Seriously considering rooting my N7… Advantages/disadvanages?

Quote:

Originally Posted by return_0 [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

Hi everyone, return_0 here (you don't say?).

I have a Nexus 7 Wifi 16GB with Android 4.2.1 installed. I really like stock Android the way it is, but I'd like to try many of the ROMs that are available, and I'm interested in the features they offer. I also am hoping that some of these ROMs will, while providing all 4.2 features, make the OS a lot smoother, like it was in 4.1.

I guess I could say I'm pretty knowledgeable about technology and Android in general, but I know almost nothing when it comes to rooting and custom ROMs.

I would like to know what dangers exist when rooting. I've read in some places that it's hard to brick your device if you follow the instructions for rooting closely, and I've also read that it's near impossible to hard brick a Nexus device; most bricks are soft bricks that can easily be fixed. I'd also like to know what advantages in general rooting provides. I know it allows more freedom, it allows some root-only apps to be installed, and it provides more features. Obviously the fast updates some ROMs provide are irrelevant because I have a Nexus device.

If I decide to root, I'd probably use MultiROM and have CyanogenMod, Ubuntu, and maybe some other ROMs installed alongside stock 4.2.

As previously stated, I'd like to keep the 4.2 features on my device. If I'm not mistaken, CM 10.1 is only available as a nightly, and I'm not sure if I should use these nightlies as they are very unstable. Do you have any recommendations on what to do?

Finally, I've seen lots of ROMs available for the N7 and I'm not sure which are the best. Yes, I know, only I can choose what's best for me, but I'd like to know what, in your opinion, is your favorite ROM/ROMs. Thanks for all the help! :)

There are few threads similar to this one as it's a commonly asked question, but I have a few minutes so I'll hit the high points. Read this if you haven't. [Only registered and activated users can see links. Click Here To Register...]

There is very little danger in doing any type of hacking with your N7 or any Nexus for that matter. Almost all situations your put yourself in will be recoverable. You might lose data but you can almost always get the device back into a working stock state with varying levels of effort.

Rooting is simply giving admin level access to the local system user to put it in PC terms. It means you can get to areas of the OS and do things that you don't have access to normally. Mostly they are root apps. Most custom ROMs come pre-rooted anyway and it's something you almost never think about, at least i don't. When you say ROOT i think you are really thinking about unlocking. That's really what'll enable you do start messing with ROMs and kernels.

Nightly builds are hit or miss depending on the ROM and what's happening in the dev space at the time. I've gone weeks with stable nightly builds only to have 3 or 4 in a row get a little rocky and then been fine afterwards for another few weeks. The thing to keep in mind with nightlies, or really any custom ROM in general, it won't always be stable if you keep hopping to the latest one. If stability matters to you then it'll be at the cost of being on the cutting edge. Just how it goes.

I don't dual boot my N7, never had much luck with that in the past on other devices. Always felt kludgy to me.

There are tons of great ones out there. I've always been partial to Bugless Beast but that dev is taking a break for a while so right now I'm just running straight stock w/ franco's kernel on all my devices w/ root, obviously. You should probably start by unlocking and rooting.
AKOP and CM are good but I prefer a stock feel. Bit of the purist in me but Android is really great the way it is. I want to use it the way Google intended me toand I don't care about any of the added features and options CM, AKOP, etc bring to the table. Many do, that's fine, but that's why Android is great, something for us all.

my two cents.