Database Users

*** Galaxy Tab Master Tweak Thread***

Hi everyone.
Id like to start a thread where we collect, post and discuss all known individual tweaks and changes that can be made to the Galaxy Tab in order to gain performance and stability.
My experience with the Galaxy Tab has been similar to my latest phone, an HTC HD2. When I got the HD2 about one year ago, I positively hated it... slow, unstable, all sorts of problems, lags, crashes... its the way most of the hardware today is released. One year later, my HD2 has become the most amazing machine I've ever owned. From pushing it 1.6GHz stable, to tweaking registry, XML files, services and making everything work well. I remember not being able to watch smooth video on the HD2 to being able to watch flawlessly 720p content and going from the extreme of detesting the phone to loving it.
It was with the HD2 I discovered Android and fell in love with it. Since I have now two HD2s I have one with an SD ROM version of Gingerbread (that I can dual boot still from Windows Mobile) and a Froyo NAND. I run Android on the HD2 much much much faster and smoother than on the Galaxy Tab, that I also hated when I bought it a few weeks and that am starting to like after getting to know it, a new ROM, apps, etc. Even at 1GHz stock the HD2 with Froyo is vastly faster, smoother, more responsive and better to use. The approach d like to do as far as tweaking the Galaxy Tab is the same as I did for the HD2 with Windows Mobile, that is, install the best/fastest ROM I can, delete and remove all stuff I don't need and then tweak what's left.
The tweaks I've done so far on the Galaxy are simple but have made a huge difference. Id like with this thread to be able to collect individual tweaks and post them all here to share with everyone.
Im using Roto JMI Pre-Rooted Firmware v2 which was the main step after getting rid of the stock Samsung Rom that is nothing but a collection of problems.
The first thing I learned with this Tab is that WHATEVER IS ON YOUR HOME SCREENS THAT MOVES, IS BAD! Forget about having ANY type of apps or widgets that do any type of refresh, including stuff running on the upper task bar if they change icons or the move around… that mean a CPU cycle and refresh each time and there goes the tab's performance and battery life. The same goes for any type of Live Wallpaper. Beautiful but deadly. Never touch them!
- So, after a new ROM, the first thing I did was changing the file system to EXT4. This is the SINGLE BEST THING you can do to radically improve the performance of the Tab. Its extremely easy to do and the step-by-step instructions are as follow:
- Make sure you have an miniSD Card in with plenty of available space (it will be used automatically to backup your system during the conversion process)
- Get p1000-mck-r3-ext4-cwm.tar (the EXT4 Conversion Kernel)
- Connect the Tab in Downloading Mode to your PC via USB, start Odin3 1.7 and load the Kernel (click on the PDA button and select the p1000-mck-r3-ext4-cwm.tar and make sure PDA stays ticked after selecting the file).
- UNTICK Re-Partition check box and make sure the only boxes ticked are:
Auto Reboot
F. Reset Time
The PDA tickbox
- Click start and wait for PASS! (it will show highlighted green or Yellow on Odin)
- Now the Tab will restart and get stuck on the Samsung loading screen. This is normal. Turn it off by holding the power button for 5 seconds.
- Turn on the Tab again on into RECOVERY mode (Press Volume UP and Power On at the same time) and the EXT4 conversion will start automatically. The process will take up to one hour depending on how much stuff you have on your Tab. It took about 10 minutes on mine because I have a fresh install of Roto JMI v2.
- Once finished, click "Reboot System Now" (by pressing the power button).
- The reboot may take a while first time so be patient!
- Done!
- After that, the first tweak I did was to get rid of all my favorite widgets that moved around… net meter, news, weather and all these beautiful things KILL the Tab. Equally I had a CPU meter on the tray refreshing every 2 seconds and it took me a while to figure out that was the reason why every 2 seconds the system would stutter, whether watching a movie or browsing the web. So, out!
- Next was to install SetCPU under the ON DEMAND setting, minimum around 750MHz and maximum 1000MHz (unfortunately only with a custom Kernel you can go higher, currently up to 1.4GHz but not full stable and with lots of issues pending so I don’t recommend it)
- My following step was to get rid of the stock Samsung Homescreen (that is a resource hog and slow as hell) and replace it with a new one. I've tried them all and am making no recommendation here but the one that works for me and is by far the best IMO is LauncherPro. This single app makes using the Tab a whole better experience.
- Next was to disable the USELESS and (resource pig) Gallery and replace it with an app called QuickPic that is blazing fast (actually instant) and simply amazing to browse and view all media on the Tab.
- Next was to greatly improve the poor native GPS reception by replacing high performance files and drivers from the Orange Rom P1000JHKA1 that seems to work on all versions of the Tab, as originally posted here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=922692
- With SystemApp Remover 4.12 I have disabled all system apps and services I don’t need (BE VERY CAREFUL AND DON'T REMOVE ROM APPS YOU WILL NEED). I have actually deleted some from ROM (Root access required of course), this includes useless stuff like STK Service starting every time, most of the Samsung stuff that I really don’t care for and just about all apps I know for sure I will never open a single time. Now, its important to understand if these apps are removed they will be removed PERMANENTLY from ROM so to get the back a hard reset will not be enough, you'll have to fully flash the ROM again. For most system apps I don’t use but am not sure, I use a different option and that is to simply disable them. In my case this includes all Bluetooth stuff (I never use it and even if it's off the Services are still running robbing performance and memory) and apps like the built-in Browser, Email and Messaging that suck and that I replaced with better apps. Its always a safer bet, at least initially to disable the apps you don’t need that uninstall them because at least you can go back and change your mind This is one area where Id like to learn more. There are many background services that I don’t know what they do and if they can be disabled or not. If someone knows what each one does and the safety of getting rid of them OR NOT, it would be great to post it here!
- Them, with Startup Auditor 2.3.2 I have disabled all unnecessary apps that start automatically every time the Tab boots so I don't have excess applications starting up that are not needed. Some I configured to be killed AGAIN if the system tries to restart them later after the boot-up
- Using Task Manager 1.0.7 and letting always run on background, I have configured all apps that I don’t need running to be auto-killed every time the phone goes to stand-by (screen off). This saves me lots of memory and CPU time on apps that I am actually not using.
- Finally, I monitor what is going on with an app called CPU Usage Timeliness Free 1.7.1.0 and use it to see EXACTLY which applications are using CPU cycles and interfering with performance. With it I have found that on my Tab I have an unsolved problem that is using over 100MB of memory and non-stop CPU usage between 15% and 45% of something called SECURITY STORAGE. I have no idea what it does. It can't be disabled and I don’t know where all the activity comes from. If someone know more about this and how to fix it, that will be great. Most of the performance issues I have on my Tab come from this Service that I don’t know how to tame. Surely, we can find a solution.
The system background services is one area where I'd like to know one by one, what each service does and if we need them or not, if it can be tweaked, disabled or deleted. Below is a complete list of the services I have safely disabled so far that have given me great performance boosts and with no negative issues on the system (IN BOLD), and OTHERS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT (not bold). Please note these are background services that start automatically. The changes made to the disabled apps/services is that they are reverted to ON-DEMAND so they all still work perfectly.
CALENDAR
CALENDAR STORAGE
COM. SEC.ANDROID.PROVIDERS.DOWNLOADS
CSC
DOWNLOAD MANAGER
DRM CONTENT
EMAIL
GALLERY
GOOGLE PARTNER SETUP
GOOGLE SERVICES FRAMEWORK
MARKET
MEDIA STORAGE
MESSAGING
MUSIC
SAMSUNG ACCOUNT
SERVICE MODE
SNS
WIPEOUT RECEIVER
WORLD CLOCK
Furthermore I uninstalled several of the Samsung Apps I don’t use and STK Service and disabled these system Apps I don’t use (YOU SHOULD CHOOSE THE ONES YOU WANT TO ENABLE OR DISABLE AS YOU MIGHT HAVE DIFFERENT NEEDS):
All Bluetooth Services
All LiveWallpapers Services
Browser
CarHomeGoogle
CarHomeLauncher
Google Feedback
Screen Capture Service
Voice Search
Originally with my Tab I was getting Quadrant below 600 on average. Now, its always over 1900. This is not a "little" improvement, this is amazing upgrading. But id like this to be a starting point to learn and share more ways with everyone we can all share on things we can do to make the Tab as good as it was intended to be for everyone
Cheers!

1.4 oc is stable, and doesn't have any issues for alot of users.
all the things you disabled are all the things i use every day lol
never the less, good post, im going to use a couple apps you mentioned.

natious said:
1.4 oc is stable, and doesn't have any issues for alot of users.
all the things you disabled are all the things i use every day lol
never the less, good post, im going to use a couple apps you mentioned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The first block of disabled items (in bold) from CALENDAR to WORLD CLOCK are disabled start-ups but the apps works as usual. It just frees resources not required on boot till you actually start the application when you want.
The second block from Bluetooth Services to Voice Search are all disabled as I use none of those. Items disabled can be restarted again at any time upon activating them follwing a reboot, while items deleted (like Samsung Apps and STK) are gone forever.
Ive never flashed a ModaCo Kernel and got lots of feedback regarding probelms with 1.4OC. Do you have any issues at all or none? We are using different ROMs... What Quadrant do you get currently?
Cheers

Thank you for your post.
You have solved many of my questions. Also I am User of HD2 and had the same impressions, but now with Android Nand everything was great, also started to love it.
As for GTAB'll make those adjustments you suggested, some will not disable because I use Bluetooth as an example.
Any news please keep posting.
Success!

VeEuzUKY said:
The first block of disabled items (in bold) from CALENDAR to WORLD CLOCK are disabled start-ups but the apps works as usual. It just frees resources not required on boot till you actually start the application when you want.
The second block from Bluetooth Services to Voice Search are all disabled as I use none of those. Items disabled can be restarted again at any time upon activating them follwing a reboot, while items deleted (like Samsung Apps and STK) are gone forever.
Ive never flashed a ModaCo Kernel and got lots of feedback regarding probelms with 1.4OC. Do you have any issues at all or none? We are using different ROMs... What Quadrant do you get currently?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So far the oc is good, things load a little faster, especially nfs shift. Last run of quadrant was 2300-2400.
Ill try it again later after these optimizations and see how it goes, a member here has gotten 3000.

Having done nothing but root, my tab gets about 1000 quadrant score. I have tried setcpu using on demand and it actuall has made my tab worse. I am very hesitant to flash anything on the tab. It seems very involved and complicated. I have an HD2 as well and have been flashing since Android was on SD. That process is simple. Everything I have read about flashing things to the tab doesn't look that way. I really havent had any issues with my tab as stock other than a bit laggy at times. I would like to hear more about all of this. The oppinions I have read are either do it or don't do it. There are more problem posts after attempting to flash than there are good ones where it worked. I really could care less about a quadrant score to be honest, but I would like to have a faster smoother running tab. I really dont care about making calls on it either. Thats why I have a phone. JMO. I think part of the issue in this thread is that there are Euro and USA version which are completely different and require different roms and such.
I have been reading and lurking in the tab development thread for a while now and am not impressed with any of it yet. Maybe someone could shed some light on things and change my mind.

dubie76 said:
Having done nothing but root, my tab gets about 1000 quadrant score. I have tried setcpu using on demand and it actuall has made my tab worse. I am very hesitant to flash anything on the tab. It seems very involved and complicated. I have an HD2 as well and have been flashing since Android was on SD. That process is simple. Everything I have read about flashing things to the tab doesn't look that way. I really havent had any issues with my tab as stock other than a bit laggy at times. I would like to hear more about all of this. The oppinions I have read are either do it or don't do it. There are more problem posts after attempting to flash than there are good ones where it worked. I really could care less about a quadrant score to be honest, but I would like to have a faster smoother running tab. I really dont care about making calls on it either. Thats why I have a phone. JMO. I think part of the issue in this thread is that there are Euro and USA version which are completely different and require different roms and such.
I have been reading and lurking in the tab development thread for a while now and am not impressed with any of it yet. Maybe someone could shed some light on things and change my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
flash modacos kernel and rom, convert to ext4, you'll be amazed.
to OP
In startup auditor i just checked disable all, and am not having any problems, unless you are using task manager to disable
...CALENDAR
CALENDAR STORAGE...
edit: But when i check advanced task killer, it still shows that all the disabled apps are running

dubie76 said:
Having done nothing but root, my tab gets about 1000 quadrant score. I have tried setcpu using on demand and it actuall has made my tab worse. I am very hesitant to flash anything on the tab. It seems very involved and complicated. I have an HD2 as well and have been flashing since Android was on SD. That process is simple. Everything I have read about flashing things to the tab doesn't look that way. I really havent had any issues with my tab as stock other than a bit laggy at times. I would like to hear more about all of this. The oppinions I have read are either do it or don't do it. There are more problem posts after attempting to flash than there are good ones where it worked. I really could care less about a quadrant score to be honest, but I would like to have a faster smoother running tab. I really dont care about making calls on it either. Thats why I have a phone. JMO. I think part of the issue in this thread is that there are Euro and USA version which are completely different and require different roms and such.
I have been reading and lurking in the tab development thread for a while now and am not impressed with any of it yet. Maybe someone could shed some light on things and change my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. The process of flashing the Galaxy is much more dauting than anything on the HD2. I suggest you do the EXT4 file converstion. All you need is follow the step by step I wrote above. It makes a huge difference. As for everything else, I too hold off to do too much flashing. The ROM I use now is great and lighter than stock but your seems to work well so keep it. For me when a ROM is good I just use it. When I bought the HD2 I flashed it 2 times with a custom ROM till i found one that worked for me and kept it for 8 months. But backing up and restoring WinMo is much easier... on Androind its all more complicated if you dont know what you are doing. Disable some start-ups on your unit, convert the file system to EXT4 and make sure you have nothing on your home screen doing a lot of refreshing and your tab will work great

natious said:
flash modacos kernel and rom, convert to ext4, you'll be amazed.
to OP
In startup auditor i just checked disable all, and am not having any problems, unless you are using task manager to disable
...CALENDAR
CALENDAR STORAGE...
edit: But when i check advanced task killer, it still shows that all the disabled apps are running
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is everything working 100% on that ROM? I do not want any ROMS that are having problems.

I too am not impressed with anything that us out yet...seems like any ROM process is tedious and complicated.
Glad the thread starter modified his tab to his liking, but what's the point of having it if you need to drastically change everything. I have a rooted DInc and not use any of things......didn't really see a performance gain with set CPU.
I'm going to continue waiting for something more reliable and use my tab the way it was meant to be, with all its hardware and widgets.
dubie76 said:
Having done nothing but root, my tab gets about 1000 quadrant score. I have tried setcpu using on demand and it actuall has made my tab worse. I am very hesitant to flash anything on the tab. It seems very involved and complicated. I have an HD2 as well and have been flashing since Android was on SD. That process is simple. Everything I have read about flashing things to the tab doesn't look that way. I really havent had any issues with my tab as stock other than a bit laggy at times. I would like to hear more about all of this. The oppinions I have read are either do it or don't do it. There are more problem posts after attempting to flash than there are good ones where it worked. I really could care less about a quadrant score to be honest, but I would like to have a faster smoother running tab. I really dont care about making calls on it either. Thats why I have a phone. JMO. I think part of the issue in this thread is that there are Euro and USA version which are completely different and require different roms and such.
I have been reading and lurking in the tab development thread for a while now and am not impressed with any of it yet. Maybe someone could shed some light on things and change my mind.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App

dubie76 said:
Is everything working 100% on that ROM? I do not want any ROMS that are having problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure is, I use my tab as a phone replacement so I had to have everything work, you will be waiting eons for a decent update from samsung
Sent from my Galaxy Tab of awsomeness

AlpineM3 said:
I too am not impressed with anything that us out yet...seems like any ROM process is tedious and complicated.
Glad the thread starter modified his tab to his liking, but what's the point of having it if you need to drastically change everything. I have a rooted DInc and not use any of things......didn't really see a performance gain with set CPU.
I'm going to continue waiting for something more reliable and use my tab the way it was meant to be, with all its hardware and widgets.
Sent from my ADR6300 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are you not impressed if you haven't tried anything?
Sent from my Galaxy Tab of awsomeness

Thank you for your detailed post. While I agree with you that the stock SGT rom and browser suck but where do you think the JMI, JMF, JMx ROMs coming from?
Most ROMs I've seen (except for CM) are based from some sort of Jxx
Please keep the tweak posts going. Good stuff and thanks!

natious said:
How are you not impressed if you haven't tried anything?
Sent from my Galaxy Tab of awsomeness
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not impressed with all the problems being posted just tring to flash it, and how complex it is to do it. Guess that's what I meant. Flashing the hd2 is a very simple process. Tab is not
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App

My boy,
Only getting my Galaxy tomorrow but looking through threads on my favorite forum.
And guess the first one I happen into... I will follow avidly.

Hi dubie76,
Try an app called OCLF 2.0 on the Market. It is a Lag fix app for the Samsung Galaxy S which also works on the Tab.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.rc.QuickFixLagFixR2
You have to install EXT2 tools and then install one click lag fix, both are done within the app.
I had this on my Tab before flashed to a custom ROM. The tab was much faster and did not have and lag compared to stock, the Quadrant score was around 1900.
Also you can uninstall the modifications in the app and easily reverse back to stock. The only disadvantage is you will loss about 800mb of internal memory (the 2Gb space), so if you don't have much space left, you will need to uninstall some apps and reinstall them once you applied the lag fix.
P.S. thanks to OP for the SystemApp Remover & Startup Auditor suggestion.

Custom ROMs?
Hi everyone!
Consider this:
The locked GTab (in standby) on an original ROM with a connected to it BT headset wakes up after replying a call from BT and can potentially have anything pressed as being in the bag due to its size...
My point is that there is NO fix for this on XDA therefore why should I expect any significant advancements from a custom ROM if such simple things cannot be fixed on Android.
My personal view is that Android is unfortunatelly not as flexible for adjustments as WinMo (i have HD2 as well with a wonderful custom Artemis ROM).
I've tried two Roto ROMs on my GT and they havent provided any noticeable enhancements in performance to my eye (perhaps some rating went up - I dont care about tech stats). I reverted to stock ROM P1000XWJMI that works as fast for a "regular user".
I am sad to resume my experience with hacking the GT as not worth it: you get serious risk of getting the GT bricked (much more complicated than with WinMo), loose the warranty and are open for instability and sudden incompatibilities with crashes.
On the third custom ROM installation attempt I was stuck on a black screen after powering on (stuck on the bootloader!) and couldnt initiate flash for multiple times. I was shocked and very nervous. Thats when the stock ROM saved my ass and I am not willing the risk of playing around any more with non-firmware ROMs for Android GT.
Regarding the alternative screen lockers available - please do not suggest Screen Suite (the best of the worst) and things like No-Lock (to get rid of the original locker) as they all mess up once in a while (tested) with the default ROM settings and the original core locker.
PS
In my view the best thing we can and should do first of all is to COMPLAIN to SAMSUNG Tech Support and Software Developers (I did twice already).
If every one of us from theese GTab forums would do this they would definitely get faster with resolving issues.

mrbuz said:
Hi everyone!
Consider this:
The locked GTab (in standby) on an original ROM with a connected to it BT headset wakes up after replying a call from BT and can potentially have anything pressed as being in the bag due to its size...
My point is that there is NO fix for this on XDA therefore why should I expect any significant advancements from a custom ROM if such simple things cannot be fixed on Android.
My personal view is that Android is unfortunatelly not as flexible for adjustments as WinMo (i have HD2 as well with a wonderful custom Artemis ROM).
I've tried two Roto ROMs on my GT and they havent provided any noticeable enhancements in performance to my eye (perhaps some rating went up - I dont care about tech stats). I reverted to stock ROM P1000XWJMI that works as fast for a "regular user".
I am sad to resume my experience with hacking the GT as not worth it: you get serious risk of getting the GT bricked (much more complicated than with WinMo), loose the warranty and are open for instability and sudden incompatibilities with crashes.
On the third custom ROM installation attempt I was stuck on a black screen after powering on (stuck on the bootloader!) and couldnt initiate flash for multiple times. I was shocked and very nervous. Thats when the stock ROM saved my ass and I am not willing the risk of playing around any more with non-firmware ROMs for Android GT.
Regarding the alternative screen lockers available - please do not suggest Screen Suite (the best of the worst) and things like No-Lock (to get rid of the original locker) as they all mess up once in a while (tested) with the default ROM settings and the original core locker.
PS
In my view the best thing we can and should do first of all is to COMPLAIN to SAMSUNG Tech Support and Software Developers (I did twice already).
If every one of us from theese GTab forums would do this they would definitely get faster with resolving issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what if the screen goes on in your bag, unless you have a fresh finger floating around in there nothing can press any buttons on the capcitive screen, also my tab I just hit the lock button in a bt call, screen turns off phone stays on
Sent from my Galaxy Tab of awsomeness

Im so confused. I have my tab rooted and oclf 2.0. Im scoring 2200 in quadrant and.my dolphin hd browser is SO laggy. Even with flash disabled. Any ideas?

koxville said:
Im so confused. I have my tab rooted and oclf 2.0. Im scoring 2200 in quadrant and.my dolphin hd browser is SO laggy. Even with flash disabled. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
because quadrant doesn't mean **** in the real world, i score 2300 but thats with the 1.4 oc.
Give miren a try, tbh its the best

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.

[how to] have a lighter and faster stock rom!!!

First of all, please allow me to express that this method is not taken from somewhere else or not required any expertise to implement. This is just based on to remove heavy TW applications, and find better replacements for them. Mainly, this is not a mod at all
I am sharing this method because it is tried by lots of people and they conveyed their appreciation for overall performance and battery life increase.
As a start, either Flash a fully Stock odexed Rom or flash a TW based Custom Rom.
Then root it, and flash a performance kernel. Preferably H.O.C Hello World Kernel v1.3.7b.
Make a Full Nandroid Backup including /preload partition. I bear no responsibility for any lost info or broken device. (Actually it is impossible to break the phone by implementing this method but who knows
Then install Titanium Backup. Backup all user and system apps.
These are all kind of prerequisites. There we start now
First thing to be done is to get rid of TW Launcher. IT is hell of a burden for whole system. Best replacement for me is Nova Launcher. You choose your own. After you settle with new launcher and rest assured that it is OK, freeze TW via TB. Thanks to this step we have gained more than 50 mb of RAM
Second thing is to get rid of is Gallery. Due to Facebook, Picasa, G+, etc. integration Gallery is always working background and pushes system very hard. Best and fastest replacement is stock Android/Google Camera and Gallery. Here is the link: http://db.tt/L1ip1Inp Flash it via Recovery. This will install system folder. You can find preload variations on the net.
After you install the zip, set video recording resolution to 480p. Otherwise it gets stuck. When you confirm that media scanner is completed and Camera is working including whole features, then you can freeze and/or delete stock gallery and camera apps.
The other wise thing to do to lighten the rom would be deleting some bloatware, actually all bloatwares . Start with ad apps, and continue with live wallpapers and live wallpaper chooser. After that, you can delete Samsung scloud agents. If you are not using them, it will be wise.
Other apps to be deleted could be FM Radio, Google Play Music, etc. The ones you are sure that you are not using. Actually to give a complete and proper list is unfortunately impossible. Cause it is dependent to tastes and choices. For example, I don’t use All Share and Group Play, so I even deleted them. On the other hand, you may be using them. So even if I tell you what I have deleted, it may not work for you.
You can also delete some widget apps like Favorite Apps, contacts, etc. They consume RAM. Get rid of them. If you are not using stock keyboard, then get rid of Samsung IME, swype. Also you can delete street view, double clock, digital clock, etc. You decide it. There are lists floating around in which you can find the app safe to remove.
Any app not essential for system can be deleted. If you are hesitant whether an app is obligatory for system working or not, then just freeze it So that you can defreeze it later on if you face any problems.
I would strongly advise you to get rid of Play Store, Hangout, Play Music, Play Services. If you need GTalk, here it is: http://db.tt/6NKHZMvV (Replace it with Hangout apk (don’t know the name) and set the permissions. If you cannot find a replacement for Play Market, try 1Mobile. It is free. No warez either. Afterwards you won’t need Play Services. System will be free of another heavy duty as well
Now, we set our Rom according to your taste and needs. System is a lot lighter now. It is time to implement some mods.
Search for Direct Injection tweak on xda. Flash it via CWM right away. Let the phone boot.
Then, install Seeder from xda also. Choose all 3 options, set it to moderate and Turn it ON. Reboot the phone again.
After, install No Frills CPU from 1Mobile (we deleted Play Store ). Set governor as HYPER, and scheduler as row. Max Freq: 1,2GHZ; Min:200 MHZ. Tick applying settings on boot. Then activate your Battery Saving Mode.
Finally, go to recovery. Wipe Cache and Dalvik Cache. Let the phone reboot and settle for 30 minutes.
Enjoy the fastest Rom ever
Please do not report battery life before 3 full cycle.
Regards.

Nice guide. Cause you did more than me. But for the launcher, if you don't use widgets and just want ultimate simplicity get Sicksky launcher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sicksky its the next generation zeam launcher. For me nova launcher still takes up a lot of space due to its number of features. So after reading the whole thread I realised that stock android is the best.

Juhan Jufri said:
Nice guide. Cause you did more than me. But for the launcher, if you don't use widgets and just want ultimate simplicity get Sicksky launcher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sicksky its the next generation zeam launcher. For me nova launcher still takes up a lot of space due to its number of features. So after reading the whole thread I realised that stock android is the best.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for reply and advise.
Though I need weather, mail and calender widgets. I dont know if I can use thim with SickSky but if they dont work with it, then sorry
Actually my RAM usage is around 550-650. Itmeans there is a lot of room for Nova Even if you limit background processes via Developer Options by three or two, you will se a noticable RAM usage decrease. Try it now
But still, there may be lots of additions to this. So whoever comes up with a new advise is more than welcomed
This should be a contribution thread, I hope.

I actually love TW starter but will try other things you said.
nice guide though:good:

TW Launcher is the best, I tried almost all launchers but the satisfaction and ease I get with TWL none can provide even if its a little heavy on ram but really not that heavy to make your system laggy.
Overall your motto to keep the rom lite and fast looks good to me but removing Play Store is a crime don't do that. lol

v4uluv2004 said:
TW Launcher is the best, I tried almost all launchers but the satisfaction and ease I get with TWL none can provide even if its a little heavy on ram but really not that heavy to make your system laggy.
Overall your motto to keep the rom lite and fast looks good to me but removing Play Store is a crime don't do that. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not working where I live
Google doesn't allow us to use it unfortunately.
Are you saying google is commiting a crime

I think rather than cut down every feature on your phone easier to pick up a nice Nokia 3600 or something like that going back to 20th. century.

straycat said:
I think rather than cut down every feature on your phone easier to pick up a nice Nokia 3600 or something like that going back to 20th. century.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't cut here, just replace.
I mean, there is nothing missing here for me as a smart phone. And whenever i need, lets say all share, i can defreeze and use it.
Nothing is missing on my end.
Cheers.

[Q] Touchwiz vs carbon

I am getting my s4 in a few days and I think I'll flash carbon rom straight away (to avoid resetting at a later stage) but what good features do I lose from touchwiz? Is there anything in particular I could miss?
How are game performances? Do certain games have compatibility problems with non OEM roms?
I have loads of games on my s2, is it okay to transfer DATA backup (or apk?) with titanium backup. I read this affects battery life due to old files or is that just for background apps?
How is battery life verses touchwiz rom?
If I flash 4.3 carbon now will I more than likely have to reset to update to 4.4, I read this happened. 4.2-4.3
Thanks

ovgandroid said:
I am getting my s4 in a few days and I think I'll flash carbon rom straight away (to avoid resetting at a later stage) but what good features do I lose from touchwiz? Is there anything in particular I could miss?
How are game performances? Do certain games have compatibility problems with non OEM roms?
I have loads of games on my s2, is it okay to transfer DATA backup (or apk?) with titanium backup. I read this affects battery life due to old files or is that just for background apps?
How is battery life verses touchwiz rom?
If I flash 4.3 carbon now will I more than likely have to reset to update to 4.4, I read this happened. 4.2-4.3
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You lose every single gimmicky Touchwiz feature. Chances are you won't be only flashing one rom and I recommend you don't flash just one rom anyways. You can really get a feel for a rom until you actually flash it, so just flash whatever you want to try out until you find the right rom.
Battery life CAN be better, depending on which rom + kernel + kernel settings you choose to use, so just try different things until you find the right stuff for your kind of phone usage.
Also, you will most definitely be updating Roms. And if you like to keep up to date you will be wiping/flashing pretty often. Final advice, just flash different Roms and READ a lot so you don't screw something up.

marcoxx626 said:
You lose every single gimmicky Touchwiz feature. Chances are you won't be only flashing one rom and I recommend you don't flash just one rom anyways. You can really get a feel for a rom until you actually flash it, so just flash whatever you want to try out until you find the right rom.
Battery life CAN be better, depending on which rom + kernel + kernel settings you choose to use, so just try different things until you find the right stuff for your kind of phone usage.
Also, you will most definitely be updating Roms. And if you like to keep up to date you will be wiping/flashing pretty often. Final advice, just flash different Roms and READ a lot so you don't screw something up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay thanks very much
What's your opinion on using titanium backup from:
An old phone
Through rom updates
And across different roms?
Any recommendations in roms to try?
-would you recommend carbon?
-I want stability/support with games
-good standby battery (does underclock/volting actually help? )
-data speeds aren't a problem as they aren't great anyway here but do all roms still have wifi tethering? I use wifi when it works (rural Ireland :/)
-stable gps
-likely to receive 4.4
I know it's a lot to ask for

I also like loads of customisation So I think stripped down/google edition are out of the choice

I actually prefer the TW Rom as you gain:
Better camera app that makes full use of the closed drivers which AOSP doesn't apart from the GPE editions, you gain burst mode and other modes on TW,
IR full support bit patchy on AOSP roms,
TW features, such as AirView which I find useful quickly hover over emails or sms messages for a preview on the native apps, also works on the native music player,
Multi Window, useful as sometimes I'll have YouTube running while browsing or replying back to an email or message or such,
Stability, it should be stable compared to AOSP roms, use my phone as a daily driver so stability is important,
Native social network syncing if you make use of social networks which ties in with your events and calendars,
Etc, you'd need to explore TW and see if you make use of any of its features, AOSP is goods, but with xposed framework TW is more than bearable. Only thing I dislike is the theme of stock TW but I alternate between domination theme and Naxos and it gets rid of the stock colours, speaking of colours TW has native screen display options to change the display colour,
Adapt sound is also useful which boosts headphone sounds tailored to your headphones and also boosts call sound.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

:/ disappointed about the camera. Is the CM camera much worse in quality?
What's your opinion on using titanium backup from:
An old phone
Through rom updates
And across different roms?
Do some games have compatibility problems with custom roms?

ovgandroid said:
:/ disappointed about the camera. Is the CM camera much worse in quality?
What's your opinion on using titanium backup from:
An old phone
Through rom updates
And across different roms?
Do some games have compatibility problems with custom roms?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, simply because they don't have access to the "closed" drivers implemented by Samsung.
I've done it in the past it shouldn't be a problem at all. Just update on your existing phone, you can then either upload it to the cloud or transfer the contents to your new phone and just restore everything. Should work without any hitches.

Xposed might fill my need of customisation
Have you come across anything like extsd2internalsd from s3 for s4?...Outside of directory bind?
GTA San andreas is a but big...

ovgandroid said:
Xposed might fill my need of customisation
Have you come across anything like extsd2internalsd from s3 for s4?...Outside of directory bind?
GTA San andreas is a but big...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I use foldermount. Allows to move things to the SD by creating symlinks. I've got my big games on the SD card by this method.
Xposed is excellent.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

nikzDHD said:
Yes I use foldermount. Allows to move things to the SD by creating symlinks. I've got my big games on the SD card by this method.
Xposed is excellent.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay ill try that thanks
Just one last question...
I understand that linking the Android folder is a bad idea because it breaks the path to data or obb.
So most games use obb, is it a good idea to just link the obb folder(only one mount) or should I do each game separately
I'm wondering which will work best with updating, I think obb?
I made a mess with directory bind before :0
Does folder mount allow mount at boot or is that just a bad idea(is this a constant process or does the phone just look for a file a get redirected)

Folder Mount is fine it boots at startup. I link the folder which has the data/obb file for each game. It works well and rarely has any issues with it. Free version is only limited to 3 mounts if more you'd have to pay for the full app but it's worth it and reviews are great.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

Have you ever had problems updating apps? Or do you unmount, download and move over each time?

My Opinion on X2 Oreo ROMs + fixes roundup & goodbye :'( (Moto X2 broken)

My X2 broke again few days ago and this time im up for new Phone because the cost of repair is to high compared for the value. Also i need more battery & a (better) working Camera. Also i need to re-new my Phone Contract, so i can get a new Phone cheap. Before i leave i wanted to share my experiences for new or senior users which use/plan to update to 8.1. This Phone is very tricky, so it may save you a lot of work ^^
--- HOW-TO: Get best 8.1 battery/experience + gps fix ---
~ During my time with victara, I tested all 8.1 ROMs for a long time, gone thru log's, tested a lot of other stuff's and this is my result: (if you want to use X2 as an daily driver) ~
~ This applies to mostly all 8.1 based ROMs ~
1. From system/vendor/lib/hw/ delete power.msm8974.so = this lib is not used by anything since long and it just constantly crashes EVERY damn time you touch the screen. After deleting, reboot device and feel the speed increase instantly.
2. If you're a not playing RAM intensive games, use the SwapTorpedo Magisk module, it gives much more speed by disabling zRAM, which in turn saves a lot of CPU uptime. Our 2Gb RAM are enough to run even 3-5 heavy or more Apps simutanesly.
3. In developer settings at the bottom there is "background check" you can disable it for allmost ALL user Apps like fb etc. Notifications will still work no worry, they go thru Play Services. Also don't disable background check for Playstore & GServices = will result in crashing loops (internally), also you should keep all the calendar and contacts sync open if you want that feature.
4. Greenify has not much power on Oreo, dont use it. Use Naptime for great standby! ( keep "disable on charger" for GoogleSync to work properly)
5. footej Camera delivers best results on this semi broken camera...
6. Put as much Apps into /system partition, because they are faster then (use "stock" GApps package) and reflash it with an updated GApps package every now & then if you update your ROM (maybe once or twice a month)
--> on startup Android automaticly detects if there's a newer version of app in /system & deletes the one in /data ^^
7. If you want fast and fixed GPS then replace the file in /system/etc with my attached one. (unzip it 1st!) Works on all ROMs for victara!
8. Our APNs list file is outdated as hell, i suggest manually edit your settings. --> in "type" add: "default,mms,supl,ims" (supl is for location services and ims for things like VoLTE config)
9. There is a wifi config file missing in /system/vendor/firmware ... /prima/HERE [i dont remember extact location], but you will see WCNSS.conf (or similar name) file which is 0 bytes... copy the original one from /system/vendor/etc/wifi/prima to that location & reboot
10. Bad in-call sound quality & low volume fix: open build.prop in /system
Code:
persist.audio.fluence.voicecall=true
change value to
Code:
persist.audio.fluence.voicecall=false
Code:
ro.config.vc_call_vol_steps=7
change value to
Code:
ro.config.vc_call_vol_steps=8
(stock default)
--> save & reboot. Profit.
12. Allways look if you can disable unused Apps in Settings BEFORE deleting them from /system/app or ../priv-app -> it can cause loops (drain)
13. for getting another hour SOT (tested on new battery, non original but legit one) use Swift black substratum theme for anything. "make use of your amoled"
... will maybe update list later
Most stable, bugless 8.1 ROM? IMO: MokeeOS, why? (good stuff)
-> based on latest LineageOS 15.1 sources, even tho they dont merge every commit from LOS (?)
-> updates every day, even for our chipset
-> EXT4 is allmost 3 times faster than f2fs
-> its rock stable, just no NFC, less flashlight toogle bug, best camera performance of all 8.1 ROMs with footej camera.
BUT YOU NEED TO MOD IT! AFTER EVERY UPDATE. (bad stuff)
- STOP it collecting YOUR usage/location data: download the App i attached. (they removed the option to stop it and added their own location & data miner lol)
-> in system tab -> MokeeSettings -> disable all of its services (stats updating & uploading services etc). It will not affect system, but theres no other way, because they really try to hide it from the user
-> you can also disable analytics from Mokee Pay App
-> after disabling the services, you can uninstall "disable service" app
Dont get me wrong, i dont like many things how they "manage" their ROM & source. Moreover they push their users to donate, for FOSS (=FreeOpenSourceSoftware, get it?). with the work others did, but rebranding, "kanging" it as theirs. (atleast they give credits to Lineage on github). Anyway if your are looking for a stable 8.1 ROM, this is your only choice...
Thank you all in Moto X 2014 forum, i will possibly go for OPO 6 (bad Camera) or S9 (bad Software support by Samsung), cant decide
peace! :fingers-crossed:

Thanks man! i followed your instructions! but i dont know how to do point 2, since i dont know how to install magisk.

Sad to see you go. Thanks for all your works to this aging phone. I still keep mine and I have moved to Moto Z2 Play. Hopefully,I can afford One Plus 6. But,it's not available here. Good luck with your new phone. I'm sure you will enjoy it more.

aBixler said:
Thanks man! i followed your instructions! but i dont know how to do point 2, since i dont know how to install magisk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You simply look for Magisk v16 zip file on xda and flash it in recovery

bejunk said:
You simply look for Magisk v16 zip file on xda and flash it in recovery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's all??? Woow, I looked up on Google and found a couple of complicated tutorials, thanks man.

aBixler said:
That's all??? Woow, I looked up on Google and found a couple of complicated tutorials, thanks man.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. And then you open the app & look for modules. You can test them - and thats the great thing about Magisk - if you dont like them, you can easily uninstall them like an app.

bejunk said:
My X2 broke again few days ago and this time im up for new Phone because the cost of repair is to high compared for the value. Also i need more battery & a (better) working Camera. Also i need to re-new my Phone Contract, so i can get a new Phone cheap. Before i leave i wanted to share my experiences for new or senior users which use/plan to update to 8.1. This Phone is very tricky, so it may save you a lot of work ^^
--- HOW-TO: Get best 8.1 battery/experience + gps fix ---
~ During my time with victara, I tested all 8.1 ROMs for a long time, gone thru log's, tested a lot of other stuff's and this is my result: (if you want to use X2 as an daily driver) ~
~ This applies to mostly all 8.1 based ROMs ~
1. From system/vendor/lib/hw/ delete power.msm8974.so = this lib is not used by anything since long and it just constantly crashes EVERY damn time you touch the screen. After deleting, reboot device and feel the speed increase instantly.
2. If you're a not playing RAM intensive games, use the SwapTorpedo Magisk module, it gives much more speed by disabling zRAM, which in turn saves a lot of CPU uptime. Our 2Gb RAM are enough to run even 3-5 heavy or more Apps simutanesly.
3. In developer settings at the bottom there is "background check" you can disable it for allmost ALL user Apps like fb etc. Notifications will still work no worry, they go thru Play Services. Also don't disable background check for Playstore & GServices = will result in crashing loops (internally), also you should keep all the calendar and contacts sync open if you want that feature.
4. Greenify has not much power on Oreo, dont use it. Use Naptime for great standby! ( keep "disable on charger" for GoogleSync to work properly)
5. footej Camera delivers best results on this semi broken camera...
6. Put as much Apps into /system partition, because they are faster then (use "stock" GApps package) and reflash it with an updated GApps package every now & then if you update your ROM (maybe once or twice a month)
--> on startup Android automaticly detects if there's a newer version of app in /system & deletes the one in /data ^^
7. If you want fast and fixed GPS then replace the file in /system/etc with my attached one. (unzip it 1st!) Works on all ROMs for victara!
8. Our APNs list file is outdated as hell, i suggest manually edit your settings. --> in "type" add: "default,mms,supl,ims" (supl is for location services and ims for things like VoLTE config)
9. There is a wifi config file missing in /system/vendor/firmware ... /prima/HERE [i dont remember extact location], but you will see WCNSS.conf (or similar name) file which is 0 bytes... copy the original one from /system/vendor/etc/wifi/prima to that location & reboot
10. Bad in-call sound quality & low volume fix: open build.prop in /system
Code:
persist.audio.fluence.voicecall=true
change value to
Code:
persist.audio.fluence.voicecall=false
Code:
ro.config.vc_call_vol_steps=7
change value to
Code:
ro.config.vc_call_vol_steps=8
(stock default)
--> save & reboot. Profit.
12. Allways look if you can disable unused Apps in Settings BEFORE deleting them from /system/app or ../priv-app -> it can cause loops (drain)
13. for getting another hour SOT (tested on new battery, non original but legit one) use Swift black substratum theme for anything. "make use of your amoled"
... will maybe update list later
Most stable, bugless 8.1 ROM? IMO: MokeeOS, why? (good stuff)
-> based on latest LineageOS 15.1 sources, even tho they dont merge every commit from LOS (?)
-> updates every day, even for our chipset
-> EXT4 is allmost 3 times faster than f2fs
-> its rock stable, just no NFC, less flashlight toogle bug, best camera performance of all 8.1 ROMs with footej camera.
BUT YOU NEED TO MOD IT! AFTER EVERY UPDATE. (bad stuff)
- STOP it collecting YOUR usage/location data: download the App i attached. (they removed the option to stop it and added their own location & data miner lol)
-> in system tab -> MokeeSettings -> disable all of its services (stats updating & uploading services etc). It will not affect system, but theres no other way, because they really try to hide it from the user
-> you can also disable analytics from Mokee Pay App
-> after disabling the services, you can uninstall "disable service" app
Dont get me wrong, i dont like many things how they "manage" their ROM & source. Moreover they push their users to donate, for FOSS (=FreeOpenSourceSoftware, get it?). with the work others did, but rebranding, "kanging" it as theirs. (atleast they give credits to Lineage on github). Anyway if your are looking for a stable 8.1 ROM, this is your only choice...
Thank you all in Moto X 2014 forum, i will possibly go for OPO 6 (bad Camera) or S9 (bad Software support by Samsung), cant decide
peace! :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man, specifically for the power.msm file to delete. The speed boost is amazing!!

Why the **** are developers not merging these changes with their roms? do they just not care?

Galaxyninja66 said:
Why the **** are developers not merging these changes with their roms? do they just not care?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because they are hacks and not the properly way to fix
1.Ext4 is only for System,f2fs is much more faster
2.all other hacks can cause issues...

linckandrea said:
Because they are hacks and not the properly way to fix
1.Ext4 is only for System,f2fs is much more faster
2.all other hacks can cause issues...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not understand, because some dev say that ext4 is faster and others say it is actually f2fs ... I understand the velocity that f2fs has, but this also brings instabilities to the system, while ext4 is more stable but not is fast as f2fs ... even so they still say ext4 may be faster than f2fs on some devices.the question is, for our victara, what is the best file system?

Leonardoliveira said:
I do not understand, because some dev say that ext4 is faster and others say it is actually f2fs ... I understand the velocity that f2fs has, but this also brings instabilities to the system, while ext4 is more stable but not is fast as f2fs ... even so they still say ext4 may be faster than f2fs on some devices.the question is, for our victara, what is the best file system?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
F2fs is generally more faster than ext4,
The firstly versions of f2fs(2012-2013) aren't very stable but now f2fs is very stable on the majority of device.
In other words
In general f2fs is a bad idea only if the original kernel isn't shipped with it(not our case)

linckandrea said:
Because they are hacks and not the properly way to fix
1.Ext4 is only for System,f2fs is much more faster
2.all other hacks can cause issues...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have yet to notice a solid speed improvement when switching from f2fs on ANY android device I have owned, plus this isn't the android chef's choice, the user is the one who decides this.
"Not the proper way to fix" - This is irrelevant and only applies if we have a proper way to fix these issues, the fact of the matter is that there is no official fix and these have yet to show any signs of conflicting with anything.
Most "developers" I notice are just creating a real quick build using pre-set instructions then sometimes cherry picking from other device's github sources. I am greatful that work is being done but it makes me want to boot into my old development desktop environment and show these cat's how to make something spicy. It's as easy as adding these fixes into your environment and then building the system image with these changes included, you don't even need to use the terminal to add most of these.

linckandrea said:
F2fs is generally more faster than ext4,
The firstly versions of f2fs(2012-2013) aren't very stable but now f2fs is very stable on the majority of device.
In other words
In general f2fs is a bad idea only if the original kernel isn't shipped with it(not our case)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just wanted to add my 2cents, about f2fs. I generally agree with you and also i read some deep-dive articles in the last few years. To keep it short: To be able to really benefit from f2fs,
you need to have HW (storage (eMMC) chip) which is optimized for it as well as the System/Kernel. f2fs was long in development like you say until it was really better than EXT4. But i think in the case of the Moto X2,
either the HW dont plays well or there is some other problem (i dont know which version of f2fs this phone uses). But what i know, from testing (a lot) and comparing results with an EXT4 ROM, EXT4 was ALLWAYS faster.
In (storage) benchmark apps, especially the random r/w, which is quite important, EXT4 was allways better. When i runned apps like SDmaid, (collecting garbage and doing DB optimizing) it was faster (allmost 2-3 times). Same for games like GTA or others which loaded data. I even mesured it to be sure, took many SS to compare because at that time i wanted to build myself, so i was interested whats better... (than my 2nd X2 broke:crying Anyway try it for yourself & you will see. On my old S3 mini, long ago the dev also updated f2fs version, but it still wasnt better than EXT4, i remember (Lollipop times)
To adress, "that these are hacks": I dont think so because those are doing much good and nothing bad. Maybe its not the most professional way to fix it (commit it properly), but it was the best i could do by then..
- delete power.msm8974.so - really this lib was not used by anything, i spend much time digging the Mokee Sources and doing logs etc... We used the AOSP HAL and the Qualcomm one was just bugging around... It didnt affect anything to delete it by then.. (dont know about now)
- setting "persist.audio.fluence.voicecall=false" its cleaning the sound when you speak to someone in a call using the 2nd mic - but it needs that all plays nicely together. I tested it using 2 phones from friends and off was much better, maybe on stock it works well, but on 8.1 custom that was not the case. Also i found by searching a lot around that many more maintainers disabled it on their ROMs because it wasnt working properly.
- setting "ro.config.vc_call_vol_steps=8" -> its the default value in stock ROM, which i extracted...
- GPS fix was inspired by commit to many devices, which pulled settings via framework - this is the "lazy" version, direct edit. Anyway it was way faster (navigation in maps) no bad stuff in log and secure now.
- about APN file - it was really outdated... & about the wifi file, this is the only one i wasnt sure, but for G3 and S5 (which both are msm8974, custom 8.1) the full file was there?!
ALL the other things are recommendations from me (like IMO), thats why the title of this thread. Last thing, for disabling zRAM (SWAP) it was allready discussed in many tech sites that this is absolutely useless in times of 4+ gb RAM. Also it sucks CPU. In Pie its disabled now. We are on the border with 2gb so its up to personal preferences....
Anyway nice to see you working again on this great device, which i really miss I wanted to better "fix" those, with patches, builds and commits, but my knowledge was to limited to do that so i opted for a diffrent way. Also our source was to messy back then, couldnt really get anything done... and im still learning. Then it broke and that was the end for me on X2.
I wish you all the best, maybe you can do some magic on that device. Peace!
EDIT: Sorry the grammar, its late here and just saw this and had to answer..

bejunk said:
Just wanted to add my 2cents, about f2fs. I generally agree with you and also i read some deep-dive articles in the last few years. To keep it short: To be able to really benefit from f2fs,
you need to have HW (storage (eMMC) chip) which is optimized for it as well as the System/Kernel. f2fs was long in development like you say until it was really better than EXT4. But i think in the case of the Moto X2,
either the HW dont plays well or there is some other problem (i dont know which version of f2fs this phone uses). But what i know, from testing (a lot) and comparing results with an EXT4 ROM, EXT4 was ALLWAYS faster.
In (storage) benchmark apps, especially the random r/w, which is quite important, EXT4 was allways better. When i runned apps like SDmaid, (collecting garbage and doing DB optimizing) it was faster (allmost 2-3 times). Same for games like GTA or others which loaded data. I even mesured it to be sure, took many SS to compare because at that time i wanted to build myself, so i was interested whats better... (than my 2nd X2 broke:crying Anyway try it for yourself & you will see. On my old S3 mini, long ago the dev also updated f2fs version, but it still wasnt better than EXT4, i remember (Lollipop times)
To adress, "that these are hacks": I dont think so because those are doing much good and nothing bad. Maybe its not the most professional way to fix it (commit it properly), but it was the best i could do by then..
- delete power.msm8974.so - really this lib was not used by anything, i spend much time digging the Mokee Sources and doing logs etc... We used the AOSP HAL and the Qualcomm one was just bugging around... It didnt affect anything to delete it by then.. (dont know about now)
- setting "persist.audio.fluence.voicecall=false" its cleaning the sound when you speak to someone in a call using the 2nd mic - but it needs that all plays nicely together. I tested it using 2 phones from friends and off was much better, maybe on stock it works well, but on 8.1 custom that was not the case. Also i found by searching a lot around that many more maintainers disabled it on their ROMs because it wasnt working properly.
- setting "ro.config.vc_call_vol_steps=8" -> its the default value in stock ROM, which i extracted...
- GPS fix was inspired by commit to many devices, which pulled settings via framework - this is the "lazy" version, direct edit. Anyway it was way faster (navigation in maps) no bad stuff in log and secure now.
- about APN file - it was really outdated... & about the wifi file, this is the only one i wasnt sure, but for G3 and S5 (which both are msm8974, custom 8.1) the full file was there?!
ALL the other things are recommendations from me (like IMO), thats why the title of this thread. Last thing, for disabling zRAM (SWAP) it was allready discussed in many tech sites that this is absolutely useless in times of 4+ gb RAM. Also it sucks CPU. In Pie its disabled now. We are on the border with 2gb so its up to personal preferences....
Anyway nice to see you working again on this great device, which i really miss I wanted to better "fix" those, with patches, builds and commits, but my knowledge was to limited to do that so i opted for a diffrent way. Also our source was to messy back then, couldnt really get anything done... and im still learning. Then it broke and that was the end for me on X2.
I wish you all the best, maybe you can do some magic on that device. Peace!
EDIT: Sorry the grammar, its late here and just saw this and had to answer..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you, f2fs in itself is faster than then many applications fail to draw the benefits is another fact (however I'm trying to do a f2fs backport from 3.10y (not very simple because motorola has done many changes departing a lot from the original)),
to talk about the fixes
in PIE I ​​changed the powerHAL to QTI version (which solves the problem)
about wifi config no need to copy it from elsewhere that oreo and pie only see it in / vendor
for the other things i see them as optimization that the user can do only and i have nothing in contrary

Good stuff. Thanks for this. Latest mokee seems to be bug ridden, but I flashed unofficial LOS, and I'm applying these tips. Substratum won't work for me, but otherwise I'm happy so far.
Thanks again.