The reason for this guide is that many new users would have difficulty to understand what are these short forms.. everyone says cwm, rom, cm, etc.. but no one says what it is.. and you may feel a bit shy/embarrassed to ask them what it is. So here is my attempt to cover them..
Please do let me know in PM if some words are missing and you want them to be covered.. i will gladly add them, thank you.
This Post is an inspiration from
mrhaley30705's
thread &
Diablo67 thread.
Use CTRL+F to find a specific term.Difficulty --> *
XDA RELATED ACRONYMS
DEV: Developer
ERD: Elite Recognized Developer
FM/FSM: Forum Moderator/Forum Specific Moderator
RC: Recognized Contributor
RD: Recognized Developer
RT: Recognized Themer
SM: Senior Moderator
GENERAL
AFAIK: As Far As I Know
ATM - At the moment
BTDT - Been there done that
CRACK: The password / product key / license key illegally used for unauthorized usage are known as a crack of the software . Also please read the warning posted at warez meaning below. The
same applies to cracks
ETA - Estimated time of arrival..
Note: Asking ETA in dev section is a big NO NO..!!
FTFY: Fixed that for you
FTW - For the win
FWIW: For what it's worth
FYI: For Your Information
IBTL/IB4L - In before the lock / In Before Lock
IDK: I Dont Know (Thats what it means and i am not saying i dont know about IDK!!)
IIRC - If I recall / remember correctly
IRC - Internet Relay Chat
LOL - Laugh out loud
NEWBIE: Someone who is new to this field/ forum and wants to learn how to do it rather than say "NOT WORKING! FIX IT!".
NOOB: Someone who is new and doesn't want to learn "HOW" its done, just want to "USE" the end product. So, please guys dont be a noob, be a newbie!
OP: Short for Original Poster, or the person who originally started the thread.
OT - Off Topic
PM: Short for Private Message. Allows users of XDA to send and receive non-public messages. Accessed from USER CP.
P.S: stands for Post Script. It is used when u wrote a message on a postcard and u forgot to mention an important information.*
ROFL - Roll on floor laughing
RTL: Right To Left support (In Some languages you have to start reading from right and end towards left side.. as against to usual method of reading from left to right)
SMH: Shake my head
STH: Something
TBH: To Be Honest
TIA: Thanks In Advance
THREAD: An individual issue page on the forum. This thing you're reading is a thread.
TLDR: Too long to read
TM: stands for Trademark.
USER CP: Short for User Control Panel. This button near the top of the XDA page allows users to update their avatar, personal information, and signature. PMs and subscribed threads can also be checked in this location.
WARES/WAREZ: Warez refers primarily to copyrighted works distributed without fees or royalties, and may be traded, in general violation of copyright law. To make it simple, it is any app/software which has to be paid to use them, but are used without paying any money..
PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT TOLERATED AT XDA. SO PLEASE DONT POST WARES ANYWHERE ON XDA FORUMS. YOU WILL GET BANS/INFRACTIONS IF YOU DO SO!
ANDROID DEVICE RELATED:
ADB: Android Debug Bridge, a utility to run on a PC to allow connection to and control of an Android device. Part of the Android Software Development Kit (SDK), it allows for ROOT-level access to the Android device from a computer.
AOSP: Short for Android Open Source Project. The open-sourced code from which individuals can build new distributions of Android.
APK: An Android executable file, similar to the .exe file in Windows. Most programs will install with a .apk file.
Apps2SD:A method of storing applications and cache on the device's microSD card.
Bloatware: Software or 'apps' that you don't need, but come preinstalled to a device's /system partition, meaning that you cannot remove them unless the device has been rooted
Boot Animation: Boot animation is a term for a graphical representation of the boot process of the operating system. After you switch on / reboot phone you see this.
BOOTLOADER: There are two of these; the primary and secondary bootloaders. These programs tell the Android device how to start up, and are critical to its functionality.
Bootloop: When your system recycles over and over without entering the main OS.
BRICK/(HARD BRICK): An Android device that is completely non-responsive, i.e. nothing lights up, the screen does nothing, no combination of button presses cause any reaction. Can only be restored by JTAG or warranty service.
BUILD.PROP: A plain text file which contains environmental variables for the system to use during operation. Can be hacked to fake a different model for increased functionality, among many other operations. It is also used to make tweaks to boost speed/performance, etc.
BUSYBOX: An application that contains many standard Unix tools.
BUTTON COMBO/THREE BUTTON COMBO: The act of pressing several buttons at the same time to produce a desired result (e.g. press and hold volume up+home button+power button for 10 seconds will reboot into the RECOVERY menu at any movement when phone is on or Press and hold volume down+power button+home button to get into ODIN mode/DOWNLOAD mode).
Cache:A component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster.
CM: Short for CyanogenMod. CyanogenMod is an Android build built from the Android Open Source Project, and its builds are usable on multiple different Android Devices.
CPU: It stands for Central Processing Unit and handles all the complex mathematical formulas necessary to do everyday things like surfing the Internet.
CSC - File with Carrier Customizations
Custom bin counter: A line of code in several Samsung Galaxy devices' bootloaders that counts the number of times a user uses ODIN to flash ROMS/KERNELS to the device. Commonly used to detect software modification. This is called custom bin down in ODIN mode and it should be 0 to claim warranty. Can be reset with
GALAXY TOOLBOX APP by Doky73
Custom: Independent developers who like to customize their devices beyond the standard options provided often tend to release the fruits of their labor for the rest to enjoy, in form of custom ROMs.
CWM: Short for ClockWorkMod Recovery Menu. This is a program that allows you to install custom ROMS/KERNELS as well as do many other customizations. Often referred to as the "RECOVERY MENU"/"CWM"
DALVIK CACHE: The collection of program information stored for use by the DALVIK program. This can be cleared from the RECOVERY menu to resolve issues with the Android OS.
DALVIK: The Android operating system's memory management tool. This program handles which other programs are running and assigns memory to them
DEODEXED: Removing the .odex files from an APK file. The .odex files contain a list of dependencies for the associated file, and if something changes, the .odex (and similarly, the associated file) not longer function correctly.
DMESG: dmesg (for "display message") is a command on some Unix-like operating systems that prints the message buffer of the kernel..
DOWNLOAD MODE: Read Button combo to know about this.
EFS: The directory /efs on the Android device's internal storage. Contains files with the Android device's IMEI, wireless devices MAC addresses, product code, and other information..
EMMC: Short for Embedded MultiMediaCard. A chip architecture consisting of an embedded storage solution with MMC interface, flash memory and controller, all in a small ball grid array package.
EXT4: A journaling file system (e.g. NTFS, FAT32 are file systems) often used by Linux distributions. Can be used with Android.
EXTERNAL SD: A micro SD card that has been inserted in the micro SD slot in the Android device. Can be removed.
FACTORY RESET: This will remove all user customizations in the Android OS, returning it to a factory state. Note: This will not wipe the Internal SD card. It will just make it as a phone just bought from the store state.
FC/FORCE CLOSE: When a program on the Android device becomes unstable/gets an error, the DALVIK program will force it to terminate to prevent further system instability which appears as a Force Close message usually in phone.
FLASHING: The act of writing code to the Android device. ROMs, MODEMs, KERNELs, and BOOTLOADERs can all be flashed. Independent from, and having nothing to do with, Adobe's Flash product.
FREEZE: Specific to LINK2SD/TITANIUM BACKUP. Using these 2 apps, the user changes a program into a non-functional, but still installed, state. Useful for identifying problem and FCs.
gapps - Google Applications, like GMail, Calendar, Maps, G+, etc
GB - Gingerbread, AKA Android OS 2.3.X
GOVERNOR: A program that interacts with the device hardware to increase or decrease the processor's clock speed (e.g. at low usage, it will set the processor speed to 400 MHz, but as usage increases, it would scale up to 1000 MHz).
HSUPA/HSDPA: Short for High Speed (Up/Down) Packet Access. This is 3G+, and is the Android device's internet speed level between 3G and 4G.
ICS: Short for Ice Cream Sandwich, the Android OS version 4.0.x.
IMEI: Short for International Mobile Equipment Identity. A unique number to identify GSM, WCDMA, and iDEN phones. Used by GSM networks to identify valid devices.
INTERNAL SD: The internal storage memory of the Android device. Not a physical SD card that can be removed.
JB: Short for Jelly Bean, the Android OS version 4.1.x.
JIG: A piece of hardware that makes a physical connection between pins of the USB slot to force the Android device into DOWNLOAD mode.
JTAG: A process of connecting directly to the main board of the Android device to rewrite corrupted BOOTLOADERS.
KERNEL: The kernel is a program that constitutes the central core of a computer operating system. It has complete control over everything that occurs in the system.
LAST_KMESG: last_kmsg is a dump of the printk statements from the kernel before the operating system itself crashed.
LAUNCHER: A program that launches programs in Android. Examples are Touchwiz (Samsung), HOLO Launcher, Launcher Pro, ADW Launcher, and Go Launcher EX.
LCD Density: Pixel density is a measurement of the resolution of devices in various contexts; typically computer displays, image scanners, and digital camera image sensors.
LOGCAT: A command to view messages in one of the system logs. See Android logger.
LTE: Stands for Long Term Evolution. It is based on the GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA network technologies, increasing the capacity and speed using a different radio interface together with core network improvements.
MAI77 method: Its only known here. So dont say this out of SGY forum. This is a method to flash kernel through CWM using Kernel flasher tool made by MAI77. Its basically you have kernel flasher tool and boot.img file in SDCARD root and you select kernel flasher tool in CWM and it will install boot.img file which is the kernel you selected.
MD5 CHECKSUM: A 32-digit (128-bit) hash number generated by a cryptographic program to ensure that a downloaded file matches the original file. The original file is run through the MD5 generator program, which creates the 32-bit number. This number is checked against the md5 number created with the file the end user receives to ensure file integrity.
MIUI: A Chinese built-from-source ROM. Short for "Mobile Internet User Interface". Also can refer to the MIUI music player, which has been included in other ROMs.
Mod: The act of modifying a piece of hardware or software or anything else for that matter, to perform a function not originally conceived or intended by the designer.
MODEM: The software that interfaces with the phone's radio hardware to connect to cell phone towers.
NANDROID BACKUP: A complete system image backup of the Android device except for the MODEM and KERNEL. Can be accessed from CWM.
ODEX: A file that is associated with an APK file, containing a list of the dependencies for the program. See also DEODEXED.
ODIN: A Samsung proprietary program that allows the Android device to be flashed back to stock or with custom software.
OVERCLOCKING/OC: Setting the processor's clock speed to run faster than its default setting, i.e. 1248 MHz (1.2 GHz) vs 832 MHz (Default)
OTA - Over-the-Air (usually used as "OTA update" for firmware updates that can be installed directly via 3G/4G/Wi-Fi without the need of an PC)
PIT FILE: Short for Partition Information Table file. One of the possible file types used while flashing with ODIN or HEIMDALL.
Port: To Take a rom or app from one phone and program it to work on a different one.
Ram: (Random Access Memory) A group of memory chips, typically of the dynamic RAM (DRAM) type, which function as the computer's primary workspace.
RECOVERY: The menu that allows a user to do many low-level operations on the Android Device. This menu can either be the stock Samsung menu, or the CLOCKWORKMOD RECOVERY MENU (CWM). See also CWM.
RFS: A Samsung-proprietary file system (e.g. NTFS, FAT32 are file systems) used on some Android devices. Stands for Robust File System.
RIL - Radio Interface Layer
ROM: The collection of programs, themes, and settings that create the general look-and-feel of your Android device. This is what most users will initially be wanting to change. Or custom ROM firmware file, Can also refer to a Read-only memory.
ROOT: Changing the permission level of the Android system to its most powerful level, the root user, allowing full access to the file system. More like Administrator permission in Windows OS.
SGY /SGYD /SGYP /SGYPD : Samsung Galaxy Y / Samsung Galaxy Y Duos / Samsung Galaxy Y Pro/ Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos
Sideloading: It means installing applications without using the official Android Market.
SOFT BRICK: A device that is not functioning correctly, but still shows some signs of operation. See also BRICK.
STOCK: The Android software version that comes installed on new devices, prior to sale to the user. Can also be used to refer to the Android software issued from Samsung or the carrier.
Superuser/SU: On many computer operating systems, the superuser is a special user account used for system administration. Depending on the operating system, the actual name of this account might be: root, administrator or supervisor.
TETHER: Connecting the Android device to a computer via a wired or wireless connection to allow the transfer of data through the Android device's internet connection. Commonly used to provide internet access to a laptop or desktop computer when other methods are not desired or available.
THEME: A collection of images, backgrounds, colors, font types, and other visual items to change the Android device's look and feel. Separate from LAUNCHER, and is usually FLASHed in CWM.
TWRP2 - an alternate recovery mode for your phone
UNDERVOLTING/UV: Setting the voltage levels drawn by the Android device to a lower level to reduce overall battery usage.
Updater Script: When Android devices install updates via CWM/recovery mode they have to perform a wide range of functions on files and permissions. The scripting language is called Edify and is defined primarily in the bootable/recovery/{edify,edifyscripting,updater} directories of the Android source-code tree.
WCDMA: Short for Wideband Code Division Multiple Access. An air interface standard in 3G mobile communications networks that allows higher speeds and more users.
ZIPALIGNED: An archive alignment tool that provides important optimization to APK files. The purpose is to ensure that all uncompressed data starts with a particular alignment relative to the start of the file. Reduces RAM consumption.
