[AT&T Galaxy Note 3 General] littlewierdo:
Most people dont install updates correctly which results in more problems.

It is really very simple, EVERY time you install an update, whether it be an OTA update OR a custom rom update, a factory reset should be performed after the phone boots for the first time, then after the reboot following the factory reset, go in and disable the appropriate apps, then hit the market and update system apps, then, specifically in the case of Samsung, open the Samsung Hub and update apps in there, then reboot.

I have never had a problem with an OTA update unless I choose not to factory reset my device.

For example, right now, Im running stock unrooted with the little 25 MB update that Samsung pushed out a couple months after the phone came out and I chose not to do a factory reset (and I still havent). Since this update, my battery consumption has doubled such that after a 13 hour period where I used to have 60% battery left, I now have around 30% battery left. I still havent factory reset, figuring that I can, for the moment, deal with the high battery drain issue until KitKat does come out.

Im not saying that firmware updates have NEVER created new issues, Im saying that it is uncommon.

Now, do firmware updates remove previous root exploits? Of course they do, and I would expect nothing less. A root exploit is just that, an exploit, also known as a security exploit or security hole and I expect these to be patched.

Now, if we want to have a conversation about extra crap being installed on OTA updates, thats a different conversation.

If we want to talk about OTA updates implementing more security, that is also a different conversation.

I am upset at how locked down these devices are but I also understand the business decision to do so, especially considering the fiasco with the Captivate, which, Samsung created part of the problem themselves by changing the bootloader so drastically between Froyo and Gingerbread which resulted in hard bricks and many phone returns, of which, guess who pays for this?

Yes, yes, I know, these costs are transferred to the customers eventually but Im sure AT&T would like to do away with the headache.

I feel like Android is to the point where I dont feel the need to root anymore. I can disable most bloatware (except Flipboard, which I never use) and I can even backup apps plus their data using a clever adb workaround the community came up with (in all honesty, this should be implemented in Android) - if you need this, look into Helium.

App data + App backups and App data syncing across devices natively in Android would be super nice, but at least I have a way of getting it done.

Sure, I can swap the kernel so I can overclock or do other tweaks, but considering I use my device for email, phone calls / texting, playing podcasts, and web video (youtube and such), I really dont need this.

A more stock look? Why would I buy a Samsung device... I like 'most' of touchwiz (how many just threw up?)...

Would I like to be able to swap roms? Sure, but now it appears we have a solution for this as well, that, in my opinion, is a far better solution than wiping the stock rom.

Which leads to the last thing that should be native to Android, the ability to install multiple versions of Android, for the more nerdy types that may want to do such a thing. This way, carriers and phone manufacturers are free to do whatever they want and the nerds can choose to install another OS without voiding their warranty while still keeping the stock OS installed for 'official' support.

Im still not sure how I feel about providing root natively in the stock Android rom, regardless of whether its a Google rom or a stock phone manufacturer rom, but if you provide a way to install multiple versions of Android, users would be free to install a pre-rooted version of their stock rom + an AOSP version of Android which would solve everyone's problems.

A decent recovery menu would also be nice, Im still not sure why the recovery menus on stock roms are so bad, hell, they dont even provide a way to backup your phone and flash a phone backup... and no, done correctly, this would NOT be a security hole.