Hi,

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Normally when I come on the XDA forums, I am asking a question, because I end up making a silly mistake in Android. I never like to put out promotional content for attention, and that is surely what I am not doing here, I am simply putting my work out there to see if the community would like it and if we do like, we can begin setting it up for other devices immediately. Now, I am not a skilled programmer at all, but I know SOME Visual Basic with Windows Forum Applications, so I thought "why not give it a shot." I just wanted to say that.

So I made this simple little application called Lineage OS Installer. Now, reading through some of the comments on the Lineage OS Reddit page, some people were asking if there would be an installer for Lineage OS, and there was a good amount of people who did not want one, which makes sense; people should know what they are getting into, and understanding ADB and Fastboot is indeed important. However, sometimes, there is a person who is not involved with ROMS, who is fine with OEM Android, who does not want to use root and what not, however, they want the latest version of android possible for their device, and that was a main point of CyanogenMod; users could get the latest version of android on their phone and tablet when their manufacturer/carrier stopped supporting it. However, the installation can be intimidating, and for the user that I just described earlier, the user who does not want root and what not, that could mean they won't bother attempting to install a custom ROM. However, this application automates the process; all the user needs to do is click some buttons, and press Enter a few times to install Lineage OS.

I understand I don't need "permission" to distribute this program, however, I am just asking if the overall community would support the use of this program.
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This is a simple graphical and command-line based installer to make it easier to install LineageOS; this program is aimed at beginners. It is not the prettiest program ever, but it still works with my Nexus 7 2013 WiFi just fine
I did not add support for flashing google apps (gapps) yet, just because I do not know if we will use the same open-gapps package that was used in CyanogenMod, or if we would switch to something different.

Features:

[ADB and Fastboot is required, but NOT included.]

- Instructions to enabling Developer Options, USB Debugging, and OEM Unlocking (if required)
- a file called setup.bat, that will set up the directory where all the required files live
- Embedded browsers to download TWRP and LineageOS*
- Included script that runs `adb devices` to ensure device is recognized
- Installation script that sets up the device to install Lineage OS, and pushes LineageOS to the device.
- Gives instructions for steps that must be completed on the device (Wiping, flashing, etc.)

The program's installation script is finished; it does its job to install a ROM to a device; it will unlock the bootloader, flash TWRP, and push the lineageos image. (I substituted LineageOS for CyanogenMod 13 while testing). *The only thing unfinished it the embedded browser to download LineageOS.

I would not recommend using it currently as it is still in early development

Downloads:

Prebuilt: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B70...ew?usp=sharing

Source: https://github.com/PJBeans/Lineage-OS-Installer

I understand that the main focus with LineageOS right now is to set up the website, servers, and images, and I do not want to distract those users. But this is what I would like to ask anyone: Would you actually want an installer to exist for those who are inexperienced with flashing ROMS?

Sorry for such as long post, and I did not put this in DevDB because it is not directly an Android project.

Ill be honest. This is most dangerous for inexperienced users. If something goes wrong then they have no idea how to fix or find out how to fix it.

If used it would be best suited for someone that does rom testing where they flash multiple times a day, but as you are required to use a pc I really dont see much use for it.
just my thoughts.

Thank you for your reply! I completely see what you mean; an inexperienced user could possibly freak out, perhaps disconnect the device while something was going on. Perhaps I/anyone else who contributes could add a support section clearly marked for troubleshooting, complete with a guide to reflash stock. If I/someone else did this, would that make it more friendly for beginners in your eyes?

I'd be happy to help this project. I could maybe create a UI for this if all goes well.
Also, you should try learning C# if you already know Visual Basic. It's more widely supported and requires less typing. I can still contribute, since I do know both C# and Visual Basic

I know Visual Basic, and I'd be happy to help with the development of this application, too.
I also wonder if it would be too much to ask to have this program automatically make a NANDROID backup before starting. Incase an inexperienced user disconnected the device or did something to disrupt the install, the NANDROID backup could be restored, and the user could re-attempt, with no harm done.

I am worried by the usage by inexperienced users. They are more prone to panic and destroy their phone, which could lead to a bad name for lineageOS on many forums where they will complain that lineageOS just killed their phone, while they did'nt understand the simplest part of the process.
BUT
This can be a tool very useful for experienced users who serially update phones of their many inexperienced friends.
I am doing just that (with around 50 differents phones to date) with my many friends of friends, and a tool like yours would simplify my job. For the moment, i keep a directory of directorys containing rooter scripts, recoverys, roms, gapps, utilities (adb, fastboot, odin, heindall,...) and have a multi-gigabyte library of those.

A utility who prepare a directory for a phone model, download rom, twrp/cwm, gapps, and do the phone rooting for every phone is a very desired thing, but it is a hell of a project to achieve.

So good luck with your project, and dont hesitate to ask me for help if you need, i would be proud to help you achieve your goal.

I see what you mean, and I/other contributors will (hopefully) try to make this process very user friendly, so they won't need to panic. I guess developers could use this if they needed to install the ROM on multiple devices, though currently the installation is kind of slow. I appreciate your response!