Was wondering what the difference was...

[roadster99]

Hey all. Newb here...

Let me start off by saying "Thank You" to all who contribute to this forum. I've been lurking in the shadows for a while and have been the recipient of some great info and answers to my questions without having to create new threads about the same subjects. Awesome. Thanks to the entire community.

I love the Eris and I'm thinking about downloading "The Leak," but I have a question that I haven't quite been able to find a "clear" answer for. My apologies to all, but this is my very first "smart phone" and I'm still trying to learn all there is to know about what it is actually capable of. So here goes..

Is there a difference between the leaked 2.1 and rooted 2.1? I hear them referenced as separate. For example, "Which do you have? Rooted 2.1 or leaked 2.1?" IMO, it seems that 2.1 is 2.1 no matter which direction you go to get it. Is that a correct assumption?

Is the platform/UI the same, since I am a pretty big fan of Sense? Is there a benefit to having rooted 2.1 over the leaked version?

I'll say this much. I'm decently adept in being able to perform tech savvy applications, here's the kicker, once I've had some time tooling with it. I don't want to jump into the deep end before I learn to swim, but from the outside looking in, it seems that having a rooted phone is the better way to go. I'm having a bit of trouble understanding everything that goes along with root, but it's only because I don't have it in my hands to go along with all the instructions, tips, explanations, etc. that many of you have graciously posted for all to use. Plus, I'm new to Linux and am still trying to grasp the nature of the OS.

Lastly, I have a Mac. So far, all of the explanations are PC based instruction. So the format for installing the leak onto the SD is a bit different. For anyone who has a Mac, has it worked for you in the standard, drag-drop type of mounting?

Thanks again everyone. Sorry, I know this is my first post and I'm asking a bit much, but I love the phone, enjoy reading your forums, but from a background type of perspective. Most of what I need to know, has already been asked, and I just hope I'm not asking the same things over again.

Pleased to make your aquaintance,

Jon

 

[IzelTokatl]

2.1 leak has no root, was released earlier, and came out of testing groups. Probably a version of what may become the official OTA update after all the bugs are fixed.

2.1 is the version of the OS, but it has a build version which means all the tweaks and bug fixes can be different. Similar with ROM's... there are plenty of 2.1 ROMs... but each one is a different build (version). Think of it in windows terms.. everyone may have WinXP SP3, but some may have different updates within there build to fix holes, bugs and whatever. Since your on a mac, my analogy doesn't help you much. heh

UI is the same except for the bug issues if any between the builds since that's dependent on the main version 2.1 (not the so called build version)

I would personally wait for the official OTA, then root. I'm on Leaked 2.1, it works great, I love it.. but it has its bugs which are annoying. You could root your phone via 1.5 as is posted, but you'll miss the official OTA. If your in no rush, just wait. It's only time.

 

[acidbath5546]

Hey all. Newb here...

Let me start off by saying "Thank You" to all who contribute to this forum. I've been lurking in the shadows for a while and have been the recipient of some great info and answers to my questions without having to create new threads about the same subjects. Awesome. Thanks to the entire community.

I love the Eris and I'm thinking about downloading "The Leak," but I have a question that I haven't quite been able to find a "clear" answer for. My apologies to all, but this is my very first "smart phone" and I'm still trying to learn all there is to know about what it is actually capable of. So here goes..

Is there a difference between the leaked 2.1 and rooted 2.1? I hear them referenced as separate. For example, "Which do you have? Rooted 2.1 or leaked 2.1?" IMO, it seems that 2.1 is 2.1 no matter which direction you go to get it. Is that a correct assumption?

Is the platform/UI the same, since I am a pretty big fan of Sense? Is there a benefit to having rooted 2.1 over the leaked version?

I'll say this much. I'm decently adept in being able to perform tech savvy applications, here's the kicker, once I've had some time tooling with it. I don't want to jump into the deep end before I learn to swim, but from the outside looking in, it seems that having a rooted phone is the better way to go. I'm having a bit of trouble understanding everything that goes along with root, but it's only because I don't have it in my hands to go along with all the instructions, tips, explanations, etc. that many of you have graciously posted for all to use. Plus, I'm new to Linux and am still trying to grasp the nature of the OS.

Lastly, I have a Mac. So far, all of the explanations are PC based instruction. So the format for installing the leak onto the SD is a bit different. For anyone who has a Mac, has it worked for you in the standard, drag-drop type of mounting?

Thanks again everyone. Sorry, I know this is my first post and I'm asking a bit much, but I love the phone, enjoy reading your forums, but from a background type of perspective. Most of what I need to know, has already been asked, and I just hope I'm not asking the same things over again.

Pleased to make your aquaintance,

Jon

No problem man, you dont want to jump in the deep end until you have some more general knowledge anyways.

What really helped me was downloading an ubuntu enviornment and messing around with that.
Head over to XDA and check out the old G1 and Hero Root and Discussions...

This site was great for me starting:
KernelHacking - Linux Kernel Newbies

I would say start here:
CompleteNewbiesClickHere - Linux Kernel Newbies

As far as the "Is there a difference between the leaked 2.1 and rooted 2.1?":
There is only one version of a "stable" 2.1 currently being used right now on our Eris, and that is the 2.1 leaked update, this is merely the update that is coming from HTC/Verizon for our Eris. And it is with sense!
I think people mainly use the verbage incorrectly. If you root your phone you can use custom ROMs on it, and some Devs, like myself are messing around with VERY BETA versions of 2.1 custom ROMs....but I havent looked around to much lately to see if others have gotten very far on them....

hope I helped a bit, i dont know much about Mac, cause I dont use them....but I know some have with other Android Devices and XDA is the best source there I think...

And I would have to agree with IzelTokatl...wait out for the Offical 2.1 update and then go from there


Cheers

 

[pkopalek]

Jon,

Welcome to the Forums, formally.

What you're asking is mostly a matter of opinion, my friend. If you don't know what root is, and aren't a pretty technical user, Root might not be that useful to you. There are things you can do like, flash custom ROMs that have unique colors and buttons and programs removed that you can't normally remove, and things of that nature. For most people, Root is probably not too useful. You can create a lot of problems, and void your warranty, just by flashing the 2.1 Root ROM.

That being said, Be aware that you can Root your phone, and as long as you follow directions carefully, you'll be just fine. I haven't loaded up the android SDK on Mac, so I can't attest to how easy or hard it is, but I have to imagine that it's even easier to use the 'adb' tool than in Windows. Once you've gotten through that hurdle, (SDK working), it might be worth going Root.the Leak 2.1 ROM is pretty good, but once you install the Leak, you're stuck on it until Official 2.1. You can't get Root from Leak, but you can always Root your phone, and then go to Leak. So You can go 1.5 to Root to Leak, but if you go 1.5 to Leak, you'll never have Root.

Check out the Root section of the forum (at the top of the htc droid eris forum area page) and investigate whether it's for you or not.

IF you're deciding NOT to root, to be perfectly honest, the official 2.1 release _should_ be out very soon, and it might be worth simply waiting. That's, at this point, what I would do (if I didn't want root)

But if you can't wait, installing isn't very difficult, and it's, actually, EASIER on your Mac than on Windows, for the leak. Again, Root is different, because getting the Mac SDK working might be different. I'm guessing easier, but I'd have to do it at home first.


For the leak, it's this simple: Just remember, once you get Leak, you may never get Root. The Root that has been found was another leaked PB00IMG.ZIP from inside HTC. It's actually an older (but perfectly functional) version than the "Leak" version that everyone is talking about. Once you get Leak, you can't go back!

When, on your phone, you plug it into the computer, you will see the USB icon appear in your notification bar. At this point, you can pull down the notification bar, and touch the icon, and Mount the SD card to your computer.

The SD card will be on your desktop. I think it's called NO_NAME, or at least I think that's what it was on my mac. Simply drag PB00IMG.ZIP right into NO_NAME. That's all. It's just that simple.

Then, turn off your phone. Hold the Volume Down button (firmly and deliberately) and give the End/Power button a good press simultaneously. I even hold the Volume Down button for a second as it boots up, just to make sure I got it.

The phone will go over the .zip file to make sure it's all there, then ask if you want to update. Just press your trackball. It'll reboot again. Just keep using the trackball to confirm things as it asks you. It'll reboot a couple of times. It goes through the process of checking out the zip files a total of 2 times. It takes a long time (like 7 minutes) to boot up all the way, once you finally reboot your phone normally. Don't worry, it's not frozen.

---------------------------------------

To check out the Root tutorial, just look here: http://androidforums.com/all-things-root-eris/53963-guide-stock-1-5-latest-root-2-1-a.html for detailed instructions, ONCE you get SDK working.

Anyway, I hope that helps.

 

[roadster99]

In response, pkopalek, and I thank you for your response, I did go over the root thread. Which is the exact reason why I was on the fence between root & leak. I've always liked the idea of having complete control over my phone, I was just a bit uneasy since I've been a Mac user since I can remember, and Linux is something I've never touched. Some of the subjects that get touched alot, i.e. overclocking, seem pretty attractive. That is if I know what I'm doing. Acidbath posted a few links which will get me a bit more familiar with what I'm dealing with. Hopefully I'll understand a bit more after I have some time to digest that information.

One of my main concerns was whether or not the file would load correctly if done using my type of OS. So much of what is being thrown around is PC based, and sometimes, it really matters.

..Oh, and just for a tid bit, on my iMac, it shows up as "Eris." Mounting and unmounting is nothing new at this point, but thanks for taking the time to map out the instructions in detail!

Also, the Eris will read the file as a zip? Doesn't need to be extracted?

 

[gruss]

Do not extract. It reads the zip.

 

[jwood333]

I put the leaked version of 2.1 on my eris from a Macbook running snow leopard. Take the downloaded .zip file, do not double click it to open/extract it and place the downloaded file into the SD card of your phone. It does not go in any folder, just the base of the SD card. I did it just like that and it worked fine.

Hope that helps!

 

[LexusBrian400]

The official ota 2.1 hasn't come out for a reason, and once you install the leak, you'll see why. SO MANY BUGS. I really regret doing it, not so much because of the newer look, which i really like, but because the ACTUAL phone function sucks in leak. The dialer is SO painfully slow. Not to mention your warranty is voided UNTIL the offiicial ota comes out, so if you need anything done on your phone from VZW, you're screwed. (found this out the hard way) If you have the patience my friend, take advantage of that virtue and wait it out. You'll be glad you did in the end. Promise.