Develop Bugs

Why not separate forum for each ROM

Hi all!
I have a suggestion to make to the administrators of this portal.
I believe that each ROM should have it's own forum and not just a single thread. Each ROM is a really big deal. It is a piece of software that requires support, and using just one thread - the one that the creator of the ROM started to show off his work - is not enough. There should be one forum for each ROM, with locked threads on top showing latest releases, patches and known issues etc. Just like a real software product. Currently is it not easy at all for the visitor to find an answer for something already been answered before. Search inside a thread is helpful but not enough. Also, I suppose that it's not easy for the creator of ROM to keep up and know what was answered and what was not.
This forum should be administered by the ROM creator or any other friend that he/she could choose to help him out in this difficult task.

papadi said:
Hi all!
I have a suggestion to make to the administrators of this portal.
I believe that each ROM should have it's own forum and not just a single thread. Each ROM is a really big deal. It is a piece of software that requires support, and using just one thread - the one that the creator of the ROM started to show off his work - is not enough. There should be one forum for each ROM, with locked threads on top showing latest releases, patches and known issues etc. Just like a real software product. Currently is it not easy at all for the visitor to find an answer for something already been answered before. Search inside a thread is helpful but not enough. Also, I suppose that it's not easy for the creator of ROM to keep up and know what was answered and what was not.
This forum should be administered by the ROM creator or any other friend that he/she could choose to help him out in this difficult task.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate... i think that cant be applied because there may be 10's of roms then we will need 10's of forums. Its ok with topics i think... they just need good cleaning from useless posts.

And what is the problem with having 10s of forums? If the forum framework is flexible this shouldn't be much burden for the administrators.

yup, i am agree with you papaidi, but, we dont have to make a new separated forum, for a new rom, i think we just need a separated forum for the newest rom, then for the rom before, we need to move it to "upgrading" forum,. ;p

Garmin said:
yup, i am agree with you papaidi, but, we dont have to make a new separated forum, for a new rom, i think we just need a separated forum for the newest rom, then for the rom before, we need to move it to "upgrading" forum,. ;p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would also recommend Tags. Aren't they supported?

Take this thread for example:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=270751
How can somebody find in it if there is the answer that he is looking form. This thread has more than 2500 replies! This is not a thread! It's a history book.

i hear what you're sayin but...
that's not even a ROM thread! And he (Ikarus) has taken the trouble to write up FAQs, manuals, etc, so except for troubleshooting IMO you hardly need to look through the whole thread,
This is not a thread! It's a history book.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but that's a nice line...made me smile at least...
regarding a forum for each ROM, it would be a nice idea, but is there really space, or a real need for this? I mean, I hate looking back at a latest ROM thread and seeing 20 pages to trawl through, but what can you do... I guess I agree with WizeMan. If there is anything that can be done, perhaps harsher moderation (e.g. of newbie's questions) in the ROM threads would help.
...or...if people really did want new forums for ROMs, one for each major cooker? rather than each individual ROM...still don't think that it's worth it/do-able though

I believe seperating ROMS and forum will add more chaos. For example, there is like 100's of ROMS released for each device like hermes, wizard etc. Some of the ROM released might not be good, and hence it might be discontinued. Also with the way people are porting ROM a new OS version is released almost daily, and the chefs, start their job again with the new OS version....so having to seperate ROM forum will add more confusion...(this is my opinion)
Also, use google to search for what you need, I agree you cannot go through the 2500 replies, but some of them do have valuable information.

That's a good idea...

Sorry, but that is probably the craziest thing I have heard. Do you even know how many ROMS are out there? This forum is huge as it is. If they started making new forums for every ROM, then you would have nothing less than 200 forums minimum.
The key is to include a "Thank You" feature for every thread. The biggest problem we have here is noobs and even a lot os senior members posting THANK YOU and I'LL TEST IT OUT messages in the threads. If you actually look at the amount of useful messages in the threads, they are quite minimal as opposed to all this unnecessary chatter.
There are a lot of forums that include this "THANK YOU" feature that I mentioned. If you want to thank the author of the thread, all you do is click on a THANK YOU button and your name gets added to a THANK YOU section in the same thread. That way everything is kept clean and messages are posted only when you have something to contribute, discuss or have a problem.
Check out the thread below... you'll have a much better idea of what i'm talking about. Also, maybe we should make this more visible. If all of us start putting this in our Signatures, then members will take notice and if there is enough of noise, then the admins will take notice and we can move towards a cleaner and more functional XDA-dev.
Thank You Threads

In my oppinion this is a difficult idea to be applied. The most simple way we can wish the moderator give a list of rom and then stick them, so anybody know where is the newer rom, stable rom, or in progress. But actually there is a rule from the rom maker, they use some order of versions which they build, so anybody know when the rom is composed Thank them for the great works.

Attention General Moderator

Numerous "posters" have taken the habit of commenting without showing their signature.
I find this very disturbing as you do not know what they are referring to.
May I please suggest you put everywhere a STICKY reminder?
Keep up your b..... good site, Have a nice day and God Bless.

Mmmmm
Yes! it must be a rule... instead nobody read the rules..... but when we have time to attend those who has problems or opinions, we dont have enough info... maybe if they has it in their signatures, we have less posts unnecesary so it would be great that in login claim for fill these info with obligatory (*), before gain the access to the forum threads... what would you say?
and of course a request for the one who dont have and is new... thanks for read mods.

wait what are you talking about?
do you mean people are not showing their signatures (those little things at the the bottom of each post)? I suppose not showing it could be a problem if they reference it, but is that what you are talking about?

YES
Mr Mikechannon: (Or do I need to say: sorry SR!! but...I think...)
I like you to see some day the upgrade forum for HTC Wizard its full of people that bricks their wizards... why... cause he dont understands what he got on his hands...
For wizard is very important to know wich model to get the proper ROM if dont knows nothing about it...
This info is very usefull not comfort for the ones who answer questions and provides help or support... Never... its a pleasure can helps but then they starts to blame about this kind of thing... I know it doesnt matter but its so sad to read it.
Just read a little that has problems with dead or bricked wizards.
Examples
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2691375&posted=1#post2691375
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=427868
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=429554
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=428497
And so much more...
I know this is a hughe site, or tell us where to post to be able to ask for change the login info and make the user insert his info corectly.
Maybe I imagine this like an utopy but could be amazing have this kind of info by default.
Thanks just for read us GENERAL!!!!!

i see...
the thing is, alot of the problems in some of the other forums are not necessarily rom related, and rom questions could probably be better answered posting in the rom's thread.
despite what some may think, most problems are universal regardless of rom, at least in my experience.

+ Que PPC said:
Mr Mikechannon: (Or do I need to say: sorry SR!! but...I think...)
I like you to see some day the upgrade forum for HTC Wizard its full of people that bricks their wizards... why... cause he dont understands what he got on his hands...
For wizard is very important to know wich model to get the proper ROM if dont knows nothing about it...
This info is very usefull not comfort for the ones who answer questions and provides help or support... Never... its a pleasure can helps but then they starts to blame about this kind of thing... I know it doesnt matter but its so sad to read it.
Just read a little that has problems with dead or bricked wizards.
Examples
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=2691375&posted=1#post2691375
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=427868
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=429554
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=428497
And so much more...
I know this is a hughe site, or tell us where to post to be able to ask for change the login info and make the user insert his info corectly.
Maybe I imagine this like an utopy but could be amazing have this kind of info by default.
Thanks just for read us GENERAL!!!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see your point, but you can't make certain info mandatory for users. Most of the time when users post a "problem with device" type thread, they usually mention which it is. For the Wizard users that don't specify which model, it doesn't mean much except they never knew there were differences from the beginning most likely. Just point out the differences and most will catch on.

Nice try...
Already tried so... i think that we need to make a sticky likely thread saying!!!!
Y'ALL!!! Put your info device on your Signature before post!!!!
Maybe they can read it with hughe words.

I'm very sorry but as good a practice as it is we cannot enforce people to do so, adding a sticky would clutter most forums as most of the time there are already multiple stickies there.
The best you can do is suggest to people to put in their signature or post whenever they feel it's relevant.
Best regards,
Flar
Site admin

MY GOD!
Is SHE FLAR!!!?
Its Like GOD answering our question!!!?
Thanks a lot!!!... Im gona post a Sticky on every topic of Wizards forum, can I do it with hughe Words???? maybe inside of it... instructions to fill the signature with the info We need... thanks God... sorry... Flar...

+ Que PPC said:
Is SHE FLAR!!!?
Its Like GOD answering our question!!!?
Thanks a lot!!!... Im gona post a Sticky on every topic of Wizards forum, can I do it with hughe Words???? maybe inside of it... instructions to fill the signature with the info We need... thanks God... sorry... Flar...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Mods have to sticky your thread.

Geez, how nit-picky can you get??
I can understand the frustration of people who ask without searching or reading first. I've completely customized first my mogul, then my diamond.... and by spending far too many hours searching & reading (according to my husband.....)
I can also understand the frustration of newbies poking around in the dev areas.
But this is over the top.
Out of all those hours spent reading & searching, I've never seen a requirement to post a sig. Wouldn't apply to me anyway.... I don't flash ROMs. Personally, I don't pay attention to who is using what rom in their sig. I only pay attention to what links are there.
BTW, I never paid attention to it before, but it appears that the admin & mods don't do it either. So why the beef?

OK
nursie said:
Geez, how nit-picky can you get??
I can understand the frustration of people who ask without searching or reading first. I've completely customized first my mogul, then my diamond.... and by spending far too many hours searching & reading (according to my husband.....)
I can also understand the frustration of newbies poking around in the dev areas.
But this is over the top.
Out of all those hours spent reading & searching, I've never seen a requirement to post a sig. Wouldn't apply to me anyway.... I don't flash ROMs. Personally, I don't pay attention to who is using what rom in their sig. I only pay attention to what links are there.
BTW, I never paid attention to it before, but it appears that the admin & mods don't do it either. So why the beef?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already done...
Please any MOd can make stickie this threads the permisson was gave me by flar. so soryy if its repeated but we need to stops the problem...
Thanks For all Mods and ADMS.
the links:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=430402
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=430397
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=430399
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=430400
Thanks The ChampJT i forgot to advise to make it stickie-
Nursie I dont know nothing about Mogul but maybe the time you have xpended probably would be less tahn you took but answer without info is hard, and because the web is so hughe, your husband is a knowledge of comun sense, happy to obligate to read and read isnt it?
So this is why i did it, hope some body in every Device that has problems with version and Bricked too do this.
Thanks for all.

+ Que PPC said:
Already done...
Please any MOd can make stickie this threads the permisson was gave me by flar. so soryy if its repeated but we need to stops the problem...
Thanks For all Mods and ADMS.
the links:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=430402
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=430397
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=430399
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=430400
Thanks The ChampJT i forgot to advise to make it stickie-
Nursie I dont know nothing about Mogul but maybe the time you have xpended probably would be less tahn you took but answer without info is hard, and because the web is so hughe, your husband is a knowledge of comun sense, happy to obligate to read and read isnt it?
So this is why i did it, hope some body in every Device that has problems with version and Bricked too do this.
Thanks for all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure Flar was giving permission, I think she was just saying that the best way to pass info to majority of the users is through stickies, but it may not be possible due to forums already being cluttered.

The theory is sound to add info to your sig but as with so many others in this forum I have a pile of previous devices and if I listed them all in my sig with all the relevent data, my sig would be longer than the message!
Plus, it would need changing every time I tried a ROM or added a supplier update/patch, I wonder how many have reflashed a ROM and not remembered to change their sig??
Also for the data to have some meaning you would need to include all software installed (interaction problems) and ever reg edit/Tweak they have added/removed. The list could be endless!
Its much easier for members just to try and remember to add the details in the message body when asking about problems with their device.
HTC Universal
HTC Startrek
HTC Wizard
HTC Hermes
HTC TytynII
HTC Touch Pro
HTC Shift
And still have them all...

I think the problem here is people not knowing how to ask for help. "Won't let me flash a ROM" and "Active Sync doesn't work" do not explain what the issue is. As a follower of Raymond Chen's blog and his war on people to ask the correct questions when requesting email support, there are a few things that should be mentioned in every request for help:
Specify the problem: What is the error, full details, error codes, message dialogs, etc. Or if there is no error, what did you expect to happen, why is something not working as intended.
What did you do: What steps have you followed to get to the problem (how to re-created it). And what steps have you taken to rectify the issue your self.
What is your environment: What phone are you using, what version of the software are you using, ROM version, radio / SPL / IPL, Windows version. Some of these are not applicable, but anything relevant should be listed. List other software you think could be contra-indicating.
This list is by no means exhaustive and of course, the standard Forum Rules on searching, duplicate posting, etc. should be followed. With this information, most people should have a clear idea of the issue and can offer the best help they can without having a long dicussion on all of the above points.
I take my hat off to the members that can answer questions without this information, they have amazing guess work.
Thanks
Dave

YES!!!
Everyone has good ideas, so forgive me for missunderstood the Flars answer... do what ever to help people efficiently.
Its our dont pay job.
But Im proud of it... yes getting all the info for you devices will be hard to put in 500 characters so... ask everytime.
i will edit the thread about the permission.

[POLL] WM 6.5 Section under Blackstone

Like all of us I'm having a hard time flipping arround 1000+ pages of various threads in Applications / ROMs / Customization ... All are for the new comer WM 6.5
Why not CREATE A SECTION just for WM 6.5 ? this will make it extremely easy for WM 6.5 fans to find what they are looking for.
it Should include the following:
1. Themes
2. Titanium Home Screen Plugins
3. Fixes & Tips/Tricks
4. New CE Builds
5. etc
The aim is to provide us XDA-Devs, with a unified section covering all aspects of the New WM 6.5, especially, that I guess after a period of 6 to 12 months, WM 6.5 will be dominating the new threads in XDA-Devs, But yet, for WM 6.1 users, we don't want everything regarding the two OS get mixed in the same location.
The Sooner the better, and easier for Admins too.
Can we Acheive that XDA-Devs Team?
regards;
Will

Word...
Again.. Word...

Where is the Poll?

umm.. i think this is it...
just nod or something..

*Nods agreeingly*
No harm in a few more sections, also not many customizations work for 6.5

Yes please !!!
wm6.5 sections please!

Look at this Section: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=260
There are many things for 6.5.

Terrorhuhn said:
Look at this Section: http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=260
There are many things for 6.5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right but I think the point was to catalogue HD/WVGA supported apps, tweak etc without trawling this section.
You could just search but it can be a trudge when you don't know exactly what you are searching for.

all the wm6.5 plugins i'm using, were found at the devs forum..

dgen said:
all the wm6.5 plugins i'm using, were found at the devs forum..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here...
I have no problem with trawling the forums hence the fact that I have only posted 12 (now 13) times in over 3 years as reading usually gives you the answers you need.
But, not everyone is inclined to spend hours sorting the wheat from the chaff.
Where manageable... I see nothing wrong with xda giving people new to WM (and for a lot of people, their HD is their first exploration) information tailored to their device.
When I first got my wallaby, the site was much (much) smaller; I would imagine that if you had just bought an HD and none of your mates have one, coming to xda for the first time could be overwhelming.
You can read all the tutorials but anyone who works in a development environment knows that written words will usually leave some ambiguity.
Most of the 6.5 apps were not developed by devs using a WVGA device so running threads specifically under blackstone would allow HD users who do know the apps to focus on helping others with issues specific to the HD.
Hopefully this would improve their overall knowledge and confidence in their device and who knows, they may be the people that will develop the apps for WM7 on the HD...
I think it is inevitable anyway considering how bloated a lot of general threads are getting with the ever increasing xda population (not that this is a bad thing - wouldn't want this to become an elitist Linux style forum).

Instead of creating new forums all you have to do is put 'WM6.5' or 'WM6.1' in title of each thread.

Fallen Spartan said:
Instead of creating new forums all you have to do is put 'WM6.5' or 'WM6.1' in title of each thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Fallen Spartan
+ screen resolution would be good.
I am assuming that because Will has posted this under a blackstone sub-category that he feels targeting information, help and support specifically to blackstone users would bring benefit as most apps posted under dev&hacking are already labelled up where they will only work on a specific OS.
Perhaps my point is out of place with the feelings of others but it is not finding apps that is difficult. The difficulty (and I do believe it is common place) is as I illuded to in my previous post.
When you do ask a question specific to running an app on the HD, it can either be overlooked due to the volume of questions other members are asking or the response is not by someone who has the device (including the developer) so help, although willingly given, can often be a dead end.
I do not have a solution for this but I am hoping you may think about how it can be easier for people to help people (I am as keen to help as be helped).
A user could always open a thread under themes and apps asking the question relating to a general app for specific help on the HD
I know I would feel a little uncomfortable doing this as naturally it feels the question should fall somehow into a WVGA/HD sub-category under the original app thread. It could mean that I caused other users to be unsure where to ask or look for help.
PS:
My comments are not intended to be taken as critical - This is a great site!
As with any user experience, the users change as do their expectaions (most users I see on the blackstone forum have a join date +2009 which is truly fantastic) and it is prudent to consider this going forward.
I won't comment anymore as I don't want to appear to be taking this down the route of a philosophical debate and you have elegantly answered Will's original post.
Mark.

Sounds like a great idea

Does this help tho
Fallen Spartan said:
Instead of creating new forums all you have to do is put 'WM6.5' or 'WM6.1' in title of each thread.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this is a good idea, but when you search for "WM6.5" you get "Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms. " because (i'm guessing from trail and error) that the word is too short or sumthing.
I have been looking for a nice theme for my new WM6.5 rom and am spending hours trawling thro pages of forums.
I'd love to see a WM6.5 forum under the blackstone forum.

My Main Concern was/is this:
When you use search feature, it gives you several threads for the same VALUE, but there are lots of file VERSIONS and/or UPDATES.
So, Users will not be able to target the most up to date File/Cab/Tweak, which sometimes causes instability with new Manilla or something like that, but if we have coherent SECTION, updates will be included to facilitate the problem solving without compromising device stability.
I mean it will be a UNIFIED thread, with UPDATES Content, to reduce the hassle, and mistakes.
Take for example those most-wanted:
1. BG for all Tabs? --- there is a 100 versions over XDA-Devs, which is NEWEST?
2. Old Start Menu --- SAME
3. Colored TASKBAR --- SAME
4. Manilla Analog Clock --- m2.0 or m2.1
5. TSK Files
6. etc.
Plus, I don't want to spend a whole day searching for a cab, for the above mentioned or else, and get screwed because I used a wrong version, and need to Hard Reset.
Not all users are professionals as others, there is a various skills in here, from noobs, to profs.
Everything seems so intricate and difficult here, why do we fight over opinions all the time?
Please lets be atleast professional and friendly, as we have always been before.
Again, WM phones are top notch phones now, not like 3 years back, when HTC used to be High Tech Computers Co. (Think Himalaya/Wallabay)
Regards;
Will

Thread-specific moderators (for ROM threads)

Hello,
first thanks for this great place! I would have smashed my Touch HD if xda wouldnt exist
I have a suggestion regarding the ROM forums and threads:
As the cookers and chefs are mostly to busy to gather information from the thread and put them in the first(second...) post, it would be really nice if a threadstarter or moderator could assign a normal user as an "thread-specific" moderator (for only the first three posts for example). So volunteers, people very interested in this ROM, could maintain a buglist, tips and hints, fixes and other helpful stuff from the thousand and more pages and make the life for everybody easier.
Its sometimes really hard to find information in the thousand pages. I think a solution like this would help everybody and reduce the senseless spam questions in the ROM forums. All 1-2 pages new users ask the same as people before, and all are getting the answer "Read through the thread, its mentioned 10 pages before" for example.
Whats your opinion about this?

7Bit said:
Hello,
first thanks for this great place! I would have smashed my Touch HD if xda wouldnt exist
I have a suggestion regarding the ROM forums and threads:
As the cookers and chefs are mostly to busy to gather information from the thread and put them in the first(second...) post, it would be really nice if a threadstarter or moderator could assign a normal user as an "thread-specific" moderator (for only the first three posts for example). So volunteers, people very interested in this ROM, could maintain a buglist, tips and hints, fixes and other helpful stuff from the thousand and more pages and make the life for everybody easier.
Its sometimes really hard to find information in the thousand pages. I think a solution like this would help everybody and reduce the senseless spam questions in the ROM forums. All 1-2 pages new users ask the same as people before, and all are getting the answer "Read through the thread, its mentioned 10 pages before" for example.
Whats your opinion about this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
1. I don't think this is possible with the standard vB software. And I know the webmasters are adversed to applying "patches" unless they really help.
2. There is a problem of trust. Moderators are selected on here to be trustworthy, not to carry out malicious activities and to always be fair. I've seen plenty of people on here become friends and then enimies as quick as they can. Giving many users complete control over a single thread could become problematic. If you're just speaking about allowing users to edit another users thread. I can't see that been too risky - but still Impractical with the forum software.
An alternative, If the ROM cook would like someone to help manage the thread, they should arange before hand to let someone bag a few posts on the thread when it's first started (I know its not practical to existing threads). Moderators can help add posts when needed and remove any
pesky "First" messages someone might inject in the way .
Just my thoughts
Ta
Dave

Yes you are absolutly right, good idea
It would be enough if the moderators could move a post of the "Useful thread stuff Collecter / Maintainer" at the second or third position of an existing ROM thread, or if the creator already plans it when creating the thread. That would be exact the same without editing the board software or applying hacks...

7Bit said:
Yes you are absolutly right, good idea
It would be enough if the moderators could move a post of the "Useful thread stuff Collecter / Maintainer" at the second or third position of an existing ROM thread, or if the creator already plans it when creating the thread. That would be exact the same without editing the board software or applying hacks...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well if it's not possible to arrange this beforehand by timing a the time of thread creation, you could indeed ask on of the mods to help you out there. Don't look at me yet though, haven't figured that one out yet

Android Development Codex: A complete mod guide for every device! (add to XDA Uni?)

> Abstract: I have been consolidating a complete, monolithic, and community editable guide for all mobile devices, to reform how XDA Developers works. Take a look, and edit or give suggestions... (Perhaps merge this with XDA University?)
## Rationale
XDA Developers is one of the largest and most important sites to mobile device development. We know all that; we've been here for years. And after staying here for a long time, it's hard to imagine anything different from the status quo; nor why the "new guy" is so frustrated and confused.
Unfortunately, owing to our messy evolution, the guides for most devices on XDA are, (quite honestly, no offense), outdated and disorganized, divided among tons of threads and maintained by OPs who may or may not be active. The XDA Wiki was built on the premise of consolidating the info from the forum, but the tendency to link to forum posts rather than bring in the full methods has made it utterly redundant, and therefore rarely edited or trafficked.
The reality is, forums are great for development and asking questions, but they are the wrong place for constantly fluctuating guides that demand united community support. The result is the status quo on XDA; a ceberus of information difficult to organize or sift through, resulting in newbies constantly asking supposedly "obvious" questions about methods and issues long since solved.
The question is, is it the noob's fault for not trusting or reading such disorganization, or could it be that we aren't making it clear how to proceed safely?
## Design Specifications
To rectify this situation, I have been compiling the Android Development Codex, a complete, monolithic, and community editable guide to the any device I could get my hands on, taking users all the way from unlocking to customization.
The codex will also give readers a few tips and tricks for troubleshooting common problems (so they don't have to wade through 900 posts to find the answer), and general guides to cool mods that can be made on the phone. Perhaps we could even teach people to create modifications to keep the community going.
The Android Development Codex is based on eight principles:
* Everything must be in the guide. We need customized "beginning to end" guides that give the user everything it takes to mod a device and deal with problems afterwards. As stated above, the XDA Wiki failed because it only linked to the forum, making it no more useful than a forum sticky.
* Mark or fix outdated information ASAP. Outdated information is the biggest issue with the status quo on XDA; at best, it won't work, and the new guy will come crying to the forums. At worst, devices will be bricked, leading to intense mobs of angry noobs. With a monolithic guide, as soon as new developments occur, we can post it in the Codex as a warning to all, and change the method if needed.
* No redundant information. There could be thousands of devices by the time we get to a finished state, and much of that info is exactly the same. This leads to duplication of work, and eventually outdated info. Examples are things like ClockworkMod instructions, Glossaries, and general OS mods. The Codex should consolidate as many mods as possible into general guides, and for things like glossaries and recovery instructions, Mediawiki-style templates should be used to pull them in.
* One customized guide for every device family. Every device is special in some way. The XDA Developers Book is great, but even the most general of rooting guides cannot tackle the thousands of unique circumstances that exist in every device. Rooting, Unlocking, Downgrading, and other unique things are under this umbrella.
* Always provide a manual method. Automatic "one-click" roots are great, but manufacturers are always out to patch the latest method. If we don't know how to do it by hand, we can't really find much of a solution.
* Ensure that all required files are accessible and stay accessible. Eventually, all good things must come to an end, and when people are no longer around to sweep the grounds, link rot sets in. This is very, very bad; one of the archives could contain a vital rooting program, and there would be no way to recover it. Just remember the fall of Megaupload. Always have multiple mirrors for every file, and perhaps archive everything into the Internet Archive when the community is gone.
* Give all sources for methods included. Credit must be given where credit is due, not only in deference to the original authors, but also to give the methods credibility.
* The ultimate goal is to transform a layman into a developer. For most people nowadays, modding mobile phones is their gateway into the workings of the computers that control our lives today, just like home computers were in the 80s. The Codex needs to clearly show how anyone can become an XDA-Developer and participate as enlightened individuals, rather than as mere participants.
## The Monolithic Guide
The Android Development Codex is here.
Currently, only the HTC HD2 and the HTC Droid Incredible have functionally complete guides at the moment.
The entire thing is stored on Github Wiki, so you can edit it if you have a github account. Hopefully, developers will all be able to come together once and for all, and work on one big guide, rather than tons of small, redundant, and outdated ones.
## The Android Development Codex is unfinished! Why are you releasing it now?
Originally, I was going to keep the Android Development Codex as a surprise until all the guides for the devices I owned were complete. However, a new project called "XDA University" is being started with similar goals, so am prematurely releasing my work to the community and awaiting further developments.
If anyone here has a hand in creating the XDA University, please contact me, because I have some great ideas on how to make it work, not to mention tons of data for us to start with.

You have a PM