[Sprint Samsung Galaxy S 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshoot] DaveNotti:
Preliminary Answers

Good Evening, XDA users.

I had a few questions regarding my Galaxy S IV over here and flashing ROMS onto it. I've flashed ROMS before on my previous device [HTC EVO] numerous times, with no issue. However, jumping from HTC to SAMSUNG has put me on edge – I've gone through the process of rooting the phone, which is the first step. It was confusing at times, but when I finally downloaded and ran SuperUser, it confirmed my phone was indeed rooted.

Which brings me here…

Before I begin to ask my question(s) though, I assume I need to supply some information for my given device in order to receive accurate assistance? I'm not sure what to look out for, so I'll just post what I think is relevant to you guys with hopes that I'm spot on!

DAVE'S SAMSUNG GALAXY S IV INFORMATION

Model Number: SPH-L720

Android Version: 4.2.2 (yeeahh… I pretty much knew I wanted to root this phone from the moment I purchased it in store, just never got around to it)

Rooted: Yes

I forget which bootloader I'm using, but I want to say it's the one with the "more than sensitive" touch screen options. I feel like it was referenced in the very first post of this entire thread, actually.

QUESTIONS

• After searching the forums for a ROM I hope will suit me just fine, I finally decided upon [ROM][OFFICIAL][4.4][JFLTE] PAC-man VERSION [AOSP]. However, there's a buttload of downloads pertaining to this rom –*easily overwhelming to someone who doesn't know where they should be perusing. I ended up downloading a file type pac_jflte-nightly-20140710.zip – I'm not sure if this is the correct one, but after reading over some other people's posts in the respective thread, it appeared this was the last "confirmed" update for the ROM. Is this indeed the case? Am I on the right track at least?

•• This is just a general question really. Since tinkering with my HTC EVO last year, I always ran across threads where users were talking about flashing something known as a "Kernel". I never got this term or what it meant/represented. To cut to the chase: What is a Kernel? What is the benefit of flashing one? Why do most ROMS require you flash a particular "kernel" before flashing the ROM? Case in point: This PacMan ROM I just downloaded, requires a flash of something called GApps. Is this the Kernel? If not, what is GApps?

••• Most of the instructions and responses I've seen from people in regards to rooting the Galaxy S IV revolved around update 4.3 – as stated earlier, my phone is still on version 4.2.2. Does me having an older Android version cause any hindrances in the ROM flashing process?

•••• Lastly, I didn't run the program/app [?] "TRIANGLE-AWAY yet. I've read over it's purpose and what it does, but am not sure how to proceed or how I get ahold of it. I feel like I got some kind of a gist of it, but is it an APP I download from the PlayStore? Or is there a different way to obtain it? [legitimately asking, not trying to be a snake…]

I would like to thoroughly apologize beforehand if this is the wrong thread or avenue to go about fielding my questions and concerns. I'm still very new [and confused] in regards to the forum and how it's run, but am trying and willing to learn. I appreciate any and all assistance and look forward to any responses I can get in the realm of help.

With respect,

Dave.