Benefits of rooting?

[Burky]

I am soon to be getting the Motorola Defy (My first Android phone) and have been lurking around various Android forums have come across 'Rooting'

I have some idea of what it means.

But I was hoping you guys here (This seems the most active forum and the friendliest) would explain in semi-simple terms what the benefits are of rooting the device and some tutorials and explanations if it lets you do stuff like deleting operator software that I might not like and so forth all help will be greatly appreciated

O BTW I am getting it in the UK on Vodafone if that has anything to do with anything

 

[HKM]

Well easy way to explain root is that its controls your permission base structure. Which means user has access to all the local policies and permission sets as given by default uID0:root. It also goes beyond PBS as it also controls bootloader, radio, and many things as you can flash custom images and modify the overall system.

 

[snapper.fishes]

It means that you can do things that cannot normally be done (changing the boot animation, backing ALL apps and data, modifying the theme, deleting bloat apps, installing system apps that cannot be install through normal methods, etc.)

It also means you have complete access to parts of the memory that are usually restricted, thus giving you the power to completely muck up your phone.

 

[Burky]

I was planning on just deleteing Vodafone 360 because thats horriable and possiably MotoBlur not familar with that though, any help on how to do this ?

 

[Jogi]

I would root for the free tethering and to get the bloatware off the phone

 

[Burky]

Is tethering like using you data plan as a WiFi router cause if so I get that any way Vodafone UK don't charge for it (Well they don't with my WinMo device)

 

[SyTech]

I would root for the free tethering and to get the bloatware off the phone

This is two of the main reasons I think to root.
I just got the Continuum last month and I'm just reading forums to find who has rooted one with DL17 update.