Twenty early questions about ROMs and such

[Green Pill Zone]

Hi guys,
I've been sifting through forums and sites for about a week but finally felt it's worth the new thread and just asking everything in one place. Largely general Android/flashing questions, but some are specific to the Note 3 so I've posted it here.

My last phone sadly died during service :'(; a HTC Desire HD. I used Revolution mostly, but since I bought it maybe 4 years ago I really can not remember a thing about installing ROMs, flashing, launchers, etc etc. And things seem more complicated now, especially with this Knox business and a few new terms I don't understand. I need a run down of how it all works again. :/

Terminology.
1. What's the difference between rooting and flashing?
2. What's the difference between a ROM and a kernel (and how is each installed)?
3. What's the difference between a ROM and a launcher (and how is each installed)?
4. Where does a "bootloader" fit into all this?
5. What is this Xposed thing I keep reading about?
6. What is odexed/deodexed? Is it something to do with Odin? What is Odin?
7. I've seen some ROMs that say "No Knox". What does that mean? No Knox features, or doesn't trip the Knox counter, or something else?

Knox. Now that I should have a better understanding of the questions above:
8. What changes can I make without tripping Knox?
9. What changes can't I make without tripping Knox?
10. Downgrading. If my phone comes with Kitkat pre-installed, do I lose something compared to if it had come with Jellybean pre-installed?

Specifics. Can these features be put on a Note 3 yet?
11. Adjusting colour balance, while also keeping all the s-pen functionality.
12. Any kind of "cool black and white super ultra power saving mode".
13. Double tap to wake.
14. Gestures on a sleeping screen to instantly open apps.
15. Using the Note 3 as a USB Mass Storage device, instead of just MTP.
16. Using the SD card without any of Kitkat's shenanigans.
17. Manually force brightness to the real maximum without auto-brightness.

Recommendations.
18. What are some recommendations for modding the phone's software that don't trip Knox?
19. Same question, but with tripping Knox? Best ROM, etc.
20. Finally for fun, what's the coolest thing you've gotten your Note 3 to do?
I've heard of banks providing EFTPOS add-ons for the Note 3, so small business owners can use them to charge clients. With my Desire HD, I liked that I could browse even the external drives of my computer over wifi, stream a movie, then turn the computer off without getting up.


No need to try and tackle the whole lot, any replies appreciated.

 

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to the forums.

1. Rooting is gaining root access; flashing means to install a new <blank> like ROM, kernel, recovery.
2. A ROM is how the OS is set up. Custom ROMs add different things to Vanilla Android. Even skinned versions of Android like Sense or TouchWiz is a ROM. A kernel is program that handles requests from the hardware to the OS, and vice versa. Installed via a custom recovery.
3. A ROM is the OS. A launcher is the User Interface. Launchers can be installed via Play, like an app.
4. The bootloader is a small partition of the OS that acts like a gate to the rest of the programming.
5. Xposed Framework allows a rooted user to make small alterations to a ROM they already have. http://forums.androidcentral.com/am...7-guide-getting-started-xposed-framework.html
6. Odin is a PC program that acts as a tool to help flash ROMs through the bootloader.
7. Knox is a security protocol that Samsung uses to tell if users have altered their devices. It is viewed as a pain for those that want to root and flash custom ROMs.
8. Need to answer 9 first.
9. Anything that modifies the OS in anyway can in theory trip the Knox counter. Rooting (although many methods have found a way around it), flashing custom recoveries, and ROM will trip it.
8, revisited. Anything that doesn't involve the above. So anything installed via Play, Amazon, or the Samsung App Stores should not trip Knox.
10. You cannot downgrade below what the device launched with. In the case of the Note 3, JB 4.3 is as low as you can go.

 

[SactoKingsFan]

1. Rooting gives you superuser/root permissions within Android. It's similar to administrator privileges on Windows. This allows you to do things that the carrier and manufacturer never intended to be done on the phone. Flashing usually refers to installing custom software or a mod through custom recovery..

2. In this context a ROM is custom after market software designed for a specific device. These will often add new user interface and performance features that were not included in the stock firmware. The kernel is a program that allows the software to interact with hardware. Requests are sent to kernel when software wants hardware to do something. Both ROMs and kernels are installed as zip files through custom recovery (TWRP or CWM).

3. launchers are apps that replace your usual homescreen and app drawer. The good launchers come with several customization features. You can install a 3rd party launcher from the play store. I suggest Nova, Action, Apex, and Inspire.

4. Android A to Z: What is a bootloader? | Android Central

5. Xposed framework allows for user interface customization through various modules. I'm currently using a few Xposed modules on my G2 to customize the dialer app, launch apps with physical and on screen buttons, and change complete action options. Root access is required in order to use Xposed.

6. What Is Odex And Deodex In Android [Complete Guide]

7. ROMs that say "No Knox" means that they don't have Knox Security built into the ROM, so you won't have to deal with any Knox related issues.

I'll let Note 3 owner address the remaining questions.

--EDIT--

I suggest checking out the Note 3 threads at Xda Developers. The Xda and AC threads should cover many of your Note 3 questions.