[Thunderbolt General] :
N

Nandroid:

1. (n.) A complete backup image of your Thunderbolt which can be restored in the event of phone problems or failure. A nandroid can be created in a number of ways, the most popular of which is through the application ROM Manager by selecting the option "Backup current ROM". Nandroids are saved onto your SD card, so wiping your data in order to flash new ROMs won't affect them! A nandroid is the best safety net for users experimenting with unstable ROMs or kernels.

1u. I flashed a ROM for a different device by mistake, so I booted into recovery and restored my BAMF nandroid backup!

Nightlies:

1. (n.) Nightly releases of a ROM, usually one which is AOSP-based. These releases are often less stable than official versions of the ROM because nightlies are changed on a nightly basis, meaning that some small bugs are inevitably overlooked. The CyanogenMod team coined the term and currently hosts nightlies for download on their servers, but only for devices which already have stable CM releases.

1u. Since CM is still working out the kinks in its RIL, OMFGB, another AOSP-based ROM with a working RIL, has begun releasing nightlies.

O

OTA:

1. (abvr., n.) Over The Air. Usually used in the context of an OTA update. 2. (n.) OTA [Update]: An update which is pushed, or sent out over the air, by Verizon. OTA updates are sent to all wireless customers. There are rumors that Verizon will soon send out an OTA update which will take the Thunderbolt from Froyo to Gingerbread.

1u. Verizon patched Android OTA.

2u. Hopefully, Verizon will give us Gingerbreads with an OTA update soon :(

Overclock:

1. (v.) To increase the CPU clock speed (which is measured in GHZ, or gigahertz) from its stock settings in order to increase the Thunderbolt's processing speed. The long-term results of overclocking on a mobile scale have yet to be determined because the ability to overclock and retain stability has only recently been achieved.

1u. I have my Thunderbolt overclocked to 1.41GHZ

P

Port:

1. (v.) To take a custom ROM/mod/kernel/theme/etc made for one device and adapt its code and architecture to run stably on the Thunderbolt. 2. (n.) A custom ROM/mod/kernel/theme/etc for a device other than the Thunderbolt which has been adapted to run stably on the Thunderbolt.

1u. Many people coming from different devices want their favorite ROMs ported over to the Thunderbolt.

2u. Kingdom is a port that many Thunderbolt users run.

Q

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R

Radio:

1. (n.) Software which controls all of the Thunderbolt's wireless communication, from CMDA to LTE. Without a radio installed, you won't have a data signal or a network signal. 2. (n.) The radio on the hardware level is what sends and receives wireless signals via the Thunderbolt's internal antenna.

1u. I want to upgrade my radio to MR2 when Gingerbread becomes more stable.

2u. The Thunderbolt's radio can receive data at 4G speeds.

*For general knowledge* >>> Head over to the Obligatory Thunderbolt Radio Thread to get your hands on basic Froyo radios. The first 4 radios on that page are for Froyo ROMs, but the last one is for Gingerbread only! For instructions on how to flash a radio, check out my FAQ Thread (coming soon...)

Recovery:

1. (n.) A mode which exists on a partition of your Thunderbolt's eMMC that can be accessed either through the use of ADB or through bootloader. In recovery mode (stock), you can factory reset your device and recover your operating system by flashing a signed ROM. There are few other options accessible in stock recovery mode. *Note: Not to be confused with Clockworkmod (see seperate entry).

1u. I really want to get rid off all this junk I've installed, so I booted into recovery and did a full factory reset.

RIL:

1. (n.) Radio Interface Layer. Its a large amount of pretty basic code that essentially helps software in need of network access communicate with the radio hardware itself. I'm paraphrasing here, but the process is something along the lines of: An application needs some kind of network usage --> the main phone application --> RIL --> two different RILs, the latter of which sends the signal out to the tower. Its sort of like the kernel of the radio.

1u. CM7's RIL is currently being worked on; when it's complete, CM7 should be headed towards its first official Thunderbolt release!

ROM:

1. (n.) Read-only memory. A ROM, in Android and Thunderbolt, is custom firmware designed either by the device manufacturer (signed firmware, where the word signed indicates its authenticity as manufacturer firmware) or by a third party (custom firmware). Installing a ROM involved flashing the .zip that it is compressed within through Recovery mode.

1u. Flashing custom ROMs is a great way to gain more control over your device!

ROM Manager:

1. (n.) An application used to perform a variety of root-only tasks such as creating a nandroid, downloading a ROM straight to your Thunderbolt, partitioning your SD card in preparation for A2SD, etc.. ROM Manager is included in many ROMs, but it can be downloaded for free from the Android market.

1u. You can use ROM Manager to run a fix permissions script, which is a tool that can sometimes fix force close problems.

Root:

1. (n.) In Linux (which Android is based on), the equivalent of administrative privileges on the system level. Therefore, obtaining root on your Thunderbolt equates to obtaining access to administrative rights on your phone. 2. Root[ing]: (v.) The act of obtaining root access on your phone. This can be done through ADB or by using the newer and experimental one-click root methods.

1u. A root user can edit system files, which unlocks all the potential of custom ROMs.

2u. Rooting your phone is the best way to get a full, unhindered user experience.

Rosie:

1. (n.) HTC's Sense-based dock and launcher application. Rosie is the in charge of your homescreens, dock, app drawer, etc.. It can be replaced by other launchers, such as LauncherPro, ADW Launcher, or GO Launcher.

1u. Most of the things you can do on your homescreens are done within Rosie.

RUU:

1. (n.) ROM Upgrade Utility. A file which allows the rooted user to revert recovery from ClockworkMod to stock, return to an un-rooted state, and turn S-OFF to S-ON. An RUU should be used when all things fail, when root access is no longer desired (ie if you need to bring your phone into Verizon to have it replaced), etc.. The average user will probably never have to use an RUU.

1u. My Thunderbolt's USB port stopped working, so I used an RUU to make my phone look normal and brought it to Verizon to have it replaced :D

S

S-OFF:

1. (n.) Security-OFF. In order to successfully root a Thunderbolt, flash custom ROMs, and access most /system/ files, you must first obtain S-OFF (the Thunderbolt ships with S-ON, or Security-ON). When S-OFF is obtained, the Thunderbolt no longer scans flashed firmware, boot animations, splash boot pages, or kernels for official signatures, meaning the user is grated full control over his/her phone. You can check your S status by booting into hboot (bootloader).

1u. I gained S-OFF so that I could flash GINGERTH3ORY and bake cookies on my battery :)

Sense:

1. (n.) HTC's default user interface for most of their Android-based mobile devices. Basically, Sense controls the Thunderbolt's lockscreen, launcher, and theme/skin by default, unless a desensed ROM is used or a 3rd party application bypasses Sense's control. 2. (v.) [De]sense: The process of removing HTC's Sense from your Thunderbolt, allowing for even more customization and no stock feel whatsoever. Desensing is usually done at the ROM level, and most ROMs will note whether or not they are desensed or not.

1u. I personally dislike the default Sense lockscreen, so I installed WidgetLocker and got rid of it!

2u. BAMF Stripped is the perfect example of a desensed ROM.

Stock:

1. (n.) Simply put, the default settings for a the Thunderbolt. A stock Thunderbolt would be one that is un-rooted, unmodified, and otherwise untouched on a software level. Restoring to stock refers to revoking root access and turning S-OFF to S-ON.

1u. You might want to return your Thunderbolt to its stock settings before you bring it in to Verizon and claim you don't know why it caught fire that one time ;)

Superuser:

1. (n.) An application used by root users to grant applications root access. Superuser allows users to select from a variety of different options, including remembering a specific application's root access, meaning it only needs to be cleared for root access once. Superuser is currently the easiest method for granting root access to applications.

1u. Superuser displays toast notifications whenever an application is granted root access.

Swap:

1. (n.) AKA Paging. A memory-management tool that creates a user-defined amount of virtual memory on the eMMC for Android to use in addition to the Thunderbolt's RAM. Using swap, Android can move larger amounts of data from RAM to the eMMC, allowing for more RAM to be free at any given time. Data is exchanged between the RAM and the swap partition based on size and priority. In theory, using swap will increase your Thunderbolt's performance because the RAM is free more often and in larger quantities.

1u. There are rumors that using swap will eventually kill your eMMC due to the fact that eMMC can only be written to a certain amount of times, however no one really knows the long term affects of many eMMC writes, so any claims should be viewed as speculation.

T

Titanium Backup:

1. (n.) A popular root-only application that contains many tools that a root user may want/need to use. Titanium Backup's main function is to create a backup of a user's applications, application data, and system data on the SD card so that a user can clear their data, flash a new ROM, and then restore their backed-up applications and data to the new ROM. However, Titanium Backup can also be used to uninstall system applications, move applications to the SD card, and freeze/defrost applications. Titanium Backup can be downloaded for free from the Android market.

1u. Das BAMF ROMs include the free version of Titanium Backup.

Toast Notifications:

1. (n.) A notification which pops up (much like toast ;)) to display itself at the bottom of the screen. Many background applications will use toast notifications in order to alert the user to its activity.

1u. Superuser uses toast notifications to notify the user of applications which are being granted root access.

U

UI:

1. (abvr., n.) User Interface. On a stock Thunderbolt, Sense would be considered by most to be the UI, although HTC sometimes agrees and sometimes disagrees. Either way, the UI is usually a graphical, physical way for the user to manipulate the intangible software and hardware contained within a device. A UIs goal is to be simple, visually appealing, and user-friendly, while still maintaining functionality and advanced capability.

1u. Sense, the Thunderbolt's UI, can be almost entirely removed by flashing a version of BAMF Stripped.

V

Voltage:

Used only in reference to Overclocking, see

O

. 1. (n.) Controls how many volts go to the CPU at different clock speeds. A lower voltage means longer battery life, but a voltage too low on a clock speed too high can lead to instability and system crashes. ; under- and over- are relative to stock CPU clocks.

1u. The stock CPU voltages consume battery life very quickly.

W

WIP:

1. (abvr., n.) Work In Progress. Usually used in reference to a ROM, implying that it is not currently finished, or in beta form.

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X

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Y

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Z

Zipalign:

1. (n.) A tool used by ROM developers that optimizes Android application files (.apk's). Essentially, zipaligning a ROM ensures that all applications are compressed relative to the start of the file. All the average user needs to know is that a zipaligned ROM means less RAM consumption, and that's always a good thing!

1u. Most of the popular Thunderbolt ROMs are zipaligned prior to their release.

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Well that's it for now! I'll be updating this daily for a while (until I run out of stuff to update it with). I'll keep it constantly maintained, and look out for a Frequently Asked Questions thread coming soon!

And just as a footnote guys, I really don't know that much about Android. I created this for myself just as much as I created it for the good of the community, and throughout writing it I learned a lot (you really think I knew what the hell deodex meant? dalvik cache? chyeah, okay). So if you learn something from this, pay it forward, help someone else with the new knowledge you've acquired! I'm totally open to corrections to current entries or even to entirely new entries, just post your thoughts below :)

ENJOY!!! :D :D :D