[AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note II] Bajanman:
The Rules...

Like anything in life, there are rules here. There are also moderators (mods) who enforce the rules when necessary.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=726334

Please take the time to read and understand them, as they make life here much more pleasant for everyone and will ultimately help you find the answers to your questions much faster.

And of course, always show respect for others, and they will show respect for you.

The community here is built on freely giving and sharing, and the more you give, the more you will get back.

Searching...

When you have a question you don't know the answer to, don't post a new thread when you could post a question in a relevant open thread, and don't post a question when a few minutes reading and searching will not only give you an answer, but a feeling of accomplishment that you were able to find it yourself, and the confidence to remember and repeat the answer with the link to the thread or post with that answer when you see someone else post that question.

Consider the question you are going to post, pick out the keywords and type them into the search box. Try a few different searches with slightly different words.

"Good to know" definitions...

ADB

→ Android Debug Bridge (adb) is a versatile command line tool that lets you communicate with an emulator instance or connected Android-powered device..

Android

→Unveiled on 5 November 2007, Android is a mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel developed by Google.

AOSP

→ Android Open Source Project

Apps2SD

→ Move applications from the internal NAND memory on the device to a removable SD Card.

BLN

→ BackLight Notification

Bloatware

→ Software bloat is a process whereby successive versions of apps include an increasing proportion of unnecessary features that are not used by end users, or generally use more system resources than necessary, while offering little or no benefit to its users. Like all the crap that comes from At&t

Brick

→ When used in reference to consumer electronics, "brick" describes a device that cannot function in any capacity (such as a device with damaged firmware). This usage derives from the fact that some electronic devices (and their detachable power supplies) are vaguely brick-shaped, and so those which do not function are useful only as actual bricks. The term can also be used as a verb. For example, "I bricked my phone when I tried to modify its firmware."[

Hard Brick

→ When your phone does not turn on at all. When you can’t get in to CWR/CWM Or Stock recovery. You are basically screwed.

Soft Brick

→ When your phone bootloops. When you can get into CWR/CWM. When You can use jigtag to get into download mode.

Busybox

→ BusyBox provides several stripped-down Unix tools in a single executable. It runs in a variety of POSIX environments such as Linux, Android, FreeBSD and others, such as proprietary kernels, although many of the tools it provides are designed to work with interfaces provided by the Linux kernel. It was specifically created for embedded operating systems with very limited resources. Platforms counterparts, but they are pretty close and useful nonetheless.

CWR or CWM/clockworkmod recovery...Also TWRP recovery

→Custom recoveries for Android phones and tablets that allows you to perform several advanced recovery, restoration, installation and maintenance operations on your Android device that aren’t possible with the stock recovery.

DEODEX

→ Apk files have respective odexes that devs use to supposedly save space. Deodexing means you convert it back to a .dex file and put it back inside the apk. This allows you to easily replace file (not having to worry about odexes), but the main point was to deodex services.jar so that you can change all text to different colors (such as the clock color to white) and to deodex services.jar, you need to deodex everything.

Flashing

→ The process of applying a firmware image (or ROM) to a device. It generally entails a very specific order of steps. Failing to complete any one of these steps properly may result in bricking the device.

Firmware

→ is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and/or data structures that internally control various electronic devices. Programs stored in the ROM, EPROM, or flash memory that usually control various internal electronic devices (Hard Drives, Keyboards, Displays, etc). Firmware is typically 'fixed' software that is not updated in consumer devices, however it is often updated (or 'flashed') by advanced users to fix bugs or add features to the device. Flashing firmware designed for one device onto a different device, or not following a specific procedure while flashing will often render the device unusable.

Kernel

→ is the main component of most computer operating systems; it is a bridge between applications and the actual data processing done at the hardware level. The kernel's responsibilities include managing the system's resources (the communication between hardware and software components

Radio

→ The cellular radio on the device which needs control software called firmware to control it.

ROM

→ Read Only Memory. In the context of an Android device, ROM is the internal flash memory where the core operating system resides. It can also refer to a specific version firmware that can be applied to a device through a process usually referred to as flashing. An improperly flashed ROM can often brick the device, rendering it unusable.

Superuser

→ A program, which gives unlimited access privileges to perform any or all operations on the operating system.

ODIN

→ Odin is the Samsung software used to update Samsung phones. It does not work with any other devices other than official Samsung phones.

OTA or FOTA

→ (F)OTA stands for (Firmware) Over The Air and is the process by which required updates and enhancements to your phone's basic operating system can be sent to you through the cellular network. The Galaxy S II software update will be sent via FOTA and is available through Samsung Kies mini.0

ODEX

→ In Android file system, applications come in packages with the extension .apk. These application packages, or APKs contain certain .odex files whose supposed function is to save space. These ‘odex’ files are actually collections of parts of an application that are optimized before booting. Doing so speeds up the boot process, as it preloads part of an application. On the other hand, it also makes hacking those applications difficult because a part of the coding has already been extracted to another location before execution.

SDK

→ Software Development Kit.

Logcat

→ A debugging tool built into Android devices that displays system logs as they occur. See Logcat.

NANDroid

→ A set of tools that will enable anyone who has root on their Android device to make FULL system backups, in case something goes wrong or you want to try out that new experimental ROM/theme. NANDroid will backup (and restore) /system, /data, /cache, and /boot partitions.

Recovery Mode

→ A special environment that you can boot into for troubleshooting and upgrading purposes.

KANG

→ The process of creating a code based of someone else's code or reapplying code that someone else created into your own code (e.g. git cherry-pick)

Rooting

→ is a process that allows users of mobile phones and other devices running the Android operating system to attain privileged control (known as "root access") within Android's Linux subsystem with the goal of overcoming limitations that carriers and manufacturers put on some devices.

Giving Thanks

Giving thanks is important. It lets people know that their work or answer is appreciated. It is a faster method of feedback than posting a reply like "Thanks for your answer!" You must have one post to give thanks, so here is a good place you can do that without running afoul of the mods for posting no content posts.

The "Say Hi" thread.

You get 8 thanks per day, and they renew after 24 hours or so. Each thanks is independent of the others, so if you give someone a thanks at 3, and then another at 4, those will renew at 3 and 4 the next day. If you run out of thanks, then bookmark that page or open it in a new tab and give thanks later when you have one available.

If you use them all every day you are doing it correctly.

Some member titles you will see around the threads.

There are Junior Members, Members, Senior Members first. These make up the vast majority of XDAs userbase.

Recognised Contributors are nominated by other users and/or Mods/Developers. They are recognised for their contributions which are not specifically Development, such as detailed guides, one-click utilities and other tools/mods.

Recognised Themers are also nominated by users/Mods/Developers, for their work themeing custom ROMs and providing standalone themes for flashing.

Recognised Developers are nominated and approved by the Developer Committee, for their work in Development whether it be ROMs, Root methods, bootloader unlocks etc.

Elite Recognised Developers are again assessed by the Developer Committee, and are deemed to have gone above-and-beyond in providing knowledge/hacks/tools/apps/ROMs for the XDA community.

Forum Moderators are appointed by the Moderator Committee, after submitting an application (see the 'sticky' at the top of this forum - currently applications are not open). They are the first-line of keeping the forums tidy, friendly and orderly.

Senior Moderators are the next step up the ladder, providing site-wide support for Forum Mods and looking after the nitty-gritty issues, as well as areas of XDA not policed by FSMs, such as the Marketplace.

Administrators are next. There are several Admins - each look after a specific part of XDA such as the Portal, the Members and the User Experience of XDA as a whole.

At the top is Mike Channon, who is overall Forum Administrator.

Other titles you may come across:

Moderator Committee - sits on the Mod Committee

Developer Committee - as above, but for Developer Committee

XDA Newswriter - publishes articles for the Portal (front page)

Retired xxxx - have since officially 'left' their XDA position

Posting

Posting is something you may do a lot of here, but it is always important to remember to make your posts good ones. Don't post just to drive up your count, there is no special reward for the poster with the highest total and you won't catch the long timers here anyways.

You will find that there are some restrictions on your posting ability when you first start here. For starters, for your first 5 posts, there is a prompt and a time limit in between posts. While this may seem burdensome, it does an excellent job of keeping spammers from posting garbage throughout every thread. There is a 2 minute limit between posting and editing your posts. This stops at 30 posts when you go from Junior Member to Member.

Rate the ROM

"Rate the dev's thread with 5 stars using the rate drop-down button at the top of every page of the thread." If your found the ROM or MOD/TWEAK useful, then be truthful rate it there Rate drop down menu that have the star rating, along with the thanks you give the individuals that provided you with help or the DD (daily Driver ROM) you are using, or if you just test a ROM slap the rating.

Donations

Making a donation is neither expected or required,but always gratefully received and appreciated.

There are "Donate to me" icons above a user's avatar, or in their signatures.

And of course, never hesitate to hit that donate button in support of XDA...without the many Admins and those working behinds the scenes, this site and it's many mirrors would simply not be possible.

Follow the link below, and be generous as this amazing place won't run for free.

http://xdaforums.com/donations.php

Thanks for taking the time to read the information above !!

All Credit for the compilation in the above post, goes to

"Judge Joseph Dredd"

...Many thanks Joe, for Permission to place it here.