Hi,
I'm playing with ROM building recently and I when building 2.1 ROM, everyone say "We can't fix X issue because we don't have kernel sources".
I was shocked seeing all great hardware support is on the Eris leak based ROMs.
Why thoses ROMs have better hardware support ? I thought when we port a ROM, we take a working boot.img (kernel + drivers) and the new system.img together. So if I'm not wrong, what make thoses ROMs better ?
I'm probably missing some key understanding. If you can help me, I'll really appreciate.
Regards,
mik
Eris is basically Verizons Wireless's re-branded version of Hero.
The hardware and everything is same, just the physical appearance.
So our new kernel base is now this one ?
I'm asking because I'm building AOSP (cyanogenmod) ROMs so if this new kernel+drivers is the way to go, I'll start wirking with this as base and not the old HERO2.1 one
mik- said:
So our new kernel base is now this one ?
I'm asking because I'm building AOSP (cyanogenmod) ROMs so if this new kernel+drivers is the way to go, I'll start wirking with this as base and not the old HERO2.1 one
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Click to collapse
The kernel of the Eris is different to the Hero, they are still using the old kernel on the Eris port
l0st.prophet said:
The kernel of the Eris is different to the Hero, they are still using the old kernel on the Eris port
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So why the hardware support is so good ?
hardware driver...
Isn't all of this supposed to be open source anyway? Like, if the official kernel has better hardware support, why isn't it in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), if Android is GPL-licensed Free Software? Is there a violation of the GPL going on here?
FunkTrooper said:
Isn't all of this supposed to be open source anyway? Like, if the official kernel has better hardware support, why isn't it in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), if Android is GPL-licensed Free Software? Is there a violation of the GPL going on here?
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Click to collapse
Because the official kernel isn't officially available, it's still technically in development. They are under no obligation to release it until they release it to the public, by which point we will have it anyway
FunkTrooper said:
Isn't all of this supposed to be open source anyway? Like, if the official kernel has better hardware support, why isn't it in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), if Android is GPL-licensed Free Software? Is there a violation of the GPL going on here?
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Click to collapse
Common misconception number 1 - Android is *not* licensed under the GPL, it is licensed under the Apache Software License (ASL). This license is not a copy left license so OEMs who modify the Android source are under absolutely no obligation to make their modified source code available.
However, the Linux kernel upon which Android runs is licensed under the GPL, so HTC must provide the source for any *shipping* software that uses said kernel. Since HTC have not officially released their version of Android 2.1, again they are under no obligation to supply kernel source. The second that they official ship the update, this changes and they are obliged under the terms of the GPL to make the kernel source available.
Regards,
Dave
And I hate to be a complete noob, but are these drivers that provide the nice hardware support part of the kernel?
If not, what difference would it even make if we didn't have the official kernel sources?
Since the Eris has the exact same hardware as the Hero, why can't we use the same kernel as the Eris rom ?
Latoc said:
Since the Eris has the exact same hardware as the Hero, why can't we use the same kernel as the Eris rom ?
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Because it isn't the same hardware.
The Eris is close, but not identical to the Hero. The major difference is it's CDMA, not GSM. And, it uses touch buttons instead of physical buttons.
Other than those two, I'm not sure if there are any other significant differences. Point being that those differences are enough to warrant a different kernel.
e.japonica said:
hardware driver...
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So if I understand correctly, the Eris leak based ROM use the old kernel (2.6.29) but newer hardware drivers so my question is correct ... Should we use any Eris based ROM as base to make new AOSP ROMs ?
This way, we will keep the old kernel but new drivers ...
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
mik- said:
So if I understand correctly, the Eris leak based ROM use the old kernel (2.6.29) but newer hardware drivers so my question is correct ... Should we use any Eris based ROM as base to make new AOSP ROMs ?
This way, we will keep the old kernel but new drivers ...
Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, it's all going to change when we get to official Hero 2.1 ROM (and kernel,) because that's what we'll be using very soon (if we're to believe the hype about 2.1 finally coming this month.)
As for right now, it's up to you. If I were to start working on a ROM, I would use the Eris dump, although you'll have to change to the official kernel in a couple weeks anyway.
I'm not really sure what to say about using "the old kernel but new drivers. I'm not into kernel dev myself, but what's "old" and what's "new" is going to change soon anyway, so I don't think it matters too much at this point.
EDIT: Let me correct myself: If you're going to make an AOSP ROM, you won't use the Eris *ROM* as the base, you'd just use the kernel and drivers. The rest of the system would not have any HTC-ness attached to it (no Sense/HTC Mail/etc), so you'd actually use an AOSP image instead of an Eris/Hero image.
craig0r said:
Really, it's all going to change when we get to official Hero 2.1 ROM (and kernel,) because that's what we'll be using very soon (if we're to believe the hype about 2.1 finally coming this month.)
As for right now, it's up to you. If I were to start working on a ROM, I would use the Eris dump, although you'll have to change to the official kernel in a couple weeks anyway.
I'm not really sure what to say about using "the old kernel but new drivers. I'm not into kernel dev myself, but what's "old" and what's "new" is going to change soon anyway, so I don't think it matters too much at this point.
EDIT: Let me correct myself: If you're going to make an AOSP ROM, you won't use the Eris *ROM* as the base, you'd just use the kernel and drivers. The rest of the system would not have any HTC-ness attached to it (no Sense/HTC Mail/etc), so you'd actually use an AOSP image instead of an Eris/Hero image.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I know. Sorry to not being clear enough. When we build AOSP build, we take an existing ROM to extract kernel and drivers to make the AOSP code working. When I say take Eris leak based Roms as base, I mean just the kernel/drivers part. I know the whole system will not be taken into account.
Eris and AOSP 2.1 roms
After looking at the previous 2.1 roms that were being used to cook and the Eris now being used by everyone, although both being 2.1 they do appear to be different versions of the same product
The Eris appears to be a cut down version of the ASOP 2.1 version, the mail app is still based around the 1.5 version HTC mail, rather than the mail app that is on ASOP which gives you global address list search etc on exchange, and new features on incoming mail for normal mail accounts.
Are features like this built into the kernel themselves ? or things like mail, dialers just apk files
A few forums are now reporting that the new official version of 2.1 for the hero will be a basic version compared to the versions running on desire and nexus. Which would be a disappointment
i'm porting cm-kernel for htc hero. github.com/tmpdo/hero33 here sources, but i have some problems with gpio. anyone can see sources and help us to porting?
what I was trying from home, why not diff'ing and patching with our 2.6.29 kernel as source instead of CM-kernel...
Lol, looks like some ppl think on the same wavelength;
Got issues with usb and gpio related includes from a 2.6.32 base.
:/
Hi guys,
it's my 1st thread started at xda, so if it's in wrong place or anything, let me know and i'm sorry.
As I'm not a developer myself I just follow up stuff here to see all u guys good work... but when I saw this news and noticed that it's not here... I'm sure some of you can make good use of this info.
HTC release the source code for Hero (and some others) on their developer centre, it seems like a straight download which should help the devs get nicer drivers (Froyo ???) and smoother running ROMs.
news via: http://www.androidcentral.com/htc-developer-site-updated-kernel-sources-evo-4g-and-htc-hero
HTC dev site: http://developer.htc.com/
Optimized HTC Sense UI coming?
Go go devs.
Nothing new though. At least not for Hero benefits anyhow.
We've had hacked together kernel sources for 2.6.29 for a while now, so this isn't as big a deal as the original kernel source release. Hopefully the devs here can still make use of it.
Hi
nothing really new ?
IIRC, "Github for the untouched original kernel source: hxxp://github.com/toastcfh/CdMa-HeRoC-2.6.29" is another device kernel src reverse for the Hero from a forgotten patch file in the archive ?
so this "really" original kernel source may be newer with last correction from htc ?
thx help me understand
Az'
from what I understand (After a bit of toying with toast's kernel sources myself) this is what's done:
(correct me if wrong):
They took a supplied 2.6.29 kernel source as the base. Don't know if it's from Nexus, Desire or Legend, but some anroid-2.6.29 base kernel that was already available.
Already having a 2.6.29 base with most HTC-ish hardware available, the hard part was merging in all the cpu centric files (board files, for the MSM720x platform) from the already released 2.6.27-htc sources.
So starting with a htc-ish 2.6.29 base, and slowly and trial-and-error moving stuff over from the 2.6.27-htc sources (which is harder than it looks. 2.6.27 -> 2.6.29 had quite some changes in the linux world) until it boots and until all hardware worked.
He did this for the CDMA hero. From there it wasn't too long (or did it work directly?) until it worked for the gsm hero. Someone just had to notice his work I believe .
_So_, that means that our 'godmode-2.6.29' sources aren't really 'hacked together' that much. The support files are still from HTC, only they are the same as the 2.6.27 (android 1.5) drivers. _Maybe_ HTC updated or optimized some things and thus the official-2.6.29 might contain newer or better working support for the hardware.
The way to check this is out is to compare the **** in the source files (which people are probably doing already) to see the differences HTC did to toast's version.
The other method is to 'try' and feel what's different. This _never_ works in the XDA community because there is a _huge_ placebo effect in what all the users are feeling. The same as compcache, swap, bfs or not, etc... opinions and preferences are all over the place.
Only if benchmarks or other hard numbers make one version better than the other, it remains something of preferences for the users and creators of the roms.
(Is there already a simple recompile somewhere with overclocking enabled of the HTC 2.6.29 sources? Because then the testing can begin ).
so no current roms are built from the official kernel (the 2.6.29 kernel from HTC)?
As far as I can understand the GoDmOdE kernel sources are based on a leak of 2.6.29 kernel sources for multiple HTC devices, including a CDMA hero kernel source. And the sources for all our 2.6.29 GSM hero kernels are based on this.
The official 2.6.29 are very new, but I am sure that now that they are released we will see kernels based on these sources as well.
Is this only a big deal for TW users or will the benefits help out with AOSP roms as well? I personally prefer AOSP roms (MIUI and CM9) so I'm really hoping that this recently released code will help those roms become more stable. Can someone briefly explain the significance of the source code being released and what it means for TW and AOSP roms? Thanks
You'll see some kernel tweaks/improvements and possibly better battery life. And we have the kernel source, not "source". "Source" would imply to me that we could build the whole ROM which we can't. Just FYI.
Can Sprint HTC one kernels workon our VZW Ones?
jmotyka said:
Can Sprint HTC one kernels workon our VZW Ones?
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No.
I figured that much. My thought behind the question was that maybe the kernels for the htc one were like the universal kernels for the S3.
jmotyka said:
I figured that much. My thought behind the question was that maybe the kernels for the htc one were like the universal kernels for the S3.
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There could be but to the best of my knowledge NEVER flash another carriers kernel..
I'd like to see these universal kernels..
you aren't talking about ROMs that can be flashed on any carrier? that just has all the files for all the carriers, so it chooses your device by the coding in your phone and will select the correct one and flash the kernel for your ROM.
Imoseyon Had kernels that were universal. Im not sure if they had installers that detected which device you had or if the kernels were literally universal.
But how hard would it be to make a kernel from someones sprint source code? Did HTC ever release source code for VZW?
jmotyka said:
Imoseyon Had kernels that were universal. Im not sure if they had installers that detected which device you had or if the kernels were literally universal.
But how hard would it be to make a kernel from someones sprint source code? Did HTC ever release source code for VZW?
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Click to collapse
it's not possible to use sprints code..
or.. we would
This seems like an appropriate thread to post this:
Do the ROM's and Kernels from the general HTC One thread work for our Verizon version? Some of the threads read they work on all carriers except Sprint...
Anyone know when HTC will release the source code for the verizon or do you know if this version would work? I wouldn't mind putting something together...but I have only had this device a few days and I only starting to get a Sense of what's going on...
One HTC WWE MR 3.4.10 v4.2.2 99.7 MB 2.24.1136.1
I agree. I know that in some way a kernel would be able to be compiled because we have working CM, Vanir roms. Those dont run on sense kernels. So some how some way a kernel can be compiled.
jmotyka said:
I agree. I know that in some way a kernel would be able to be compiled because we have working CM, Vanir roms. Those dont run on sense kernels. So some how some way a kernel can be compiled.
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Yes a kernel can and has been compiled using the International source code.
That doesn't mean it is ideal or going to work well on our stock rom or at all.
Once my device arrives on Thursday I plan to look into it.
But I would prefer that Verizon and HTC just get on the ball and drop our source so we can be sure to build proper kernels.
I just read something over at HTC elevate where someone mentioned we can use the Kernel Source code from the International LTE One to build a kernel for VZW.
jmotyka said:
I just read something over at HTC elevate where someone mentioned we can use the Kernel Source code from the International LTE One to build a kernel for VZW.
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Correct, that's the one I meant. :good:
I updated my post above accordingly.
That was what was used for our CM10.2 and likely anything else we have that's AOSP based so far.
Would still like for HTC/Vzw to get with it and just release ours as well, as there could be slight variations in a few regards.
I prefer AOSP builds. With that being said id be looking for a kernel for AOSP builds. I just feel more comfortable using a lean kernel, stripped of unnecessary junk and optimized for speed and battery life. I feel custom ones give me that over stock.