[P3600 ROM Development] landshark:
There is no such thing as a "best ROM" - it's all up to personal preference

Hi -

There is no one right ROM for Trinity. Here's a quick explanation for what a ROM really is. There are many people on this board who know more about ROMs than I do, so if anyone sees any errors in what I've written, please let me know.

A ROM is a collection of software packaged together that when flashed to your phone installs the software. ROM packages generally consist of four categories of software:

1.) An operating system (some flavor of Windows Mobile, 5 or 6)

2.) Radio software (Radio ROM)

3.) Phone software (Dialer, Task Manager, Multimedia, SMS/MMS software, contact list)

4.) All other software (Adobe Reader, TomTom, etc.)

People create new ROM packages by gathering an operating system, a radio, and a collection of software, and "cooking" them into a single distribution file, usually in the form of a CAB compression file.

The differences between AXL and Mary are in the OS, radio and other software they have mixed together. You have to look at the contents of each ROM yourself and compare to see the exact differences. Although it would be nice, I'm not aware of anyone listing out the differences between the software choices made by each of the main ROM cookers, so you have to do it yourself.

Some important notes on ROM packages:

1.) Any software that is "cooked" into the ROM can't be removed or updated, it's in there permanently until you change your ROM. This is something to consider if you want to be able to upgrade to future versions, and is the reaosn many ROM cookers also make a "lite" version of their ROM.

2.) I'm pretty weak on this, but from what I understand in addition to the normal physical ROM memory, there is a section of physical ROM called "hidden" or "extended" ROM, and the cookers have figured out how to make that ROM available for use. This is why some ROMs show 70+ megs of ROM/RAM available. I think this extended ROM can also be used to store software.

3.) The operating systems (OS's) do continue to change. People get new phones from their telecom operator, and when they dissassemble the phone's ROM, they can extract the new OS's and check the version numbers. There is no way I know of currently to update the OS without flashing a completely new ROM. Different ROMs include different versions of the operating system, although many of the ROM cookers are quick to re-release their ROMs when a new OS comes out.

4.) Any software that can be installed manually can be installed in a ROM. This includes "trial" or "unregistered" versions. For that software, it may be installed on your phone when you install the ROM, but it is a limited-use version and you will need to purchase the software and get a registration code to unlock the full software. If the software is "cooked" into your ROM and you decide not to use it, YOU CAN'T UNINSTALL IT without reflashing to a new ROM. It won't do any harm, but it will use up memory that could be put to better use.

5.) A suggestion on other software: If you flash your OS often, it makes things easier to keep copies of the CAB files for your favorite other cab installations on your SD card, so you can easily reinstall them when you reflash the OS.

6.) Most of the ROMs use the same installer software,which works well and can recover from some errors (just follow the instructions or if no instructions retry the flash procedure). However, some telecom operators install something called a Service Provider Lock (SPL) to prevent people from installing "unapproved" software on their phone. Removing or otherwise getting around this SPL is a process called "unlocking" - if you try to reflash your phone's ROM, and something goes wrong, this SPL could prevent you from being able to fix your phone, making it useless (or "bricked"). There are software packages that should be able to fix a bricked phone (search the board to find), but it is easier to remove the SPL first, so you never have to worry about crashing your phone.

7.) If you remove your SPL, you have technically violated the terms of your contract with your service provider!!!! In daily use, it really doesn't affect them, so they probably won't make a stink about it, and probably can't tell you've done so. But, if you bring it in for service, send it in under warranty, call their service line to get support, the technician will probably see you have removed your SPL, and can refuse to provide service or warranty support. However, the techs are people and depending on the issue may or may not make a big deal about it, but it's certainly within their right to refuse to service for free.

8.) There are differences in telecom providers!!! This is particularly important with respect to Radio ROMs. If you think about it, your phone has to send the right signals to your service provider's radio tower to make a call. The specific information it has to send and the manner in which it sends it are determined by the radio protocol, which is built into the radio software. As a result, some radio software will not work with some providers, and some will work better than others. This difference willbe regional, so consider where you will be using the phone (Asia, Europe, SA, Africa, NA). Some radios could even be configured to specific providers (but I don't know for sure).

9.) Latest vs. most stable - sometimes, the latest versions introduce new bugsor are less stable than others, so consider this as well.

10.) Most of the differences between the ROMs seem to revolve aroudn the cooker's choices for phone software - the dialers, the contact managers, etc. These primarily change the "look and feel" of the phone rather than the raw performance or capabilites. Since look and feel is the big difference, it's impossible to say which look and feel everyone will like - it's a matter of taste / personal preference.

11.) Don't bug the cookers!!!! The people cooking ROMs for us are doing it in their spare time. They're not getting paid to do it, they're just trying to help each other out. While they seem to be interested in hearing about bugs so they can fix their ROMs, pestering them with requests to make some piddly change just for you is rude. Don't pester them with change requests and customizations, and then throw a hissy fit when they don't want to do it your way. If you don't like their ROM, then cook your own.

So, to pick the ROM that works for you, you're probably going to have to try a few out. The combination of OS and Radio will likely be regional (some will not be able to use the latest radio, for example), and form there on in you have to choose which has the dialer/contact manager you like the most, and includes the software you want to have (or go with a lite version).

Good luck!

Mike