[Fascinate General] jawman27:
We noobs, for good reason, are encouraged to search the forums for answers. The conversations between high level users, though, can sometimes be hard to follow. This glossary should help. It is not a guide. I don't know enough yet to create a guide. It's only a glossary that offers a bit of guidance here and there.

To the noobs: any technical jargon used in a definition should be defined elsewhere in the glossary. To the experienced users: I am a noob writing for other noobs, so please feel free to correct any glaring errors. I would like to keep the definitions both functional and phrased generally in layman's terms. I know I have left out a lot of details, some intentionally, some through ignorance. Further discussion is welcomed.

Glossary

*228 - This is the number to dial from any Verizon phone to activate it. Option 1 activates the phone (linking it to your number and account). Option 2 updates the data roaming, which can evidently enhance your data connection if done from time to time. In certain situations, a dial pad may not be available during the activation call. As an alternative, you can dial *22890 to directly program your phone. Depending perhaps on where you live and which ROM you are using, you can dial *22891 to directly update your roaming. If that fails, you can try *22899 to update roaming, but some users report that this may be risky. Other alternatives include setting up a speed dial as *228,,,,1 or *228,,,,2. The phone reads the commas as two second pauses. Your phone will dial *228, wait for a bit, and then press 1 or 2 automatically.

3 Finger Salute - Using 3 fingers, you hold down the Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power buttons on the sides of your phone. This will boot you into your recovery program. It can also be used to reboot a frozen phone without pulling the battery. This will not work on all ROMs, particularly those using MTD. In fact, if you do it while on an ICS ROM, you will get to see what a bootloop looks like.

adb - Android Debug Bridge - This is a method to connect your home computer to your phone. Generally speaking, it requires properly installed Samsung drivers and the use of the usb cable that came with your phone. People use adb for all sorts of things, including rooting and salvaging a messed up phone. You may see forum discussions where people discuss coding terminology in little grey boxes. These are generally adb commands.

example: adb push something.txt /sdcard/something.txt

AOKP - Android Open Kang Project - A play on the terms "kang" and "AOSP," this is part of a large multi-dev effort to bring the latest Android developments to a number of phones. For our purposes, it is currently under development as a Jelly Bean ROM that we can flash onto our phones. AOKP milestone 6, the final iteration of AOKP ICS, is still regarded as one of the most functional and stable ROMs available for the Fascinate.

AOSP - Android Open Source Project - This refers to the fact that Google shares its Android source code with the world, perhaps its main differentiation from Apple. Any software developer can work with this code. Functionally speaking, developers create AOSP ROMs for the Fascinate. AOSP ROMs could be considered the most pure version of Android, or Android "the way Google intended."

.apk - This is the file extension of ordinary apps and widgets used in Android. If you have the .apk file of a certain app, and you know what to do with it, you can run that app on your phone.

Example conversation:

Noob: I really like this new ROM, but I miss the Samsung Program Monitor widget.

Expert: Just copy the .apk from Nitsuj's stock ROM onto your SD card and install it using Root Explorer

Noob: What's Root Explorer?

Expert: *sigh*

Auto Reboot - This is a check box in Odin. It determines whether your phone will reboot itself after flashing a file in Odin. It doesn't really seem to matter a great deal whether or not it is checked. There seem to be a lot of opinions on this subject. Generally speaking, leaving the box unchecked will not cause any problems. Some problems have been reported in the situation of a failed flash of bootloaders when the box was checked.

Battery pull - Phones can become frozen in all sorts of awkward positions. They sometimes freeze on boot-up screens. They sometimes freeze on screens you won't even recognize. The traditional quick fix was to pull the battery out of the phone, give it a minute, put the battery back in, and then reboot. While this method often works, there is some evidence that it may be harsh on your sd card. The battery pull has essentially been replaced by the act of holding "Volume Up" and "Power" for a while (at least 5 seconds, maybe 10). Shutting down by holding these two buttons is widely regarded as safer than a battery pull.

BL - Bootloader - a.k.a. Boot Loader - This is the rudimentary software that kicks in when a phone is first powered up. Its only real goal is to get the operating system up and running. Some phones, like those from Motorola, have a "locked" bootloader, making it more difficult to use custom kernels. The Fascinate's bootloader was never locked. Here's where it gets complicated: bootloaders are broken down by Android version. There are Eclair bootloaders, Froyo bootloaders, and GB bootloaders. Just being on one version of Android, though, does not mean that you have the corresponding bootloader. It seems that stock Gingerbread phones don't use a Gingerbread bootloader. In fact, to put a GB bootloader on your phone (highly recommended for modern ROMs) you will need to flash a GB bootloader file.

BLN - Back Light Notification - This refers to a popular concept whereby the LED softkeys on the bottom of the phone will blink or light up as a means of notifying the user of missed calls, new texts, emails, etc. Most modern kernels are compatible with some form of BLN. Sometimes, an app will need to be installed from the Marketplace (Google Play) to actually control the settings. More and more, though, the settings can be controlled from within the ROM itself.

Bloat - a.k.a. Bloatware - This term describes all the software that Verizon installed on the phone, but would not allow you to uninstall. Bloat means different things to different people, but it's basically anything stuck on the phone that the user doesn't want. Opinions obviously vary. Common examples of bloat include the NFS Shift racing game, Vcast apps, and Bing.

BML - This is a technical term used by devs to describe the software organization in your phone as it relates to things called partitions. BML is the older, less flexible, and somewhat slower of the two organizational schemes currently available for our phone (MTD being the other). BML was long regarded as the more stable system. MTD ROMs, though, because of their performance benefits and available features, are now the gold standard. A stock Fascinate uses BML, as do several of the custom ROMs (GW, SC3, ,PWGB, TSM Res). Anything involving ICS or JB uses MTD.

Boot Loop - This happens when something goes wrong and does not allow your phone to boot properly. It will actually look like it is repeatedly attempting, but failing to boot up. There are numerous causes and numerous fixes. If you want to see what it looks like, you can do a 3 finger salute while on an ICS ROM.

Bootani - Boot animation. This is the image you see when your phone first boots up. The stock bootani is the Verizon logo. Developers tend to insert their own custom bootanis, and users often like to insert their own as a means of further customizing their phones.

Brick - a.k.a. Paperweight - The ultimate threat that keeps noobs from rooting, this is what people call a phone that does not work at all. It basically has the functionality of a brick or toy block. "Brick" is also used as verb, as in the act of turning your phone into a brick. There are several well established ways to brick phones. The one that noobs are most likely to encounter is the dreaded "Phone" button on Odin. Don't ever touch the phone button, EVER!

Cache - Common to many operating systems, Android included, this is a file where frequently accessed data is stored so as to perform overall performance. Wiping (i.e. clearing/emptying) the cache does not delete any user data, as the cache is rebuilt over time as the phone is used. Functionally speaking, many problems (poor performance, freezes, reboots) can be addressed by rebooting into recovery and wiping the cache and Dalvik cache.

Analogy: when you're reading a book, you could put it back in the bookshelf every time you get to a stopping point. However, it's much easier just to store it on your nightstand (your cache) for a while until you're finished reading it. That way you can access it much faster. If your wife/mom/maid comes and cleans off your nightstand, the book still exists, you just have to take the time to go get it out of the bookshelf again.

CM7 - CyanogenMod7 - This is an alternate version of Android 2.3 put together by a sharp group of developers who are involved in the Android Open Source Project. The CM7 ROM is perhaps most known for its ability to be customized by the user. The CyanogenMod team considers CM7 to essentially be finished, polished, and stable.

CM9 - CyanogenMod9 - This is CyanogenMod's version of ICS. Various releases have been available to the public for some time. Updates continue to be released. Many of the ICS ROMs on our phones carry bits and pieces of CM9. CyanogenMod's development attention has now shifted to CM10.

CM10 - CyanogenMod10 - CyanogenMod's version of JB, currently under rapid development. The various iterations are available as nightlies, which can be downloaded from CyanogenMod's website.

CNA - Codename Android - This is a ROM that, like many others, was available as ICS and is now available as a JB ROM.

CWM - ClockworkMod Recovery - This is an enhanced (understatement) alternative to the phone's normal recovery program. CWM is absolutely central to rooting. Most rooting guides will have you install some version of this program right away, for good reason.

CWM, once installed is accessed as follows:

1. Power down your phone.

2. Using 3 fingers, hold down Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power (see the guides for more specific directions).

Common uses of CWM include:

1. A complete data wipe of your phone (erases all apps, but not your ROM or kernel)

2. Wiping of the cache (often used before making major changes to your phone)

3. Wiping of the dalvik cache (also often used before making major changes to your phone)

4. Wiping battery stats. Some short battery life problems have more to do with your phone's interpretation of your battery than the charge of the battery itself. Wiping these stats can sometimes solve poor battery life issues.

5. Creating and using Nandroid backups.

6. Flashing custom ROMs and kernels (and other things). Users who are crazy about rooting and development will try several new ROMs and kernels in a single day. CWM makes it very easy to install these things and go back and forth.

There are two versions of CWM that most Fascinate users will deal with. There is the CWM 2.5 (CWM-recovery-ALL.tar) that is used for basic rooting or flashing ROMs that are closer to stock (SC3, GeeWiz, TSM Res). Then there is CWM 4 (CWM4_fixed_for_CM7-ODIN.tar) used for flashing MTD ROMs. There are some differences between the two, but they basically work the same way. See Droidstyle's guide for more details. Often, after successful installation of a ROM/kernel combo, one will find a new recovery installed on the phone. Not to worry, though, they all work in very much the same fashion.

Dalvik - This is what's known as a "Java virtual machine." It's the part of the software incorporated into all Android devices that actually runs the apps. It is named after a fishing village in Iceland, home to the ancestors of the developer who first designed the software. For our purposes, when problems occur with our phones, one of the first steps to try would be to reboot into the recovery program and use the available commands to wipe cache and Dalvik cache.

Debloated - This describes a phone that has had the Verizon bloatware removed. Debloating is one of the main motivations for rooting. It can make a phone run more smoothly by getting rid of a lot of things that run in the background. It's also just nice not having all of those useless icons clogging your app drawer. There are two common ways to debloat that most noobs will encounter:

1. Root your phone, install an app called Titanium Backup from the Android Marketplace (Google Play), and "Freeze" anything you consider bloat.

2. Root your phone and install a custom ROM. These ROMs basically come debloated from the developers.

Dev - Developer - These are the people who understand how to write and modify code in the android platform. They are the ones that make rooting fun and easy for the rest of us. They not only create fascinating developments (no pun intended), they package them up in neat little files that simpletons like us can download and install on our phones in a tidy fashion. It is always sad for the community when a recognized dev moves on to another phone. The Fascinate currently has a lot of devs working in a lot of different directions. It's a testament to the inherent potential of this phone.

Development Forum - This is the section of the xda Samsung Fascinate forums that is to reserved for actual development. In this section it is ok for noobs to READ, NOT TO POST. It is important to keep this section uncluttered to promote rapid and efficient exchange of information. It is not the forum in which to post your questions. Also, if you like a dev's work, etiquette dictates that you don't necessarily need to tell him in the Development Forums. You can simply hit the "Thanks" button. He will understand what you mean. The fact that some noobs may have posted in these forums does not serve as justification for other noobs doing the same.

Devil Kernel - This is a relatively new kernel on the Fascinate scene. There is a version for ICS, an alternative to the well-established IcyGlitch kernel, and there is a version for JB. It is the product of German developer DerTeufel1980, and it is undergoing rapid development.

Devil Recovery - As the name suggests, this is a recovery program (an alternative to CWM) from dev DerTeufel1980. Flashing his ROM or kernel will often give you his recovery.

DIDLE - Deep Idle - Some custom kernels can unlock this ability within your phone to dramatically reduce power consumption while idle. Predominantly, it works when the phone's screen is off, but some feature (e.g. a music player) is still running. Some tests by developers show impressive results for decreased battery drain while using DIDLE. Unfortunately for Fascinate users, it must be used with great care because it is well known to cause the Sleep of Death.

Dirty Flash - To properly install a ROM, one should always wipe all user data before doing so. This doesn't mean that the ROM won't flash if you refuse to do. To dirty flash, just clear cache and Dalvik cache and then flash your ROM in recovery.

Why would you do this? Because you're feeling lazy, and you don't want to have to restore your apps and settings.

Why shouldn't you do this? Because you'll have a lot of problems with your phone, call them bugs, blame it on the ROM, and then clog up the development forums with problems that no one else seems to be experiencing.