[Galaxy Note II General] anoneemooz:
Rooting opinions...

I rooted initially to get rid of a lot of TouchWiz crap I'd rather not have cluttering up my phone and running when I don't want them to.. but later on I couldn't take the whole look of TouchWiz in general and just got onto to the PA then CM10 ( and now CM10.1) train by my second day of ownership lol.

ABOUT AOSP BASED ROMs (CM, PA, AOKP etc.):

I got used to the clean AOSP look and feel since I started using it on my SGS1 and TF201. TouchWiz strikes me as too juvenile looking, imho. AOSP based ROMs give me that Pure Google Nexus phone experience, but without the limitations of the Nexus phones (no ext. SD card, smaller screen...)

I can live without most of the s-pen features because there are plenty of apps (LectureNotes - paid, Memo - free, Papyrus - free with paid addons... to name a few..) that do much more, and look so much better than s-note for me. I do wish I could get multi-window because that would be a pretty useful feature to me, but alas, it's a sacrifice. I can at least use floating apps such as FloatingNotes 2 (paid) and AirCalc (free) which are all that I really need. Floating browsers are too small for me, and the same goes for floating videos. TouchWiz camera features are missing, but many camera apps out there provide these. The AOSP camera is great if you just need the bare essentials of a camera.

To be honest, the only thing I REALLY miss about TouchWiz is a minor feature... having the phone wake up right away and take me to s-note as soon as the pen is removed. :( That was really useful to me but oh well, reaching for the power or home button to wake my phone up, then unlock it, then go to my note app or whatever won't kill me.

Of course, it's all about preference. If you like the TouchWiz look, or got the Note 2 for most of its advertised software based features (gestures, motion, multiwindow, s-note, smart stuff), then there's less reason to root. There are, as mentioned, alternatives for most of those features that may or may not be better options, but it takes a bit of looking around to find the best apps for you (some of which have to be paid for). So if you just want everything working right out of the box, then stick to stock.

STOCK BASED ROMS:

As for stock-based ROMs...many of them are promising, but I hate the themes most ROM chefs force onto users. Many of them end up looking quite tacky...I'd be happy with a stock-based ROM that is just really lightened up with nothing really added to possibly mess things up. Maybe just a mod or two for brightness and audio or something. "Improved performance" type mods don't matter too much on a powerful phone like the Note 2. Many of those types of mods tend to cause instability in some way or another too.

OTHER REASONS TO ROOT?

Backup/Restore/Freeze/Remove apps..backup/restore entire phone

Most backup/restore of app type apps require root. I think there are now non-root options, but I'm happy with what I use. Personally, I use Titanium Backup (for getting rid of useless stuff, backups, restores, etc.). I gladly paid for the app way before it even hit the Playstore and I have always been a happy and satisfied customer. :D It's always the first app to be installed on my devices. CWM/TWRP allow you to backup your entire phone as well before you set off flashing all kinds of things.

Modifying/copying game files, cheating

Some ways to cheat in games require root or that you can access the root area of your phone to mess with game files.. If you're not much of a gamer, prefer not to cheat, or are highly likely to mess stuff up if you'd try, then this is irrelevant haha

Kernels

These are often a hit or miss in terms of what they'll do for your device. They could make you feel like its running much better (possibly placebo effect) or they could make your device unstable..or they could do both lol. I personally use kernels because they offer possibly useful mods (possibly better performance, improved audio, improved battery life, etc.) without me having to flash an entire ROM (ROM chefs just package kernels with their ROMs anyway and add those features to their own "feature list").

Messing with System Files

You can replace fonts, boot animations, sounds, modify the CSC and/or build.prop to unlock certain features or change some aspects of the phone...

It can get addicting

People out there, including me, just root and flash and such because we somehow enjoy it. It keeps things feeling new and exciting and you end up learning a lot along the way. For example, I learned how to resurrect my SGS1 when I bricked it (in the first week of ownership no less lol) using..a hairdryer! I kid you not. Maybe the whole "I'm making my phone so much better" argument can be lent a bit to the placebo effect or deceptive benchmarks, but nonetheless, I still enjoy all of it.

TL; DR version:

- Stock-based ROMs - many people swear by their fave ROM chef or team..but these are not really worth it, for me; they can sometimes be ugly, unstable, or mostly about the "marketing skills" of the chef/team behind the ROM lol. They offer you an all in one package of mods and such, so if you just want to flash one thing and be done, then give them a try.

- AOSP - CM, PA, AOKP, etc... for me, the best reason to start tinkering with your phone; sacrifice some Sammy features but most of these can be replaced

- Backup/Restore/Delete apps (including system apps)..or even the entire ROM itself - Titanium Backup is the best thing since sliced bread to me. CWM/TWRP can essentially make a snapshot backup of your entire phone in case you mess up a ROM flash.

- Games - only if you like cheating in games enough to bother (possibly breaking games lol)

- Kernels - hit or miss; brings some useful mods sometimes

- System files - if you like changing things like fonts, boot animation, etc. you would have to root

- Addicting learning experience - many flashaholics here can attest to this but it really depends if you're the type of person who'd find enjoyment in this. I'm a girl who happens to enjoy this :)

Of course, all of the power rooting provides you requires that you know what you are doing when you decide to mess with your phone..it also requires that you know how to read instructions and look for answers to problems... and that you do not simply freak out when something suddenly goes wrong. There is plenty of risk only if you are not the type to enjoy troubleshooting and tinkering. The community here is very helpful (though rude at times to newbies especially), so it isnt likely that you would run into a problem without a solution or someone willing to guide you through possible solutions.

Sorry for the long post. :)) I'm quite passionate about these things I guess...