under other users' names. Helpful people and prolific devs can have hundreds or thousands of thanks.
THS - Team Hacksung - This is a group of developers whose mission is to bring all the best of the custom Android world to Samsung phones. For our purposes, they are currently working with the CyanogenMod code to bring JB to the Fascinate. As CM9 developed, THS worked to make sure it was available for our phones in the form of an easily flashed ROM. In reading about ICS ROMs, you will regularly come across references to THS Build 2. This is a very old version of THS, but it is critical to the installation of our ICS ROMs. THS Builds 1 and 2 contain code that preps our phone to run ICS ROMs. Therefore, if you are coming to ICS for the first time, it is recommended that you flash THS Build 1 or 2 (usually 2) and let your phone boot up one time. Droidstyle's guide will walk you through this process.
Troll - This describes a person who attempts to transform a civil forum discussion into a battle of harsh words. They generally lure people into a massive argument by posting inflammatory remarks that are just slightly off topic. They then sit back and laugh to themselves as the argument develops into the nerd equivalent of a bar fight. To feed a troll and make him stronger, just respond to him. To weaken him, report his posts to moderators.
TSM Resurrection - This is a custom ROM developed by TSM (teamsbrissenmod). Think of it as the "SC3 - The Director's Cut." While similar to SC3 on the surface, it has numerous additions that allow for customization.
TW - TouchWiz - see "Skin"
TWRP - TeamWin Recovery Project - This is an alternative to the traditional recovery program. Rather than using the volume rocker, softkeys, and power button to interact with it, a touchscreen interface is used. While it offers some interesting potential, it is still under development in terms of compatibility with the Fascinate and our popular ROM/kernel setups.
UV - Undervolting - This is a means of attempting to reduce battery consumption when using custom kernels. Rooted users can accomplish this through one of several apps, with Voltage Control and NS Tools being common examples. The point of whether UV reduces battery consumption is highly contentious, but there does seem to be a theoretical basis for its validity, as well as a preponderance of anecdotal evidence.
Voltage Control - This is an app available on the Android Marketplace (Google Play). It requires root access (i.e. Superuser permissions). When used with compatible kernels, it allows you to overclock and undervolt your phone. This would predominantly be used with Gingerbread-based ROMs.
Voodoo - Project Voodoo is a collaborative software development effort started by dev supercurio back when Galaxy S phones first hit the market. Its goal was to optimize the Galaxy S, bringing it up to its full potential. Voodoo innovations have been used by countless rooted users. Voodoo features can only be used on compatible custom kernels. The project consists of three main branches:
1. Voodoo Color - optimizes screen images/video *Not really available in most modern Fascinate setups, but people still talk about how they miss it.
2. Voodoo Lagfix - see below
3. Voodoo Sound - optimizes sound quality for audiophiles *The Voodoo Sound app is available from the Marketplace (Google Play) to control settings.
Voodoo Lagfix - For BML ROMs, there are basically two main types of kernels: Loodoo Lagfix and non Voodoo Lagfix. The stock kernel that comes with your phone is non Voodoo Lagfix. It uses a certain type of file organization that is considered extremely stable. It is also somewhat slow, evidenced by the lag many users have experienced on this phone from day one. Non Voodoo Lagfix kernels, slow and reliable, are the family sedans of kernels. The Voodoo Lagfix kernels are the sports cars. They organize file systems differently, allowing for reduced lag. To extend the metaphor, they are also more likely to be involved in crashes. Lacking the rock solid reliability of their non Voodoo counterparts, Lagfix kernels have a somewhat sordid reputation in older forum posts. Overwhelming evidence, though, seems to indicate that many of the later ones are quite stable. Many rooted users will tolerate the occasional force close or reboot to gain the speed benefits that Lagfix kernels provide. MTD based ROMs (CM7, MIUI, anything ICS or JB) use a completely different file organizational scheme, so they have no need for Lagfix.
Examples of kernels without Voodoo Lagfix: Stock, GeeWiz
Examples of Voodoo Lagfix kernels: KGB, Lean Kernel
*Note: Changing to a Voodoo Lagfix kernel or switching between Voodoo Lagfix kernels requires no special precautions. Changing from a Voodoo Lagfix kernel to a non Voodoo Lagfix kernel requires special precautions.
Wipe x3 - This term refers to the act of wiping the slate clean on your phone. It removes all apps you have installed and any data associated with those apps. It will not erase Android, your ROM, your kernel, or anything on your sd card (your photos and videos are on your sd card by default). The Wipe x3 is often done before making major changes to your phone's system. The process is accomplished through a recovery program such as CWM. Here are the 3 commands (hence the "x3"):
1. wipe data/factory reset
2. wipe cache partition
3. wipe dalvik cache
*Note, performing a wipe data/factory reset will reportedly wipe the cache partition and the dalvik cache, so steps 2 & 3 may be redundant.
zip - For our purposes, this refers to the file type for files that can be flashed with CWM or other recovery programs. For example, if you would like to install the Superclean3 ROM, you would need to download the zip file called sc3_milestone2_full and place it on your sd card.
I like how you split it up, to keep additions in alphabetical order. Nice job.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
looking good sir! hopefully this gets stickied!!
droidstyle said:
looking good sir! hopefully this gets stickied!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your thread first, sensei.
Even better jawman!
Terminators run on Android
droidstyle said:
looking good sir! hopefully this gets stickied!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jawman27 said:
Your thread first, sensei.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both of your threads should be stickied - and droidstyle's thread should have been stickied long ago.
Terminators run on Android
skynet11 said:
Both of your threads should be stickied - and droidstyle's thread should have been stickied long ago.
Terminators run on Android
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think we have moderators mia
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
Sticky please
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
This is very clear and concise, thank you!
cotton42090 said:
This is very clear and concise, thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're quite welcome.
To everyone: I'm open to suggestions from noobs and senior members alike, so everyone should feel free to post any additions or changes they'd like to see.
Seeking advice from my more knowledgeable buddies...
Please check out the definition for bootloader, and let me know if it's ok. I've been doing a lot of research, but I keep bumping up against the fact that I'm still a noob.
Next, I think I'll tackle i/o schedulers and governors. I probably won't give specific differences in logic, but I might do something along the lines of -
conservative - defaults toward battery savings at the expense of performance
performance - running at max speed all the time (useful for benchmarking)
smartass, interactive, ondemand - all use a slightly different logic to determine when to speed up or slow down the processor, seeking balance between performance and battery consumption.
All input is definitely appreciated.
Did not see a bootloader definition
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
Alphabetized under 'BL'. I've kept it as a standard to alphabetize under initials used in forum posts, only because that's how the idea for this started for me....decoding of abbreviations.
I suppose this thing is big enough now that it's become more of a Ctrl+F glossary. I'll consider changing the alphabetization scheme if I hear feedback in that direction.
jawman27 said:
Alphabetized under 'BL'. I've kept it as a standard to alphabetize under initials used in forum posts, only because that's how the idea for this started for me....decoding of abbreviations.
I suppose this thing is big enough now that it's become more of a Ctrl+F glossary. I'll consider changing the alphabetization scheme if I hear feedback in that direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks good to me
Sent from my SCH-I500 using xda premium
Nice guide, certainly another good resource to point noobs to in order to expand their knowledge! Just noticed a couple minor things reading through it.
Bootloader - The locked bootloaders of Motorola phones doesn't so much make them harder to root (doesn't make it easier either), but it does mean that they cannot use custom kernels. Since a custom kernel is part of roms like CM7/9, it was very difficult and time-consuming for the developers to come up with a workaround, although it did finally happen in the form of 2nd-init.
Kernel - I don't think that saying you HAVE to flash a custom rom before you can use a custom kernel is entirely true. For example, you should be able to use KGB on stock Verizon EH03, unless I am mistaken. Obviously, any AOSP kernel requires a custom (AOSP) rom.
Recovery - Might want to clarify the differences between stock and the custom recoveries used for the fascinate (which ones are used for stock-ish TW roms, which are used for MTD). Also, using a custom recovery, you can navigate using the soft buttons, you don't have to use the volume and power keys (although you can if you wish).
SOD - I'm not sure which apps, radios, and SD cards have been associated with SOD issues? In my experience, it's been more kernel-related and can often (but not always) be avoided with the correct settings.
UV - There's some good info here regarding undervolting and other battery draining benchmarks. It's from the Nexus S forums, but their hardware is essentially exactly the same as ours.
Voodoo - You talk about lagfix, but don't mention voodoo sound or color. Also, the only "voodoo" implementation in icy glitch is voodoo sound.
Thanks. That is great info. I'll get to tweaking. I've actually been reading up on voodoo sound and color so as to modify the whole voodoo section.
[?]Let me run this by you guys to see if it sounds correct: Voodoo lagfix is only for BML based ROMs because of the nature of the file systems they use. MTD ROMs use a completely different (superior?) organizational scheme, eliminating the need for lagfix.
....learning as I go.
k_nivesout said:
SOD - I'm not sure which apps, radios, and SD cards have been associated with SOD issues? In my experience, it's been more kernel-related and can often (but not always) be avoided with the correct settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I based this on forum reports from various users describing how they got rid of frequent SODs. They weren't always Fascinate forums. The main app culprit that kept coming up was something called Youmail. The radio reports were just a couple of people saying that flashing a new radio helped. SD card formatting advice abounds, but mostly in older posts (ca. 2010). Another thing that came up a lot was the loss of a WiFi signal. I suppose that could be kernel-related, though. The SOD is not something I've ever experienced, so I'm hardly an authority.
It seemed in reading, though, that there is no one true SOD, but rather several variants. It also seemed that the cause wasn't always easily identified. Perhaps there is more current data debunking all of these old theories. Comments?

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