Root Data2sd or a2sd

[SuperTom]

Hi.

I am trying to figure out what ROM I am going to install, and I am curious what the differences in the scripts for moving data to the SD card.

What are the pros and cons?

Can I apply the data2SD script on all custom ROMS, or du they need to have support for it?

Are there any other solution that is better? I am currently considering going for the InsertCoin HD 1.18f ROM, and I have a class 6 SD card. Can I use the data2SD script on that ROM, and will it be a better solution?

Or are there any other Sense HD based ROM(no need for too much customization) that would be better for me?

Any inputs are very appreciated

 

[SUroot]

I've used both a lot so I feel I am in a good position to compare and give adequate feedback.

A2sd:

One of the oldest space mods, but in my opinion, still the best.

Its a simple script, it "tricks" android into seeing an ext partition as internal memory. When android installs the app into internal memory, the script moves the app to the partition seamlessly. Some people have reported that a couple of apps don't move correctly, but it doesnt cause any issue.

Pro's. Quick and easy, works with any rom that has init.d support (any custom rom), no performance issues generally (some people have reported slight lag but never had it myself), works invisibly - You dont have to do anything.

Cons. App cache still remains on internal memory. Internal memory still goes down and if it reaches its limit, a2sd will not accept any more apps either. The are mutually reliant.



Data2sd:

Very new. It has undergone some almost radical changes recently and is rather easy to apply on a supported rom (flashable zip), however, even with a class 10 card, I found performance left a lot to be desired (for me) and I had concerns about the amount of write-back to the SD card.

Pro's. Flashable zip, no reliance on internal memory space. Everything is on SD ext

Cons. performance decrease in some cases, wont work on all roms with init.d support, lots of data writeback to SD card, hard to maintain through rom changes and upgrades


Of course these opinions are based on my experiences. I prefer to use A2sd with a custom partition layout (to make internal memory even bigger) but thats me.

 

[SuperTom]

Thanks.
Guess Ill go for a2sd then.

A potentially(and probably) stupid question.(n00b remember) You say that data2sd are easy to apply to all flashable ROMs. Do you by that mean the ROM's that you can place on your SD card and flash from recovery mode? And is not nearly all ROM's flashable if I am correct on the latest guess?

I see that the creator of Starburst ROM claims that the newest Sibere script is extremely stable. Do you disagree? Or is it stable to be a data2sd script?

 

[Hadron]

A potentially(and probably) stupid question.(n00b remember) You say that data2sd are easy to apply to all flashable ROMs. Do you by that mean the ROM's that you can place on your SD card and flash from recovery mode? And is not nearly all ROM's flashable if I am correct on the latest guess?

No, he says that data2sd can be installed as a flashable zip onto a supported ROM. Whereas for a2sd you would typically find a ROM that has it there - though since most do, that's not such a drawback

And you are right, flashing is indeed how you install all ROMs I've heard of.

 

[SUroot]

I see that the creator of Starburst ROM claims that the newest Sibere script is extremely stable. Do you disagree? Or is it stable to be a data2sd script?

I do disagree. I used the original version and the latest version. I actually had better performance and fewer issues with the old version.

I do not use a sense rom though. I use AOSP so I haven't tested it with sense.

I definitely would not recommend it with AOSP (Vanilla roms) because Android doesn't unmount the /data partition cleanly. HTC sense does, but only if you use the shutdown option. Power loss or any other app that reboots the phone risks data corruption.

Data2sd is definitely fun at first but in the end, it wasn't for me.

If you want to keep HTC sense, all I can say is try it out for yourself.

 

[SuperTom]

I do disagree. I used the original version and the latest version. I actually had better performance and fewer issues with the old version.

I do not use a sense rom though. I use AOSP so I haven't tested it with sense.

I definitely would not recommend it with AOSP (Vanilla roms) because Android doesn't unmount the /data partition cleanly. HTC sense does, but only if you use the shutdown option. Power loss or any other app that reboots the phone risks data corruption.

Data2sd is definitely fun at first but in the end, it wasn't for me.

If you want to keep HTC sense, all I can say is try it out for yourself.

Think i'll stick to a2sd then. Seems to meet my requirements just perfectly.
Thanks for todays lecture