Root [International] Are there themes to change dock icons?

[hisup123]

Can we get different icons on the desktop dock without rooting or getting a launcher? I dont want to replace the icons with other. I want like a better looking icon for stuff like internet and messages.. Sorry sounds like a lame question but new to android..

 

[Shotgun84]

No need to apologies, no question is too big or small.

The feature isn't available on TouchWiz so the only way will be to use a third party launcher.

 

[hisup123]

I was looking into rooting. What exactly is CyanogenMod?

 

[Shotgun84]

Cyanogenmod is a pure android Rom, so it will be like what ics was before Samsung added their parts to it. If you flash cyanogenmod you will lose a lot of features that Samsung have added such as the gestures so personally I'd go for a Samsung based Rom as it will keep all these features plus make improvements.

 

[hisup123]

Wow thanx a ton. So in short can you please tell me what is a rom, what is a mod and what is a kernel?

 

[Shotgun84]

Stock firmware is basically an operating system such as Windows xp and a Rom is a custom made firmware.

A mod is anything that can be flashed on top of (added to) a Rom to change anything from appearance to performance.

A kernel basically controls all the features of your firmware/Rom

If you can let me know which model of the gs3 you have I can move this thread over to the relevant all things root forum

 

[hisup123]

International Version

 

[hisup123]

So basically first i root my phone for the access. Then I change the ROM is i wish to. And i get get mods as an add-on whenever i want to?

 

[Shotgun84]

Yep that's pretty much it. You'll notice that some roms offer more mods than others so it's just a case of finding one which suits your needs.

 

[hisup123]

So how do i decide which rom i should get? And can i get a mod without flashing any rom?

 

[Shotgun84]

Two of the best roms I've used are
[ROM][XXBLFB][JULY 11]CheckROM EvoHD

 

[hisup123]

No not really. Im really after just learning everything about android and rooting it. So why would i need a kernel? I mean why would i need to change kernels?

 

[Shotgun84]

The main reasons for custom kernels are to improve battery and or performance. The majority well let you overclock or undervolt your cpu so you can have more power or a more battery efficient phone.

 

[Toosploos]

If changing your icons is all you are after, then rooting is quite an intense solution. Before you get into all that, try looking for the (free) app "Icon Changer". Works like a charm, no rooting required.

 

[hisup123]

If changing your icons is all you are after, then rooting is quite an intense solution. Before you get into all that, try looking for the (free) app "Icon Changer". Works like a charm, no rooting required.

Thnaks but like i earlier said im not looking after just changing icons but learning all about rooting.

 

[hisup123]

The main reasons for custom kernels are to improve battery and or performance. The majority well let you overclock or undervolt your cpu so you can have more power or a more battery efficient phone.

So what your saying is if i want to root i should first study about roms? Can you send me a link to somewhere where all the roms are there and it says what each one does?

 

[Shotgun84]

This link should help you out
[INDEX]All in 1 thread:Roms-Kernels-Mods/Fixes-Themes*BRAND NEW LAYOUT*17/07/2012 - xda-developers

You'll have to do a bit of reading as there are links to a lot of roms and kernels. Personally when choosing something to flash to my phone I'll just read the first and last few pages to get an idea what the rom offers and the general feeling from other users.

 

[hisup123]

This link should help you out
[INDEX]All in 1 thread:Roms-Kernels-Mods/Fixes-Themes*BRAND NEW LAYOUT*17/07/2012 - xda-developers

You'll have to do a bit of reading as there are links to a lot of roms and kernels. Personally when choosing something to flash to my phone I'll just read the first and last few pages to get an idea what the rom offers and the general feeling from other users.

Wow thanks for the link. So what is a modem? And why do we need to change it?

 

[Shotgun84]

The modem aka radio or baseband controls your reception and 3g/h+ signal. There will be no perfect modem which will work best for everyone as location and service provider have an effect. The only real way to tell if a new modem will work for you is to try it, if reception gets worse just try another or put your old one back on.

 

[hisup123]

The modem aka radio or baseband controls your reception and 3g/h+ signal. There will be no perfect modem which will work best for everyone as location and service provider have an effect. The only real way to tell if a new modem will work for you is to try it, if reception gets worse just try another or put your old one back on.

So when you say you just see the first Page and last Page you mean the first Page where the developer posts about it and last Page for most recent comments on it? And for example I was checking out this omega rom for GSIII.. Doesn't look bad.. I but here it says ' Rom is Deodexed + Rooted + Zipaligned'... Does that mean if I get this rom my phone will also be rotted in the process?

 

[Shotgun84]

Yeah I just tend to read what the dev has written and the last page or two of user comments.

Deodexed is a process which enables the Rom to be themed easier. In stock firmware the firmware and apps will be odexed which makes it harder to apply a theme to the whole system.

Zip-aligned runs on the first boot after installation and kind of compresses app data so they use less ram.

The fact that the Rom is rooted won't root your phone as such as you will need to have been rooted in the first place to flash it. But it will mean you will maintain root after flashing it.

 

[hisup123]

Yeah I just tend to read what the dev has written and the last page or two of user comments.

Deodexed is a process which enables the Rom to be themed easier. In stock firmware the firmware and apps will be odexed which makes it harder to apply a theme to the whole system.

Zip-aligned runs on the first boot after installation and kind of compresses app data so they use less ram.

The fact that the Rom is rooted won't root your phone as such as you will need to have been rooted in the first place to flash it. But it will mean you will maintain root after flashing it.

So even if I do get this say rom of omega... I can still try mods ands kernels other than the ones which come with the rom?

 

[Shotgun84]

Yeah any kernel can be used on any Rom. Although I suppose there are a few exceptions. There will be some kernels designed for cyanogenmod based roms which won't work on Samsung based roms and vice versa. A lot of the mods will be universal although there will be some that are specific to certain firmware so just watch out for those ones.

 

[hisup123]

Yeah any kernel can be used on any Rom. Although I suppose there are a few exceptions. There will be some kernels designed for cyanogenmod based roms which won't work on Samsung based roms and vice versa. A lot of the mods will be universal although there will be some that are specific to certain firmware so just watch out for those ones.

Hey man thanks a lot for helping me out so much... So can you tell me how exhaustive is this list of roms for the s3 on the link which you sent me?

 

[Shotgun84]

The list should contain pretty much all of them as its quite rare for a dev to release their Rom somewhere and not release it on xda as well. The only Rom I've come across that hasn't been on xda at the time was checkrom but an xda page has been made for this now.