What is the difference between HBOOTS?

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magnetboard

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May 20, 2011
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I understand that you have to have a certain HBOOT to use a certain firmware. Since the new att OTA/ruu came with the 2.18 HBOOT, is there any reason that we aren't running that HBOOT opposed to 2.14/2.15? Are there any immediate differences (aside from patched exploits) between them? I apologize if I sound noobish, but, I'm just trying to expand my knowledge of HTC devices.

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Heisenberg

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It isn't that you have to have a certain hboot to use certain firmware, that's a common misconception. You need to have certain firmware installed to use certain ROMs. For example, to run any current aosp ROM you must have the firmware from the 3.17/3.18 update (which contains the 2.14 hboot) installed. It isn't just the 2.14 hboot that you need. All of the hboots from 2.15 onwards are perceived to be essentially the same. The firmware packages in which those hboots are contained are different though as they contain different radios. So, are you asking about the hboot or the firmware as a whole? A hboot is just the process that runs when you first boot the phone, it initiates all other processes that need to run.

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magnetboard

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I'm asking just about the hboot. And thanks for the tip. I know that the hboot loads things such as sbl1, sbl2, and so on. (At least on other htc phones, that is.) Would there be any optimization since it is newer or is it just like a new number?

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redpoint73

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Oct 24, 2007
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I'm asking just about the hboot. And thanks for the tip. I know that the hboot loads things such as sbl1, sbl2, and so on. (At least on other htc phones, that is.) Would there be any optimization since it is newer or is it just like a new number?

I'm pretty sure the sbl modules are the bootloader files, and that "bl" = bootloader.

Bootloader/hboot is just like BIOS or UEFI on a PC, it its purpose is just to load the OS. So there is not going to be any better optimization or performance in the OS itself, if that is what you are asking. If you mean optimization in loading the OS, that happens very quickly, so I don't see it making much of a difference.

We have seen too much difference in hboots over several iteration on this device. I doubt 2.18 brings anything "good". If anything, it just closes former loopholes (like when they updated hboot so kernels could no longer be flashed in recovery).
 
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magnetboard

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Alright, makes sense. So no point in updating just to have it? Would there be any problems with having it with any non-sense roms?

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redpoint73

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Alright, makes sense. So no point in updating just to have it? Would there be any problems with having it with any non-sense roms?

I would say there is no point to having 2.18 hboot. And I believe AOSP ROMs that check hboot number will not install, if the ROM has not been updated to include 2.18.
 
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twistedddx

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Oct 23, 2010
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I would agree hboot updates likely close holes. Maybe it hardens the device under specific conditions that cause bricks.
It is these types of fixes to prevent corruption that prevents the exploits.

The possibility that HTC have fixed cases of possible bricking is your only real advantage.
 
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magnetboard

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So is it possible that this new hboot could help stop the bricking that some elementalX users faced?

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redpoint73

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Oct 24, 2007
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So is it possible that this new hboot could help stop the bricking that some elementalX users faced?

Anything is "possible", but there is probably no safe way to test that. I don't think they even know exactly what is causing the Elemental bricks, so there would be no way of knowing if its been "fixed".
 
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    It isn't that you have to have a certain hboot to use certain firmware, that's a common misconception. You need to have certain firmware installed to use certain ROMs. For example, to run any current aosp ROM you must have the firmware from the 3.17/3.18 update (which contains the 2.14 hboot) installed. It isn't just the 2.14 hboot that you need. All of the hboots from 2.15 onwards are perceived to be essentially the same. The firmware packages in which those hboots are contained are different though as they contain different radios. So, are you asking about the hboot or the firmware as a whole? A hboot is just the process that runs when you first boot the phone, it initiates all other processes that need to run.

    Sent from my Evita
    1
    As far as I can tell there's no advantage to having the 2.18 hboot as opposed to the 2.15 hboot.

    Sent from my Evita
    1
    I'm asking just about the hboot. And thanks for the tip. I know that the hboot loads things such as sbl1, sbl2, and so on. (At least on other htc phones, that is.) Would there be any optimization since it is newer or is it just like a new number?

    I'm pretty sure the sbl modules are the bootloader files, and that "bl" = bootloader.

    Bootloader/hboot is just like BIOS or UEFI on a PC, it its purpose is just to load the OS. So there is not going to be any better optimization or performance in the OS itself, if that is what you are asking. If you mean optimization in loading the OS, that happens very quickly, so I don't see it making much of a difference.

    We have seen too much difference in hboots over several iteration on this device. I doubt 2.18 brings anything "good". If anything, it just closes former loopholes (like when they updated hboot so kernels could no longer be flashed in recovery).
    1
    Alright, makes sense. So no point in updating just to have it? Would there be any problems with having it with any non-sense roms?

    I would say there is no point to having 2.18 hboot. And I believe AOSP ROMs that check hboot number will not install, if the ROM has not been updated to include 2.18.
    1
    I would agree hboot updates likely close holes. Maybe it hardens the device under specific conditions that cause bricks.
    It is these types of fixes to prevent corruption that prevents the exploits.

    The possibility that HTC have fixed cases of possible bricking is your only real advantage.