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CyanogenMod Windows-Based Installer Released, With Supporting Android App
Zanadou writes "CyanogenMod today released for general availability a friendly[er]-to-use Windows-based installer that will automagically (no need to first root and/or unlock the bootloader) step users though downloading, flashing and setting up an appropriate CyanogenMod version on supported Android phones. Along with this, a 'companion app' that apparently helps set up the installer is now available the Play Store, along with a newly-refreshed download page. Still no image for 'hammerhead' (Nexus 5), though."
The installer is intended to be so easy your grandma can use it. If you use Linux chances are you are smart enough to install Cyanogen without someone holding your hand.
CM almost always targets the Nexus device first (since the Nexus line started) which then trickles to everything else. This is not the case this go round*, so the comment was probably a heads up to N5 owners wanting CM.
(*probably because current CM is still JB, Nexus 5 is KK, so releasing for the 5 would require back porting JB, which is a lot of wasted effort)
From their wiki:
-- begin fair use --
Common questions
Do I need to root my phone before installing?
No. You can have a rooted phone, or not. The installer doesn't care. However, to be in a supported configuration, you need to be running a stock ROM.
Do I need to unlock my bootloader first?
No, you don't. If your bootloader is locked, we'll unlock it for you.
Can I install if I'm running a custom ROM?
Provided the installer can identify your phone correctly, it doesn't matter which ROM you're running. Again, to be in a fully supported configuration, you should be running a stock ROM. If you're already running a custom ROM, you probably know what you're doing.
How do I get back to stock?
You may perform a full backup from recovery, after flashing recovery (you will have to do this manually, at the moment) and then copy it off the device, if you don't have an external sdcard. If you've already run the installer, you will have to find stock images and flash them using fastboot or Odin.
-- end fair use --
But I really wish the phone technology ecosystem didn't *require* good people, like the guys at CM, to do what they do.
I'm referring mostly to the locked-down, restrictive, anti-user bullshit that defines the smartphone world. Boot loaders that are locked, software that you can't easily remove ... change any of that and you'll void your warranty, of course. When's the last time you voided a warranty on a real computer's hardware for modifying some fucking *software*?!
I should be able to pop in a micro SD card into any smartphone (yes, all smartphones should support one) and install any operating system with the right drivers.
Y'know, like a *computer* (because it is one)
So much for all that advice to get your grandma onto Linux.
Wanting a "streamlined" option for accomplishing a task has nothing to do with how smart or knowledgeable a person is. For example, I've used Linux for 5 years and have installed plenty of firmware, but I find doing so stressful and tedious -- I'd rather click through a few screens so Ican start actively working on the device.
Besides, if you're a Linux user, you should know perfectly well that these days, it really doesn't take any more intelligence/knowledge to use it than to use OSXor Windows. To be honest, I find Mac OSX the hardest for some reason. :-)
Now mostly at Usenet:comp.misc & SoylentNews.org (it's made of people!)
I recently acquired a Nexus 4 (yay for the Nexus 5 creating a more vibrant market in second hand Nexi) ans was slightly surprised about the lack of apps already installed compared to my old Samsung phone.
The plural of "nexus" in Latin in "nexûs." (Actually, the diacritic on the 'u' should be a macron, but alas, Slashdot won't display that character.)
My €0.02.
"The body may heal, but the mind is not always so resilient." -- Deus Ex: Human Revolution
+1 to this. I've worked as a Linux sysadmin and enjoyed scripting and all that but fiddling around flashing a phone just isn't fun. It's an apprehensive time thinking whether you have the exact right firmware image or whether the phone will be a brick.
I hope one day I can just install new FW on my phone as easy as an 'apt-get install' on a Debian system.
Pre-canned Evolution Links for all those Slashdot holy wars.
It's pretty seamless. The only way they could make it better is if they put in a revert function or at least a backup so you get your old data back
Actually [OS X] is BSD, and BSD is NOT UNIX.
OS X has been UNIX since 10.5 according to The Open Group.