[myTouch 4G Android Development] cnote74:
Found this on dhd ics thread

Place holder for FAQ construction (ignore all this stuff, it's 'under development' until it appears in the OP)

FAQ - THE BIG PICTURE

What is ICS?

ICS is Ice Cream Sandwich - Google's latest version of Android.

- Some of the very latest phones on the market already have it installed. e.g HTC One series

- Some slightly older phones will eventually be 'upgraded' to ICS e.g Desire HD, but this may be a number of months away, and promised 'upgrades' have sometimes never been delivered at all.

- If / when it does arrive for Desire HD it may not happen for everybody at the same time, sometimes it's carrier by carrier, and finally 'retail' (non carrier branded) handsets that get the upgrade last!

- If / when it does arrive, it will be overlayed with HTC's Sense (some like it, some don't)

- In the meantime, folks are working on getting ICS on your Desire HD BEFORE it's officially released for the phone, with and without Sense (giving you a choice)

So why don't some features work?

Well, the ICS being used on Desire HD is 'taken' from officially released ICS phones like the HTC One range, or 'leaked' ROMS from similar phones.

However, those phones have slightly different hardware and features than the Desire HD - so they aren't exactly the same. This means that parts of the software have to be 'ported' to work on the Desire HD.

OK, so why is porting so difficult?

The Android O/S is 'open source' meaning that anybody can see the actual source code for themselves, and see how it all works. They can modify it and adapt it to suit their needs (good).

Phone manufacturers USE Android in their phones, but they don't have to make all their own 'extra' software open source too. They like to protect their software by keeping it secret (not so good). There are many reasons why they do this, both good and bad, but it makes porting difficult.

When developers don't have access to the source code for parts of a phone, they have to write their own!... this means they have to have highly detailed knowledge of the phone, its hardware and other software components. Sometimes they can try things by trial and error, sometimes they have knowledge from a similar phone, and sometimes they just don't know.

This is the most common issue for 'ported' ROMS. Things like Power Management, Camera, WiFi, GPS etc are the things that make one manufacturer's phone stand out from another, and therefore end up 'secret'.

This does not mean that they will never work, it only means that they take longer to get working.

Who does the porting?

The actual porting is done by surprisingly few people:

- Some guys who know 'inside secrets'

- Some guys who are just great developers but who don't have the secrets

- Some guys who can develop but need a little guidance

- Some of them are 'great guys' helping the community (and keeping their own skills up to date)

- Some of them have other motives (good and bad)

- Some of them form teams to work on different ports

Why don't all the developers work together?

Developers are people - they have all the same issues as everybody else:

- Some like working alone

- Some feel that other developers standards aren't high enough

- Some are trying to fix a specific problem that THEY want fixed

- Some teams have different goals (one team might be aiming for a port that can work on 5 different phones, whilst another team are focused on a single phone. One team may want a totally 'clean' ROM and another want a ROM with lots of customisation options built in)

- Sometimes, people just don't get along with each other

I thought the ROM makers did all this work?

You'd be wrong.

The ROM developers use the ported code to make their ROMs. Sometimes they can choose different components from the various development teams to build a ROM.

Imagine a motor car:

1) The 'developers' make the engine, wheels, steering, chassis etc

2) The ROM Makers build their car choosing the components they need for their ROM

3) The 'Modders' add custom paint colours, fancy headlights, custom interior etc

The 'developers' are not smarter than the ROM makers, and the ROM makers are not smarter than the modders. They just have different roles (and some people do all three roles!)

FAQ - Specific Problems

This ROM sucks

OK, that's possible, but there are 1000's of others who disagree - so maybe you've made a small mistake in the setup of your ROM?

- Firstly, ALWAYS fully wipe your system before flashing this ROM. If you think you're smart and don't need to do this, fine - but don't complain about a bug afterwards.

- NEVER restore system settings or apps with Titanium Backup or similar. Again, if you think you're smart, go ahead - but don't complain about a bug afterwards.

In reality, sometimes it's very hard to avoid a 'restore' with Titanium Backup, and we understand this... it's just important to understand that restoring things to the ROM (even something minor) can really screw things up. So if you have problems, always try testing with a 100% clean system. This is really important!

How do I know what's working and what isn't?

Most of the working / not working status is detailed right below the download link.

These will typically be the BIG items that the developers and ROM makers know about. If something is listed as not working, then please don't clog up the thread by reporting something we already know.

My camera doesn't work perfectly

Did you read the above?

The camera is being worked on. Right now, you SHOULD be able to take great photos at any resolution using the stock camera provided with the ROM.

If you use a 3rd party camera app, then you MAY experience some problems. For the moment, please only report issues with the stock camera.

My video cam doesn't work

The video cam is being worked on. Right now, don't expect much from it. You MIGHT have some luck with a 3rd party video camera app (but unlikely). There's no point in telling us it's not working - we know. If we need mass feedback on a 'test' version of a ROM, we'll make it very clear in the OP (opening post).

MMS isn't working

A few users are having issues with MMS, but before you report an issue, please check the following:

- You MUST have a data connection (not WiFi) in order to download the MMS content. You may receive an MMS notification (telling you that you HAVE an MMS) without a data connection, but you need data to actually download it

- Your APN configuration may be incorrect, please check it, and if possible include what your settings are when you report an MMS issue.

The battery sucks

This can be one of the harder issues to diagnose...

- Try with a 'clean' system first and see how it performs after a full charge

- Slowly introduce your apps being especially careful with widgets that use data connections, but widgets in general

- Try to figure if one of those apps or widgets is running in the background and wasting battery, or preventing your phone from sleeping properly.

A general rule of thumb is 'you should get about 8 hours worth of battery' with 45 mins of surfing, 30 mins of gaming, 30 mins of music, 10 mins of phone calls and wifi / GPS / Screen switched off at all other times.

This is a MASSIVE estimate, but it's a guideline.

How fast can I overclock my phone?

Every phone is slightly different - just like a car. You get some bad ones, some good ones, and the majority fall in the middle.

Your Desire HD was manufactured to operate at 1Ghz. If you go over this good luck. It can work.

If you don't really know what overclocking is - don't do it.

If you do know what it is, then you should be aware of the risk and reduction in life expectancy of your phone.

Do I need to add anything to this ROM to make it work?

NO - you never need to add ANYTHING to the ROM to make it work. The ROM is supplied with everything required 'built in'.

In the very rare event that a critical bug is discovered, there will be a 'hotfix' detailed right below the ROM download.

All 'Add ons' and 'Mods' are optional - and you should verify that they are still appropriate for the latest ROM release (because sometimes, a brand new ROM is released after the addon was released and a broken addon hasn't been removed from the list yet).

Can you change the launcher provided with your ROM?

Launchers are a matter of taste - everyone has their favourite launcher.

If you're not happy with the default launcher, it's very easy to install your own favourite from the Google Play Store, or sideloaded via an APK.

We're sorry you didn't like the defaults, but we do try to provide the best combination of 'free' launcher / functionality / popularity for the majority of users.

Bluetooth Issues

- TBC

THANK YOU

Thank you for bothering to read this far down the FAQ. We really wish more people would do the same.

A lot of work goes into the making of a ROM, and all we ask is that you spend 10 minutes reading this stuff. Well done!