Unified ROM Project, Phase II: The Kitchen Application

[Raging Idiot]

Two more thoughts come to mind...

- What is the amount of space that everything will take up if packaged in a zip for distribution. If it's greater than 500mb then it would be hard to dispute that it should be split out accordingly. If it's less than 200mb then perhaps it should remain in one file - for portability and simplicity(and harder to hit target). I personally wouldn't care if it took upwards to 1gb, but I understand not everyone has a highspeed connection nor patience.

- What is the probability (or time frame) that Microsoft will release something that makes this ROM obsolete --or much less attractive.

[jamesus]

Originally Posted by TechnoHippie

How about not a thick client, not a thin client, but a "rich" client? A windows based app that uses webservices? That way we'd have the best of both worlds. And hey I'm a systems analysist so I can help write it too....C# anyone?

I can dig that! My only question is how would it be structure to be different enough from a web app so the "unblinking eye of Microsoft" does not catch it?

[JBabey]

I know its been mentioned previously but I wanted to throw in my 2c anyways haha.

I feel that a "Kitchen" should be released with an EXE file that brings up a GUI interface that will Step-By-Step walk the user through building a ROM with the kitchen.

Have the application look at a "USER-OEM" folder, any folder in there will show up as a checkbox they can click off to either add it to the ROM build or not (so if checked it would temporarily copy that oemfolder to the kitchen, build the rom, and remove that oem folder) this will keep the original kitchen in its original state.

Follow me on this now as I walk you through what i see in my head...

++++++++++++++++++++++

1 - Download the Unified Rom Cooking Kitchen

2 - Extract it to your hard drive

3 - You will see a "Buildme.exe" a folder called "Kitchen" and a folder named "USER-OEM"

4 - Put any OEM's you've downloaded from the FTP into the "USER-OEM" folder

5 - Launch the "Buildme.exe"

6 - You will see a welcome screen with instructions to build your VERY OWN customized ROM, brought to you by PPCGEEKS!

7 - Click next

8 - You will see a list of checkboxes for the BASE options you would like in your ROM, Here you can choose to remove standard HTC ROM options such as clearstorage.exe and MSN etc...

9 - Click next

10 - This will bring you to a screen with two options... WM6 look & feel... or WM5 look and feel

11 - Click next

12 - This brings you to the OEM selection screen, any packages you have put into the USER-OEM folder will show up as checkboxes (by folder name)

13 - Click next

14 - a box will show up asking if you want to make any additional registry entries to your ROM, you can either import a .reg file or manually type registry entries into the box.

15 - Click next

16 - here you can choose to name your ROM, limit it to like 12 or 16 characters, have this name autogen the reg entry so it shows up under about --- i.e. OS 5.1.195 (Build 15698-BigJ_r9.5)

17 - hit next, this screen will ask if you want a custom boot screen, you can then import a properly sized bmp or an already converted boot screen (the program should check the bmp for proper dimensions if possible)

18 - Click next, it will give you a summary of all of your choices on one screen in categories, it will have the option of jumping back to that selection screen to make changes in case you forgot something....

19 - Click BUILD

20 - When you click build the application will begin its magic, it will first scan the USER-OEM folder copying the selected OEMs to the Kitchen folder, it will generate a registryoem to carry over the users custom registry options, build up the raw fat file, write the splash screen, and convert it to an nk.nbf and create an EXECUTABLE that will flash the phone for them that is named after the custom name the user chose from step 16.... "BigJ_r9.5.exe". The application will then UNDO all of its modifications to the kitchen.... remove the wm6 theme'ing, remove the copied over oem's, replace the defaults such as clearstorage.exe & MSN.

21 - while it performs cleanup it will bring up instructions with how to put the phone into bootloader mode to prepare it for flash, and remind them to SYNC the phone with outlook before proceeding to flash.

22 - after creating the exe and cleaning up, the application will autolaunch it to bring the user right into the flash process

++++++++++++++++++

This allows not only for ease of use, but makes one download for both the kitchen for us crazy people, and still gives simplicity to those who are not so inclined to learn what is actually going on.

[Perasite]

I'd go for Jbabey's idea, with one addition. The User_OEMs folder would be one place to select from, and an online OEM repository would be a second place to select OEMs from. This would take care of the M$ problem (cuz you could have everything on your local drive) and it would also allow for a place with known good OEMs to be stored so that they are easy to access.

[Glossman]

Originally Posted by JBabey

I know its been mentioned previously but I wanted to throw in my 2c anyways haha.

I feel that a "Kitchen" should be released with an EXE file that brings up a GUI interface that will Step-By-Step walk the user through building a ROM with the kitchen.

Have the application look at a "USER-OEM" folder, any folder in there will show up as a checkbox they can click off to either add it to the ROM build or not (so if checked it would temporarily copy that oemfolder to the kitchen, build the rom, and remove that oem folder) this will keep the original kitchen in its original state.

Follow me on this now as I walk you through what i see in my head...

++++++++++++++++++++++

1 - Download the Unified Rom Cooking Kitchen

2 - Extract it to your hard drive

3 - You will see a "Buildme.exe" a folder called "Kitchen" and a folder named "USER-OEM"

4 - Put any OEM's you've downloaded from the FTP into the "USER-OEM" folder

5 - Launch the "Buildme.exe"

6 - You will see a welcome screen with instructions to build your VERY OWN customized ROM, brought to you by PPCGEEKS!

7 - Click next

8 - You will see a list of checkboxes for the BASE options you would like in your ROM, Here you can choose to remove standard HTC ROM options such as clearstorage.exe and MSN etc...

9 - Click next

10 - This will bring you to a screen with two options... WM6 look & feel... or WM5 look and feel

11 - Click next

12 - This brings you to the OEM selection screen, any packages you have put into the USER-OEM folder will show up as checkboxes (by folder name)

13 - Click next

14 - a box will show up asking if you want to make any additional registry entries to your ROM, you can either import a .reg file or manually type registry entries into the box.

15 - Click next

16 - here you can choose to name your ROM, limit it to like 12 or 16 characters, have this name autogen the reg entry so it shows up under about --- i.e. OS 5.1.195 (Build 15698-BigJ_r9.5)

17 - hit next, this screen will ask if you want a custom boot screen, you can then import a properly sized bmp or an already converted boot screen (the program should check the bmp for proper dimensions if possible)

18 - Click next, it will give you a summary of all of your choices on one screen in categories, it will have the option of jumping back to that selection screen to make changes in case you forgot something....

19 - Click BUILD

20 - When you click build the application will begin its magic, it will first scan the USER-OEM folder copying the selected OEMs to the Kitchen folder, it will generate a registryoem to carry over the users custom registry options, build up the raw fat file, write the splash screen, and convert it to an nk.nbf and create an EXECUTABLE that will flash the phone for them that is named after the custom name the user chose from step 16.... "BigJ_r9.5.exe". The application will then UNDO all of its modifications to the kitchen.... remove the wm6 theme'ing, remove the copied over oem's, replace the defaults such as clearstorage.exe & MSN.

21 - while it performs cleanup it will bring up instructions with how to put the phone into bootloader mode to prepare it for flash, and remind them to SYNC the phone with outlook before proceeding to flash.

22 - after creating the exe and cleaning up, the application will autolaunch it to bring the user right into the flash process

++++++++++++++++++

This allows not only for ease of use, but makes one download for both the kitchen for us crazy people, and still gives simplicity to those who are not so inclined to learn what is actually going on.

This seems like a reasonable workflow.

Any other opinions about this?

[pixelwix]

I like jb's idea too, hopefully it can be done

[pgdeaner]

jb's workflow sounds like a winner to me.

[jamesus]

I agree. And with the OEMs, we will need to regulate and test them to make sure they work correctly.

[nuguy]

I also suggest a naming standard for OEMs perhaps "the username"v1.0 so that all can tell what OEMs we trust and what the newest version is...

I so love what is happening here!

[schettj]

Originally Posted by Glossman

This seems like a reasonable workflow.

Any other opinions about this?

I like it better then a web-builder thingie