Kernel / ROM Comparison Guide?

[SilentThunderStorm]

import ("tl:dr_disclaimer");

First off, this will be my first foray into Android... but I have worked with Linux for several years as my primary (and often only) OS. I had my introduction to smartphones via the iPhone 3, then 3g, 4, and 4s... and have jailbroken them all. I stayed with iOS until now due to the prevalence of apps on iOS, and the lack of malware. I quit iOS because it is so completely inflexible (even after jailbreak), and after a while now, I have realized that it will *never* change. Similarly, I stayed away from tablets until now because I saw no real point in a 10"+ one, and the 7"- ones all seemed a bit low on specs/features until now.

I will be getting the Nexus 7 in 8 days now (Oct 29), when the final version (32GB) is released. I would like to thank all of you that tested and debugged the alpha (8GB) and beta (16GB) versions. It is nice to know that most of the bugs have gotten worked out.

I would like to understand the differences between the various kernels and ROMs available.

I understand "what's best for me isn't necessarily what's best for you" and "open source is about choice" and "try them all!"; as I stated, I come from a Linux background, and this seems a lot like the distro wars to me... however, while open source *IS* all about choice, it often falls into a long, buggy, 'brick' laden path of trial and error going from one [distro|ROM|Kernel] to the next until you find one that you are happy with (except you want a few features from somewhere else, and spend months trying to splice the two... and failing/bricking/reformatting, etc.)

I would like to avoid that kind of PIA.

It seems to me that while open source *is* about choice, that choice should be able to be an educated one.

Is there any existing comparison list of the multitudinous kernels and ROMs? For linux, if I am after a new distro, I can usually get good intel from DistroWatch, YouTube, and numerous websites all comparing the high and low points of each distro. With android, from what I have found, all I seem to find is lists of randomly named features ('Hybrid Mode', 'Custom NavBar Ring', 'DPI Switcher', etc), all of which are 'the BEST' (with the disclaimer 'my best is not your best, try them all'), and none of which are able to provide any real specs.

I have read up on Cyanogen, Liquid Jelly Bean, Kang, Paranoid Android, and seen a few screenshots (like those tell you anything) of 'Sourcery Jelly Bean HD2' (listed as 'awesome' without explanation)... The only ones I have seen anything more substantial on are Cyanogen, Kang, and Paranoid... Paranoid, I really do not see the point of having the option of a cell phone layout on my 7" tablet, so unless there is something compelling, I will probably skip. Kang seems like a complex swiss army knife to allow you to customize well (like KDE, a plus so far - though I use Gnome 2 generally), but there must be more to it than that. Cyanogen is pretty up front about a lot of its features (DSP EQ [nice], Theming [which i assume every ROM does], and Incognito [which I don't care about])... but this helps little unless I can actually compare it to something.

To be fair, I probably *WILL* try several of these, just for fun, and to learn more about the platform... but I don't really care for the idea of spending a month of trial and error before finding something that I really like. Rather, I would like to have my normal tablet mode stored on a backup on my laptop, then go experimenting and be able to revert whenever I like; the exact same reason I burned my personal linux distro to thumb drive...

If there *IS* a detailed comparison list of these somewhere, please let me know... if not, I may create a wiki for them (after all, this *is* open source) in a few months (once I have felt my way through some of the more popular ones).

Same question with kernels... I have seen people freak out about Trinity (although, overclocking a tablet with no real cooling would really kinda concern me, and that's really all I know about the Trinity kernel), while others are pretty solid on Franco (without mentioning why), etc. To be honest, the idea of reflashing kernels again and again and again seems a real hassle without even knowing what you are going to get for your trouble beforehand (not to mention compatibility issues, etc.).

I would really look for the ability to customize appearences to my hearts content while retaining smoothness.... I *might* OC just a hair after a while, but would be mild to moderate. I have heard about fast charging, and that would be really useful... I will be blunt, though... I'm not sure what all features are even available in kernels and ROMs, and sometimes the features that aren't on the back of the tin end up being must-haves (I still use Gnome 2 because my workflow basically demands Compiz Cube).

If someone is willing to make recommendations, that is always welcome, and I will go more in depth about what I would like in terms of features... but once again, many of the features I might not even know about until I stumble into them. Really though, I was hoping there would be a generic wiki-like resource for these things where i could peruse and compare the different options available in the next few days before the 29th.

Anyone?

 

[digitalslacker]

I'm not sure I have a real answer for you. To my knowledge there are no (current) guides that compare all the ROMs out for the N7. The reason being is that this space changes pretty rapidly and the barrier to entry for building your own custom ROM isn't that high. You end up with big teams like CM and to a lesser degree AKOP building ROMs for multiple devices with varying levels of support but you also get little guys like Bugless Beast that are just one man shops building out ROMs for multiple device.s

I know comparing ROMs to linux distros might feel natural but they are really pretty different. I suppose you could consider CM and AKOP their own distros because 1) the framework the ROM is built off of is at least somewhat different from AOSP. There are also many kangs (not to be confused with AKOP) built from them. The others are just modifications of those (and maybe others) ROMs at source. Meaning a dev pulls from AKOP or CM, adds stuff form other places and or takes out and changes stuff and calls it a new ROM. Technically that's a kanged ROM but as long as he credits the OG devs it's OK.

I really believe the best advice is to first identify what in a ROM is important to you. Do you wants lots of features and customizable options? Do you want a more stock experience with a focus on speed and stability? Do you want frequent updates? Do you want a large user base to help support the device? Even who makes your ROM of choice on your device can play into it.

Then start asking around to see what people suggested. I kid you not, the recommendations will change every 3-5 months. New stuff comes out, moves up, or goes by the way side.

Kernels are kinda the same deal. It's about finding one with the features you care about from a dev you (or others) have grown to trust and then giving it a shot.

I know that answer might seem like a cop out but I've been doing this since the OG droid days and that's pretty much the way to do it.

I'm a huge fan of Bugless Beast, have been for a while. It wasn't until Android Central put out a call to have folks review ROMs for the Nexus S 4G on Sprint did I ever really consider BB. For me, it's by far the best ROM out. It's updated frequently enough that I'm not flashing something new every night, but still get the big AOSP changes in a day or two. It's very stock, not a lot of features I don't care about. The dev focus on speed and stability. It's the right ROM for me but may not be for you.

Hope that helps! good luck and let us know if you have questions

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

 

[SilentThunderStorm]

Wonderful! Thank you!

Not the answer I was hoping for (which would have been "Here's the link ..."), but certainly the answer that I needed.

So, yeah... kinda like distro hopping... probably starting with the big guys (CM, AOKP [just like Ubuntu, Mint, etc]) and then working my way down to the more custom mixes (Bugless Beast, etc. [Just like Pinguy, or whichever minor distro you end up on]).

would like to take a crack at creating a wiki for this topic... I know that there are technical challenges (largely, the huge number of devices available, frequent updates, etc), but thinking that it could wind up a valuable resource if handled properly.

Here, then, is a REAL and ANSWERABLE set of questions:

Besides speed, stability, and battery life (the apparent holy trinity of ROM's and kernels), what other factors would be worth using to compare? These would be features which have become common enough to be comparable (customization, existence of 'fast charge', etc.).

Assumably, many of these features are, themselves, modules which are reused between packages (such as the theming engine seems to be)... This should actually make it far easier and more accurate to score between ROM's. Besides the theme engine (which I am already aware of), are there any other modules such as this which are commonly shared between otherwise competing ROM's?

What are the common features to find in a kernel? Again, besides the big three (speed, stability, battery), what FEATURES seem common in kernels? I have heard of Fast Charging... what others are there?

What features would a newbie to Android appreciate in a ROM/Kernel? What features would a newbie not care about, but would grow to love?

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Thank you again for your answer. Looks like some of these questions will only be answerable when I grab my Nexus... only 6 more days now.

However, would really love to create a decent and easily updateable resource out there for this. If anyone has any good ideas on implementation, please comment.

 

[2defmouze]

Many ROMs do tend to have common features, although they may be implemented slightly differently. The best ROMs if one is looking for the most features and customization would be official CM10, Euroskank's CM10 Kang, and AOKP. CM10 I'm sure you've heard of... Skank's builds use it as a base but he also cherry picks additional features, and actually many have found his builds to be a bit more stable lately at least than the official ones. The team behind AOKP uses an AOSP base and codes most of the features themselves, though a few items are picked from CM. Overall I believe AOKP still leads in terms of the amount of features available. Bugless Beast is a very nice ROM as well.. it is very low on features and appears mostly stock, but Pete puts in a lot of behind the scenes work on improvements, speed and stability.

I like to recommend most newcomers to actually flash something with a lot of options first, a la AOKP. If you decide you aren't interested in the features after you've explored them then going to Bugless Beast is a fine choice.. but I think those who go that route first because they think they want a mostly stock experience are missing out on some awesome stuff. Remember that ROMs like AOKP and CM10 are going to look and feel mostly like stock anyway until you start playing with the features they offer and customize them.

Good luck!

 

[digitalslacker]

Wonderful! Thank you!
Besides speed, stability, and battery life (the apparent holy trinity of ROM's and kernels), what other factors would be worth using to compare? These would be features which have become common enough to be comparable (customization, existence of 'fast charge', etc.).

Assumably, many of these features are, themselves, modules which are reused between packages (such as the theming engine seems to be)... This should actually make it far easier and more accurate to score between ROM's. Besides the theme engine (which I am already aware of), are there any other modules such as this which are commonly shared between otherwise competing ROM's?

What are the common features to find in a kernel? Again, besides the big three (speed, stability, battery), what FEATURES seem common in kernels? I have heard of Fast Charging... what others are there?

What features would a newbie to Android appreciate in a ROM/Kernel? What features would a newbie not care about, but would grow to love?

To start you might want to look at the format the RootzWiki adopted when they do a ROM Forum post. It's not all of the info available but it's a good start. Here is one for Bugless Beast. [ROM][JB][AOSP][4.1.2] Bugless Beast - Grouper (Nexus 7) 2012-10-10 - Nexus 7 Development - RootzWiki

Some of the features are modular. They are general called "mods" but there are usually *'s associated with all of them as they won't all work everywhere all the time. You need to be careful that the mod you are applying is both for your device and for the ROM (and version) you are applying it to.

Many ROMs do boast speed or stability as features but its still important I think to try them. Too often people gravitate towards the big 3, CM, AKOP & CNA (CNA's position could probably be swapped with other ROMs depending on your personal preferences that week) and assume that the popular ROMs must be the good ones. I think you are missing out on some great ROMs that run in the same league as the big ones.

Speed, stability, battery are not really "features" of a kernel. Overclocking, underclocking, undervolting, governors, schedulers and other optimizations are some of the things you'll find in different kernels. Some also have companion apps that help configure the multitude of options they support.

It's really hard to saw which ROM/Kernel someone new to Android would prefer. I would suggest that at FIRST you just use the device as is so you know what you are comparing the other ROMs too. Also, you should unlock the device immediately after getting it. The unlock process is required to do any of this and it's got a nasty side effect (for security) of completely wiping your device. You only need to unlock it one time so if you plan to start hacking ROMs and kernels on to it, it's best to do it when you first get the device, before you've started loading apps on it. Once it's rooted and stuff you have better backup methods that make bouncing from ROM to ROM easier.

If you haven't yet, i'd read one of the awesome guides the mods and advisors have posted in this forum on how to go about rooting. They'll get you moving in the right direction.

 

[SilentThunderStorm]

I like to recommend most newcomers to actually flash something with a lot of options first, a la AOKP. If you decide you aren't interested in the features after you've explored them then going to Bugless Beast is a fine choice.. but I think those who go that route first because they think they want a mostly stock experience are missing out on some awesome stuff. Remember that ROMs like AOKP and CM10 are going to look and feel mostly like stock anyway until you start playing with the features they offer and customize them.

That is an extremely interesting, and if I might say so, surprisingly rational, recommendation.

Most people that I have seen (at least for linux) recommend the most vanilla systems, and work their way up in features... that might be because in Linux, it is extremely easy to wind up with a system that is completely unusable if you start from the deep end of the pool. The problem is always that the newbie user ends up with feature creep, and winds up reformatting their hard drive 10 times in the first month.

You recommending this tells me very positive things in the way of system stability, and it also tells me very positive things about your advice. Starting with all of the features to begin with does seem the quicker and more direct route.

Probably the last question I have, then, at least until I have some experience (5 days remaining, unless the damned thing sells out before I get there)...

The question is of Kernel... most of the people that I have seen on various boards, and appear to have had their hands dirty with the internals of the OS, tend *not* to actually recommend kernels... many of them, however, *will* state what kernel they are using, and by and large, many of these responses is that they use Franco.

That, so far, is my chosen place to start.

Understanding my current use case, is this a safe bet? Or is there a different kernel that y'all might recommend I begin with?

Thank you, again, in advance.

 

[digitalslacker]

Probably the last question I have, then, at least until I have some experience (5 days remaining, unless the damned thing sells out before I get there)...

The question is of Kernel... most of the people that I have seen on various boards, and appear to have had their hands dirty with the internals of the OS, tend *not* to actually recommend kernels... many of them, however, *will* state what kernel they are using, and by and large, many of these responses is that they use Franco.

That, so far, is my chosen place to start.

Understanding my current use case, is this a safe bet? Or is there a different kernel that y'all might recommend I begin with?

Thank you, again, in advance.

I find that people don't tend to promote one kernel over another like they do ROMs. For most people the benefits are harder to see and/or more complicated to understand. The reason I think you see Franco's suggested over others more often is because he's one of the few that has a companion app to help configure the many settings. He also does some great work, no question.

When you mix custom ROMs and custom kernels it's also much harder to determine which is the culprit when you run into a problem. If you are looking for stability you're best bet is to not introduce a factor like a custom kernel into a ROM that the ROM dev might not have accounted for.

Franco's kernel for the N7 is really good but its still a nightly and hasn't hit it's first Milestone, a stable version. I run is though and its' fine. I honestly haven't tried any others for the N7 yet though. Last I looked there wasn't a ton but that was a few weeks ago. I'm sure that's changed.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2

 

[SilentThunderStorm]

Thank you.

I think what I will do is go ahead and get used to the Nexus 7 barebones naked the first few days... then add a rom and leave that for a day or two, then tweak that with Franco.... from what I have seen, it seems to be one of the better performing kernels.

Once I decide what I really want out of it (should be within the week), I will make a clean burn of the setup, build a backup, and then start playing.

Maybe in a month or so of playing, I will have enough solid info to know how to properly organize a wiki-comparison site for them.

In the meantime, I still have 5 days, but getting itchy... just a fun note, I did a Google search for "buy nexus 7 32 GB" and found that Adorama Camera is listing it on their website pretty prominantly already, including the text (in red) "Please Note! This item is on the way to our warehouse and is expected in the next few days."

Grabbed screenshots from their website (as it seemed the thing to do), including the features and specifications pages. Strangely, despite being obviously breaking the news before Google officially announced it, the spec's page is still showing 16GB, despite the picture above it displaying 32GB... guess they were in a rush.

Here's to hoping that I actually get one on Monday, and don't have to whine for weeks like a fanboi.

Link for reference: Asus Google Nexus 7 7" 32GB Android 4.1 Tablet ASUS-1B32

"Pics or it didn't happen" screenies, just in case it disappears like Staples.

 

[a1kemist]

Roms are easy to load up. Pick a few and test them out and see how you like it. I would just keep your apps basic enough to function so you don't have to keep setting them up all the time. Once you find the one you like, then go at it.

I read through a bunch of different roms, some I loaded and couldn't wait to get it off my N7. Finally found Codename Android and stuck with it. On the outside, it functions like stock but there are many customizable options, and some options I have yet to find on other roms. Just depends on your taste.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[SilentThunderStorm]

Will look into it; Thank you!

I may also have changed my mind about Paranoid Android... seems the N7 is stuck in phone mode originally, and requires hacks (with side effects) to bump it over into tablet mode... One of those things that I probably would have realized almost immediately upon picking it up (3 days left... just a weekend).

P.S. - Looks like I was right... the camera place pulled their ad. Wonder if *anyone* believes this junk is 'accidental'... just wish I was one of the lucky bastards that 'accidentally' got a N7 32GB shipped to me.

 

[digitalslacker]

The N7 isn't really stuck in "Phone Mode" because there isn't really a phone or a tablet mode in terms of how Android is built. The term "tablet mode" comes from a set of hacks and tweaks, mostly to the build prop that trick android into think it's being used on a screen that's larger. Android then adapts its UI to fit that screen size. The N7 UX/UI isn't exactly the same as the phone either. Google tweaked it up as it made sense.

I tried the tablet mode stuff and on face value it sounds like something you'd want. But after using it I personally am not a fan. Things were too small and honestly, after using the UI/UX for a while the way Google designed it, I found that it just seemed to work better for me. I also have a full sized 10in Transfromer Prime so maybe that's why I'm not feeling the need for the fuller UI.

But with Android you can pick and choose, that's why it's great.

 

[2defmouze]

I tried the tablet mode stuff and on face value it sounds like something you'd want. But after using it I personally am not a fan. Things were too small and honestly, after using the UI/UX for a while the way Google designed it, I found that it just seemed to work better for me.

But with Android you can pick and choose, that's why it's great.

100% agree.. Tablet mode was not comfortable for me either on the 7.. I think the stock UI, or phablet mode as they like to call it, gets it just right lol

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[SilentThunderStorm]

Well, of course, so far, I have only seen the thing in video... hoever, the thing that I assumed was going to irk me was that the default mode had you swiping for notifications from the top, 'tasblet mode' has it on the bottom. I assume that if using it in landscape mode, that my hands would be nearer the lower edge.

Will, again, probably be something that needs some experimentation with the actual device, though... down to 3 days now.

As for the hack to modify its default behavior, I was concerned about icons getting too small, but also with compatibility issues with some apps.

That's why I have been thinking again about Paranoid Android... they claim to be able to make this sort of thing selectable, 'tablet' 'phablet' or 'phone'... hopefully without the same consequences.

 

[a1kemist]

I am not a fan of tablet mode either. I almost exclusively use my N7 in portrait mode and the 7" just doesn't have enough real estate to make the tablet mode feel comfortable. Maybe in landscape mode but not my cup of tea. Especially with double menus in the settings, everything is smashed and cluttered. All this works much better on a 10" IMO.

CNA has tablet UI also.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[wtherrell]

One thing you will definitely want to get is Titanium Backup once you are rooted. 2defmouze has an excellent, complete thread in the forums where he takes you through the best way to use it and gives tips about how to get the most out of it. Once you get this set up, it's a snap to restore apps and data after a rom flash.

 

[SilentThunderStorm]

Yupyup... that was already in the works.

Should start really tweaking this thing this weekend...

Soon as I have some xp under my belt, will start trying to get info together to make a ROM/Kernel wiki; seems like it might end up a useful resource for newbies, and with the Nexus 7 and 10 out for the holiday season, I am assuming we are going to have some newbies that are really only familiar with iOS and such.