First, I am not asking "What is or will be the best ROM for me" because I know the answer already (read, test drive, and choose for yourself).
My question is more: If you've come here from having one or more similar devices (like, say, the SG2), what were the more popular everyday ROMs or developers that you expect to be appearing here in the coming month(s)?
For example, if this were a HTCDesireIII forum, I'd be able to answer the question briefly
on the original Desire it seemed like the vast majority were using CM, Oxygen, LeeDroid, Gingervillain, or MIUI
or a bit longer
on the original Desire, according to a couple polls and my general impression from reading posts and sig-files, it seemed about 75% of the people were using CM (because it's CM), Oxygen (for the lack of bloat), MIUI (for the interface), Lee or Villain (for whatever their unique selling points) and the others never really took off in popularity for whatever reason (bugs, lack of updates, niche-interest).
I'm not averse to reading and test-driving, but I'd like to limit it to a few time-tested names first. So what are the names (ROMs or devs) to watch for based on the past?
I was expecting CheckROM EvoHD and now it's available! Best ROM I tried in SGSII and so far in SGSIII, WanamLite is pretty good also.
Related
Hello
There are so many custom roms, it has become extremely hard (for me, and many others) to decide wich one fits (me) best...
For instance, in the past two weeks i've been trying the latest Dutty and Energy roms. There are differences, equalities,... in included apps, battery usage, build, android-compatibility(?),... Some of these data can be found in the first thread-posts, others in one of the zillion comments, other....
For me, and thus for many people, it would be neat to be able to compare al those different roms 'at a glance' and so pick the most appropriate.
I remember for my diamond days there were benchmark-spreadsheets. Also for the Desire there's an open comparison-spreadsheet (original topic: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=772732 )
Is there anything alike for the HD2?
Any way of easily comparing al those great roms?
Thanks, Z
ps: If you are under the impression that I am a total newbie/noob/idiot/loser/smeghead/... that should read the rules, use a search function (which I both did off course, no luck there) and shut up: you're probably right, but then I kindly bid you to do the same.
There was a thread discussing this before and while I agree with you it would be very handy, its just not possible to keep it up to date with the amount of roms that the chefs churn out......
It would take a lot of effort on someones part to keep checking all the new roms and updating it.......
So to answer your question in one word......... No.
agreed, for just one person it would be impossible to keep up. But with an open spreadsheet like they have for (a.o.) the Desire, this could be an open project. No?
So I thought there was a thread on this but I can't find it.
What is the actual behind the scenes difference in the Roms being put out besides theming?
I don't want a "this rom is better" answer, that's not what this is about. I don't want to disrespect anyones work, I am just curious as to what each team/person does different to post so many Roms. From the uneducated eye(mine) one would think you would post one Rom per team and then post the rest in the theme section.
They usually have the details on the first post, a lot of them explain what the variants are all about.
I am not totally up on the roms in the last week or so, But, all the roms will be using KA5,6 or 7 kernel and or KB1 (K=2011, A= Jan 5= 5th day etc.). That said some are structured to be faster removing some of the misc small routines, overclocked, or expanded memory. Some have as internal ram @ 300-310mb, some 335-340mb, some 350-360mb. Now, that may be important if you are gaming with the phone but, for most things not much change will be noticed if any. Some use Supercurio based, some use morfic based, some use Eugene based kernels or some just customized based on a bit of each or their own cooking.
The real crux is do ALL the things that are expected to work ,,,, work. E.G. Phone, WIFI, Bluetooth, Stereo, headphones, mp3-4 player, facebook, battery, twitter, mms, email, syncing, camera, both video and snapshot, GPS....etc. Now if All those are equal, then the theming and some of the other special touches are trademark of a given developer.
Some roms are just better structured and allow more altering than others, those would be the Axura, Einherjar roms and some of the Team Whiskey roms.
The reason why some will say this rom is great and that one I think has more to do with the date it was built. The problem with all the phones is the parts and sub assemblies are subbed out. So, July 2010 might work flawlessly for one rom but not the other and one phone made in Nov 2010 might be vice-versa
So, all the Long Winded diatribe above it comes down to this, it really is personal choice and the phone you have and how the custom rom works on that phone. The only real 2 differences I have seen with all the roms as distinct is the Axura has remarkable battery life and the rom has a great GPS fresh out of a new flash, other than that, I found no differences in anything else.
But remember that is just my studied observation from my 2 Vibrants.
dcontrol said:
They usually have the details on the first post, a lot of them explain what the variants are all about.
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Yea, I guess i should further explain, this isn't to see which rom I want. I am not new to flashing so I have a general familiarity to all of them. I more just wanted to further my education on the actual behind the scenes aspects of these Roms and what the developers actually DO to make their Rom THEIR Rom besides custom themes.
To further your point though and also back up my question lets look at axuras change log. most of it consists of theme this or that update programs remove this or that. Then a tiny "framework tweak" "build.prop mod" is thrown in.
Specifically I was asking what do the devs do different in that area which I am assuming is the basis of the whole rom correct?
Also, I am not speaking of the miui or cm7 type ports but more of axura, bionix, trigger ect... all that are usually upgraded to the same kernals and modem in their roms anyway.
[Discussion][Poll] Do you think we need "ROM Categories" for Gingerbread releases ?
Hi all, building upon a conversation started on this thread regarding the different Gingerbread ROMs that are being currently tested/released by our much appreciated developers, I'd like to start a discussion and poll to get your opinion about the need for "ROM Categories", that is, a small group (probably 3 or 4) of "Guidelines" so developers could focus their ROMs to target specific group of users or usage of the ROM, something like:
- Performance: Getting the most juice out of your phone and getting the best score for benchmarks, but perhaps with the sacrifice of stability and/or certain functions of the handset and battery life.
- Gamer: Focused on the best graphics and GPU performance for best results in games and graphics apps, but perhaps with the sacrifice of battery life.
- Stability: Stock-like ROMs that covers ALL the functions of the handset with the best battery life and stability, but with the added value of certain tweaks that gives you that "something extra" to justify rooting your phone and installing a custom ROM so you can enjoy those (I pretty much fall into this category)
(Those are just the few that comes to my mind, I think that if this proposal actually goes through the actual categories should be agreed on by the community)
I base this proposal on the following:
1.-) I've been testing many ROMs over the last few days and I've noticed that even though there's been many developers that have released custom ROMs over the last few months, only handful of them (those guys that we all know and love) have kept working on refining their work as the different Android versions had passed by, so at this point (with the official release of Gingerbread for the P500) I think it would be possible that developers could work together and focus their work with specific goals, like having a well polished ROM for each category and keep developing those. The idea is not to pretend that developers wouldn't have freedom to do their work exactly as they want to, essentially because they are doing this because they enjoy it, not because we're hiring them to do it. What I mean is that if developers "categorize" their ROMs then either themselves (or new developers) could easily spot what categories are being underdeveloped, and make the decision like "hey... nobody is doing anything for "X" category, so I'm going to do something about it". At this point they could agree to either work together for specific goals, or work individually knowing that one of them is working on fulfilling the need on a specific category.
2.-) As far as I can tell Gingerbread 2.3 is the last official version that LG is going to release for the P500 line, so I believe that once developers get to stabilize their custom versions of it (ROMs and Kernel) the P500 community will start to fade away as we all (developers and users) start to move on the newer handsets, so I guess that probably the best legacy that we can all leave for this community would be a handful of custom ROMs that we could keep using on our phones depending on the type of use that we give to it, until it's time to move on to another handset.
3.-) Having specific categories could help a lot when it comes to testing (and gathering results of those tests), essentially because most of us on the "user side" would surely focus their testing upon the way that they use their handsets, and that would translate on more people doing the testing for a handful of ROMs, instead of everyone testing everything (which usually translates into nobody testing anything).
Well I guess that's enough to make my point, the rest is up to you all to either vote and give some comments here or just say: "Hey n00b, what the #(=$/# your're talking about dude!!!" LOL, don't worry I can live with that
We should definitely have this.
Sent from my LG-P509 (Optimus T) with Void Gear using XDA App
Well actually we do have a thread like this. The repository sticky on dev subforum. It has all the roms, kernels, guides, mods etc sorted nicely with short and informative descriptions ( Repository ) and since ciaox started to maintain the thread it is always up to date with the latest stuff. If you got any suggestions or something for repository to become better you could just post it there.
We have a problem: there are a ridiculous number of ROMs available, spanning 6 different versions of Android, each with their own pros and cons. There are so many choices that I imagine it must be completely overwhelming to someone who is new to custom ROMs, coming here to try to breathe life back into their device. (I find it overwhelming and I've been on XDA since 2007.)
So, I'm asking those of you who have tried and tested the many ROMs available for the Xperia Ray to please share the wisdom of your experience for the benefit of all.
This isn't a "what ROM is best" thread, because I know that specific ROMs fit specific purposes, i.e. if you absolutely want the latest Android features, you want a Kitkat ROM (perhaps at the expensive of speed). The idea is more to give people a place to start looking, i.e. if they know they need FM radio they should rule out any ROM based on Android 4.1+, and some recommendations given specific needs. If you recommend specific ROMs, please try to mention at least 2 different ones (and if you're the author, please disclose that so we know you're plugging your own ROM).
To spark your thoughts, consider your answers to any of the following questions. If we get enough people answering, I'll edit this post to add in general consensus answers to have a quick guide in place for other users looking for a new ROM.
Q: What Android versions provide full functionality of stock hardware, i.e. FM radio, 720p video recording.
- My understanding is that for FM radio to work, you need to be on Gingerbread or ICS. (Not sure on 720p video.)
Q: What Android versions or specific ROMs are the fastest (as in quickly responsive UI)?
- My impression (from thread comments) is that Gingerbread is still the fastest, but suffers in terms of battery life.
Q: What Android versions generally have the best battery life?
Q: What Android versions or specific ROMs offer the best performance for gaming only?
Q: What ROMs offer the best combination of speed, stability and battery life for day-to-day use?
- For example, if you're giving the phone to your girlfriend, you can't go wrong with <insert recommendation> or <insert recommendation>.
If you can think of other questions to help people with their decision-making, feel free to mention them and I'll add them to the list.
These kind of questions aren't allowed on XDA, you'll just have to test them out like everyone else does. Just because I feel a certain ROM is better than another doesn't mean everyone else will agree.
As you said "it is not a best ROM thread" but the with the points you included the discussion will eventually reflect the same as being "Best ROM" according to someones' preference. And even If I keep this thread open suggesting all the users just to share their opinion it won't go good as it would expected considering the past history regarding the matter. So, I will close this thread to avoid any kind of anarchy and also to keep you out of the trouble in future, thanks for understanding..
I notice quite a lot of rom threads are being closed...
only a few are being updates while lots were lasted update near the beginning of the month...
Lol.. There are too many roms already and almost all of them are very stable. So why do we need nightly/weekly updates if we have something like pure nexus or chroma running solid? Custom roms will live forever especially for nexus devices.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Another one was added today. I'm patiently waiting to see if pure nexus appears with cmte. Its in the works.I hear
No end in sight! This is XDA ftw!
Today is a terrible, terrible day.
We lost an absolute gem
Soulfly3 said:
Today is a terrible, terrible day.
We lost an absolute gem
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You mean with cataclysm, there is a cached page about his final words, I hope he still continues
http://txt.do/57rjs
Ref
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/42v96a/cataclysm_threads_closed_by_mods/
The community legit doesn't deserve for him to continue.
His threads would literally make me sick the way ppl treated him. The way they DEMANDED alterations as opposed to asking. The way they asked over and over, despite his firm NO.
I'm gonna miss the hell out of his ROMs. The best. If some major changes happen, maybe Ill move to Pure Nexus, but for now... and a long while... I think the latest Cata mod will be on my phone.
This community truly sucks, sometimes
This has definitely been true for non-Nexus phones. I was big into LG phones, I had the G2, G3, and G4 (all on Verizon). The G2 had tons of development, both stock and AOSP ROMs, and the G3 was similar but noticeably less. The G4 has been non-existent. I remember the days when virtually all phones were rooted and unlocked by devs, with lots of custom ROMs, but this seems to be going away very quickly. Now it's likely if you buy a non-Nexus device, it won't get root at all, let alone custom ROMs.
Looking at the 6P development, I see what you're talking about. Lots of ROMs that started when the phone came out have ceased getting updates, and you only have a handful of solid ROMs to choose from.
I wouldn't be surprised if custom roms are a dying breed. IMHO part of it is that Android is slowly moving towards getting the basic feature set and UI tweaks that people want, and more manufacturers are trimming down their bloated UI's (some exceptions obv, unnamed). But also --- this may sound cynical, but just from my own observation: Many of these enthusiast-worked/powered/funded projects are far too often met with self-entitled users (in the very literal sense of the word) who think their use of the rom/software/art/w/e entitles them to complain endlessly about every little thing and every minute lack of an update (or desired/demanded feature) for what is usually a free or donationware product. Not to mention the people who are too careless/hasty to follow instructions and end up bricking their devices, only to blame the devs and spew a bunch of vitriol. I don't blame anyone who quits at all.
republicano said:
You mean with cataclysm, there is a cached page about his final words, I hope he still continues
http://txt.do/57rjs
Ref
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nexus6P/comments/42v96a/cataclysm_threads_closed_by_mods/
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Click to collapse
That's one breathe taking letter! Wish him the best and this Developer will be missed by XDA...
I love custom ROMs!!! I remember when I unlocked my first smart phone the first evo and I found the perfect stable ROM for it...now every time I get a new phone I find myself searching for a ROM I think it makes whatever handset you're using perfect. Thank you to everyone that takes the time to develop
the past roms I used, have not closed down.. Cataclysm was the second rom I used and liked...
I try not to use any roms that are CM based.. lol.. not sure why... I like the AOSP based roms better...
XDA has been going downhill for years now. Seen some amazing devs and funny members just up and leave over the years for this very reason.
Sent from my LG-H815 using XDA Free mobile app
Every ROM will meet its end some time... Beanstalk disappeared. Avatar halted. AOKP is no longer active. ParanoidAndroid and PACman had gone big in form but small in functionality and usefulness. Even CM, with Google incorporating more and more changes into each new Android version and limiting features these ROMs can touch, might die out someday.
Sent from Google Nexus 6P @ CM13
[WARNING: XDA One have not implemented "mark forum as read" - do not use]
Yeah some people here do not understand devs do this in there free time, for fun theycowe you nothing and you are very privileged to be getting such incredible free software. This upsets a lot if devs and makes them leave the community.
I stopped publishing my own approach of a ROM after I got rid of my old Samsung Galaxy S3 and moved on to Nexus devices. I'm happy with a customised Stock based ROM which suits me well. I'm not sure if anybody else would be interested in it since the Nexus forums offer a great number of custom ROMs, some of which are filled with extra stuff. I can somehow understand the guys who stop publishing their work. I never asked for donations, in fact I don't have a PayPal account linked to my profile Maintaining a ROM is a huge effort, especially if you're on your own and not part of a team.
ROMs are no longer needed plain and simple. Back in the hay days of ROMs, Galaxy S2 and 3, HTC EVO, ROMs were a necessity considering how badly optimized phones were back then.. running great software with horrible specs. Developers made the phone a lot better... I still remember the days of running Viper ROM on my samsung epic on the Sprint network.. those were the days.
Fast forward today I'm going on two years without flashing a ROM and reality is I see no need for it.
I pose a question to the great Nexus community, what's the purpose of flashing ROMs when the device runs perfect out the box?
Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Root is a must for me since it allows you to get rid of some unwanted Google Apps (eg Google+, Google Play Games etc), use a Adblocker and special Apps like eg Titanium Backup or LMT
Custom roms, with the exception of a select few, have always been highly overrated imo. Most of them take software that is already created, debloat it (which we can do ourselves) and add some features that anyone can get through xposed, etc.
I used to always laugh when people would jump in a rom thread with outrageous claims like their battery life doubled, it's 100x smoother than stock, etc. Placebo effect runs high on custom roms imo.
With that being said, I've flashed just as many roms as most of you. I still see the value in some of them.
But as other people have said, it's just not as necessary anymore. As long as you can root, you can debloat, add xposed if you wanted, etc.
Doesn't seem to make as big of a difference as before.
Yeah it's not how it used to be and that probably for the better, most anything you could want can be done through Xposed and a custom kernel. While most custom roms are more stable than they were in the early days(seems to have more to do with a more stable aosp), there isn't much incentive and there are often still bugs. It's not because devs are bad at what they do, but building a stable rom requires a team of people and testing environments that people just don't have at home. Early in the days of windows mobile and Android roms were very poorly optimised out of the box, but it'd not really like that anymore.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk