PPCGeeks - Rourke's Swift Guide to Barebones ROMs?

After reading Gorelow's post in this thread, I got to thinking about the different 6.5 ROMs around these parts, and which ones could really be considered barebones.

Since I was planning on flashing a bunch of different ROMs today for giggles, I took it upon myself to do a little bit of note-taking and comparisons while doing so, and posting them for anyone interested.

For starters, I noted: the OS footprint of the base ROM in storage memory, which is generally just 6.5 and the modifications made to it; the additional storage memory consumed by packages installed with the ROM (a good indicator of being either "loaded/bloated"); the amount of RAM reserved by the OS (this includes the page pool, and is generally allocated for basic system functions); and the additional RAM consumed by the ROM on a clean boot.

Also, I noted the time it takes get through initial setup/customizations/auto-reset, and load into a functioning Windows after hard reset. This was done twice per ROM after the initial flash, and the results were averaged. While that may not be a perfect benchmark, I've generally found the longer it takes to install the operating system, the more junk/goodies I'm getting with it.

Finally, I included a few notes on the ROMs compared.

As the OP in that thread had inquired about a ROM that "made Juicy8 look bloated," I (unfairly) collected the same data from his ROM to use as comparison.

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Juicy 8_090723

Setup Time: 6:16
OS Footprint - 183.23 MB
Addons - 27.88 MB
RAM Reserved - 88.77 MB
RAM Used -72.64 MB

Notes: this is one of my personal favorite ROMs. Comes preloaded with many of the features and applications I would otherwise have to install: TF3D2, Google Maps, QuickGPS; it's not carrier specific, it's fast, and is fairly streamlined for having Rhodium installed. I would not, however, consider it a "barebones" ROM by any stretch.

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DCD 2.0.3

Setup Time - 2:48
OS Footprint - 130.31 MB
Addons - 2.45MB
RAM Reserved - 87.75 MB
RAM Used - 48.82 MB

Notes: incredibly small, fast, and bug-free; most things like HTC Album, Task Manager, Audio Booster stripped out; you'll need a cab to install pretty much everything you're used to having in other ROMs.

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Project Copper 0.0.0.1

Setup Time - 4:27
OS Footprint - 142.89 MB
Addons - 15.12 MB
RAM Reserved - 88.77 MB
RAM Used - 55.25 MB

Notes: an almost "au natural" 21500 experience: a streamlined ROM, but still user friendly; responsive, clean, stable. If you want a user-friendly stock ROM tweaked a bit for speed, I recommend it.

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Midnight v4.5

Setup Time - 6:15
OS Footprint - 156.96 MB
Addons - 22.98 MB
RAM Reserved - 77.59 MB
RAM Used - 63.17 MB

Notes: I'm not sure why this was suggested as a barebones ROM. A good deal of apps included like MusicID and the PPCG App, as well as FKB2.1, hTorch Flashlight, Smart Lyrics, among others. It's a nice looking ROM however, but I don't see it as really "barebones."

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RaidZero Baseline 2.6

Setup Time - 4:14
OS Footprint - 144.01 MB
Addons - 10.06 MB
RAM Reserved - 87.94 MB
RAM Used - 58.08

Notes: Surprisingly small footprint given the extras. Includes a custom taskbar, Google Maps, Titanium customization tools, FKB2.1, hTorch Flashlight, a registry editor, Opera, MP3 Trimmer, and more. As with Midnight, I feel all additions prevent this ROM from being a real "barebones" ROM, but I definitely give it a thumbs up for style and speed.

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JD's LR2.01 72809beta

Setup Time - 3:58
OS Footprint - 116.49 MB
Addons - 11.14 MB
RAM Reserved - 87.82 MB
RAM Used - 51.09 MB

Notes: Still playing with it. Don't think I'll be flashing off for a while. :D

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That's what I've gathered so far, but it's getting late and I'm tired of missing phone calls because I'm in the middle of a hard-reset. Given the data above, it seems DCD and JD take the prize for barebones though, if there's another ROM I'm missing in that category please mention it!