Any Resources For Getting Started With Modding - G1 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I'm aware that I should probably post this is the Dev area, but I'm not a Dev yet lol and don't want to clutter up their precious 'new release' space with what I consider a n00b question.
However, I'm a budding software developer who was very interested in developing apps for android - all of my ideas have been taken up by people and though I contribute a little towards those with suggestions I would like to jump in at the deep end instead.
So i figure, why not start a thread with links to relevant places to learn how to mod the Android OS - whichever version. Not like the dev section where its pretty hardcore, but introductory links:
Everything from removing / adding bits and pieces to an established custom / stock rom, to compiling your own kernel and porting versions could be covered.
It might also offer an incentive to the best devs on the android asteroid to continue knocking out tutorials even after they've moved on to newer versions?
Anyway, just an idea, what do you guys think? Personally at the moment I'm trawling through craploads of official docs trying to get a handle on where to start!

What your looking for is the stickies. They are at the top of each forum subsection. Happy reading. Props on putting it in q&a section though.

doofah said:
I'm aware that I should probably post this is the Dev area, but I'm not a Dev yet lol and don't want to clutter up their precious 'new release' space with what I consider a n00b question.
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Click to collapse
DING DING DING! We have a winner! You sir, deserve a trophy for actually thinking!
Check out the "getting ADB up and running thread" It will point you to the android sdk and on that page you can download eclipse. Those should help you get on your way.

Resources for moddingo
Lol... Yay!! My brain was a worthwhile investment, must remember to send a letter of recommendation to my supplier!
Thanks guys I'll keep digging
My poor G1 is in for a ROUGH ride over the next few months I fear... maybe I should save for another just to be safe lol

There are several other threads that cover this. Search for those and they have links and documents relating to this.
You'll have to have knowledge on linux, java, c++, and someother stuff.

Related

[Poll] New "Android only" forum?

Sorry for posting this here, but I couldn't really find a suitable place since most of the Android action is right here.
These past weeks I've noticed an increase of irrelevant threads and clutter being made in regards to Android development in the HTC Dream forum and every other Android development forum on xda. A lot of Android devices out on the market now are not made by HTC. This of course is causing a problem since this forum is for HTC devices only.
Maybe it would be a good idea if a new forum was created that accounts for all native Android devices (Motorola Droid/Milestone, Motorola Cliq/Dext, Samsung Galaxy, etc...). That way, a lot of the clutter would surely be resolved and a considerate load would be taken off of this server (Gotta hate the horrible load on xda these days...).
I'm sure there are quiet a few people on here that have an HTC device and are fully satisfied with it (Me included!). That doesn't mean that everyone else has to feel the same way. People that choose to go with Samsung, Motorola, etc. for their next Android device should not be left out. That's why I believe there should definitely be a forum that serves everyone.
To put up a new forum specifically for this matter takes no time at all, but it does take participation. So if you feel like this is something you would like to see, please feel free to leave a comment.
What are you're opinions on this matter? Agree? Disagree?
Discuss.
EDIT: If there's enough people interested in this project, would there be anyone willing to help getting things started in terms of hosting space or something similar?
my thoughts are that the few changes that have been recently made should help if they are utilized. now we have a forum for general android development for devs, and the rom releases are in the device specific forums. Here was my idea, but i think they made the right choice. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4795376&postcount=1
jaaronmoody said:
my thoughts are that the few changes that have been recently made should help if they are utilized. now we have a forum for general android development for devs, and the rom releases are in the device specific forums. Here was my idea, but i think they made the right choice. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=4795376&postcount=1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a start. But I don't think xda is going to put up more sub forums for each new device out there. Thus, development and ROM threads for Motorola and other devices will be left out. Unless I understood your post incorrectly
no, you're right, i just dont think xda WANTS to keep up with every brand that uses android. they apparently keep their focus on HTC devices. there are gonna be a FLOOD of manufacturers utilizing droid in the future, and unless xda wants to change their focus, they will stick with one brand
jaaronmoody said:
no, you're right, i just dont think xda WANTS to keep up with every brand that uses android. they apparently keep their focus on HTC devices. there are gonna be a FLOOD of manufacturers utilizing droid in the future, and unless xda wants to change their focus, they will stick with one brand
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Click to collapse
Yea that's exactly my point.
There WILL be a flood of Android devices from all kinds of manufacturers and it would be nice if there was a place for all of them come together. That way, everyone can keep track of specific development without having to switch between dozens of forums.
My $0.02.
good luck, my friend. Most likely it will take someone to else to start a new site to accomplish. funny, i was fooling around a couple days ago and did this. http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=176593179336&v=wall
not saying this is the solution, but you are not alone in your concerns.
I see that a few agree with me, care to share your point of view? Maybe it will spark this thing.

Noob question: can you explain me ROMs, Kernels, Radio, Mods, etc ?

Hi all,
I'm quite new to this android stuff, and especially modding. And I have to tell that I feel a bit lost.
After a few days browsing this forum and other places on the internet, I think I know what a ROM and rooting are. But here I see things like kernels, radio, bootloaders... could someone explain me what those are and how they are related together? Or show me an url that explains all this.
Thanks a lot!
Bricolo_fr said:
Hi all,
I'm quite new to this android stuff, and especially modding. And I have to tell that I feel a bit lost.
After a few days browsing this forum and other places on the internet, I think I know what a ROM and rooting are. But here I see things like kernels, radio, bootloaders... could someone explain me what those are and how they are related together? Or show me an url that explains all this.
Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im not real sure how to explain all this stuff in great detail but i will try and tell you all that i know. I think a kernel has to do with the drivers and things like that. A radio has to do with the everything that uses connections, i guess you would call it. Like your phone's network, wifi, bluetooth, etc. And for the bootloader i don't really know how to explain it but press and hold the power button and the trackball at the same time. thats the bootloader.
This should help some... http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=619153
Bricolo_fr said:
Hi all,
I'm quite new to this android stuff, and especially modding. And I have to tell that I feel a bit lost.
After a few days browsing this forum and other places on the internet, I think I know what a ROM and rooting are. But here I see things like kernels, radio, bootloaders... could someone explain me what those are and how they are related together? Or show me an url that explains all this.
Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Bricolo!
Welcome to the forums!
I'll help you out here, but you're going to have to do some work too.
How about I do two, and you do two?
[Google]: android "what is a rom"
http://forum.androidcentral.com/hacking/6037-general-rom-faq.html
If you’re new to the Android platform (don’t be bashful, all of us were not too long ago), you’ll see terms floating around the forums that you might not be familiar with. “ROM” is one of those terms. A ROM image is a data file that contains information used on a Read Only Memory chip. For our purposes, that means a complete system image of an Android device. Each Android device has it’s own ROM image that contains files and code needed to boot the device up and run Android on it. But this is only part of a ROM. A ROM also contains a GUI (graphical user interface), required and useful applications, support files for those applications and the kernel. Let’s have a look at the parts that make a ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-general-discussions/37418-what-rom.html
"ROM" is just a generic term for the software that makes up the OS, and a bit of a misnomer. This term could easily be changed to "OS sofware" or "system software". It does mean Read Only Memory, but ROM likely comes from that part of the system memory, since you dont want to be able to write over the system files (easily).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[Google]: android "what is a kernel"
http://androidforums.com/developer-101/62548-what-kernel.html
A kernel is basically the bridge between applications and the data processing at the hardware level. It serves as a level of abstraction for communication.
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Click to collapse
http://www.applematters.com/article/how-long-will-apple-keep-the-mach-microkernel/
The easy answer is a kernel is the core of any operating system. DOS, Windows, UNIX, OS X and Linux all have some type of kernel. The implementations change but the basic concept remains the same. A kernel interfaces directly with the system’s hardware and is the lowest level of software. There are two types of kernels, micro-kernels and monolithic-kernels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
[Google]: android "what is a radio"
Your site(s) here.
[Google]: android "what is a bootloader"
You can do it!
[Google]: android "what is a X"
Google: It really is that easy
Good stuff Paul, it's refreshing to see someone go out of their way to help a newbie every once in a while
There are more polite ways to respond to this guy. Some people learn through interaction. I'm glad someone went out of their way to explain things to this guy. It's a shame how cut throat this community can be sometimes.
I agree, the attitude and lame jokes are really immature at times. Thanks paul for putting a lil effort and explaining few of the key points than cracking the usual radio is a fm/am joke here, the extreme nerdism almost kills me! lol.
As for the cutthroat and "nerdism" out there in this community, you have to remember, most of us that are regulars are ones that have been on this forum for a loooooooong while and not just in the Nexus One sections. I have migrated from WM to Android and see these posts time and time again.
There are Stickied "Noob" guilds galore, there is a search feature, there are TONS of resources out there for someone who puts in a MINIMAL effort can get this BASIC information.
When I first came here, I didn't just open a new post on "what is a ROM and ..." I read, I researched and when something wasn't clear and needed more information that wasn't out there, THEN I posted.
Those of us that may seem like we have an attitude aren't mean people, we don't expect everyone to come here with all the answers an NO questions, we just have an expectation that they at least put forth a LITTLE effort on figuring something out.
Paul did a great job in searching, but you have to wonder why the OP didn't even TRY and google anything or search here?
The impression I got is that it is not worth the OP's time to even try, so they put up a post asking these questions and expected the community to do all the work for them and compile some massive resource into a post that the OP most likely won't read and then start asking questions that were already answered in replies or links.
I have seen this happen time and time again on this board and others, so yeah, I am a bit of a jerk when someone puts forth no effort of their own.
Thanks a lot, Paul and the guys that helped
About me asking, and being new here... I DID search on this forum, but didn't find everything I needed. I used the search function, read the sticky threads, googled... After this, I still had questions, meaning that the information I got was not sufficient and that the additional information I was seeking wasn't accessible enough here. So that's why I asked.
If you don't like new people asking questions, but only expect new members to be experienced ones that will arrive with software/tricks/roms/etc "gifts" for you,you should reconsider your lifes. Maybe as sultans or something similar I agree with the remark about nerdy attitudes. Do you really think this is needed? If my topic is unwanted here, some people called moderators will lock or delete it, it seems it hasn't happened so far...
Back to the initial topic...
Well, maybe I did not make things clear enough. I'm not a complete computer noob. I know what a ROM is (not being specific to android devices), what an OS is, how to write a few lines of code, etc...
From what I understood, the bootloader can be see as the bios in a PC. It can execute a few tasks (diagnostics, rom flash, starting the OS...). The ROM contains the OS, software, config, etc...
As I said, what I don't really see is how all the things are related to each other. On this forum (and other places) I see a lot of alternative ROMs. I do understand what they are and their use. However I also see topics about kernels and radios, and that got me a bit lost. Aren't they already included in the ROMs?
Also, I'd like to learn a bit about how alternative ROMs are created. When additional features (applications?) are added to a ROM (features that were existing on other devices), is it "simply" the application files that from the other device that have been included to the ROM? When new features are added (not coming from other devices, like trackball led), how is that made? I assume it is added to the code somewhere, so is all the code available?
Thanks for helping
I'm going to move this thread to the Q&A section, and also clean up the noob bashing. Remember, not only is bashing discouraged throughout the entire site, but doing it in the Q&A section will likely earn you a short vacation from XDA.
Thanks,
NATF

Android Development

I'm posting this in the Development section because that is what I am trying to learn about. Please move me if I am mis-posting this.
I'm greatly interested in the the Roms people are making and everything that is being done on these forums. If someone wanted to start to learn about these things, developing and such, where should they start? Do I need to learn Java? Are there certain books I should be reading?
I can flash my phone like its my day job now, and I haven't come across any major problems I couldn't solve by reading, but I have no idea where to start to be able to develop things myself. If any developers here could maybe throw out a few tips on how to get started, what someone should focus on learning, etc., it would be greatly appreciated! I have plenty of time and a great desire to learn so I'm not intimidated by having to do the work, I just have to have some things to focus on. Thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give me!
I always wanted to know how make roms also I was looking around the internet but couldn't find anything that will describe it step by step word for word.
Maccie
It will be a huge writeup.But im sure someone will do it. I am still learning myself. There are some good topics around but different from what we have now
topshelf95 said:
I'm posting this in the Development section because that is what I am trying to learn about. Please move me if I am mis-posting this.
I'm greatly interested in the the Roms people are making and everything that is being done on these forums. If someone wanted to start to learn about these things, developing and such, where should they start? Do I need to learn Java? Are there certain books I should be reading?
I can flash my phone like its my day job now, and I haven't come across any major problems I couldn't solve by reading, but I have no idea where to start to be able to develop things myself. If any developers here could maybe throw out a few tips on how to get started, what someone should focus on learning, etc., it would be greatly appreciated! I have plenty of time and a great desire to learn so I'm not intimidated by having to do the work, I just have to have some things to focus on. Thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a number of aspects to android development you have to learn to know how to build a full ROM from scratch. C is of course required for kernel building, and apps are built from java in the dalvik-vm, but can be built against sun java.
of course, to get started, you would need the android sdk available here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
then there's the cloning of the android git:
http://android.git.kernel.org/
and, specifically for the captivate, there's the captivate source code:
http://opensource.samsung.com/
then there's pulling off the vendor proprietary libs from your phone (which is a ***** and I believe you can grab them from wes's github, though I can't speak for their accuracy) here:
http://github.com/wesgarner/proprietary_vendor_samsung
building the entire android OS from source is a challenge, especially compensating for some changes Samsung has introduced. this is what a real ROM is. now if you're talking about "ROM"s like Cognition and Shep's and even Eugene's Hybrid/Frankin-Twiz... they aren't comparable. Not to belittle any of their efforts, but this is simple "drag and drop" from stuff built by Samsung. While they're very useful tools, there is little actual development going on in them. There are improvements and tweaks, for sure... but it isn't a *true* ROM. All these releases by DesignGears, Eugene, and Shep are good and effective, but it'd be a shame if they weren't because they are just files thrown together from Samsung's already compiled ROM(s). Even the AOSP Beta 3 (which I have a qualm with the name, because it isn't actually AOSP, it's files pulled from an already built AOSP tossed onto Samsung's ROM again) is just modifying binaries (decompile, edit, recompile).
for those, it's as simple as extracting the zip, replacing the files you want, and rezip it. modifying the update-script inside meta-inf if there's something you want to add.
Awesome post Kaik, thanks, I was wondering some of those too.
Thx that explained a bunch
Maccie
Thank you for taking the time to post that Kaik! It's nice to have a place to start! Anyone else have any tips or things they think might be good to check out?
last, but certainly not least and I can't believe I forgot this, is Unhelpful's toolchain to compile against:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=761923
he did a lot of testing with various combinations, and this was the best he found to reduce wakeup lag and other issues
Wow. Kaik. That was the most awesome response to that question I have ever seen. Most people just point to developer.android.com and say go learn to program and come back in 5 years.
Thank you for this very useful information. Your the man now dog.
johnyhoffman said:
Most people just point to developer.android.com and say go learn to program and come back in 5 years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Devs are not being mean or pissy, they are being honest and realistic. If development was just "point and click" XDA would not even be here. Give the devs/veterans a break and take it upon yourself to learn the basics and do some searches, if you are that interested.
I would love to just start making my own Android OS just the way I like too but to do that will require much more reading and learning, trying and failing.
You will probably not find "the answer" you are looking for but if you search, read and most importantly, respect the time, energy and anguish people have put into this site you will find the means to get where you want.
Otherwise you can expect... "Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well here is a modded ROM. I'll try that. Jeez, that sucks. How do I make my own? Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well ..." It is an endless cycle.
I'm not saying this to belittle anyone. Most have been there, including myself. I say this as a vote of confidence to all.
Hang in there, do the work, break some phones, read some books. Really! You have to!
koe1974 said:
Devs are not being mean or pissy, they are being honest and realistic. If development was just "point and click" XDA would not even be here. Give the devs/veterans a break and take it upon yourself to learn the basics and do some searches, if you are that interested.
I would love to just start making my own Android OS just the way I like too but to do that will require much more reading and learning, trying and failing.
You will probably not find "the answer" you are looking for but if you search, read and most importantly, respect the time, energy and anguish people have put into this site you will find the means to get where you want.
Otherwise you can expect... "Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well here is a modded ROM. I'll try that. Jeez, that sucks. How do I make my own? Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well ..." It is an endless cycle.
I'm not saying this to belittle anyone. Most have been there, including myself. I say this as a vote of confidence to all.
Hang in there, do the work, break some phones, read some books. Really! You have to!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this times one thousand. I linked you guys to some very useful sites when it comes to actually putting android together... but understanding how it all works, actually getting a successful build, fixing bugs, etc... I can't even begin to pretend to be able to help with that. if you have little to no experience in C and Java, these things will basically be useless to you. dev's aren't being mean when they brush you off like that, but usually if you can't figure out how to google what to do with the code, they don't have high hopes for what you'll be able to do with it once you find the code.
the idea isn't to be like "f*** off" when they say that, it's more of a "we'll help you when you learn, but you're the one who needs to take the first steps and you need to take the responsibility of learning on yourself."
I was actually referring to the fact that someone like me, a hobbyist programmer for about 10 years now, can make sense of his reply and use it to go forth and actually do something. Most of the guides you find on here that are supposedly pointed at noobs, do not layout things as easily as his post did.
Wasn't criticizing anyone, but I have seen less patience nowadays for any posts such as these.
Was just saying it was a gem of a post for me personally. Maybe it doesn't help the ultra noobs and the more experienced people see it as useless, but for someone with little time right now, it was a perfect post for me.

[Q] Hey Devs, whatcha gonna do with the new Froyo source?

Unless I'm mistaken, there now is only one Dev out there that has stuck by Captivate code. As someone who places a high value on the Audience voice chip on the AT&T devices, I am very interested to see if more devs will look at this newly released source and make something of it, either new or port their existing top-notch work. I've tried, and liked, many of the I9000-based ROMs, but I keep coming back to the Cappy-based ones due to the voice quality.
So Devs... any interest? I'm sure that I'm not alone from a user perspective.
I would like to see a kernal based off the released source that also has the voodoo sound added to it. I am sure there is a lot that can be done and it will take some time.
I was thinking of flashing to something new, but with the source available, I think it's time to be patient. Can't wait for a semi-up to date ROM with full captivate compatibility!
this belongs in Q&A section
I believe whole heartedly that the ROMS the DEVs are putting out are fantastic and do everything I want and need in a ROM.
OTHER then the audiance chip support. It would be cool to have in the roms as an ability but not necessarily required.
See sig below - this post doesnt belong here. *facepalm* The devs will do what they do, when they decide they wanna do it - noobs coming in here constantly asking for sh*t only irritates them and pushes them away from bringing us the good stuff....
bames said:
this belongs in Q&A section
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought about that, but I put it here for two reasons:
The developers come here regularly, and not necessarily the Q&A section
This is a question directed directly at the devs, not necessarily the user community
Make sense?
Devs still read the Q&A - how about reading the forum rules and abiding.... this is un-needed clutter in the Dev section
dalewest said:
I thought about that, but I put it here for two reasons:
The developers come here regularly, and not necessarily the Q&A section
This is a question directed directly at the devs, not necessarily the user community
Make sense?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Regardless, if you feel the need to post about this topic in this section, there is already a thread about it. Post your question in there. No need for another thread.
jgc121 said:
See sig below - this post doesnt belong here. *facepalm* The devs will do what they do, when they decide they wanna do it - noobs coming in here constantly asking for sh*t only irritates them and pushes them away from bringing us the good stuff....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not trying to start a flamewar or anything... while I only joined last November, and my post count is indeed low, please don't assume that I'm here asking for candy. I comb these forums many times daily, and only post when I can't find the answers I'm looking for.
As for irritating the devs by asking for stuff... I've noticed that for the most part, they actually like the feedback, and want to know what the users like. I see no problem with providing input. Like I said, I posted here because the Devs come here, and not so much to the Q&A section.
Lastly (and maybe this should have been clearer in my OP), only one dev seems to be working on Captivate kernels, with the rest working on I9000 (since source has been around a long while). What with new hardware around the corner, dev interest for the Cappy might be waning. I thought it a fair question.
dalewest said:
I thought about that, but I put it here for two reasons:
The developers come here regularly, and not necessarily the Q&A section
This is a question directed directly at the devs, not necessarily the user community
Make sense?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No..does not make sense. If you read the forum rules it will be clear why it doesn't make sense.
Not trying to start a flame war either was just trying to redirect you and prevent further endless flaming if you continued to post in the wrong section.
Last thing I wanted was to tick people off
But it seems that's exactly what happened.
Apologies to those that I irritated, especially the Developers to whom this thread was directed.
Out.
dalewest said:
I thought about that, but I put it here for two reasons:
The developers come here regularly, and not necessarily the Q&A section
This is a question directed directly at the devs, not necessarily the user community
Make sense?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So just coz it says "Hey devs" means it should go to the Dev section?
I thought the development section was actually for development... Apparently I was wrong
uuugh..
bames said:
this belongs in Q&A section
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree completely!! Dev(s) do read other forums
I have question about the source code that was just released. How do I implement it into my build enviroment?
I mean ok I extract the file. Then read the readme file. It says to overwrite the modules I want to build. Is there a general rule to what should and should not be over written. I have compiled the generic code but nothing device specific.
OMG! You DARE to post here?
dalewest said:
But it seems that's exactly what happened.
Apologies to those that I irritated, especially the Developers to whom this thread was directed.
Out.
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Click to collapse
LOL. No apologies needed. This thread that you started is essentially the same as opcow's, except that he posted the news before you did. All that followed in his thread, however, was very similar to the responses in your thread.
Similar, but different - different because the hall monitors didn't flame anyone in that thread! Why not?? Because, methinks, for the most part, those in the other thread were more "senior" than thee, Mr. Dalewest. Get it? There's a pecking order here that must not be violated.
Strange, but I didn't notice any ROM devs complaining in your thread or Opcow's. I did, however, see some silliniess in the other thread, such as "Charlie Sheen throwing some pixie dust" into the new ROMs, but no cries of outrage over that. Then come some self-appointed spokespersons for the devs in your thread saying the devs this, the devs that, "Ooh, the devs are going to get upset," etc. [Sigh]
The source of KB1 dropping has been mentioned since yesterday or before in various threads here, and I didn't see any devs getting upset about it. The KB1 source dropping is certainly related to development. IMO it's perfectly fine to post it in Development. Your are not asking a general question - you are asking what the devs have in mind vis a vis development, now that KB1 has dropped.
That said, given that there was already another thread, you shouldn't have started another one. Consider your wrist slapped, ha, ha.
dalewest said:
But it seems that's exactly what happened.
Apologies to those that I irritated, especially the Developers to whom this thread was directed.
Out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no worries.
not ticked here. my original post was just to redirect you and try to help you avoid the flood of responses and/or flames that were sure to come.

A Knowledge Base thread

Hi guys, may i speak a little bit of my mind?
I've been on XDA for quite a moment now, forget about not contributing to any development please , and i do know one very simple ground rule: SEARCH!!!!!!
But from my time here i realise searching for something and getting the right answer here on XDA does requires getting the keywords right + if to minimise the scope,search in the right forum and thread. The experience is not something Google offers.
Thus alot of times this has happened to myself, especially newbies, forget or skips searching every single forums and threads, looking through a 40 page thread just for the 1 sentence answer. And the result, lots of angry 'old birds' and mods.
Thus can i suggest setting up some kind of Knowledge Base forum or thread? This KB will the centralise of all the essence of developments, bugs, fixes that exists in this forum modified by a Mod/Admin only. Something like a library.
Having a Knowledge Base will really be helpful to (budding) developers as well as technology leechers like me :laugh: It reduces effort wasted on searching high and low to the lesser extend, but really dealing REPEATIVELY to replying the same old questions with the same old answer. Just tell people to look at the knowledge base and that's it, no more reason and cause to post repeatative questions. It is different to the stickies existing now. Users still has to look page by page for their answer.
Ok I shall end my whine here now. Thanks for allowing me let off my mind.
L2Deliver said:
Hi guys, may i speak a little bit of my mind?
I've been on XDA for quite a moment now, forget about not contributing to any development please , and i do know one very simple ground rule: SEARCH!!!!!!
But from my time here i realise searching for something and getting the right answer here on XDA does requires getting the keywords right + if to minimise the scope,search in the right forum and thread. The experience is not something Google offers.
Thus alot of times this has happened to myself, especially newbies, forget or skips searching every single forums and threads, looking through a 40 page thread just for the 1 sentence answer. And the result, lots of angry 'old birds' and mods.
Thus can i suggest setting up some kind of Knowledge Base forum or thread? This KB will the centralise of all the essence of developments, bugs, fixes that exists in this forum modified by a Mod/Admin only. Something like a library.
Having a Knowledge Base will really be helpful to (budding) developers as well as technology leechers like me :laugh: It reduces effort wasted on searching high and low to the lesser extend, but really dealing REPEATIVELY to replying the same old questions with the same old answer. Just tell people to look at the knowledge base and that's it, no more reason and cause to post repeatative questions. It is different to the stickies existing now. Users still has to look page by page for their answer.
Ok I shall end my whine here now. Thanks for allowing me let off my mind.
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Sounds like a good idea.I think you're free to set up a thread like this, where you cover the most important questions and deliver some troubleshooting.
good idea,+1
from experience i know that using any search system can be daunting without correct (key)words so great idea +1:good :good:
Its a good idea. But then, its not like we have tons of roms out. And its not like we have that many bugs on the phone.
muellersmattes said:
Sounds like a good idea.I think you're free to set up a thread like this, where you cover the most important questions and deliver some troubleshooting.
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Yes. but my point of having it managed and maintained solely by a mod/admin is for the knowledge base not to be 'polluted' by questions and answers. Kinda like a locked thread.
babymatteo said:
Its a good idea. But then, its not like we have tons of roms out. And its not like we have that many bugs on the phone.
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Understand. Perhaps this idea can be utilised at other places of XDA or the entire XDA which im sure with all materials centralised and summerised into a mega knowledge base will be very very awesome.
I think a FAQ can helpful and it will sure help new people.
Creating a KB can be a heavy time consuming job even though we don't many roms.
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Every new users or users that isn't active should be forced to watch the "You are a Noob" video till the END the first ten times they try to post a comment...
Then there would be no excuse not to search before asking dumb questions that have been answered a thousand times..

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