Root Convince me, why is rooting "just better"

[caustic]

I have said before that I believe when Froyo is available in the "official" sense...rooting will be less of an issue cause it looks like 800MHz is going to be the new "stock" speed. That is a great improvement and with JIT...stock will be fast again.

Where did you hear this?

I get the impression that some people think this is another one of those "should I root or not" threads. It isn't. Let me point out this post I made:

In other threads I've seen a lot of "Well I honestly can't see why you wouldn't want to root," and those are the people I'm more looking for a response from.

I'm not so much looking for people to tell me the extra things I can do while rooted, I'm well aware of lots of them. I'm more interested in why I'm being an obvious idiot for not doing it XD

I've gotten more info on rooting than I intended, and I really appreciate that, but the original intention of this thread wasn't me asking if I should root, it was me asking why some say there's absolutely no reason why I shouldn't.

Does that make sense?

 

[inssane]

Asshole?....I suggest you read the sticky on conduct.

Helping is one thing. So is answering questions. To come here and asked to be convinced to do something is somewhat presumptuous. You may not agree with me but it doesn't justify your cursing.

He didn't call YOU an asshole and I think senior members are familiar with the stickies as well as conduct.
As much as I don't like these type of posts with "tell me what to do" - it has become productive because the OP is engaging.

Hence, some of us DO care enough to ensure he doesn't damage his phone - hence, we are NOT assholes.

 

[johnlgalt]

Asshole?....I suggest you read the sticky on conduct.

Helping is one thing. So is answering questions. To come here and asked to be convinced to do something is somewhat presumptuous. You may not agree with me but it doesn't justify your cursing.

I wasn't referring to you as an asshole - I was saying that all of us here are *not* - although I was pretty blunt about your question and how it was not appropriate.

No one can convince you. You must convince yourself..... (strokes long white beard)

DROID can!

Don't think he was cursing AT you...or he would have said: we aren't a community of assholes, like you. I think he was getting at that NONE of us are assholes. Just a guess

+1

TY, both of you.

Where did you hear this?

I get the impression that some people think this is another one of those "should I root or not" threads. It isn't. Let me point out this post I made:

In other threads I've seen a lot of "Well I honestly can't see why you wouldn't want to root," and those are the people I'm more looking for a response from.

I'm not so much looking for people to tell me the extra things I can do while rooted, I'm well aware of lots of them. I'm more interested in why I'm being an obvious idiot for not doing it XD

<snip> - removed the large font - JG

I've gotten more info on rooting than I intended, and I really appreciate that, but the original intention of this thread wasn't me asking if I should root, it was me asking why some say there's absolutely no reason why I shouldn't.

Does that make sense?

As for where he heard it, it is not where, it is what we have seen thus far. 2.2 is amazingly fast, and amazingly smooth, compared to 2.0 stock.

Just as a point of reference, my buddy got a Hero the same day I got my DROID. He doesn't have the time to spend rooting and OCing, and he quite frankly told me the other day that in the last several months he has had major DROID envy.

Of course, I told him about rooting, about the benefits, etc., but he wouldn't (and really couldn't) do it. he is not technologically inept by any means - it's just that his phone is his lifeline to all things worldwide (he designs web sites, among other things, in his spare time, and has customers all over) and simply cannot afford to have the downtime just in case something goes wrong.

Still, he was envious every time - I was rooted, OCd, running a nice fast ROM with neat effects - he was on Android 1.6 (Donut?) with the Sense UI on top, and it was literally slowing his phone down. he also had issues whenever the battery was getting low, in that it would drop calls, or it would get so sluggish that he was unable to answer incoming calls b/c the phone simply would not respond for several seconds.

I recently told him about Sprint releasing 2.1 for the Hero - and finally, in the office, I took his phone, and started the update procedure (I suppose he had canceled it previously b/c I had to manually check for updates before it even showed).

Now, he is crowing at the sun. He loves his phone again, all sluggishness has gone, Sense is playing much nicer, he isn't having battery issues and phone lockup issues at all.

The point is that Android is new - very new - and we can expect even released versions to have kinks in them. The idea here, though, is as the OS gets better and better, it also seems to get faster and more responsive. And this is without hardware changes.

His phone is obviously faster, from a subjective and objective POV. My phone is at least 50% faster subjectively, and objectively it is at least that much fast, scoring 1700 on Quadrant, and 18+ MFLOPS on LinPack. I never go that with 2.0.x and 2.1 ROMs. Ever.

So, even if the phone does not come clocked at 800 once FroYo makes it out to the official release, even at 600 is it going to be a much more snappier phone than it ever was with 2.0.x / 2.1.

 

[caustic]

I don't doubt that 2.2 is snappier, especially with the finished JIT. I was curious though where he heard the Droid would be getting a boost to its clock. I think it'd be a nice improvement to the overall system.

Yes, there's no assholes here , and despite the original intent of this thread not to actually convince me to root, all of the helpful people here are starting to convince me otherwise. Thank you all! But I think I'll wait a few weeks for all of the kinks to be worked out of Froyo.

 

[UBRocked]

I don't doubt that 2.2 is snappier, especially with the finished JIT. I was curious though where he heard the Droid would be getting a boost to its clock. I think it'd be a nice improvement to the overall system.

Yes, there's no assholes here , and despite the original intent of this thread not to actually convince me to root, all of the helpful people here are starting to convince me otherwise. Thank you all! But I think I'll wait a few weeks for all of the kinks to be worked out of Froyo.

Couple of points...

1) The leaked ROMs included a 800MHz kernel. Also I've heard rumblings (no specific source I can recall) that talked about Froyo coming with 2.2. There is no reason NOT to release Froyo with a faster kernel. Our processor is stable for EVERYONE (as far as I have heard) up to 1.0 GHz. Some can't go above 1.0...but I believe everyone's phone CAN handle 1.0. Now, Google and Motorola probably won't go that high but a 250MHz jump would be nice. They screwed up IMO when they shipped the phone with 550MHz. That was just an over cautious or flat out stupid mistake that has robbed people of speed. Being rooted...I never really cared, but I feel for the people that don't want to root...they SHOULD have a faster clock!

2) Honestly, your first post rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like it was an exercise in trolling as other people mentioned. But as John said...we are not a community of assholes and gave you the benefit of the doubt and post real information instead of a snide remark...that attitude is shared for the most part at AF and I like that attitude. I absolutely love my phone and I want people to enjoy theirs as much as I do mine But it looks like you were asking a real question (even if you didn't know it)...so I'm glad I answered the way I did.

3) Like I said, I think rooting will be less necessary from a "performance" standpoint when Froyo comes out. ESPECIALLY if it comes with 800MHz. But you would never be able to customize the phone to your liking as much as a person can with a rooted phone. Different ROMs, themes, and not to mention that I'll be running at 1.1GHz despite what we are "given" with Froyo. I CONTROL MY CLOCK SPEED...not Motorola! And as I mentioned before...they SUCK at picking what speed to set the clock at .

So if you want to root, this forum will be there to help guide you. Before you know it, you'll be helping others with an issue you experienced. And I can almost guarantee that if you do root, you will kick yourself for not doing it sooner. I'm not trying to convince you...I've just heard people say that over and over and over and over...I see a trend there

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[mhome]

There's absolutely no reason you shouldn't root because it's pretty much bomb proof and 2.2 is better, faster, no less unstable than any other version (including stock) out there, hands down, no question. If you want to go back to unrooted just flash the sbf.

Now the reasons you shouldn't root is if you can't follow directions. Or you're paranoid about voiding your warranty. Or you like your phone the way it is, which sounds like the case, so what's your point? You already know the answers.

Oh and overclocking is overated. The kernal that came with the leaked 2.2 is plenty fast. Unless your hobby is running benchmarks.

 

[UBRocked]

Because this is not a community of assholes, this is a community that takes the time to explain things and let the users make intelligent choices for themselves.

You attitude is better off with the iSheep than it is here.

Asshole?....I suggest you read the sticky on conduct.

Helping is one thing. So is answering questions. To come here and asked to be convinced to do something is somewhat presumptuous. You may not agree with me but it doesn't justify your cursing.

And just cause I have to comment here.

It has been mentioned that John's intent was not to call anyone anything. When I talk about people on this forum being helpful, he's one of the first people that come to mind. If I could choose someone to be a guide or moderator here...he'd be at the top of the list. Just pointing out the "why" as it relates to this being the best forum that Android has!

Sorry for the slightly off topic response...but I don't know if people realize how much time someone like John spends helping people with their issues. He certainly isn't just calling people names in thousands of posts

 

[inssane]

And just cause I have to comment here.

It has been mentioned that John's intent was not to call anyone anything. When I talk about people on this forum being helpful, he's one of the first people that come to mind.

I agree - and I would be second, right?
Sometimes I am first and asshole and then second a guide

 

[ska.t73]

Wow awesome posts guys... This is why I love this place. As for me? I love being rooted so much that I'm not even looking at getting the Droid X till I know for sure that it has been rooted... I love all the things that rooting can do (John posted all the reasons better then I could)...

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[xmr405o]

Where did you hear this?

I get the impression that some people think this is another one of those "should I root or not" threads. It isn't. Let me point out this post I made:

In other threads I've seen a lot of "Well I honestly can't see why you wouldn't want to root," and those are the people I'm more looking for a response from.

I'm not so much looking for people to tell me the extra things I can do while rooted, I'm well aware of lots of them. I'm more interested in why I'm being an obvious idiot for not doing it XD

I've gotten more info on rooting than I intended, and I really appreciate that, but the original intention of this thread wasn't me asking if I should root, it was me asking why some say there's absolutely no reason why I shouldn't.

Does that make sense?

"why some say there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't root?

It's because of all the replies on this thread that provided you with the benefits with a rooted droid. I know you didn't want to hear it all over again but the one way to convince you and others is to show you the benefits.
I don't agree with people calling people idiots because they don't root, but you have to understand some people (even rude people) just really really love their rooted droid and can't be convinced otherwise. And on most "should I root" threads, the major reason why people are on the fence on rooting is because they are afraid to brick their phones or the instructions scared them. That's where you'll find most of your "there's no reason why you shouldn't root" replies.

 

[El Blacksheep]

I'm sure there's a lot of good stuff in this thread, so I'll take a different approach to the topic

I want the rooting community here to convince me of the value of rooting.

The value is giving yourself full control over everything. That means stuff you want control over, stuff you don't want control over, and stuff you shouldn't have control over.

I've seen a general attitude that rooting is this amazing thing that will turn your tiny little fossil fueled brick into a cold fusion reactor.

Not necessarily WILL, but CAN is a better word.

To quote Apple (*hack cough* sorry about that) "it just works."

And rooting is for those who want to "make it work better" or "make it work my way" instead of "it just works how Jobs wants it to work"

Some of the custom ROMs are a little better optimized than the current one, and come with some neat features like overclocking, aps2SD, and built in tether, but I never really think of a time when these things are essential.

Overclocking is a major battery saver. By giving your processor more juice when needed, you get things done quicker and put your phone away sooner, meaning more idle time. And when your phone is idle, your device can underclock itself and consume even less power than standard. It's a win-win.

As far as everything else goes, I like to refer to a personal anecdote. My old smartphone wasn't nearly as insane as my Droid, but it did have Google Maps and GPS. One day after a raucous night of drinking and partying I wake up with no idea where I am. Prior to that point, I never once used or needed GPS, but at that time when I needed it most I had it right with me. Sure, a standalone GPS device works better than what I had on my phone, but I don't carry a GPS with me, and I don't anticipate getting lost.

TL;DR version: sometimes the real value of something is that one instance when you really need it and its ready to use.

As useful as it can be to someone, I just don't see a real need to be constantly flashing ROMs or to have Busybox at my disposal on my PHONE.

Not everyone flashes new ROMs every two days, but those who do are doing it because the advantages they gain from the updates outweigh the inconvenience.

And, think of busybox like a tool box. Even if you'll never touch them, it's great to have them handy in case someone else can use those tools to do something beneficial to you, like fix a leaky faucet.

And yet, I get the impression that if I even suggested that I'm actually happy with my phone doing what it does and I see no real personal use for rooting my phone, that people would talk down to me like I'm some sort of idiot for making this terrible decision.

Well, idiots exist in all shapes and sizes. What you do with your phone doesn't affect me in any way, so I could care less if you choose to root, not to root, or throw it at your pet cat. Just do what you like with it.

 

[Papadroid]

I have been one off those that have said in the past, why would you not want root? But it's usually to people who say that they are tech savvy. I guess it's because I'm being a bit presumptuous. I assume that if you are tech savvy then you like to tweek. My biggest selling point to people about android is how customizable the software is and on a rooted phone, forget about it! It's awesome, my only complaint its that I can't seem to put my phone down now.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[rdsok]

The way I'd respond to the OP ....

Why should we need to convince you of anything?... What benefit does anyone else here get if you choose to root or not? Would you pay for our opinion on the subject? If not, then what advantage do we gain for trying to convince you to do something that will only benefit you?

Obviously, those questions are meant to be rhetorical and don't need to be answered. They were only made to try and be as crazy sounding as the OP was ( or that was my intention ).

No one should think that you or anyone is an idiot if they choose to not root. We all can ( and many have ) list a lot of good reasons to do so... but the OP already knew those answers from the looks of it... which does make me question the actual reasons given for starting the thread, but that is your concern and doesn't really affect me or anyone else on this forum.

The answer is simple... Root your phone if you want control over what is installed, need more speed than stock, would like it to look different or would like to customize it in any manner that you choose. Do not root your phone if it already fits all of your needs and are happy with it as it is already.


And if I may now be so bold to tease around with a bit of sarcastic humor...

Thank you for trolling all of us and wasting our time with a question that only you can ultimately provide to yourself the best answer too... ( I did remember to mention the sarcasm part didn't I )

 

[UBRocked]

The way I'd respond to the OP ....

Why should we need to convince you of anything?... What benefit does anyone else here get if you choose to root or not? Would you pay for our opinion on the subject? If not, then what advantage do we gain for trying to convince you to do something that will only benefit you?

The way I'd respond to this comment ....

I get what you're saying for the most part and I agree that we don't need to spend our time to "convince" anyone of anything. Having said that, to comment back on the quote above...

What benefit does anyone else here get if you choose to root or not? Well, lets see...if the rooted, custom ROM flashing, root application using community is stronger...then there will be more support for the rest of us. It behooves us to increase this community because the more of us there are, the more support we will receive.

Maybe the OP roots his phone, sees what he has been missing, makes a few small donations...isn't he benefiting you? If his views represents another 10,000 people that are on the fence about "why" they should root and they all "see the light" and root, flash custom ROMs, etc., doesn't that benefit the rooted community (provided the give a little something back occasionally)?

I don't donate much...but I give what I can. Those donations keep the devs going (not that they are getting rich by any means...but maybe it's enough to make it worth their time).

Imagine if there were only a few thousand Motorola Droid phones actually sold. Do you think we would be getting 2.2??? Well it will work the same way with the devs that support us rooted folks. Think about it...

 

[inssane]

The way I'd respond to the OP ....

Why should we need to convince you of anything?... What benefit does anyone else here get if you choose to root or not? Would you pay for our opinion on the subject? If not, then what advantage do we gain for trying to convince you to do something that will only benefit you?

Was this an answer or how you would answer it?

Why do we need to benefit from someone here other than taking knowledge?

Do you take the dealer stickers and plate frames off of your cars when you buy one? If not, then it's you that's the sucker, because you paid them thousands of dollars and are advertising for them. As far as I can see, that benefits them - but they convinced you to buy the car right?

Seriously, take a step back from the keyboard if you get up on the d!ck side of the bed next time.
I guess some people are just takers in life.

 

[UBRocked]

Was this an answer or how you would answer it?

Why do we need to benefit from someone here other than taking knowledge?

Do you take the dealer stickers and plate frames off of your cars when you buy one? If not, then it's you that's the sucker, because you paid them thousands of dollars and are advertising for them. As far as I can see, that benefits them - but they convinced you to buy the car right?

Seriously, take a step back from the keyboard if you get up on the d!ck side of the bed next time.
I guess some people are just takers in life.

Always some kind of interesting argument going on here

I don't want to revert to name calling here and I'm not taking sides. But in rdsok's defense, I think the OP was poorly written in a kind of "attacking" tone. I felt like saying "I don't need to convince you of shit!" when I first read it also so I can see where rdsok is coming from.

Now, I would also say that inssane is completely right that this is an informational forum. If we all act snide and rude...we might as well visit some of the other forums that are better know for that crap. It's all about the knowledge here. Sharing the knowledge we gain here is as important to the community as providing donations.....here's an example:

I have posted this link 2 or 3 times now.

http://www.gimpsta.com/themer/index.php

Now, this is a cool place to go and customize your own HTC themed keyboard. Really cool and I have made a bunch of em to go with every setup I run. Check this one out to go with the Blue Kangerade v1.1 ROM

Now, I have not contributed anything to the dev for this. I don't have the means to contribute to everyone that puts something cool out there that I utilize and if you can say you do...you are really well off or your a liar

But I am posting it...sharing something that I know...so that other people can utilize it as well. Now if they are moved enough to donate, I am helping the community by introducing it to more people...people that may not have run across it on their own. That is a big part of WHY we share information despite the fact that sometimes, the poster we are replying to is being a little rude themselves. It's not just them we are replying to...we are replying to everyone who will eventually read the thread.

Just my 2 cents...sorry for the rambling but I just don't want to see any pissing matches taking place over something like this.

Now...you can install this keyboard with or without being rooted (to post something relevant to the thread). So this is not a "root exclusive" thing. But the custom ROM that the keyboard is designed to match...you have to have root for. But damn...that's a pretty combo in my opinion. Can only do it up really nice like that if you have the ability to flash custom ROMs. And just remember...we are not even talking about performance!

 

[rdsok]

Was this an answer or how you would answer it?

Seriously, take a step back from the keyboard if you get up on the d!ck side of the bed next time.
I guess some people are just takers in life.

Did you just miss the sarcastic humor part that I posted about... geez you are the one that needs to watch which side of the bed you get up on...

 

[inssane]

And if I may now be so bold to tease around with a bit of sarcastic humor...

Thank you for trolling all of us and wasting our time with a question that only you can ultimately provide to yourself the best answer too... ( I did remember to mention the sarcasm part didn't I )

I did get it, here, not at the top.
People often mean the things that they "joke" about

 

[rdsok]

I did get it, here, not at the top.
People often mean the things that they "joke" about

I provided a rhetorical set of questions that should be obvious that they were not meant to be serious... they were to show the OP's question was at least poorly stated and considering what they said about having already read the aurguments... just made their question almost illogical to even be asked yet again.

Then touched on the "idiot" statements which I didn't feel the OP was being. I then gave a very simple straight to the point reasons to either consider rooting or not. I don't feel it needs to be more complex than that... either do it or not depending on your own needs.

You on the otherhand chose to simply attack my response for whatever your reasons were.

 

[gnath9]

Having a Droid and not rooting it is kinda like having a "Gaming PC" just to check e-mail and facebook. Makes no sense to me

 

[caustic]

Just to let these helpful masses know, I have rooted my phone now. BB .4

 

[triplecrown]

Just to let these helpful masses know, I have rooted my phone now. BB .4

Good stuff man.....any theme over it????....I'm a huge fan of Nextheme.

 

[markc2]

Surprised this thread is still alive....

 

[xmr405o]

Just to let these helpful masses know, I have rooted my phone now. BB .4

Oh cool because you would have been an idiot not to. hahaha. jk

I'm more interested in the kernal you chose (if any, the stock kernal is nice in 0.4). That's where most have issues when they root and overclock their droid.

Hope everything goes well for you.

 

[hortstu]

caustic,

I'd like to hear more about your experience since rooting and what you've done with it.