Re: Forum Suggestion /"State of the Site"
i tried posting in where i felt was the appropreate thread linked to in the "state of the site" but it has already been closed
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=10673299
anyway i completely agree with many of the administrative decisions discussed there. i just have some suggestions to help those work, coming from my experience as a new member my first few days. (few weeks ago)
first of all how did i come here? google searches for questions i had about my captivate. after finding info on XDA few times through google, i realized this is a place i may want to check out more, but it took some looking around just to understand the BASIC POINT of what XDA was all about. Something that would really help people understand "THIS IS THE PLACE!" could use a short, straight to the point "sub-title" at the top of your webpage beside your xdadevelopers logo. something that reads like:
"the home for smartphone development, troubleshooting and ideas.."
the second small issue i want to bring up is new users not being able to post in development forums. WAIT!! I AGREE WITH THIS. BUT, when i was new here i was seeing not able to post in a dev forum talking about something i needed info on, and i was seeing other minor members in other threads getting "chewed out" for posting in a "developers" forum.
HERE WAS MY CONFUSION: www.xda-DEVELOPERS.com it appears to a noob straight off the google express that the whole site is developers...
i started looking for www.xda.com forums.xda.com ect....
it took a bit of searching around the site before i realized the "Developers" section that i couldnt post in was the SUB-forum of the Captivate sub-forum.
it was just a bit confusing until i saw the layout of the site for all the different phones and the sub catagories each had.
i hope these suggestions can bring forth some ideas that can help the integration of new members.
Thanks for your opinion
Yah, I really like your idea. We're going to consider it.
what ever happened to these suggestions?
dude i flet the same when i first got here! great recommendation!
TRusselo said:
...
HERE WAS MY CONFUSION: www.xda-DEVELOPERS.com it appears to a noob straight off the google express that the whole site is developers...
i started looking for www.xda.com forums.xda.com ect....
it took a bit of searching around the site before i realized the "Developers" section that i couldnt post in was the SUB-forum of the Captivate sub-forum.
it was just a bit confusing until i saw the layout of the site for all the different phones and the sub catagories each had...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there,
I'm a noob and this is my first post so please don't rip in to me for this or for the fact that I am resurrecting an old post
I thought that it would be better to quote a post that reflected my feelings and possibly (hopefully) answer my questions.
I have an HTC Inspire that I imported into Australia from gsmnation.com as I liked the feature set of the phone and it was compatible with my carrier over here unlike the Desire HD that is available locally but not compatible with my carrier.
I have lurked around these forums as an unregistered user since having my phone and used the great advice shown to root it and put Android Revolution 4G 4.0 by mike1986 on it.
Have been very happy with it but now I want more.
In particular I would like to put Gingerbread onto it with Sense 3.5.
I had been following a thread about RCMix3d Runny v4.0.
I took the plunge and registered at XDA but now I can't even view the thread without getting the vBulletin message saying that members without a post count of 10 or less cannot post in developers threads.
Fair enough I say but surely we can at least view the threads.
I can view various other threads but i cant even find the one mentioned above.
Can someone tell me if the thread has been deleted (all 1264 pages according to Google cache search - I was up to page 127!).
Have tried searching using XDA's custom Google search feature but can't find the thread anywhere.
Any advice about whether the thread still exists or if I am doing something wrong that is not even letting me view the thread.
Pooley72 said:
Hi there,
I'm a noob and this is my first post so please don't rip in to me for this or for the fact that I am resurrecting an old post
I thought that it would be better to quote a post that reflected my feelings and possibly (hopefully) answer my questions.
I have an HTC Inspire that I imported into Australia from gsmnation.com as I liked the feature set of the phone and it was compatible with my carrier over here unlike the Desire HD that is available locally but not compatible with my carrier.
I have lurked around these forums as an unregistered user since having my phone and used the great advice shown to root it and put Android Revolution 4G 4.0 by mike1986 on it.
Have been very happy with it but now I want more.
In particular I would like to put Gingerbread onto it with Sense 3.5.
I had been following a thread about RCMix3d Runny v4.0.
I took the plunge and registered at XDA but now I can't even view the thread without getting the vBulletin message saying that members without a post count of 10 or less cannot post in developers threads.
Fair enough I say but surely we can at least view the threads.
I can view various other threads but i cant even find the one mentioned above.
Can someone tell me if the thread has been deleted (all 1264 pages according to Google cache search - I was up to page 127!).
Have tried searching using XDA's custom Google search feature but can't find the thread anywhere.
Any advice about whether the thread still exists or if I am doing something wrong that is not even letting me view the thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That thread was removed at the op's request which is why you aren't able to view it.
Sent from my HD2. Still kicking the arse out of all your phones...
Ah Ok.
Thanks for the quick response...Very impressive.
Is there an alternative for this ROM or another sticky for that one around the place or has it been obliterated from XDA?
I have downloaded the ROM to my PC but if there is no longer any support for it on these boards then my quest for a nice GB ROM will have to continue.
I wonder how receptive capychimp is to noobs? I am in awe of the guy
Hi,
Noob here!
I read your "[New Members][Guide/Tour] Get the most out of XDA!!" and I thought it was great.
Being a noob, I couldnt press the thank you button, so I just thought I'd say thank you for taking the time and the effort to write the guide.
Thanks again!
-tired- said:
a noobie here ..
did read your "[New Members][Guide/Tour] Get the most out of XDA!!" and thought it was simply great. could not thank you there due to a limit on thanking being 8. So thought should try and reply here make my first post and thank you or helping me with the same..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Way to go bumping a 2yr old thread with your first post man..
I was looking for more information on the Kin2 and the possibility of running anything else on it and stumbled across these links. I am not sure if they will help anyone but thought it is worth a shot. Unfortunately, I do not have any experience working with software development.
I am not allowed to post links to the sites yet but will email them to you if you are interested.
You should have just read the forum instead reading in other places.
It's the 4th time that the "ifixit" (and inside "chipworks") links are noticed and/or posted.... *yells inside*
Furthermore, you should have said "with hardware development" as that what they could be useful.
Teardown
Sorry. I am a newbie when it comes to forum etiquette. I will keep that in mind for the next time.
Hi everybody,
I was not sure where to post this so I will just put it in here.
This is a suggestion that I thought of a long time ago, but today I've decided to post it somewhere.
XDA is an excellent forum, which I visit on a daily basis. Even before we had the nice portal it was still fun to go and visit our devices and see if anything new had come out.
The thing that I unfortunately can't use XDA for very well, unless I open countless threads asking people for help, is when deciding if I should buy a phone.
Everytime I want to read a review, I need to go and get it somewhere else. The problem with other peoples reviews is that they never take into account custom ROM's and the community behind them, so if the phone comes with crappy software out of the box, they might negatively rate something that is actually very good.
Lately I have been following the SG2 forum, as that device has made me dream again . Pretty, Powerful and another word starting with P that I can't think of, but when I want to see how good it is, or any review I either browse 100s of threads and try to understand what do people complain about, or I give up and go and search on the net for a review, which I still think does not take into account the potential of the device (example HD2, you will not find a review of it running android, hehe).
To summarize: I suggest that each forum dedicated to a phone could have a nice review in the sickies, done by a member and rated by the community.
And please I am aware of the wiki, but I still don't think it is enough, as it's mostly specs and other things, not actual usage comparison or review.
Let me know what you think.
Good day to you all
This is an interesting point...I know of a few other forums that have a dedicated review forum or review threads.
I'll pop it in the "suggestion box"
I'm still somewhat of a newbie to xda, but the idea sounds great. I usually jump around to 5 or six sites looking for reliable reviews.
Would be nice to have member reviews from multiple angles of usability.
Well I'm glad that you've liked it. I am looking forward to see future development and hopefully I will not have to use other review sites in the future .
Regards to all.
good idea
That's great, I think Xda with many ppls can send out the information of mobile products.
Hi everybody, first I want to thank the admin orb3000 for moving the thread, I searched for the right place for the post, but no suggestion folder for the forum, that is why I have posted in in general.
And now on topic, we need to start reviewing our phones so they have something to sticky.
So good luck to you all, and I am looking forward to the results.
With all the threads that pop up asking "should I get this", I had thought about doing the same thing but never acted on it....maybe its time that I did
Great suggestion, definitely not "flame worthy"
Could somebody who knows the terminology update the Acronyms section? There's a lot that I've run across in the forums that aren't there or in the Glossary. Just take a quick look through and add what's missing, then nOOBs like me don't have to ask as much.
Also, might I ask that the wiki possess more on general programming and coding for android and other moblie OS? I like just learning how it works, but I've found little on that. How do you develop a ROM, what's the programming basics...that sort of thing. And if you know of a place on the web that already does that let me know.
I'm loving the info on the site otherwise. I haven't posted much, but I've read a bunch.
Perfectly_Diverse said:
Could somebody who knows the terminology update the Acronyms section? There's a lot that I've run across in the forums that aren't there or in the Glossary. Just take a quick look through and add what's missing, then nOOBs like me don't have to ask as much.
Also, might I ask that the wiki possess more on general programming and coding for android and other moblie OS? I like just learning how it works, but I've found little on that. How do you develop a ROM, what's the programming basics...that sort of thing. And if you know of a place on the web that already does that let me know.
I'm loving the info on the site otherwise. I haven't posted much, but I've read a bunch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a lot of Acronyms, probably a lot I don't know as I'm a Microsoft only guy , but unless you let us know which ones you're struggling with we can't help you.
Perhaps those that you come across, you can ask for on it's talk page.
Thanks,
Dave
To answer my question; yes, I do. I always feel lost when I come here, so for this time, I want to try something new.
1) The main issue. I recognized (unlike all other forums on the Internet), it has three, distinct "layers" with a different visual appearance depending how deep you go into levels.
Level 1: https://forum.xda-developers.com/
Take note of the distinct visual appearance.
Level 2: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android
Take note of the distinct visual appearance. Remember that one level up (https://forum.xda-developers.com/) you had actual descriptions of what each category is about. At this level the descriptions have disappeared (for some reason), so you always have to go a level up to figure out which category you want to enter.
Level 3: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games
Take note of the distinct visual appearance. Now this looks like your regular Internet forum. I wonder why can't Level 1. and 2. look just like Level 3. for an easy overview of navigation.
Am I the only person all these levels are not intuitive for or you as well? What forum engine XDA Forums runs on? I noted that Level 3. is fine, it looks like just any other Internet forum, but I'm puzzled and perplexed as ever about the distinct designs of Levels 1. and 2.
For a comparison of some neat and friendly forum interfaces, I encourage you to check out:
https://forums.anandtech.com/
https://arstechnica.com/civis/
+1: https://forum.f-droid.org/
Nothing special, really: just time tested, old forum interfaces that "just works" as they say. I'm not even saying they are perfect. For example, the AnandTech Forum doesn't have the descriptions the Ars Technica forum has, but due to the self-explanatory nature of the categories, I'm not lost while there. I understand XDA Forums have more complex topics, so descriptions are preferred.
+1: As opposed to the Ars Technica and AnandTech Forums, The F-Droid Forum uses a new school interface called Discourse. I find it effective as it has powerful features. If you ever want to upgrade XDA Forums, you might want to consider going with a next generation forum engine like Discourse.
Example: https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/budget-phones-eur-usd100-worth-buying-t3433115
I simply can't believe I'm the single person on this forum interested in this question. (It's timely as ever, by the way.) I just feel other people interested in the same topic somehow never found their way to my question because they also find XDA Forums overall just too complex to get a grasp on everything happening here.
2) Has anyone ever found checking the "Q&A Thread" was useful for their thread, and didn't regret checking that box in the end? Back then when I was without a clue, I checked the box. I learned never to check it again. See my cautionary tale here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/viewing-internal-storage-generic-phone-t3429852
I never got a proper answer there, and totally by accident (by external Google search after gave up I will ever find my answer on XDA Forums), I have found what I was looking for in a 5-year old Samsung Galaxy Nexus thread which turned out to be completely device-independent stuff: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...nlock-root-t1420351/post69913460#post69913460
Now why would the author of this completely device-independent guide put the guide in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus forum section where it lied for 5 years unnoticed, but being still useful today? Probably he has never figured out where the proper place for device-independent guides on the forum is. (Where is the proper place for device independent guides on the forum really, where contributors and users alike will find it equally easily?)
My related observation to this point is that I noticed many of the juicy activity on this forum in general takes place in [insert this year's hot Android phone] categories. Hot Android phone of the day or year changes at least yearly, most users change their devices at least once in two years, so even though many device-independent advice might have been accumulated in the topics for previous year's hot phones, this knowledge seems to be lost. It's still here on the forum, just no one looks at threads of old phones popular years ago looking for device-independent advice, people can only stumble upon information from this (actually huge) section of the forum by accident.
3) Idea: how about a distinctive indicator for a project is being active, still actively maintained or developed? It can be a green sign for active projects. Projects no longer being maintained and developed on the other hand could be distinctively marked with a red sign.
Example for I mistakenly thought of an active and alive project that it was no longer maintained and developed... or not? But something like this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71988461&postcount=17847
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72580936&postcount=17958
(Poor developer @M66B, I have no idea what negative experiences he may refer to: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=69284003)
Example for me being lost here 1.: This project has been abandoned for sure: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888181
The thread has been closed for 5 years. I have no idea whatsoever in which section should I ask about a similar project which is alive and well. (And expect for answers, which is equally important! A few paragraphs above you can see examples that even I asked the right question in the right place according to moderator, I never received any answer whatsoever, or any meaningful answer.)
Example for me being lost here 2.: I really want to ask somewhere
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/135711/is-apkmirror-com-safe
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/74618/how-safe-is-it-to-use-aptoide
Example 2, for not finding my way around XDA Forums. I noticed there are many worthy, distinctive projects that seem to be abandoned by their developers: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888181
It seems to be pretty abandoned; the thread has been closed for 5 years.
Aren't just too many separate categories? I just never was able to figure out the "overview" of XDA Forums the way I had no problem to overview AnandTech Forums and the Ars Technica forums. Even if you say there are exactly as many forum categories as needed, I can accept that. But sure, you could do more to make it visually intuitive - just like most other forums on the Internet are. Thanks!
Update. Another case in point: https://www.xda-developers.com/goog...-with-root-and-android-pay-in-the-xda-forums/
Poor Google engineer @jasondclinton_google has some good, general info on rooting vs. Android Pay (Google Pay?) security but why he had to post it in an obscured thread under xda-developers > Google Nexus 5 > Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting > Android Pay and Custom ROM instead of a forum topic of more general interest is beyond me.
Anyone?
Theres quite a few threads on this subject, perhaps people dont feel the need to contribute to another one?
magicphone said:
To answer my question; yes, I do. I always feel lost when I come here, so for this time, I want to try something new.
1) The main issue. I recognized (unlike all other forums on the Internet), it has three, distinct "layers" with a different visual appearance depending how deep you go into levels.
Level 1: https://forum.xda-developers.com/
Take note of the distinct visual appearance.
Level 2: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android
Take note of the distinct visual appearance. Remember that one level up (https://forum.xda-developers.com/) you had actual descriptions of what each category is about. At this level the descriptions have disappeared (for some reason), so you always have to go a level up to figure out which category you want to enter.
Level 3: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games
Take note of the distinct visual appearance. Now this looks like your regular Internet forum. I wonder why can't Level 1. and 2. look just like Level 3. for an easy overview of navigation.
Am I the only person all these levels are not intuitive for or you as well? What forum engine XDA Forums runs on? I noted that Level 3. is fine, it looks like just any other Internet forum, but I'm puzzled and perplexed as ever about the distinct designs of Levels 1. and 2.
For a comparison of some neat and friendly forum interfaces, I encourage you to check out:
https://forums.anandtech.com/
https://arstechnica.com/civis/
+1: https://forum.f-droid.org/
Nothing special, really: just time tested, old forum interfaces that "just works" as they say. I'm not even saying they are perfect. For example, the AnandTech Forum doesn't have the descriptions the Ars Technica forum has, but due to the self-explanatory nature of the categories, I'm not lost while there. I understand XDA Forums have more complex topics, so descriptions are preferred.
+1: As opposed to the Ars Technica and AnandTech Forums, The F-Droid Forum uses a new school interface called Discourse. I find it effective as it has powerful features. If you ever want to upgrade XDA Forums, you might want to consider going with a next generation forum engine like Discourse.
Example: https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/help/budget-phones-eur-usd100-worth-buying-t3433115
I simply can't believe I'm the single person on this forum interested in this question. (It's timely as ever, by the way.) I just feel other people interested in the same topic somehow never found their way to my question because they also find XDA Forums overall just too complex to get a grasp on everything happening here.
2) Has anyone ever found checking the "Q&A Thread" was useful for their thread, and didn't regret checking that box in the end? Back then when I was without a clue, I checked the box. I learned never to check it again. See my cautionary tale here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/viewing-internal-storage-generic-phone-t3429852
I never got a proper answer there, and totally by accident (by external Google search after gave up I will ever find my answer on XDA Forums), I have found what I was looking for in a 5-year old Samsung Galaxy Nexus thread which turned out to be completely device-independent stuff: https://forum.xda-developers.com/ga...nlock-root-t1420351/post69913460#post69913460
Now why would the author of this completely device-independent guide put the guide in the Samsung Galaxy Nexus forum section where it lied for 5 years unnoticed, but being still useful today? Probably he has never figured out where the proper place for device-independent guides on the forum is. (Where is the proper place for device independent guides on the forum really, where contributors and users alike will find it equally easily?)
My related observation to this point is that I noticed many of the juicy activity on this forum in general takes place in [insert this year's hot Android phone] categories. Hot Android phone of the day or year changes at least yearly, most users change their devices at least once in two years, so even though many device-independent advice might have been accumulated in the topics for previous year's hot phones, this knowledge seems to be lost. It's still here on the forum, just no one looks at threads of old phones popular years ago looking for device-independent advice, people can only stumble upon information from this (actually huge) section of the forum by accident.
3) Idea: how about a distinctive indicator for a project is being active, still actively maintained or developed? It can be a green sign for active projects. Projects no longer being maintained and developed on the other hand could be distinctively marked with a red sign.
Example for I mistakenly thought of an active and alive project that it was no longer maintained and developed... or not? But something like this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=71988461&postcount=17847
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72580936&postcount=17958
(Poor developer @M66B, I have no idea what negative experiences he may refer to: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=69284003)
Example for me being lost here 1.: This project has been abandoned for sure: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888181
The thread has been closed for 5 years. I have no idea whatsoever in which section should I ask about a similar project which is alive and well. (And expect for answers, which is equally important! A few paragraphs above you can see examples that even I asked the right question in the right place according to moderator, I never received any answer whatsoever, or any meaningful answer.)
Example for me being lost here 2.: I really want to ask somewhere
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/135711/is-apkmirror-com-safe
https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/74618/how-safe-is-it-to-use-aptoide
Example 2, for not finding my way around XDA Forums. I noticed there are many worthy, distinctive projects that seem to be abandoned by their developers: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888181
It seems to be pretty abandoned; the thread has been closed for 5 years.
Aren't just too many separate categories? I just never was able to figure out the "overview" of XDA Forums the way I had no problem to overview AnandTech Forums and the Ars Technica forums. Even if you say there are exactly as many forum categories as needed, I can accept that. But sure, you could do more to make it visually intuitive - just like most other forums on the Internet are. Thanks!
Update. Another case in point: https://www.xda-developers.com/goog...-with-root-and-android-pay-in-the-xda-forums/
Poor Google engineer @jasondclinton_google has some good, general info on rooting vs. Android Pay (Google Pay?) security but why he had to post it in an obscured thread under xda-developers > Google Nexus 5 > Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting > Android Pay and Custom ROM instead of a forum topic of more general interest is beyond me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To your first point, I actually like the separate layouts for the different layers of the forum. I love modded forums in general, and I enjoy when forums step outside of the basic forumdisplay page.
As for the other points, I agree. I've spent the past few hours searching different forums for a few topics, and a lot of "general" info is split between a myriad of specialized, nested forums. I assume this helps the admins manage topic threads more efficiently. I'm sure it just takes some getting used to. I wouldn't describe it as "complicated" or "non-intuitive," just unique to xda. I run specialized message boards myself, and some forums are born out of general discussions that need to be compartmentalized for better management.
If I understand the whole situation, it goes like this: XDA has been around before Android was a thing, but got a high popularity boost with the introduction of Google's mobile operating system.
The original motto was along the lines of 'by developers, for developers.' But then a lot of new Android people came, not just developers, users as well and XDA couldn't keep up with the surge and you guys still try to find out ever since how to best manage such a huge and diverse community with developers and users alike, how to manage projects, bug reports, while maintaining a community of users, who might as well insightful feature requests for the projects. Does this sound about right?
So. Is the motto of the forum still supposed to be something like 'by developers, for developers,' or perhaps, it has changed?
Old, clip from your YouTube channel: You are a Noob on XDA-Developers. It's your second most watched video on your channel, actually. I just wonder if it's still the dominant attitude of you guys who run this place towards users (some of whom, perhaps want to remain users, just want to get out the most of their phones) and they should piss off and better go elsewhere, or perhaps you have toned down the communication and you are in the process of figuring out how this place could be more fruitful for all?
See more at the Google search: xda site:https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/
I Google searched to find this forum because I am just trying to understand XDA's layout. I'm currently using the app, and I am always so lost here. The only way I find anything at all is through Google searches. Right now I'm trying to understand this place's layout.
Yup same here from me. In general, have not found the XDA mods and Devs very helpful at all unless you're part of the inner circle of geek. Without wasting any more of my time trying to find a simple answer to a simple question on this convoluted diabolical forum I'm going to just join another more helpful more friendly, less up my own arse type of forum where you don't need to be a tech geek to get an answer.
Thanks for nothing XDA
leahcimewol said:
Yup same here from me. In general, have not found the XDA mods and Devs very helpful at all unless you're part of the inner circle of geek. Without wasting any more of my time trying to find a simple answer to a simple question on this convoluted diabolical forum I'm going to just join another more helpful more friendly, less up my own arse type of forum where you don't need to be a tech geek to get an answer.
Thanks for nothing XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See ya.
leahcimewol said:
Yup same here from me. In general, have not found the XDA mods and Devs very helpful at all unless you're part of the inner circle of geek. Without wasting any more of my time trying to find a simple answer to a simple question on this convoluted diabolical forum I'm going to just join another more helpful more friendly, less up my own arse type of forum where you don't need to be a tech geek to get an answer.
Thanks for nothing XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See ya.
leahcimewol said:
Yup same here from me. In general, have not found the XDA mods and Devs very helpful at all unless you're part of the inner circle of geek. Without wasting any more of my time trying to find a simple answer to a simple question on this convoluted diabolical forum I'm going to just join another more helpful more friendly, less up my own arse type of forum where you don't need to be a tech geek to get an answer.
Thanks for nothing XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
K bye!
Ciao!
It's turning into a bye bye thread
I admit my post is not helpful