Noob Mod ?'s

[kajdna]

Now that my N1 is paid for, runs the last Gingerbread, and is "end of life" (no ICS), it's time to jump off the fence I've been straddling since January, 2010!

Q1: Is CyanMod a replacement OS for Android OS or a customization of Android OS? I went to Google Images and I see only our green mascot. If it's a GUI what does it look like and what does it include?
Q2: T or F? If I unlock the bootloader and flash the ROM it will already have su (root), so I won't need to root. You could say that root's already included. I think the answer is T. But maybe I'm missing something.
Q3: Is there an agreed upon best source, best step-by-step for rooting but NOT unlocking bootloader for N1 running 2.3.6? I have WIN7, Mac Snow Leopard, and Linux Ubuntu, but I'll probably root on Win7.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

P.S. If I brick my N1, I'll jump to Verizon and Samsung Note. But another year month by month with no contract on TMO for my N1 would be cool. My N1 gripe is that 90% of apps do not transfer to SD card, and the internal memory is VERY limited. Which above mod could solve this problem, if either, and how??

Thank you!

 

[somerussianguy]

First up front I'll say that I have a Nexus S not the Nexus one, so the experience might be significantly different even though they're both Nexus devices.

1) I guess you can say that CyanogenMod is both a replacement and a customization. It replaces the current version of the OS - I went from 2.3.6 to 2.3.7. And it also adds a ton of customization options. Again, I had experience with the Nexus S, but here's a list of some of the main features that CM7 had: Home launcher replaced with ADW Launcher, ability to customize and theme the status bar, proper equalizer & sound effects, ability to overclock your CPU up to 1.5 Ghz, ability to set capacitive buttons as a notification light, some other main features I forgot (haven't used in over a month). I think CM7 had a built-in feature that lets you transfer or install apps to SD card even if they're not officially Apps2SD-supported, not sure about this one though.

2) ...What's T or F? I've never heard of anybody flashing ROMs without root. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Superuser is actually part of ROMs, It's installed during rooting.

Sorry, can't help you with #3

 

[kajdna]

This is a help. Thank you. So the Cyan OS is a more robust UI than the stock OS . . .

T or F means True or False? (!!)

Maybe with the Cyan mod, you don't need su . . .

 

[somerussianguy]

Well "robust" as in it adds a lot more features and customizations but it's definitely not as stable as the stock ROM. I've had multiple times where the phone would freeze and I had to pull the battery. Even with that I never went back to stock ROM, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages for me. Still, after you root, backup your stock ROM.

 

[kajdna]

Interestingly, what you say was born out by some of the tests I saw on the GUI comparison with stock N1, N1 CM7.

Regardless, it's time to play!