modding Android with or without custom ROMs?

[Philip k Dick]

Hello, as I mentioned in another thread I've recently come to android rooting after much experience with jail breaking iPhones. I've just rooted my grouper (32GB nexus 7 4.2.3) but I haven't tried any custom ROMs yet. So I have a few questions.
Firstly, on a JB iPhone you install Cydia, which allows you to install Debian packages that modify your device in various useful ways. Is there any equivalent method of modifying the OS on android, bit by bit, or is the only way to flash a custom ROM, which will hopefully have the features you require ? (for instance I might like to edit the right hand pull down menu to include different options, or assign swipe gestures to system functions)

Secondly, if I want to try out a custom ROM, what's the best way of backing up your device. I made a standard android back up of apps and data before rooting; it was OK but not all apps came back and I had to re add the second user and rerrange my home screen and widgets etc. I made a nandroid backup after rooting; is this suitable for restoring after installing a new ROM? I have installed Titanium back up but I'm finding the number of options a bit daunting! I have no doubt that it is a powerful and indispensable tool but I could do with some kind if tutorial if someone could point me to such as thing?
I guess what I'm after is something that will let me restore my device to as close to its previous state as possible with as little fuss as possible. (I guess that some ROMS will be sufficiently different that its not that simple?) Particularly, do I need to make a back up for each user account, or can both be done at once?
Thanks for taking the time to read my noob questions; I'll get up to speed sooner or later!

EDIT: OK so I think I get it. The nandroid backup will get me back to where I started if something goes wrong. To get all my apps and stuff back hoiw I want em after a new ROM I need to get my head round Titanium, right?

 

[Paul627g]

Hello,

Yes your on the right track. A nandroid backup is your get out of jail free card sorta speak. You have a bad flash (something goes wrong w/custom ROM) you can restore back to your previous working setup.

Apps/Data, you can use Titanium or another simpler yet effective program called MyBackup Root. I personally use the latter, the UI is must simpler and user friendly and still achieves the task of full backup of apps/data.

As for the changes you were mentioning early in your post. If you want to do anything outside of some root required apps to your setup then you will need to flash a custom ROM. But you have probably noticed so much more can be achieved on an Android device stock or rooted (still stock) verses what you could do on a jailbroken iPhone.