If you don't want to read my ramblings my question is in bold. 
I realize this is a frivolous post but for us who are thinking about flashing some encouragement and general knowledge of these roms would help before we go off researching each individual rom.
I've been browsing the forums for a couple weeks adding apps and getting familiar with my phone. Didn't think it necessary to flash the phone before I had decided if I liked or didn't like the stock build.
Before I got the phone I was worried about two things. One: The memory. The phone doesn't have much memory to work with considering all the applications that can and do run simultaneously. Two: The battery life. Before I bought the phone I read horror stories about how bad the battery life is on this phone. Looking back on the first 3 weeks I've had the phone I've come to the conclusion that 1. yes, the phone would be a bit nicer if it had more ram. Two: The battery life worries were just that. Worries. I have NEVER had my phone go under 50% battery life. Very glad of that.
Now that I've had my phone for a while with the Newest stock rom from sprint. (bought it March 18'th I think) I find myself curious about these new roms that have been built. Looking to speed up my phone specifically. After doing searches on both xda and ppc I find that there isn't many people asking WHY we should upgrade from this newest build. I guess their thinking is that they need the newest and best or maybe it's just common knowledge that I missed the viral email on.
Before 3.35 there were some issues that people like me could gripe about and it could be usefull to flash but now... With the 3.35 rom... why?
Anyway, I had come to the upgrade forum to see if anyone had answered that question or posted up exactly what these roms were and couldn't find anything? (i did a search... even a google search.. on xda you have to do a google search to get anything) Since I am a phone noob and don't know much about these roms my understanding of them is a bit...how do you say... altered.
It seems they aren't themes or they would be called themes. I've come to understand they are changes made to the wm6.0 OS. I understand some, if not all take out some of the stock programs that no-one uses or come included with some popular applications that everyone uses, but what else? Are the rom's just the OS build with all the apps included? Is there a list of what these rom's change or what the bennifit of upgrading the rom would be?
The series of steps to flash your rom (at this point) seem to be getting clearer and clearer. A couple searches and some reading will give you the steps to flash the rom. But judging from a quick glance at the forum it appears not enough people a. cannot follow instructions sufficiently (don't do enough searching for all the steps for their update) or b. not competent enough to do a rom flash. (I'm hoping this isn't the case
)
If you search XDA and PPC you can find a ton of roms. There are quite a few. It would be nice for someone to make a thread with all the MAJOR/STABLE roms in it so we newbies who are starting off on our first flash (and wanting to get it right) know the roms that are tried and tested. But that's no absolutely necessity and well.. after all we all have lives.
I've rambled on long enough. Still not sure If I'll flash my phone but maybe some of you guys can give me the benefits and convince me.