[G1 Android Development] PJK2011:
Fresh baked Gingerbread

I just thought I'd stop by and give a little feedback on my experience with this install.

First, I'd really like to thank ezterry for both the port and the dedication given to people asking for help.

I came looking for Gingerbread for my G1. This and the 2708+/1.33.0013d threads were among the very first things that came up in my search, but notwithstanding many years experience with flashing, OS's, and command line functions, I am new to Android vocabulary and tools, so I would not have been able to complete the Gingerbread install on my own just by reading these two threads.

Of course, I am also grateful to nephron for his Guide on ADB, Fastboot, and Nandroid. That is getting rather out-of-date, though, and I posted a lengthy piece on my experience working through that exercise and the updates needed here:

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=22020235&postcount=337

What really made it possible for me to complete this project was ezterry's post to help JediDwight install Gingerbread over here:

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=20888175&postcount=9

This was the step-by-step guide that together with nephron's basics, made it possible for me to complete this project.

I almost went with an intermediate step of installing CyanogenMod 6.1 per the 2708+ guide, but after taking a close look, I decided to go ahead and save some time by going straight to Gingerbread as the new ROM.

The only issue I had was being stuck at Google setup because of the Setup app crashing, as has been previously mentioned here:

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=9992897&postcount=10

Now, that post is over a year old, so I don't know what the current status of the issue is, but I can share my experience.

The post attributes the problem to other apps that are not compatible with Gingerbread, but I was flashing straight from RC29, so when I first booted into Gingerbread, there was nothing on the phone except for the GAPPS install as instructed in this guide.

I really was starting to wonder if there was something I did wrong in the installation, especially regarding these instructions at the 2708+ guide:

5) d. Install your new rom as-per the roms instructions (if it is a 2708+ port do not proceed to step 6 unless you want my kernel instead of the rom creators)

6) If your rom doesn't come with a 2780+ port: Flash the anykernel for the new radio ezBiffTestKernel20110222-2708_S.zip

So this had me doubting if I should have installed the ezBiff Test Kernel, and if that was causing my problem. But after reading again, I decided that in ezterry's post for JediDwight, he told him he needed to do the 2708+ guide, so that must mean that the GB ROM needed it.

But just in case, I went ahead and reflashed the GB ROM thinking that if GB already had the right kernel, it would replace the ezBiff. To my surprise, it rebooted straight into the phone with no setup, and I realized the flash must have wiped GAPPS.

So then getting ready to reflash GAPPS, I suspected the Setup problem was because I used a newer version from CMwiki. So I went back and flashed in the GAPPS version provided in this thread. Now Setup worked properly and I was able to get into the phone with GAPPS installed.

I noticed that since I turned on Google sync, some (but not all) of the apps I had installed on the phone previously were starting to appear in the app tray. I got the same process stopped error on Gmail and YouTube. Since regular Email was working fine with Gmail, I deleted Gmail. After deleting YouTube, I went back to market and reinstalled it, and the new version was also working fine.

So basically, after following the labyrinthian path through the ADB/Fastboot thread, the 2708+ and GB ROM guide processes were pretty straighforward with only the anomaly of the wrong GAPPS version.

So again, thanks to ezterry, nephron, and the others whose contributions along the way made this project a success for me.