Rooting the Droid X?

[bizzshow]

^^ may be possible with the milestone overclock app that simply loads modules to the stock kernel. Don't know if their would be adverse side effects. Or if it would work on this phone

 

[HemiDroid03]

I'm hopeful that the X will get a lot of attention from a few wonderful devs. It would be hard to get used to if they don't after having the Droid since launch. Maybe I've just been spoiled? Although I love Motorola's phones, buying an HTC phone has it's advantages because you know that Cyanogen and the guys over at XDA will support it. We need an XDA type group for Motorola phones. With the Droid, Droid X, Droid 2, and possibly the Droid Pro, there are and will be plenty of awesome Motorola phones to support. If the X comes with a locked bootloader but is still rooted, I will still be happy with wifi tethering and overclocking.

+1... I'm fine with tethering and OCing dancedroid

cant install a kernel for over clocking with a locked boot loader

Ouch... :icon_ cry:

 

[SteveC]

Sitting here reading through this thread gave me a thought. I really do like the Droid X, but am angry enough I probably won't get it. The big thing for me is the size of the screen, which I really like. I have about decided to just wait until Verizon releases their Samsung Galaxy aka Fascinate (what a dumb name). The reason I am leaning this way is that the Galaxy phones have long since been rooted and ROM's are available. The 4" screen might just be enough bigger than the Droid to work for me too. The specs are certainly decent enough for me as well.

Here is the thought. The Samsung Galaxy is pretty much a finished product and all Verizon really needs to do is just order some with the Verizon logo. However Verizon is saying the Samsung won't available till fall. Is the locked boot loader a Motorola malfunction or is it really at the feet of Verizon? I can imagine they are ouchy over either real or perceived revenue losses from wireless tethering they aren't charging for and have under their control. So when the Fascinate sees light of day, will it too have a locked bootloader too IF and I say IF Verizon convinced Moto to lock the X, why would they not try it with Samsung? After all, alleged carrier issues seem to be part of the locked bootloader issue.

 

[WorldOfJohnboy]

I realize that I'm likely to get flamed needlessly for asking these questions, but:

1. Why would anyone donate money to someone that they don't even know in the hopes that they can hack the DX? Seems to me that if they were really that good, they would get their own DX themselves and be able to "un-brick" the phone during the process.
2. If FROYO is due out from Verizon/Motorola very soon on the DX, why is it that everyone wants the DX Rooting figured out so soon?

Please don't misconstrue my post as attacking anyone, I merely just don't understand. Please feel free to help with my Android Education!

 

[kpiskin]

1. I think it helps to create interest and motivation. They might work on something else instead if we don't help to facilitate things.

2. Upgrading to 2.2 won't give you root, just an upgraded OS. Rooting either version will help DX owners take more control over their phones. For me, I would like to remove some of the motorola preinstalled apps to free up resources.

 

[omnicious]

@SteveC: I think the widely accepted reading for why the Fascinate isn't coming out till fall is because Verizon wants to push the Droid X right now and don't want to needlessly create their own competition. The bootloader is not a malfunction at all. It is a clearly devised security implementation by Motorola (requested by Verizon). And I think Samsung will not (dunno why but probably cause Samsung isn't as needy to please Verizon as Motorola is since Moto was nearly bankrupt till the Droid) have a locked bootloader cause I hear the other Galaxy S line phones are already rooted.

@WorldOfJohnboy:
1. Yes they could probably get the phone on their own but we want them to get it done sooner so we wanna get the phone into their hands faster by not making them have to figure out how to procure the cash for it.
2. An official Froyo release by Verizon/Moto will most certainly be locked down somewhat (no free wifi tethering which stock Froyo does have for free). Only with root would we be able to actually use all the capabilities of Froyo.

 

[Darkseider]

Well the more eyes looking the better. Problem as it stands now is this:

1. Birdman has had a Droid X .sbf for about a week. Problem is that it cannot be rooted and flashed because the eFuse will fail the signature check and no boot.

2. update.zips have been pulled from the stream in hopes of getting something useful. So far they all have some type of corruption in them but they may still prove useful and are being looked at.

3. The Motorola Milestone XT701 and XT720 have unlocked bootloaders that are supposed to be the same the the locked/encrypted one on the Droid X. XDA has there hands on them and are rifling through the binaries as fast as humanly possible while still being productive in their search.

So yes there are a lot of things going on and a lot of people looking. We need more. A lot more. This is going to be one tough nut to crack, if ever, in a timely manner.

 

[WorldOfJohnboy]

1. I guess my concern is just that people are donating money rather "blindly" to unknown people. Who's to say that the person doesn't already have $1,000 and is just telling everyone that he/she only has $120 and that they need more?

2. Understood that rooting the phones gives advantages... considering this seems to be a very difficult task, it would kind of stink to have someone put their effort into rooting, then getting a FROYO ROM installed rather than just wait until Verizon releases it and THEN rooting after the official update to unlock those features.

I have seen some people outraged that Motorola put this extra security on the DX... I can't say that I agree with their points.

 

[Darkseider]

1. I guess my concern is just that people are donating money rather "blindly" to unknown people. Who's to say that the person doesn't already have $1,000 and is just telling everyone that he/she only has $120 and that they need more?

2. Understood that rooting the phones gives advantages... considering this seems to be a very difficult task, it would kind of stink to have someone put their effort into rooting, then getting a FROYO ROM installed rather than just wait until Verizon releases it and THEN rooting after the official update to unlock those features.

I have seen some people outraged that Motorola put this extra security on the DX... I can't say that I agree with their points.

It's not about installing a Froyo ROM. It's about rooting the phone and then maybe, possibly, somehow... unlocking the bootloader to install ROMs. Root is a big deal if you want to do simple things like ooh say... remove the crapware that was installed on your phone. Root explorer, minfree, wireless tether without Verizon's BS scam tax, etc...

As for ROMs that would be a blessing. As the owner of a Droid I can tell you that the devs and ROM cooks out there are FANTASTIC. Motorola could only wish to produce a software image as stable and fast as the ones made by the dev community. That being said with all the software problems people are experiencing with the DX I am sure that if the bootloader were unlocked and the device rooted that most if not all of those problems would be wiped out as well as having a nice tasty Froyo running as well. Instead you are at the the whim of Motorola which is no joy.

Look at the folks with Milestones (the GSM variant of the Droid), they have been informed that Froyo MAY come and it is being debated. Yet when it was sold to them it was marketed as Flash ready and even advertised as such on the box! If they had an unlocked bootloader they would already be enjoying Froyo, like myself and many others, and couldn't care less what the hell Motorola did with their time. Sorry for the wall-o-text but the Droid X and all future Droid handsets from Moto need to be rooted and ripped apart so that at a minimum the consumer if he/she so chooses can prolong the life of their device beyond what Motorola deems "fair". Say no to Moto.

 

[WorldOfJohnboy]

It's not about installing a Froyo ROM. It's about rooting the phone and then maybe, possibly, somehow... unlocking the bootloader to install ROMs. Root is a big deal if you want to do simple things like ooh say... remove the crapware that was installed on your phone. Root explorer, minfree, wireless tether without Verizon's BS scam tax, etc...

As for ROMs that would be a blessing. As the owner of a Droid I can tell you that the devs and ROM cooks out there are FANTASTIC. Motorola could only wish to produce a software image as stable and fast as the ones made by the dev community. That being said with all the software problems people are experiencing with the DX I am sure that if the bootloader were unlocked and the device rooted that most if not all of those problems would be wiped out as well as having a nice tasty Froyo running as well. Instead you are at the the whim of Motorola which is no joy.

Look at the folks with Milestones (the GSM variant of the Droid), they have been informed that Froyo MAY come and it is being debated. Yet when it was sold to them it was marketed as Flash ready and even advertised as such on the box! If they had an unlocked bootloader they would already be enjoying Froyo, like myself and many others, and couldn't care less what the hell Motorola did with their time. Sorry for the wall-o-text but the Droid X and all future Droid handsets from Moto need to be rooted and ripped apart so that at a minimum the consumer if he/she so chooses can prolong the life of their device beyond what Motorola deems "fair". Say no to Moto.

Sorry for churning your butter (so to speak) but you are talking waaay over my head. I am an I.T. Coordinator and fairly "techie" by nature, but I don't quite get what your stance is AGAINST the manufacturer of the phone... It is, after all, their technology and their brainchild, so they should have intellectual rights to the phone.

If you you came out with the "Darkseider Droid" that has it's own custom ROMs and/or basic software stripped out of it, manufactured it and got backing from Verizon to use them as a carrier, then I say have at it, and I would support you.

I guess I just haven't heard anything that gets me thinking that Motorola is doing something wrong in this, but if they are, please inform me!

 

[Darkseider]

It's not about installing a Froyo ROM. It's about rooting the phone and then maybe, possibly, somehow... unlocking the bootloader to install ROMs. Root is a big deal if you want to do simple things like ooh say... remove the crapware that was installed on your phone. Root explorer, minfree, wireless tether without Verizon's BS scam tax, etc...

As for ROMs that would be a blessing. As the owner of a Droid I can tell you that the devs and ROM cooks out there are FANTASTIC. Motorola could only wish to produce a software image as stable and fast as the ones made by the dev community. That being said with all the software problems people are experiencing with the DX I am sure that if the bootloader were unlocked and the device rooted that most if not all of those problems would be wiped out as well as having a nice tasty Froyo running as well. Instead you are at the the whim of Motorola which is no joy.

Look at the folks with Milestones (the GSM variant of the Droid), they have been informed that Froyo MAY come and it is being debated. Yet when it was sold to them it was marketed as Flash ready and even advertised as such on the box! If they had an unlocked bootloader they would already be enjoying Froyo, like myself and many others, and couldn't care less what the hell Motorola did with their time. Sorry for the wall-o-text but the Droid X and all future Droid handsets from Moto need to be rooted and ripped apart so that at a minimum the consumer if he/she so chooses can prolong the life of their device beyond what Motorola deems "fair". Say no to Moto.

Sorry for churning your butter (so to speak) but you are talking waaay over my head. I am an I.T. Coordinator and fairly "techie" by nature, but I don't quite get what your stance is AGAINST the manufacturer of the phone... It is, after all, their technology and their brainchild, so they should have intellectual rights to the phone.

If you you came out with the "Darkseider Droid" that has it's own custom ROMs and/or basic software stripped out of it, manufactured it and got backing from Verizon to use them as a carrier, then I say have at it, and I would support you.

I guess I just haven't heard anything that gets me thinking that Motorola is doing something wrong in this, but if they are, please inform me!

I wish I had the private investors willing to back a "Darkseider Droid". That thing would come with a kick ass OS and all sorts of goodness. It would also come completely open and allow anyone who sees fit to do what they will with it. I made my money. I sold my widget. Android, the OS, is free. I could give a damned less if someone is using my OS, my desktop widgets or ones of their own creation. It has absolutely nothing to do about protecting IP. It has to do with control and forcing obsolescence on the consumer so they are forced into buying a new device well before it is time. Plain and simple. Say no to Moto.

 

[WorldOfJohnboy]

I wish I had the private investors willing to back a "Darkseider Droid". That thing would come with a kick ass OS and all sorts of goodness. It would also come completely open and allow anyone who sees fit to do what they will with it. I made my money. I sold my widget. Android, the OS, is free. I could give a damned less if someone is using my OS, my desktop widgets or ones of their own creation. It has absolutely nothing to do about protecting IP. It has to do with control and forcing obsolescence on the consumer so they are forced into buying a new device well before it is time. Plain and simple. Say no to Moto.

Ahh, but seeing that you are clearly deeply into phones and technology, don't you want the latest and greatest thing out there? Maybe not, but I do... to my wife's distaste! :-D

I actually like getting rid of things before they are obsolete... case in point: I got my Droid X and then sold my Blackberry Storm2 on eBay for a LOT of money...:icon_ banana:

 

[Darkseider]

I wish I had the private investors willing to back a "Darkseider Droid". That thing would come with a kick ass OS and all sorts of goodness. It would also come completely open and allow anyone who sees fit to do what they will with it. I made my money. I sold my widget. Android, the OS, is free. I could give a damned less if someone is using my OS, my desktop widgets or ones of their own creation. It has absolutely nothing to do about protecting IP. It has to do with control and forcing obsolescence on the consumer so they are forced into buying a new device well before it is time. Plain and simple. Say no to Moto.

Ahh, but seeing that you are clearly deeply into phones and technology, don't you want the latest and greatest thing out there? Maybe not, but I do... to my wife's distaste! :-D

I actually like getting rid of things before they are obsolete... case in point: I got my Droid X and then sold my Blackberry Storm2 on eBay for a LOT of money...:icon_ banana:

What good is the latest and greatest phone when it is running an OS older than the one I am running on my rooted and overclocked Droid? Do you have Flash support? No. Do you have JIT and the performance boost it gives? No. Do you have free wireless tethering? No. Can you overclock your phone? No. Can you manage your memory manager settings using MinFree? No. I can and if the Droid X were like the Droid you could too. Just say no to Moto.

EDIT: To further bring this point across there is a post on page 39 by SeaHawk located at this link: http://www.droidforums.net/forum/droid-news/56424-moto-droid-supposedly-getting-froyo-7-13-a-39.html

 

[dTardis]

Darkseider[/B]

If you you came out with the "Darkseider Droid" that has it's own custom ROMs and/or basic software stripped out of it, manufactured it and got backing from Verizon to use them as a carrier, then I say have at it, and I would support you.

I guess I just haven't heard anything that gets me thinking that Motorola is doing something wrong in this, but if they are, please inform me!

I don't know if I would say they are doing something wrong or unethical, but really unpleasant. My question goes to why they feel the need to lock it down. Does Moto lose money each time I switch out a ROM, I don't think so. They have sold me a product and made there money on it, why can't they let me use the product they way I wish to. Tell me I have voided my warranty and that they will not support it modified, fine with me, that's fair. Take for example Tivo. They seem to have always had the stance: We sell a piece of hardware and a service. You can do what you want to the hardware as long as your not stealing our service (monthly money). Again I have no problem with that!
I hope this helps you understand why some people are not exactly happy with Moto and the new X

dTardis

 

[WorldOfJohnboy]

I don't know if I would say they are doing something wrong or unethical, but really unpleasant. My question goes to why they feel the need to lock it down. Does Moto lose money each time I switch out a ROM, I don't think so. They have sold me a product and made there money on it, why can't they let me use the product they way I wish to. Tell me I have voided my warranty and that they will not support it modified, fine with me, that's fair. Take for example Tivo. They seem to have always had the stance: We sell a piece of hardware and a service. You can do what you want to the hardware as long as your not stealing our service (monthly money). Again I have no problem with that!
I hope this helps you understand why some people are not exactly happy with Moto and the new X

dTardis

So basically, it upsets those that Root/ROM and the "Rooters" really don't have a leg to stand on except for saying "I am not happy with you and won't buy your phone/product because of this." Would that be a fair assessment?