Develop Bugs

New Questions and Answers section: great idea, really poor implementation

Can anyone explain to me the new policies started in the new Q&A section?
Has anyone seen this? Apparently, you have to jump through hoops to open a new thread in the new Questions and Answers section.
From RULES - Must Read Before Posting Sticky in Q&A
ALL QUESTIONS WILL BE POSTED IN SEPERATE THREADS. IF YOU WISH TO OPEN A NEW THREAD FOR YOUR QUESTION, PLEASE DO THE FOLLOWING: If you wish to open a thread, you must PM me with the name of your thread, and the page number where it is located. IF YOU OPEN A THREAD, AND DO NOT SEND A PRIVATE MESSAGE TO TWEAKMAN, YOUR THREAD WILL BE DELETED. There will be no exception to this. You must send the message to have your thread open!!!
ANY NEW THREAD, NOT OPENED BY A MODERATOR WILL BE REMOVED IMMEDITALEY: If you have a question you would like posted, you will not be turned away. This is only done to ensure that your question doesn't become lost in the pages as this section grows.
TO SEND A PRIVATE MESSAGE TO REQUEST YOUR THREAD DO THE FOLLOWING:
1:GO TO THE TOP LEFT SIDE OF THIS POST AND CLICK ON USER NAME "TWEAKMAN"
2:ONCE ON THE NEW PAGE, GO TO CONTACT INFO
3:SELECT THE OPTION TO SEND A PRIVATE MESSAGE (NO OTHER FORM OF MESSAGE WILL BE ACCEPTED)
4:INCLUDE ONLY YOUR QUESTION
5:YOUR DONE!! YOUR QUESTION WILL BE POSTED IN A NEW THREAD FOR FURTHER HELP AND DISCUSSION!
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I can think of three really good reasons not to do this:
Nobody reads the stickies.
Especially newcomers to the forum. People are just going to post new threads and wonder why they keep getting deleted.
It isn't very convenient.
What happens if I have a problem when Tweakman is asleep? Or on the toilet? I really feel sorry for that guy if he is going to have to publish every question anyone asks.
It is unnecessarily difficult.
The creation of this section was to help the Development and Hacking section get rid of general question posts. But if it is easier to make a new post in Development and Hacking, then people are just going to keep on doing that. Like this guy.
And then there is this:
ALL NEW QUESTIONS WILL BE REMOVED AFTER 7 DAYS: Once a thread is opened with your question, it will be left standing for a total of 7 (seven) days. If your question has not been answered at that time, you may repost your question as many times as needed. Again, this is to ensure that your question doesn't become lost in the pages as this section grows.
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I don't get this either. What's wrong with the system as it is? Why can't we just leave the questions so that people can search for answers before they post? (Okay, granted most newcomers don't search either, but some do.) If people aren't getting answers, they can just bump their thread.
Am I wrong?

I agree, great intentions, but the whole idea is poorly conceived, just like the original thread in Development and hacking...nothing got answered, and if it did, how do you navigate to it to find it? Is anyone going to dig through this crap to answer someone else's question. I think not.

Give it time.
The kinks will be worked out.
Don't be so negative.

it will be open for all to post soon...... they are working on a team to keep the thread organized once fully opened

joel2009 said:
it will be open for all to post soon...... they are working on a team to keep the thread organized once fully opened
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Sounds good. I hope lots of people pitch-in to help.

Q&a Section Now Open For All To Post

[TEMP STICKIE] Let's clean up the dev. section

It seems to be getting a mess in the dev. section lately.
Put your idea on this thread and we'll look into it.
1. create sticky for official (samsung) firmware as easy downloads
2. create sticky for some basic guides
3. create sticky with pointers to roms for the in-house cooks (rotohammer etc.)
this is a start.
MOD EDIT: BEFORE POSTING ANY THREAD IN THE DEVELOPMENT SECTION, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:
If you have developed a ROM, or are working with others to do so, the development forum is somewhere to discuss and share ideas, post useful feedback and logs or crash dumps, and to discuss a common goal developers are trying to achieve.
It is NOT the place to post your question because it gets higher traffic, or because more experienced users frequent it. Doing this just annoys those who are working on the device, and drives them away. Developers don't want to wade through 20 threads of "Help me urgently" to find their threads for porting and fixing camera issues etc. Similarly, if a thread is designated as discussion for developers say, porting a camera fix, please do not post in there asking "When will it be ready?", "Can I flash this yet?" etc. This is both completely disrespectful to those working on the project (you evidently haven't read the important posts in the thread), and also is making it harder for developers to find comments from other developers or testers when required.
Similarly, don't make loads of "Thanks for your work here" posts in an active development thread. It's just as annoying to developers as asking when something will be ready. If a ROM is complete, then go ahead and thank the developer if you wish, but don't go into threads for devs only, and interrupt it to post "thanks". It's basically spamming, and is treated as such.
If you are posting in development, you should have read every sticky and notice there, and should be actively developing or helping in the development of something. Developing isn't installing a ROM, or using a tweak, it's creating a ROM or other hack or tweak. If you haven't read for several days before starting out on XDA, you are likely about to ask something already solved. I registered on XDA when I first wanted to post, and that was to join in a discussion on something. Sure, join up and ask a question, but read the information available in General and Q&A first, as your question will have been asked before. Search is your friend here, become familiar with it.
Regarding when to post in development if you are not actually developing something, there is one occasion where it's acceptable. If you find a leak of a new ROM, which isn't already posted, and you verify it's legitimacy via either running it, or based on the source you obtained it from, then this is assisting in development, and should be posted in development. If you want to ask when a leak will be available use search first, then if not already in discussion, open a thread in general or Q&A.
If you have a problem flashing a ROM, this is NOT related to development. It's up to you to determine if it is specific to a particular ROM, and post useful information in that developer's existing thread for the ROM. If it happens on more than one ROM, and isn't a known issue (remember you should read several times more words than you post), then find out what you are doing wrong. Check guides written by others, try to repeat the problem and see if it happens every time. Something needs to be reproducible to be fixed effectively.
Once you have identified what you need help with go to the device Q&A forum (general if device lacks one), and make a clear, informative thread that explains the issue, and what you have tried doing to fix it. Did you re-download the ROM? Did you ask a friend to flash it for you, to reduce chance of user error? What steps (exactly) did you follow? What errors did you see (exact wording)? Did you double check all the steps? Did you do a wipe or hard reset?
If you make a clear, concise, yet detailed post, you will find help forthcoming, and should get the problem sorted very quickly. If someone suggests you try something, report back on what happened, did it work etc. Then, next time someone has this issue and searches, they will find this and have a verified and tested solution.
So remember... before you start a thread in development, ask yourself what you are developing. If you can't answer, then stop, step away from the post button, and think about where you are posting. Would it be better in General or Q&A, or is some more time with your best friend, search, required?

I'd have a set of stickies including:
Flashing Guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=895827
Unlocking Guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=843323
Rooting Guide http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=859712
A *HUGE OBNOXIOUS BLINKING* Readme http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=888071
I'm by no means a Dev myself, but I'd love to see y'know... development posts when I lurk here.

Ok, now that i'm un-retired, i'll ask some major cleanup on the dev section.
Starting today/tomorrow between flashing my dev Tab

Several people posted dumped stock firmwares, maybe this should be consolidated into one "Get back to stock" sticky?
T-Mobile stock firmware! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=855851
[FIRMWARE] - AT&T stock firmware http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=847609
AT&T Production Stock Firmware (I987UCJK1) http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=857608
Also, rotobackup instructions http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=850359&highlight=rotobackup
Links to Open Source archives http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=844981
Good instructions on building cifs module http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=9470152&postcount=53
Also can be used to build tun.ko module for VPN.

I would recommend having tags for the different models of tablets. ( [VZW] [TMO] [AT&T] [SPNT] [EURO] etc...)
Just my .02

We really need to have them separated... This is getting bad. Take a vote and and promise everyone would be on board!!
Galaxy Tab Android Development (CDMA)
Galaxy Tab Android Development (GSM)
Galaxy Tab Android Development (...)
Please!!! lol

I agree that the Tab development needs to be split amongst compatibility.
GSM/EUR
CDMA
etc.
That will make the issues with possible flashing mistakes lower and also enable people to find the best build for them.

A third vote for at least something like a top level and sub forums for GSM and CDMA. There might be things that apply to both, but it seems like real development would be at least specific to one or the other, if not down to the carrier level (and I'm not suggesting per carrier forums).

A sticky for my directory(bible). This will be updated frequently. And will be useful for all noobs and pros alike.
Sent from my GT-P1000 using Tapatalk

What happened to this idea? The development forum is CRAP. I've spent the last three hours seaching for a stock ROM. Can we please, please get some mod action in here?

Sprint only section please! +100 to the splitting up compatible models.

williams37 said:
Sprint only section please! +100 to the splitting up compatible models.
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+1000000 more for spliting up!

I agree and count my vote, this forum should be easier to find and read the info im searching for it took me days to find a rom and another day to find out how to mod my device using google we should also hav more dev's more porting

wingtytn said:
I agree and count my vote, this forum should be easier to find and read the info im searching for it took me days to find a rom and another day to find out how to mod my device using google we should also hav more dev's more porting
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What we really need is a bigger community. The larger the user base, the larger the dev base. Especially in the states, it seems like no one is developing for our Tabs specifically. And from what I've found, ours are, just like the Galaxy S, different from the international version.

So do we even have a Mod ? Can they do this for us ? Its been like weeks since we asked to split it up.....
+1beeeeeeelion to split and have a CMDA and GSM and Intl section added....and then under those when people list just say [Sprint] or [VZW] in the title of the thread....

aal1 said:
So do we even have a Mod ? Can they do this for us ? Its been like weeks since we asked to split it up.....
+1beeeeeeelion to split and have a CMDA and GSM and Intl section added....and then under those when people list just say [Sprint] or [VZW] in the title of the thread....
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Your official mod is taking a break, just busy with life lately. I'll be taking over until he comes back.
I've forwarded this thread on to the admins, being that after being here for 2 days I can already see how bad it is. Hopefully we can get the sections split up and I can start moving posts around.

Can we please also have teh same tagging as HD2 section has, ie the date at beginning of title..
example...
[19.MAR.2011][ROM] Rom Title Rom Version [KERNEL]

is it possible to get this "stickie" out of the developers section?
it would be more helpfull to get serious content into there. also the actual official thread is sticky and dead.
a sticky should be something important or something must read. this thread is not a "must read"
sorry, constructive critics

I agree we need some reorg. PLEASE look at my sig, and follow the HD2 url,
Seems the HD2 overall section has recently had a makeover. It is much easier to navigate, and the people whe are not devs can op in on the thread.
The devs, on the other hand, have their own section, that requires you be a dev in order to get into it and exchange ideas. This keeps the riff raff from convelouting the threads.
So, can you please look it over. What ever work is needed to be done, I will offer my assistance to reorg the threads and topics.
Thanks

StarLog said:
I agree we need some reorg. PLEASE look at my sig, and follow the HD2 url,
Seems the HD2 overall section has recently had a makeover. It is much easier to navigate, and the people whe are not devs can op in on the thread.
The devs, on the other hand, have their own section, that requires you be a dev in order to get into it and exchange ideas. This keeps the riff raff from convelouting the threads.
So, can you please look it over. What ever work is needed to be done, I will offer my assistance to reorg the threads and topics.
Thanks
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I just looked at HD2 section, and theres nothing new there.
They have a section for NAND dev, and for SD Dev, thats it.
There are some plans in the works for the site in general that may do what you're referring to, but nothing is done yet for any of the fora.
If they give you guys the new sections, It will take me a day or so to move everything around. And I dont know tis section as well as I'd like so it may take a little longer as I'd have to go through every thread, but it would get done.
/IF/ that happens, it should clean up the sections a lot and make it easier to find everything. If not, I'm open to suggestions.

Forum reorganization thoughts

not trying to be mean or anything and probly will get bashed, but I had a thought about how to organize the forums so the questons asked would get an answer faster and with more accurate information.
what if we were to have a question and answer part in each of the roms instead of asking in the genereal q and a
you know sort of like each dev would be able to see all the problems that their rom is currently having.
and it would also help the people running those roms see all the current questions.
we should also have a section for the people who are on stock roms unrooted
I personally think it would help in diagnosing issues if they arrise.

I agree on a rom q and a but inside the development thread. Have rom thread ie bonsai and then a bonsai q and a thread with the most repeated q and a's on the op. This is more work for the devs and entirely up to them. It will help out in organization instead of cluttering a development thread with the same question. have the main thread for dl link, changelog, install instructions, possibly bug reports (some have a dedicated page for this) and that's it.
Edit: and most importantly feedback.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk

To do that, it would need to be reorganized such that roms would each get their own subforum. Then, they could have a "get the new version here" thread, a "general info" thread, and then all the random individual threads. If you have seen how mod forums are organized at civfanatics, you know what I'm talking about.
Lately, I've been thinking we need a "Guides and FAQs" section. Make everyone post guides being worked on in a "works in progress" subforum and then a mod can move completed guides to the main forum. We might be able to get a nice little knowledge base here if a few people wanted to chip in and write out a lot of what we have learned.

DiGi760 said:
and then a mod can move completed guides to the main forum.
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srsly? we cant even get the one overworked mod to move much around as it is.

Which is why I haven't previously suggested the idea.
But, seriously, we need a couple more good mods who want to help build a community here. I know how tough it is. I've been around a lot of forums, both good and bad. It can be hard to find people who are both willing to do the job and mature enough to do it well.

[Q] Separate Themes and Apps forum?

Am I the only one who finds it a bit annoying to scroll through page after page looking for apps when 70% of the threads are about themes?
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate all the work that you guys do here at xda! Although it would be easier to find the good stuff if themes and apps were separated imo
Sorry if the thread is misplaced.

Exactly! I'd like to have all app infos in one place.
I don't understand why people using themes but that's another case.

I'd like to see a forum for all themes and apps requiring root and another for all un-rooted stuff.

What's the point. No one reads or obeys any of the rules anyway. People just post what they want, where they want.
An example is this thread. It should have been posted in the Q&A section

nobnut said:
What's the point. No one reads or obeys any of the rules anyway. People just post what they want, where they want.
An example is this thread. It should have been posted in the Q&A section
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+1
Sent from my GT-I9100

nobnut said:
What's the point. No one reads or obeys any of the rules anyway. People just post what they want, where they want.
An example is this thread. It should have been posted in the Q&A section
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RESPECT
10char

Multiple sections with no one to police them .
Apps are likely to be posted in Q&A Themes in dev anything in anywhere .
If users are to lazy to search then why should they be spoonfed .
jje

but naturally u would ask a question about themes and apps thread in the thread? cause i personally wouldnt of thought to look in q/a for something like this. atleast this way people who may of thought it will see it while looking round on the thread? i think apps and themes having their own separate thread would be good. why do i want to see apps when im looking for themes? or why do i wona see themes when im looking for apps? i think its a great idea. thumbs up

mikeinessex said:
but naturally u would ask a question about themes and apps thread in the thread? cause i personally wouldnt of thought to look in q/a for something like this. atleast this way people who may of thought it will see it while looking round on the thread? i think apps and themes having their own separate thread would be good. why do i want to see apps when im looking for themes? or why do i wona see themes when im looking for apps? i think its a great idea. thumbs up
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+1
Totally agree with your points. I think it would be easier to find topics that way!
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

What posters should do is put either APP or THEME heading at the beginning of each post .
jje

nobnut said:
What's the point. No one reads or obeys any of the rules anyway. People just post what they want, where they want.
An example is this thread. It should have been posted in the Q&A section
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When I created the thread I saw that someone had created a similar thread in a different forum. It was placed under "Themes and Apps" and it hadn't been moved so I thought that it was a good place.
And in the bottom of my post I apoligize for eventual misplacement
On the first page where you see all the forums, themes and apps are separated for Android. Why wouldn't all the subforums have the same design?
And yes people should have [THEME] and [APP] in the topic, and many of the posters actually do this. But how is that helpful in this matter? The problem for me isn't that I click on threads and find the wrong stuff, it's that I have to scroll through lots of stuff that I'm not interested in at the time.
Regarding search, do you mean that I should search for everything? How would I find new stuff? I can't guess what people name their apps

I'd like these subforums separated too. I look for both, but never at the same time. The apps seem to get buried under all the themes.

I don't think the thread is in the wrong section, it doesn't really have to do with the phone itself, but the forum, and this section of the forum.
Now ontopic, I also find it a bit fragmented to see the themes when I want the apps, but then the same thing happens with other subforums too. Personally I would like a separate subforum for apps and one for themes, but it might increase the unwanted clutter.

[Q] Should each 'Cook/ROM' have its own section

I think each ROM should have its own section not just a thread. I find searching through 1000+ posts for one bit of info very hard work, and I bet others do as well. Search is good but unless you know the exact wording its not always the best option.
With each ROM having its own section each question will be in its own thread, making finding the answers to repeated questions much easier.
What say the masses ?
Thanks

interesting idea...but think not possible or..?

You know requesting new sections every day would be pain in the arse for moderators?
It's good as it is now.

When you have one sub-forum for each rom then you have a loooooooong list ... and thats not better then so
Questions shouldnt be in dev section - so there are only dev threads -> done
Question about an spezific rom can be posted in the rom thread.

I think this can be achieved through "Related Threads" (With some modification). So that once u open a thread from one developer all this threads in the same section apear at the bottom.
Just a wild idea

Maybe the mods can make the most useful/best roms sticky...

agree! very hard and sometimes slow to search through 10,000 posts .. it 's often a nightmare to follow the thread

yeahman45 said:
agree! very hard and sometimes slow to search through 10,000 posts .. it 's often a nightmare to follow the thread
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search button ftw?

howdid said:
search button ftw?
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even with search button.. e.g. you search for an issue on battery.. you see someone who asked the question... then i must scroll down(or move next page) to search if someone actually replied and gave a solution to the issue (assuming a there's a reply or solution to the question)... in between you have tons of other unrelated questions/replies/opinions/thanks etc... lol i think you know what i mean

BorgCymru said:
What say the masses ?
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The masses say no. We like asking the same questions all over again, or even better opening the new threads for every query we have.
Your idea is good but what you propose can't be done. It can't be avoided as it would be a forum utopia sort off. Google is more powerful than forum search. Good info doesn't necessarily have to come from XDA.
And for starters this thread is in totally wrong section.

How about a section for roms with sense and a section for roms without sense? or maybe section for ports from other devices and a section for "almost" stock roms. Mabye 2 - 4 subcategories would be a good idea. Another good idea would be that the cooks would use a specific format for the thread names like "Update/Date - Rom name - Version - Cook".
just my two cents in some bad english ^^

Questions or Problems Should Not Be Posted in the Development Forum
Please Post in the Correct Forums and Read THIS
Moving to Q&A