Should I root my incredible???

[keith4321]

I'm on the fence as to root or stay stock and keep looking for better apps to keep me occupied... I'm pretty tech savvy I would say, but some of the lingo used when talking about rooting is confusing. I still think i could benefit a lot from rooting just by deleting stock apps and what not. I didn't really provide a question here but if anyone can lean me one way or the other lol... thanks

 

[benner]

I was on the fence as well and have since rooted and discovered the wonderful world of alternate Roms. The phone is so much quicker, responsive, and better looking now.

And from my experience it's Incredible (pun intended) how easy it is to root, unroot, and change roms.

I can have my phone rooted and a new Rom within 10 minutes and be back to unrooted/ stock Rom within 5.

 

[keith4321]

It may sound dumb but what is a rom I'm thinking its a ''theme'' ?

 

[Hashi]

It may sound dumb but what is a rom I'm thinking its a ''theme'' ?

Not dumb at all.

I'm just trying to think of a way to explain without adding to complexity.

A ROM (typically) is the Operating System (in Linux, the kernel component) + the user-space components of everything on the Droid, with the possible exception of the "radio" (which is usually burned separately) and the bootloader, which consists of some 'hard-code', and some other firmware which can also be changed (like clockworkmod recovery or sprecovery).

So it is nearly everything. For example: Wifi consists of a) hardware, b) device driver or module in the kernel, and c) user-space routines to access it that will show up in the settings of the droid. That's the way many things work that to you, appear as "apps".

Those are all 'modified' by applying a ROM. They aren't all really changed, although the "framework' that makes up a theme maybe is changed, and other "operating" tweaks are made, code can be changed, etc.

Kernels can be recompiled to have new modules that allow tethering, mounting other filesystem types, and allow over/under clocking/volting, but they will usually require some user-space code to actually do the run-time tweaks.

Hope that helps.

If you think of the droid as a bunch of layers, they might be:
1) hardware
2) bootloader to load the OS
3) kernel
3.5) services (background tasks that manage e.g. networking, display)
4) user-space routines and apps
5) theme (if there is any special one), but Sense or Blur are examples of this layer of things.

Another example of what a ROM is would be what an OS is to a PC or Laptop: So if you installed Windows or Linux on a PC, it would be the corollary of applying a Rom to the droid, though most droid flavors are close to the original (so Android OS).

 

[benner]

That's still a complex way of explaining it.

Simplest way I explain it to people is it's the Operating system essentially.

Like how some computers run Windows and others are Apple. It's more complex than that but that's the 5 second explanation.

 

[keith4321]

So the easiest and recommended way to root is unrevoked?? Also where do you find the best/good Roms?

Sent from my Droid Incredible using the Droid forum app

 

[benner]

Yep Unrevoked is what I use. And Rom Manager in the app market has all kinds of apps you can run but I'm running Ultimate Droid 2.3 right now and love it. you have to go to their website and download it to your sd card then install it with Rom manager.

 

[enlightened]

Excuse the title but this should help explain a lot of the terminology: A Dummies Guide to Android Terminology & Lingo

 

[jsuh]

Prior to my Incredible, I owned an Eris and I went through the phase of rooting, flashing custom ROMs, custom kernels, major overclocking, blah blah.

Now that I have my Incredible, I did flash a custom ROM, but I went back to stock. All I do now is have root but deleted the apps I didn't want and take advantage of the wireless tether and a few of the root-only apps.

I don't see a need to go all out. Stock sense runs smoothly enough for me.

So in conclusion, would I root? Yes. But do I see a need for the custom ROMs and all that? Nope.

 

[Hashi]

That's still a complex way of explaining it.

Simplest way I explain it to people is it's the Operating system essentially.

Like how some computers run Windows and others are Apple. It's more complex than that but that's the 5 second explanation.

You're right. I did include these final two lines in my original crazy overly long explanation:

-- snipped from original reply of mine --- (known as War & Peace)
Another example of what a ROM is would be what an OS is to a PC or Laptop: So if you installed Windows or Linux on a PC, it would be the corollary of applying a Rom to the droid, though most droid flavors are close to the original (so Android OS).

-

I should have left it at that.

Thanks,

Hashi

 

[benner]

It's cool. Just summed it up for you

 

[keith4321]

Very informative thanks to all.. I feel the same as jsuh about rooting but not getting a Rom. I guess the question now is once rooted where do you find the most recommended rooted only apps..

Sent from my Droid Incredible using the Droid forum app

 

[adriot]

I know, well nothing about how to root a phone. So little that the step by step instructions I've seen, well, I'm can't follow them. On paper, much less phone.

But I can't stand the **** that verizon and htc loaded my phone with. I not only have tons of apps I dont want and never want to see again, but I have SEVEN preloaded scenes that I can't adjust, rename, delete or anything. SEVEN!

I really just want to get rid of that stuff and find a really good organization app for applications and for pictures (because for some reason you can't organize photos into separate groups/albums) -- I just really want basic organization for the stuff I want on my phone, and to be able to get rid of all this junk I don't want.

How complicated is what I want? I assume it involves rooting, but can it be done fairly easily? Where I root, take the stuff I don't want off, and then, unroot, or return settings to normal or whatever it's called?

I.E., help!

 

[dezymond]

i just rooted it tonight to get the 2.3 keyboard. it's pretty cool, much better than the stcok

 

[adriot]

i just rooted it tonight to get the 2.3 keyboard. it's pretty cool, much better than the stcok

2.3 keyboard?