[Nexus 5 General] mobile_sensei:
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TODAY'S ANDROID IS CHANGING FAST!

When I first delved into the world of Android I quickly found myself consumed by this beautiful, marvelous Operating system, So much freedom was to be found & customization was only bound by current technoly and the lack of understanding of how Android functioned at it's core. Thanks to a few very intelligent people with the curiosity to "poke around under the hood" to see what made these phones tick, a spirit that that thrives today with entire communities devoted to the pursuit of bettering our beloved OS and the desire to bring their vision of what Android can be, we have an overwhelming choice of custom ROMS, Mods, Tweaks, etc.

A recent study focusing on what they dubbed "Android Fragmentation" sought to point out that there are several thousand unique Android devices operating on various versions of Android from Android Alpha, Beta, Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jellybean, KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow, & now Nougat. Among theses various flovers of Android there are multiple overlays to further widen the gap to be bridged. It's no secret that I despise overlays such as Samsung's touted "Touchwiz" or even worse, MIUI which does it;s best to emulate the iPhone layout. Undoubtedly their are enthusiasts who are passionate for these overlays and I say more power to you if it tickles your fancy. If it feels good then do it, right? This is one of the most beautiful things about the Android OS, the ability to lay out your phone or tablet to your liking.

I became an Android fanatic in October 2008 as Android was unveiled as the T-Mobile G1, a mobile device platform built on the Linux kernel. Next came the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G running Android Cupcake. A few other Android devices were added to my stable, but my true love affair with Android came when Motorola introduced the Motorola Droid in October 2009, running on Verizon. This Android device ushered in the era of Android Eclair, & in my opinion is the device which kicked off the Android modification culture that we enjoy today. In those days developers like Jrummy16, Kejar31, & ChevyNo1Droid were rockstars, virtually gods who had the knowledge to transform our mobile phones into something more. Through dedication and countless hours of studying their methods along with persistence I was accepted into their circle & was passed the knowledge to create my own Android ROMS (most notably Shuji ROM which was revered for its stability & incredible battery life). I worked with and studied with amazing themers like Dave Kover, Jsin Legacy and others. If a new ROM was introduced I was sure to follow with several themes and ROM Mods. I went on to develop and sell apps in The Google Play Store and to this day I still enjoy creating wallpapers and mods for existing ROMS as well as the occasional apps.

Long story short I learned from the best and brightest of our Android family, and yet with the rapid pace at which Android is progressing and due to the fragmentation of software devises it has become almost impossible to stay current on whats out there today.Like many of you, I am a certified flashaholic & want to try as many ROMS as possible.

I am always willing to share my knowledge of Android and help if possible, and I would like to ask those of you who are up to date on the newer nogat builds to help me clarify some of the mysteries surrounding some of the newest ROM offerings and their variants (for my own education) and in hopes of educating newcomers and to help them to avoid bricking an expensive device. We were all noobs once and needed help, so lets welcome these folks into our Android Family and lend a hand if possible and please, no flaming.

I respectfully ask that you keep cross talk to a minimum and keep rumors and untruths out of this thread while inviting all to participate. I t would be greatly appreciated if some of the Nougat Developers could join the discussion to share their insights and answer questions.

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