AICP Q: Discussion

[tdm 2,322]

I've done a first build of AICP Q using the Lineage 17.1 sources as a base.  After it is tested for a while, I will probably try to get official support.

 

The boot image is used just as in the Lineage test builds.  Flash it with fastboot, boot into recovery, and then flash the main zip.

 

If you want gapps, I tested OpenGapps pico for Android 10.0.  Don't forget to switch slots before flashing gapps.

 

Please report any issues and I will try to sort them out.

 

Boot image for initial flash:

http://files.nwwn.com/android/pro1/aicp_pro1-q-boot.img

 

Current build: 2020-11-02

http://files.nwwn.com/android/pro1/aicp_pro1-q.zip

MD5: c9b049a2836933cfcdca44ec3caaa1c5

 

Source:

https://github.com/tdm/android_device_fxtec_pro1/tree/aicp-q

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by tdm

[EskeRahn 5,459]

Thanks. 😎
Could you point to a good link on AICP versus Lineage ? What are the Pros and Cons of choosing one over the other?
(Googling did not really give me any recent good overviews)

[3zet 100]

1 hour ago, EskeRahn said:

AICP versus Lineage

AICP versus Lineage versus AOKP because I'm not into Android too much 🙄

[daniel.schaaaf 177]

AICP has an impressive list of features: https://github.com/AICP/vendor_aicp/blob/q10.0/docs/features.md

It looks like they implemented features from GravityBox and other customisation apps and Xposed modules.

@tdm Will AICP be maintained like LOS, or is there a chance development for AICP will stop sometime in the future? I don't have a clue about how much work is involved in maintaining two or three Android varieties instead of just one.

[EskeRahn 5,459]

13 minutes ago, daniel.schaaaf said:

AICP has an impressive list of features: https://github.com/AICP/vendor_aicp/blob/q10.0/docs/features.md

The list is long indeed. But if these were universally seen as improvements why are they not just included in Lineage?
I mean there must be both Pros and Cons since they are not, as both are open source.

[daniel.schaaaf 177]

32 minutes ago, EskeRahn said:

The list is long indeed. But if these were universally seen as improvements why are they not just included in Lineage?
I mean there must be both Pros and Cons since they are not, as both are open source.

Well, one argument I get to hear way too often is "Too many options/settings confuse most users!". It might be as simple as that. In addition, even settings that exist and work on LOS or AOSP might not be easily accessible because it would be too much work to add them to the settings UI (for just a few power users).

Having said that, I don't know why the AICP does not add all these settings to LOS and maybe hide them in an "advanced" tab. Apparently, AICP also contains additional software, not just easy access to settings through the UI.

[EskeRahn 5,459]

4 minutes ago, daniel.schaaaf said:

Well, one argument I get to hear way too often is "Too many options/settings confuse most users!". It might be as simple as that. In addition, even settings that exist and work on LOS or AOSP might not be easily accessible because it would be too much work to add them to the settings UI (for just a few power users).

Having said that, I don't know why the AICP does not add all these settings to LOS and maybe hide them in an "advanced" tab. Apparently, AICP also contains additional software, not just easy access to settings through the UI.

Sounds like a developer option with say "Use AICP extensions" on/off would have been an ideal solution, seen from a user perspective.

[daniel.schaaaf 177]

5 minutes ago, EskeRahn said:

Sounds like a developer option with say "Use AICP extensions" on/off would have been an ideal solution, seen from a user perspective.

Definitively! I am one of those rare people who can't get enough options and settings to screw with

Anyway, we have advanced settings and developer options already in AOSP and LOS, and LOS offers more settings than AOSP. I don't think LOS would agree to add even more settings

[CornholioGSM 331]

...I dont know what happens (and why) with los. Cyanogenmod and then Lineage was full of customisations to which I was accustomed. I dont know from which version - my last daily used version was 14.1. Now is los more clean...for new users it is good...because they don't know nothing about old functions 🙂  For me personally are custom settings really needed. I have on fx aosp extended for two months...it have all from lineage deleted functions + some more 🙂

 

...soo thanks to @tdm for another rom for fx 🙂

Edited November 3, 2020 by CornholioGSM

[tdm 2,322]

For those asking why AICP, I personally have two main reasons:

 

It has more customization options than Lineage.

 

It is more fun to work on, Lineage takes themselves too seriously.

 

I've been using custom ROMs on my devices since my first Android phone in 2012. I have always run AOKP for the above reasons. But AOKP is gone now and AICP fills the same needs for me.

 

That said, I'm aware Lineage is perfectly fine for a lot of folks. That's great. The beauty of it is that you can choose what you like. 🙂

 

[tdm 2,322]

4 hours ago, daniel.schaaaf said:

AICP has an impressive list of features: https://github.com/AICP/vendor_aicp/blob/q10.0/docs/features.md

It looks like they implemented features from GravityBox and other customisation apps and Xposed modules.

@tdm Will AICP be maintained like LOS, or is there a chance development for AICP will stop sometime in the future? I don't have a clue about how much work is involved in maintaining two or three Android varieties instead of just one.

I will be maintaining AICP for a long time, I'm sure.

[Hook 3,016]

@tdmIf we want root, do we use Magisk or is there another way?

[VaZso 1,998]

5 minutes ago, Hook said:

@tdmIf we want root, do we use Magisk or is there another way?

I hope it is also a setting. 🙂

[Hook 3,016]

4 minutes ago, VaZso said:

I hope it is also a setting. 🙂

Me too. Don't really like Magisk.  I just want SU, not trying to hide root or get fancy.

[tdm 2,322]

2 hours ago, Hook said:

@tdmIf we want root, do we use Magisk or is there another way?

Good question.  I had not actually checked.  It seems "su" is present in their sources, but does not build by default.  This is the good old bog standard "su" that ships with AOSP, no integrations with Privacy Guard or anything like that.  So I have to assume everyone who uses AICP and wants "su" is running magisk.  But I'll look into it some more, as I refuse to install magisk on any of my devices.

 

[daniel.schaaaf 177]

May I ask why you don't want Magisk on your phone? In my opinion, Magisk is as important a "tool" as the Xposed framework. Being able to modify /system without actually touching the system partition is ... magic 🙂 Magisk also brought Xposed to Pie and Oreo with Riru. OK, it gets fishy and suspicious here ... despite that, I would not touch a phone I could not run Magisk and Xposed modules on 😁

[tdm 2,322]

2 minutes ago, daniel.schaaaf said:

May I ask why you don't want Magisk on your phone? In my opinion, Magisk is as important a "tool" as the Xposed framework. Being able to modify /system without actually touching the system partition is ... magic 🙂 Magisk also brought Xposed to Pie and Oreo with Riru. OK, it gets fishy and suspicious here ... despite that, I would not touch a phone I could not run Magisk and Xposed modules on 😁

 

These tools change the way Android works.  If they have a bug or if they are misconfigured, it is difficult to track down the issue.  So users will frequently file bug reports against the device in Lineage and waste developer time trying to reproduce an issue that doesn't really exist.

 

For me, personally, I don't like to give that kind of power to any program that I have not personally built and reviewed.  And both of these tools are complex enough that I'm not going to go through their source code.  Further, they both have a modular system where anyone can contribute.  This means that there are invariably modules that are poorly done or even broken.  And when you have poor quality modules with such a powerful tool, it is a recipe for much pain and failure.

 

And finally, I simply have zero need for either of these.  I have a working device that does what I want.  I would rather cast my "vote", so to speak, by not running a SafetyNet enabled package than emboldening companies to continue abusing user freedom and choice.  That is somewhat easy for me, as my banking app is not SafetyNet enabled.  But if it was, I would ditch the app.

 

[CornholioGSM 331]

@tdm ....and will be new AEX too? 🙂

[tdm 2,322]

16 minutes ago, CornholioGSM said:

@tdm ....and will be new AEX too? 🙂

Maybe, if I can find the time.

 

[Gigadoc2 54]

On 11/3/2020 at 10:27 PM, daniel.schaaaf said:

May I ask why you don't want Magisk on your phone? In my opinion, Magisk is as important a "tool" as the Xposed framework. Being able to modify /system without actually touching the system partition is ... magic 🙂 Magisk also brought Xposed to Pie and Oreo with Riru. OK, it gets fishy and suspicious here ... despite that, I would not touch a phone I could not run Magisk and Xposed modules on 😁

While I don't think Magisk is inherently bad, I like to remind myself that it and Xposed are primarily tools to customize an OS which you can't customize otherwise, i.e. to customize the stock ROM of a phone. Since we have the liberty to build and install our own ROMS with the Pro1, I try to avoid anything that modifies the system partition post-flash, instead trying to built everything needed into the ROM from the start.

That said, I am also kind of missing the superuser functionality (too many apps refusing to be backed up with adb backup, even the open source ones), and Magisk provides that. It is just that Magisk also does much more, and it feels overkill to install it just for privilege escalation. (Note: LineageOS still has root over adb, this is only about root for apps)

[tdm 2,322]

Is anyone actually running this?  I don't see any evidence, so I am not putting any effort into it.

 

I found an issue with WiFi not connecting, but I don't know if it is just my device or not.  The issue was some unrecognized data in a WiFi data file.  I upgraded from AICP P without wiping my data, which I know users never do... right?  right?  🙂 🙂 🙂

 

[Hook 3,016]

I was sort of waiting to hear if an SU would become available, but I don't have to. I'll need to wipe to go to LOS 17.1 anyway if only because I will be changing to opengapps.  So I might as well make a stop at AICP on the way.  I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

[EvilDragon 164]

Ooooh... nice 🙂

I prefer AICP to LOS as well, just found the thread 🙂 I wonder how a dirty flash from LOS16 would turn out... I'd backup everything before that, of course 🙂

[Hook 3,016]

So far, I'm really loving AICP, but I haven't really done much with it yet.  I'll spend the day with it tomorrow.  Did a clean wipe (The nice thing of having split off phone and Android Auto functions into another phone).  I can tell you wifi worked fine.  Right when I was doing initial setup, my phantom screen touches fired off-- the physical keyboard was a lifesaver as, in portrait, it started typing a bazillion character password because the phantom touches went right across the soft keyboard.  Lol.

I would like to root, so I may break down and try flashing the Magisk zip if no other method turns up.  But I may try not having root for a while.

Edited November 11, 2020 by Hook

[EskeRahn 5,459]

On 11/10/2020 at 3:00 AM, tdm said:

I upgraded from AICP P without wiping my data, which I know users never do... right?  right?  🙂 🙂 🙂

I was even more optimistic and tried without wiping from LineageOS 17.1 - and well no surprise it told me data was corrupted, so wiped, and it booted (currently in the setup wizard) 🙂

 

ADD:

I got an "Authentication error" on first WiFi-connection attempt, but reentering the password made it happy. (I had used Show Password, so 99.9% sure it was correct), just reporting if anyone sees he same initially.

It is currently adding my apps , and all seems fine. Thanks 🙂