[Sprint  Galaxy Note 4 General] jhill110:
OK [MENTION=2109165]DreamingWolf[/MENTION]

This is going to be a little long winded.

I gathered this info and edited it some, & some more &...

What is baseband?

Baseband is the Radio or Modem version depending upon the Phone Model, Carrier and Android Software version. A Radio/Modem file can be flashed through Recovery (other options are ADB/ODIN). Flashing a mismatched Radio/Modem and ROM will lead to things not working. You need to flash Radio's/Modem's compatible with the particular ROM you are running.

The radio firmware controls basic functions like network connectivity, Wi-Fi, and GPS. Upgrading Radio firmware will fix connectivity issues, increase range or performance, decrease battery usage, etc. Incorrec t Radio firmeware can disable some functions in your phone such as MMS, Data, VM Notifications, etc.

There is also Modem and Baseband Radio chipsets in Mobile phones. Google, Phone Manufacturers and carriers develop various types of modem firmware/software that controls the functions of these chipsets.

Firmware is the overall version of the Android system on your phone. Baseband version is the version of the radio embedded in the device. Since Android is based on the Linux operating system, they show you the current version of the Kernel used in the heart of the system. The Build number is just an indicator of which numerical version of the current overall system was built by developers for your device.

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What's Firmware?

Taken from: What is Firmware, Rom and Firmware Flashing ?

What the heck is this firmware? Definition of firmware is permanent software programmed into a read-only memory

In Simply put, it's like windows for pc. All phones have their different firmwares regardless of Andriod version (KitKat, Lollipop, etc). So we just can't install any firmware on any android phone like we do in PCs.

Wiki link for even more info: Firmware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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What's A Bootloader?

Taken from: Android 101: What is a bootloader? | Android-Does.com

In literal terms, the bootloader is code that is executed before any Operating System starts to run. Bootloaders basically package the instructions to boot operating system kernel and most of them also have their own debugging or modification environment. Think of the bootloader as a security checkpoint for all those partitions. Because if you’re able to swap out what’s on those partitions, you’re able to break things if you don’t know what you’re doing.

As the bootloader kicks off before any piece of software on your device, it makes it extremely processor specific and every motherboard has it’s own bootloader. This is one reason that all Android phones have different custom ROMS developed due to high variance of processing hardware present on the device.

Android Bootloader

Every Android phone has a bootloader that instructs the operating system kernel to boot normally. But you need to understand one thing here that as Android OS is an open source OS and is available on a variety of different hardware, every manufacturer has their own version of bootloader specific for the hardware present in it’s environment. At its most basic level, your Android smartphone is like a hard drive, made of up several partitions. One of those partitions holds the Android system files, another holds all the app data you accumulate (which is how you’re usually able to update without losing all your stuff), and others to do more behind-the scenes stuff.

A lot has been said about bootloaders being “locked” and even the developer-friendly Nexus devices shipped with a locked bootloader (Nexus devices and a couple tablets are easily unlocked with a single command)In fact, a lot bootloaders are locked and encrypted, meaning simple commands like the “fastboot oem unlock” (Google Nexus Phones), won’t do a thing.

Why are Bootloaders Locked?

A bootloader is usually locked on an Android device because although it’s an open source OS, still the manufacturers want you to stick to their Android OS version specifically designed for the device. In order to apply this concept, manufacturers lock the bootloader. With a locked bootloader on Android devices, it is virtually impossible to flash a Custom ROM and forced attempts can void warranty and could end up bricking a phone.

Why keep a bootloader out of reach? One of the biggest reasons is that the carriers and manufacturers don’t want to have to support hacked phones. The other is that a lot of time and money is spent developing these things. Samsung (Until OE1) and HTC both have managed to find a middle ground with the modding community, and pressure WAS on other companies to do so as well. Sigh... :(

A very good read about bootloaders: http://www.tested.com/news/feature/1...hy-it-matters/

For some info on "ABOOT" check here:

android.stackexchange.com/questions/73106/what-is-the-difference-between-aboot-and-boot

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Throw this in for users of the Hybrid-X Series Rom's as [MENTION=1503720]tx_dbs_tx[/MENTION] (as well as others for their roms) mentions it in the desciptions of his rom's...

What's init.d?

init.d is a folder located at /system/etc

To keep it simple, it allows the user to run scripts at system boot.

You can adjust many different things/settings with scripts. You can tweak system settings, prolong battery life etc.

To enable init.d and to get some scripts, go here: http://xdaforums.com/show....php?t=1881401

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Hope this helps you out AND hopefully I won't get my AZZ cracked again for posting outside links... :cool:

As an afterthought, If I messed something up please chime in...