My Post #7, Nov 24, 7:29 AM, on the thread, Best phone (smartphone) for custom ROM? didn’t appear to draw attention from fellow posters and seniors. My fellow forum members carried on their conversations like my post was invisible.
When I didn’t receive a response on my questions, particularly, [quote=“bob.fg, post:1, topic:29256”] a very large number of custom ROMs[/quote], I began to study the origin of this phrase to mean what was intended, along with the source for the beginning of this peculiar usage.
I found that When a user refers to “a very large number of custom ROMs,” it often means a variety of custom operating systems available for installation on smartphones. These ROMs are typically based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and can vary in features, customizability, and target use cases. For example, popular custom ROMs like LineageOS, Paranoid Android, and GrapheneOS provide unique security features, design changes, or privacy enhancements It’s FOSS, Beebom, etc…
These ROMs are not limited to a single type but encompass many different configurations and features, providing a wide range of options for users who want more control over their device compared to stock Android. The term “custom ROMs” includes all these variants and reflects the flexibility in choosing between ROMs designed for privacy (like GrapheneOS), extensive customization (like Evolution X), or minimalist and secure options (like CalyxOS) [It’s FOSS, Beebom
So, I realised that when a user mentions “a very large number of custom ROMs,” he is likely referring to the vast selection of custom operating systems that cater to different user needs, from enhanced privacy and security to full customization of the Android experience.
The pages searched were:
““a very large number of custom ROMs” variety of custom operating systems available” in bing.com
“custom ROMs variety of operating systems available” in
bing.com
Beebom — The Best Custom Android OSes (aka Custom ROMs) - Privacy Guides, in privacyguides.org
Home — List of custom Android distributions, in
en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia — 10 Best Custom ROMs for Android to Transform Your Smartphone Experience in 2024, in techlog360.com
TechLog360 — 5 De-Googled Android-based Operating Systems, in itsfoss.com
It’s FOSS — 12 Best Custom ROMs for Android (2024), in beebom.com
So my next question automatically was: Why use “ROM” for these custom OSes?
The term “ROM” (Read-Only Memory) in the context of custom operating systems (OSes) for smartphones is a bit of a misnomer. In the early days of computing, ROM referred to a type of memory that contained firmware or system software that could not be easily modified by normal users. Over time, however, the term “ROM” has come to be used informally to describe the complete system software package for devices, even though it may not be strictly read-only or stored in traditional ROM memory.
In the case of smartphones, ROM refers to the operating system (OS) and related system files that are installed on the device’s storage. Custom ROMs are modified versions of the default OS, such as Android, offering features, enhancements, or tweaks that aren’t available in the stock version It’s FOSS and Beebom.
Using the term “ROM” for these custom OSes persists due to historical reasons, Android devices, for example, still use terminology based on older embedded system practices, where “ROM” was a catch-all term for system software. Over time, this terminology has stuck, even though modern smartphones store their OS on rewritable flash memory rather than traditional read-only memory It’s FOSS.
Thus, the perception that was arrived at was that while the use of “ROM” might not be technically accurate in a modern context, it has become a standard part of smartphone culture when referring to custom operating systems Beebom. From the viewpoint of abstraction, this “ROM” is not actually Read-Only Memory when loaded on to the RAM, not altered, like the ISOes we are so familiar with in FOSS ecosystem. They however could be altered on the solid state memory unit with redirects to use the updates rather than the original programs on the “ROM”.
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I would expect my leaders here to fill in my gaps in understanding on this aspect.