DavidG6

Hey everyone!
So I've been an avid flasher of GSB since 1.6. I thoroughly enjoy GSB! However, I think I'm too the point I want a more stable ROM that doesn't have an update every other day and I hear xtrSENSE is that - I also heard it's a bit more stock based (yet still customizable, yes?) but has all the features of overclocking, etc.
For those of you who have run both, what are your thoughts?
Also if I decided to flash from GSB to xtrSENSE is it just the same basic process - Reboot, Nand backup, davlik wipe, flash ROM? Or would I have factory reset or flash anything else?

Thanks everyone! Just saw GSB 2.2 is out, might flash that just for the time being!

bobcat331

I'm all bout me some GSB.

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HTC Eris - Condemned CM7 V 23 R.I.P., HTC Eris - GSB v4.4-full_ODEXED_CM7.2.0, ViewSonic Gtablet - TnT
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doogald

xtrSENSE is very close to stock, except that it is overclocked, and it has cache2cache set up by default, giving a lot more user space for apps and data. xtrSENSE is de-odexed, meaning that the pieces of the framework that are normally pre-compiled are broken up, so that it can be customized with an app like metamorph (though I have to say that I really don't know too much about that at all; I am generally happy with stock.)

My own experience with xtrSENSE is that it burns battery a bit faster than GSB does, but that may just be me.

It's very stable, though I do know that HTC-based Android has some bugs that always plague me. The biggest pain in the butt is that calendar event alarms will fire but give no way to dismiss them - they seem to automatically snooze - so the darned things go off every five minutes, inevitably meaning that I hear the stupid things as I drive to my appointment. I've even had instances where these notifications fire off after the appointment - not good at all. You're experience may be different from mine. Of course, it will be missing those features that require Froyo, so the new Google Voice Actions (part of Google search) will not be the same, there is no Chrome2Phone, there is no Gmail client that support the priority inbox and the ability to notify for every message. (Note: Google Voice Actions is different from Google Voice; Google Voice works just fine with xtrSENSE.)

Some of the pros compared with GSB: Of course, cache2cache is great. The ROM is extremely compatible with the Eris, so everything (besides what I mentioned above) works. (This is getting to be less of an issue with GSB as it matures, however.) WiFi in particular will lock on and connect to my access points right away - I sometimes have to push GSB (and other Cyanogen ROMs) to connect well.

If you Nandroid backup what you have now, you can always come back to GSB as it is now. Give xtrSENSE a try - it's definitely worth a try at least.

You do have to wipe data/factory reset. So, Nandroid backup what you have now, wipe data/factory reset, wipe Dalvik cache, flash xtrSENSE, reboot. Do not flash the Google apps, like you do with GSB - they are already installed in xtrSENSE.

dirtyriffs

I was running GSB for serveral weeks. I had several little issues w/ certain things but over all it was ok. I flashed xtrSense a couple weeks ago. I'm sticking w/ it. The battry lasts me the entire day till I go to bed. All the little issues w/ GSB are gone. Personally for me there are no advantages w/GSB over xtrSENSE. Unless you just want bragging rights that its the newest OS.

SirEagle

For me GSB runs much smoother and faster. I have no bugs with GSB and didn't have any with xtrsense either. Had more lag with ctrsense though. Run both OD'd at 710, cache2cache.

paleodust

I spent a lot of time with xtrSENSE and loved it but feel like you're going backwards if you're going there from GSB.

Also, cache2cache is available for GSB as well.

Last edited by paleodust; March 24th, 2011 at 12:27 AM.

stanlalee

CM just offer was more features/tweakin/settings I dont care to live without and at this point (GSB 2.2) there is no speed advantage to justify me living without it (short of a phone upgrade). However if you like HTC sense the choice is obvious (I dont because the dock is ******ed and I dont use any sense widgets).

doogald

True, but it is a separate flash, and some people have problems with it. You don't have problems with it when you run xtrSENSE or xtrROM.

I'm trying out xtrROM one last time after having spontaneous reboots with GSB two days in a row. Funny, I restored from February 15th and started getting the OTA notification. We'll see how things go. The one thing I'll miss from GSB/CELB is the new gmail client; I do use Google Voice Actions every once in a while, but can get by without them. We'll just have to see how the calendar notifications go...

stanlalee

How do you stop getting the notification on XTRrom without installing the update? it was annoying me with XTR. I'd check no thanks and 10 minutes later its back asking again.

doogald

Accept the update. It will fail on the install, as it cannot run from anything but the stock recovery, and will not prompt you again.

mjb34500

I've really enjoyed GSB. I can honeslty say tho that I've had the best running phone simply using V1.7. Every 'upgrade' I've had just gives me one headache or another, 1.7 seems for whatever reason to run really well.

I'm set up like:
flashed cache2cache
running the .29 radio
2.6.29 kernel
Smartass governor
245 min CPU
710 max CPU
using JIT
locking home in memory
24m VM heap
18% compcache RAM usage

I dunno about others, but I know this is working lights-out for me.

paleodust

I have the same settings except for 16m VM heap, which runs more responsively.

mdeblaz

xtrSense is the most stable ROM for the Eris. I used it for my everyday ROM since last July?? Though, I'm biased since I never did try GSB... there was no need to flash anything else.

TheAtheistReverend

I have been trying to like GSB. There are so many coo features involved, and it really is pretty.
But...
XTRrom has been the fail-safe bugg-less home-base for me. It is the smoothest running and most stable ROM I have used since I rooted almost a year ago. The only thing I "dislike" about it is the battery life. It isn't any worse than stock or most others, but I did have great luck in the CELBFroyo ROM with two days without having to plug it in and now I'm spoiled so I keep trying the GSB and CELBFroyo when they update. But EVERY time I get it set up and make a NAND for coming back to (just for fun) I revert to my favorite ROM: XTRrom 5.0!

No disrespect to anyone here is meant. Just expressing my fav.
(I think each phone has a favorite ROM of it's own, some ROMs just play better with some phones. Who knows why...)

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Jdiulus

XTR Sense is by far my daily runner as well. I had GSB for a while but just not digging it. One Rom that I did like but had some issues with losing calls was TenzosXTR RCMix. I really liked the look and feel of that ROM except I was losing calls all the time. Dont know why. As soon as I flashed to something else the problem was gone.

svh105

I too have been messing around with GSB lately but have come to the same conclusion, XTR simply runs smoother than the GSB roms on and Eris. put aside quatrant scores, android 2.1 etc. Screens scroll smoother, apps load and close faster, the entire phone is more responsive. The phone feels like its not being dragged down by a "heavy" operation system.

I agree GSB and CM7 offer some pretty nice tweaks. Everything on the phone/rom works with few bugs. I think alot of people fall into the trap of having the latest and greatest (ie phone envy). But at the end of the day, I use my phone as a phone, not a fashion accessory.

So I pose a question, is XTR pound for pound the #1 ROM for the Eris? Including functionality, speed, user experience and support.

Discuss and decide.

doogald

I think we've discussed it already, but what I have found with xtrROM and xtrSENSE is that, as time goes by and the phone has been used with the ROM longer and longer, response tends to decrease - touch events like swipe scrolling lag, or get mis-interpreted as taps rather than scrolls - more so than with Froyo or GB ROMs on the Eris. That's been my experience. Generally a phone restart solves this, but it can be a pain in the neck when you notice this when you are trying to do something quickly and a restart is not something that you can wait on.

I love xtrROM and xtrSENSE, but it's no doubt that my phone feels more responsive and performs more consistently with GSB. As for "fashion accessory", I far, far prefer the look of stock Froyo to GSB, and when I think of eye candy, the HTC Sense customizations come to mind first.

There are some things that the xtr ROMs do better - WiFi is much, much better - and there are some things that the Froyo and GB ROMs do better, especially with better battery life (as they are more efficient) and the gmail client is so much better. They are both great in their own way, and it's great that we have such a choice, rather than having to live with the shortcomings of stock.

notaguru

These comments are all important, and they are all incomplete. That's because they do not (and maybe cannot) discuss the effect of various apps, preferences, usage modes, etc. Over the decades - and I've been computing since the vacuum-tube 50s - I've learned that a system is comprised of hardware, firmware or OS (the ROM, in this case), software suite, and - the user. Any glitch, speed issue, power (battery) problem, instability, etc. should be addressed from the system viewpoint - not just based on one segment. Our phones are so phenomenally complex that it's amazing that they work at all - and that's particularly so when you consider how configurable they are, rooted or not. All the reasonably competent hobbyist ROMs work fine, but I recently installed GSB 94.55 (or whatever was current that day) and found it to be excellent. XT, various Froyos, etc. would probably work similarly on my fairly simple phone, meeting my rather undemanding needs. The key is PROBABLY - the specific configuration, app list, and personal preferences will make a difference. It's work to try everything new, so I suggest that you either make it a hobby or when you encounter a setup that meets your needs, stop hunting. Someone even older than me (and there aren't that many) said it best If it ain't broke, don't fix it

Last edited by notaguru; April 3rd, 2011 at 01:42 PM.

bobcat331

I probably have said that same thing.

paleodust

Well, if it weren't broken, we wouldn't all be trying to fix it.

notaguru

Until 20 years ago, I drove a 1965 Mustang GT fastback that I had fully restored. It had a perfect 289, noiseless running gear, and was cosmetically indistinguishable from a new one. It was not broken, but nevertheless I worked on it constantly. And now I'm thinking about the ROM in this phone... and wondering, like so many here, if the grass is greener.

slikrider20

Just switched to xtraROM after coming from GSB. Won't be going back. Much, much faster.

DavidG6

So after serious thought, I have officially flashed over to xtrSENSE! Just a couple questions for you xtrSENSE veterans out there -

1. Can I auto-delete my text messages? One of my biggest pet peeves with the Eris (stock) was no auto-delete in threads. Is there a G-Script I can run or something?
2. What settings have run through G-Script that have peaked the performances (VM Heap size, JIT on/off, CPU Max and Min settings)?
3. Also, because this is like stock, back in the day when my phone was unrooted the HTC Sense FB/FB app eventually used A LOT of space, because of the sync with contacts and such. What method has everyone used to alleviate it?
4. Last but not least - with the GScript to put apps2sd, does it put every app to SD, or can I have control of what goes to SD? Or if they all go over to SD (I had problems with GSB and this) will future apps that I download just go right to SD or do I have to run the GScript again?

Sorry for all the questions! Just want the most out of xtrSENSE because besides GSB I have been told it is the best ROM to use!


Thanks everyone!

Last edited by DavidG6; April 16th, 2011 at 09:53 AM.

bberryhill0

The paid version of Delete Old Messages will auto delete. I think it has cleaner in the name.

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MagnumForce

I have had XTRSense since at least last June and love it, recently I thought I would try GSB to see what the praise was all about, I was not impressed. The phone ran way worse, all kinds of force closes, it was a lot slower, and had no advantages over XTRSense.

I tried GSB for about 2 weeks and gladly went back to XTRSense. On XTRSense the eris runs flawless.

paleodust

Did you reformat your SD card and do a factory restall when you flashed GSB? That made a HUGE difference for me.

MagnumForce

I have had XTRSense since at least last June and love it, recently I thought I would try GSB to see what the praise was all about, I was not impressed. The phone ran way worse, all kinds of force closes, it was a lot slower, and had no advantages over XTRSense.

I tried GSB for about 2 weeks and gladly went back to XTRSense. On XTRSense the eris runs flawless.

doogald

Apps2sd is all or nothing - at least for the apps that you install from the market.

majorpay

I recently un-rooted, ran stock, re-rooted and backed up stock to run some comparisons. I have found that stock runs phenomenally better than any GingerBread ROM with no issues.

That being said, there are a few things I miss:

1. Lock Screen tweaks. It's nice to have, but not worth the frustration that comes with the GB slowdowns, glitches.

2. The old version of gmail has the delete button in the wrong place. Annoying, but not a deal breaker.

3. Contacts list. The contacts list sucks on stock, but golauncher offers an app that has the contacts in a nice format. Problem is, that's not what comes up when I hit the green talk button.

4. Google backup. This is a nice feature in 2.2+.

5. Battery life. This phone won't last half a day on stock! That is kind of a deal breaker, but since it's running perfect and fast, right now I don't see the alternative.

What I gain from stock:

1. Speed. Sooo much speed. The difference is night and day.

2. Stability. Nothing crashes, music doesn't skip, everything seems perfect. The phone portion itself is more responsive and faster.

Those two items are what we all need in a phone, so this is the deal maker for me for now. I may try XTR, but I'm just posting on my experience of going back and forth between GSB and Stock.

I fully respect and appreciate what the devs are doing over at XDA, but from my experience, there is far more irritating losses moving to GB then there are gains. I seem to remember some of the earlier ROMs were more stable and fast than what's running now, and I have my suspicions about why, but I won't start that flame war.

What did we gain moving from 2.1 to 2.2? A lot, but there were still a decent amount of bugs. What did we gain moving from 2.2 to 2.3? I don't know, you tell me, because all I gained was a bunch of headaches. I don't see one upgrade in 2.3 that would be considered a "significant feature."

Maybe this phone just doesn't have the guts to run 2.3 and we are forcing a bowling ball down a garden hose. It's an accomplishment that it works, but aside from that......

bobcat331

When your stock is it still rooted?

majorpay

Technically, no. Which is why I'd be interested in trying XTR.

Something to add to my list:

...Market and downloads work perfectly on stock.

As a background: I've been flashing ROMs since ROMs became available. I was one of the idiots that flashed the leak So saying stock has gains over the current state of ROMs is based on as much experience as one can have in this arena and really saying a lot. I've probably flashed 30-40 times now.

Last edited by majorpay; April 17th, 2011 at 09:24 AM. Reason: added background

scotty85

youre actually the first person ive seen make that claim!

i have found quite the opposite. the stock rom for me is extremely laggy and slow- i noticed significant improvements when i first rooted and went to a froyo rom. not to mention a more pleasant android experience,since i personally am not a fan of htc sense. 2.3 runs just as well for me as 2.2 did... our little phones do lack internal memory wich is a pretty big drawback for the more sophisticated OS,but it still runs well for me.

not saying your claims have no merrit,but devices differ and your mileage may vary!

edit: as a background,i have only been into it for 3 or 4 months now,but i am a chronic flashoholic ive flashed just as many roms,prolly more, on my eris alone. ive rooted and unrooted several times to satisfy various curiosities. ive rooted and installed custom roms on 3 other phones as well(2 htc,1 moto) so i have alot of experience running the same roms running on different hardware. not an expert by any means,but like to think i have quite a bit of experience in this area also

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Last edited by scotty85; April 17th, 2011 at 10:26 AM.

majorpay

This may be true if you are comparing the stock sense UI, but to be honest, screen changing, etc, has been MUCH smoother on stock. Transitions seem to work better etc. I don't run sense though. I replaced the sense interface with golauncher ex, because I could care less about sense.

2.3 has been a pain in the butt to be honest. I have changed governors, spent weeks tweaking min/max settings, and NOTHING seems to fix the lag issues that are in 2.3. Not to mention that in certain settings, there is music skipping on sleep, phone lag time can be so bad you can miss calls, and the market 50% of the time tells me failed to install on apps. Repeating the install again seems to fix that (sometimes, but you have to keep trying).

To me, stock has been hassle free and no-nonsense. I am hoping I can find a solid ROM. I wasn't picky before, but I am now, because I'm trying to get the most speed, functionality, with least amount of issues (most important) as I am planning within the next few months passing this on to my dad and want to give him the most flawless experience with most functionality gain I can get, as he won't want to mess with issues.

UPDATE: Stock is rooted now (verified) with one-click eris root from the market. I noticed a slight slow down after the one-click root, but hopefully that won't persist and was just the cause of being a fresh boot.

scotty85

have you tried other 2.3 roms or just GSB? if youve only run the one,its not really fair to condem 2.3 because of it.

despite immense amount of work workshed has put into it,and it being an unofficial cyanogen rom,there is a small amount of lag that remains for me with each GSB update. otherwise,it works well.

ive tried 2 other ports(tastybread,and currently condemned cm7),and one built from AOSP(OMGB) 2.3 roms. all i have felt were a touch smoother than GSB.

as far as sense,ive never really run the stock rom with a different launcher. when i run a sense rom,i usually run the sense launcher a fresh stock rom runs fine. but the more apps i add,and the more time goes by,the more confused it seems to get.

Last edited by scotty85; April 17th, 2011 at 10:44 AM.

majorpay

That is probably a fair assessment. I have run Tazz and GSB for GB ROMs. Both are based on CM, and I have my suspicions that CM is the source for a lot of issues. I could be way off base here, but I notice that different issues seem to revolve around different versions of CM. That was the flame war I was trying to avoid though I know CM does good stuff, and I hate bashing on developers (because I'm a dev in real life and know the pains).

And as for GSB being unofficial, according to WS, he was saying it was a certified CM ROM now?

scotty85

youre right,it is an officially supported rom,now. i guess i just meant it was a CM rom to start with and not a hero port. and that we still wont see eris on the suported devices page. i love CM,and continue to be a lil disappointed that GSB doesnt run a lil smoother than it does... seeing cm7 in action on different devices is alot different . the hardware is potentially part of the prollem,i do realize the eris isnt in the same league as the incredible or even the original droid,but as i mentioned other ported cm roms do seem to be to be a lil smoother... to me at least.

maybe give one of the other cm ports a try. or try the AOSP omgb youre only a nand away from where you are if it doesnt work out

bobcat331

Well I hate to be the party pooper but I've had problems with every rom I've flashed. Every one of them has had problems. Now I probably have'nt flashed as may as y'all have but I have flashed a few. For me I wonder if going back to stock and still being rooted would'nt be better. My phone sucks. Everything on it works fine but the dialer. I've meantioned the same problem on more then one occasion and there doesn't seem to be an explanation for it.

scotty85

There's one way to find out, BC

do you have any stock nandroid you can restore? If not, I could prolly email you a rooted one, or you could flash the flashback rom. Since you'll still be s-off, restoring amon and superuser would be easy.

bobcat331

Could I be stock yet still be rooted to take all the crap off of it?

majorpay

OK, so here is the flash to take you back to the unrooted 2.1: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B96hW_AAaun2YWIyOTdlZmYtN2EyZi00YmUwLTkyM +TUtZTYyNDIyMGI4YzVj&hl=en&authkey=CJWE4tMG

Once back to stock, you can run the one click root (follow the directions afterwards and flash rootme.zip):
https://market.android.com/details?id=net.andirc.erisrooter&feature=search_re sult

Voila - Stock with root.

scotty85

yes. once you are rooted,you can use titanium to freeze/delete things. or you can use root explorer to venture into system/app and move things you dont want into a seperate folder(just in case you need to put them back)

titanium is prolly the easiest way. i ran the stock rom on my TB for a couple days with vzw and htc bloat removed.

theres other ways you could root the back to stock rom if you wanted,or i could put a rooted stock nandroid in my drop box for ya

doogald

My first thought when I read this is that you are on crack.

Completely kidding. I unrooted last month from GSB when the OTA was being delivered, to try to catch the OTA link, and what I found is what I remembered from before, and what I have noticed with xtrSENSE - stock (and xtrSENSE) is fine when you first run it from a factory reset. Give it a few days and it gets Eris sclerosis and is nowhere near as fast as rooted and overclocked.

I just went back to GSB after a few days with Tainted Tenzo, after that started FCing everything yesterday. At least on my phone, I have found nothing that works better than GSB. It's not a perfect build, but it's as good as I have run on the Eris.

As always, you may be using yours differently from me, and stock may surely be better for you. If it is, then run stock. It'd be dumb to do otherwise.

scotty85

doogald,you should give condemned cm7 a try for a few days. so far its running well for me.

paleodust

What's that like?

scotty85

i havent played with it a whole lot yet,but initinal impressions are very good... its super smooth in screen transitions,opening apps and opening/closing the app drawer. there is a slightly different procedure for installing it,and its got a font that not all my find appealing,but he does have a .zip to change that if you dont like it.

sounds like hes got plans to keep midding it... xda link in this thread: condemned cm7

ill report back later tonite after i flash the newest version and play with it some more

doogald

Saw that screenshot and immediate turnoff for me. I'm fine with GSB.

bobcat331

majorpay

Well, if running stock has caused me to have a crack-high reaction that makes me imagine a smooth-butter interface, then I'm all on it like white on rice. I'll probably give it a few days, feel it out, and if it's still tickling me in ways my Eris has not in the past 2 years, then I'll stick with it. If not, then it's back to the drawing board.

I am curious if there is an app for wired tethering that is actually worth a try? I gave easytether a shot, and it was "ok," but a little glitchy (shut down my entire laptop when I browsed to youtube.com, and failed the first 5 times I tried to install it on my laptop).

bobcat331

If your rooted, I use Wireless Tether and in Settings>Wireless & Networks>Tethering on GSB and Condemned CM7.

svh105

In summary:


xtrROM is the best running ERIS rom.

GSB is the coolest ERIS rom.

xtrSENSE is the "out of the box" best rom.

all others need not apply.

thanks for playing. Eris will be dead in 4 months.