ROM hunt: the search for the most bug free ROM

[PereDroid]

Most rooted folks know that most ROM's have bugs.
When I rooted my D1 I tried several different ROM's before I found one I like.
So now I am on the hunt for the perfect ROM for my DINC2.
I will document my progress here to try and help others.

• Mik's HD Rom 4.0.2

I must have had a bad download or something because I couldn't even get this one to run properly. Kept timing out on the HTC Load screen.
I will revisit this one later. After 4 tries gave up and went to...

• GinnyMede .1

First release of this ROM so it can be forgiven for being buggy. I really like this one and will keep an eye on it. It's fast and pretty and has zero bloat. Comes with Sense 3.5 which is a real joy to use. Everything seems really improved... except for 3G data. I lose my 3G quite a bit. Version .2 came out yesterday but no mention of any update for signal issues so I will try another one. Onto

• BAMF Forever 1.0.

Initial thoughts, so far so good. Install went fine. Has the old market which is a pro and a con. The newest market remembers all software you installed including the free stuff.
Not a deal breaker.
----
So far so good. Not one significant "show stopper" bug that I have found yet. In fact, haven't really found any bugs yet.
I REALLY don't like the old market. I don't think that will be enough to get me to try something else. Maybe...
Other then that, though, I really like this ROM.
This is also the first ROM I have seen, although I am quite sure it isn't the only one, that allows you to hide the time in the status bar.
----
Found a SHOWSTOPPER. Exchange email FC's on me any time I hit REPLY. Unacceptable.
I will give MIK's ROM another shot when he releases a new version and if no joy there I will try SJPritch suggestion of MIUI.
Scratch that. Onto

• SkyRaider 1.1. Downloading....

Frustration setting in. Skyraider install after 3 wipes of data and cache.... stuck at the HTC screen.
I had a CyanogenMod I downloaded awhile ago. Threw that in for now.
So in CM7 I used ROM Manager to flash the new version of CWM. 5.something. Tried to install Skyraider again. Everything finished. Stuck at HTC screen....
Downloading

• Liquid 3.1. Wiped. Installed. Loaded. Nice. Quick. No bugs found yet.

Keep hearing a Foo Fighters song in the back of my head. "Done and done and I'm onto the next one...."
----
OK. I got problems. Real problems. I think I am addicting to trying different ROMs no!!! LOLOL
Liquid was running just fine but I was intrigued by MIUI and the tiny download size (compared to these others).

• MIUI

Installed after backing up Liquid. Hands down Liquid and now MIUI are my leading favorites. Wow, MIUI is very pretty and smooth and the themes?!? Holy crap. There's a frikking million of 'em and you can download 'em in about 2 minutes. I don't like the fact that the TOS was in Chinese. I do like to skim through those. Not sure these could be my daily driver... think I'd be to busy changing themes around to actually use the phone. But it is very nice. The icons have a bit of an iPhone flavor feeling in the default config and the lack of an app drawer feels iPhoney. I also don't like that you cannot delete some of the MIUI apps. But overall this is a good ROM so far. Has the best screenshot key combo and the Flashlight, which I use alot, is fantastic. Press and hold HOME from the lock screen activates it. Very cool.
Still miss the BAMF Forever option which allows you to remove the clock in the noty bar. Thought that would be more common. Only one so far.
----
OK so I really wound up liking MIUI. BUT I really wanted to try

• Mik's HD ROM take II.

Did a fresh download of 4.0.2. Installed. O crap, forgot to wipe. It actually loaded up but then FC, FC, FC, FC all the MIUI apps that were trying to load.
Oops.
Restore to original image. Install. Stuck on the HTC screen. wtf? Maybe there's a glitch in there somewhere? Flashing FROM Stock to Mik? Because then I restored to Liquid 3.1. Install Mik's. Success! Very odd.
Going to run this for awhile and see how it is. Yay I can remove the clock again!

_____________________

OK so that locked up on me twice. Went back to MIUI.
With Widget Locker and Power Widgets I had it looking very sense like. It worked well. I did the folder on the dock so it even had the "app drawer". I had it pretty dialed in.
But then after some time I noticed the video camera sucked. It was horrible.

Went back to Liquid. Got that all dialed in. Had it how I wanted.
I found 2 apps that I really need would NOT run on Liquid AND I think the camera was still worse then stock.
So NOW I am on Mik's Incredible HD RLS 1.1.
Giving this one last shot...

[sjpritch25]

I take it you only like sense based roms?

Sent from my Incredible 2 using DroidForums

[PereDroid]

Well I won't say I ONLY like Sense ROM's, that sounds close minded and I am anything but... but when I look for a ROM ... well yea I look for Sense ones.
I came from a Moto D1. It was fine but I always drooled over my co-workers DINC and the Sense UI. I even bought Beautiful Widgets to get the Sense like clock widget.
(I support the phones in my office so I see them all).
Another co-worker got the D3 and I was REPULSED by the lock screen on that phone. Love the "contacts" widget but that's about ALL I liked from the Motorola.
So I was just dying to get an HTC phone.
Finally got one... and Sense being one of the things I liked... why would I want to ditch it now?

But as I said I am open minded. Is there a non-Sense ROM that you really like???

[PereDroid]

I LOVE the frikking PEOPLE widget in Sense.
And YES I know that Go has a very similar widget. Used it.

The ring lock screen in the second pic is a Sense thing, right? LOVE IT.
And yes, I have Widget Locker and I know Widget Locker can add that ring lockscreen...

But the less I have to install to make everything LOOK like Sense the better, right?
That's my thinking anyway.

[sjpritch25]

I have no problem with Sense, I just don't like the UI. I was just curious because all the roms you tried are sense based. Have you flashed any other ROMS? I've tried many and still go back to MIUI, but that's what makes android so good. We have many choices. Liquid Rom is a very good CM7 based AOSP rom.

[sjpritch25]

here are some screenshots.

[PereDroid]

Looks very nice. Found a glitch in this one so I will try that or Mik's next.

[klabit87]

If you like to stick to Sense roms then you should try Skyraider Zeus 1.1.1
[ROM][GB] SkyRaider Zeus 1.1.1 Inc2
I haven't seen any bugs at all with this one.

[PereDroid]

If you like to stick to Sense roms then you should try Skyraider Zeus 1.1.1
[ROM][GB] SkyRaider Zeus 1.1.1 Inc2
I haven't seen any bugs at all with this one.

That's actualy the one I was looking for when I found Forever 1.0.

Downloading SkyRaider cuz I'm being lazy and you gave me a quick link to it. lol

[Stelv]

Miui is nice but when I was running 10.21 I had one problem. When I was playing music and using the navigator at the same time it would freeze when the lady went to talk on navigation. Not a big deal for some, but it was for me cuz I use both simultaneously often. Could have been just isolated to me to, not sure.