Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Goals for CM9 beta3 for Epic 4G

Update: CM9 beta3 has been released!

News
  • Update 5/10/2012: CM9 beta3 candidate1
    • Download [get.cm] md5sum 02e0d22b5da67830f48b2491dc51d524
    • This may become beta3 unless we find any serious regression bugs.
    • Changes since pre12:
      • Fixed black screen/cap lights on deadlock.
      • Cap button responsiveness should now be fixed.
      • Epic Parts has returned.
      • Camera settings crash fixed.
    • Please report success/failure in the Google+ thread.
  • Update 5/7/2012: CM9 beta3-pre9 adds Theme chooser and lockscreen shortcuts!  We are still working on a few Epic-specific fixes and we need confirmation that these major changes in CM9 are stable before we do the real beta3.  Please provide feedback in this Google+ thread.
    • Download [1] [2] [3]
    • md5sum c51ff91fa18b24d540a7885020d3db29
    • Release Notes
      • System Settings -> Themes
      • System Settings -> System -> Lock screen
  • Update 5/4/2012: New experimental kernel for users of CM9 beta3-pre7 below.  This kernel contains a fix to allow other cpufreq governors to work.  This kernel is not recommended for beta2.  Both temporary and permanent kernels are available for download here.  We need to know if the phone remains stable in the long-term with these cpufreq changes.  Please report results in the Google+ thread.
  • Update 5/2/2012: Please help us to test all these fixes in CM9 beta3-pre7.
    • Download [1] [2] [3]
    • md5sum 712dc903d1b84b9598807d02276cde34
    • Release Notes
      • If you have overclocked anytime in the past, make backups before you flash.
      • Delete the /data/system/throttle folder or uncheck Settings > Performance > CPU > Set on boot before upgrading to this build.
    • This build contains all fixes mentioned below.  Please confirm that these things really are fixed and watch out for any regressions since beta2.  Please provide feedback here in the blog or this Google+ thread.
  • Update 5/2/2012: mkasick simplified the OC code and fixed the 100mhz step!
  • Update 4/28/2012: bbelos is nearly done adding an option to disable the capacitive button backlights!  See details and a screenshot below.
  • Update 4/24/2012: We are still working on bug fixing.  Meanwhile please help us to test this experimental build named CM9 beta3-pre3.  If you wish your test results to be the most accurate, please do not install other kernels or mods.
    • Download [1] [2] [3]
      • md5sum 2c278d6b91ab4d4f21f77eaabbd0c129
    • Release Notes
      • This build contains the GPS navigation sensor fix, 1.2GHz conservative overclocking (disabled by default) with undervolting disabled, and a fix for Camera writing bogus gpsdata that caused Gallery to display pictures out of order.
        • Uninstall and reinstall Google Maps if it broke earlier in beta2.
        • This should fix only photos taken *after* the upgrade.  We will soon release a tool that will fix your existing photos.
    • Please provide feedback either in blog comments or this Google+ thread.
  • Update 4/22/2012: Included experimental 1.5MB memory savings.  We need to know if this change causes any problems with video recording or playback.  It is included in beta3-pre3 above.
  • Update 4/17/2012: GPS fix and conservative overclocking now available for testing, included in beta3-pre3 above.
  • Warning about Theme Mods: Before complaining about bugs, PLEASE be sure to retest after you have flashed stock CM9 beta2. Various themes have sometimes been known to cause bugs.  Contrary to what some mod makers have stated, a theme mod must be rebuilt for every CM9 or AOKP release as they replace random chunks of the operating system.  If they claim their theme mod works on both CM9 or AOKP be especially wary.
  • Waiting for SGS3: The overwhelming responses from the Epic 4G owner's poll: either folks are very happy with CM9 and do not plan on upgrading anytime during 2012, or they are waiting for the mythical Samsung Galaxy S III on Sprint.  A tiny minority expressed interest in the Galaxy Nexus 4G LTE coming to Sprint within the next few days.  The vast majority expressed a desire for Sprint's future SGS3 to have a slider keyboard like the Epic 4G.
This fellow expresses our community's desire for SGS3 with a slider keyboard.  Will Sprint deliver?
  • Netflix Nerd Challenge: The winner of beta2's Netflix nerd challenge was Nathan.  Who can guess the Netflix episode first this week?  (Screenshot below, not the video above.  Duh.)
  • Deadline begins with "Dead": Many of the team including myself have been very busy with end of semester deadlines.  The pace of development should pick up again after the end of the semester.

Goals for CM9 beta3
Can you guess the Netflix show and episode?
  • Done: Convert epicmtd device repo to CM9's new standard of building the kernel during CM build rather than storing prebuilt kernel binaries in git.  This will require moving the kernel source from Kernel to .. and 
  • Done: Fix the bogus GPS data causing issues in Gallery where photos appear in the wrong order because Gallery thinks they are dated in 1969.   teamhacksung recommended that we look at their kernel ce147 and libcamera.
  • The MFC cache reduction that freed 36MB memory to userspace introduced in CM9 beta0 caused rare but tolerable bugs in video playback, most visible while toggling the video overlays and seeking often in Netflix.  Unfortunately these bugs became far worse in CM9 beta2 with Android 4.0.4 where Netflix will now completely fail to output video after you seek backward.
    • We need to first verify that backing out the matching framework and kernel MFC cache reduction actually fixes this issue.  Update 4/22/2012: It turns out the Netflix failure may be unrelated, affecting nearly every CM9 or AOKP device but not AOSP.  See this G+ thread.
    • The other video playback bug caused by the 36MB MFC cache reduction was some glitches while playing 720p video with an OSD.  This needs to be retested with CM9 4.0.4 to see if it is still an issue.
    • teamhacksung has tweaks to aries MFC (framework/kernel) that we can try.
  • Done: Find a possible solution for setting the correct Bluetooth MAC address to fix bluetooth tethering and various other issues. A couple of ideas stem from aries implementation of bdaddr local library that reads and formats the MAC address from the EFS partition in other galaxy s devices. The epic, however, has an empty EFS partition. The goal is to find a way to read it either right before MTD conversion, or to figure out a way to back it up.
  • Done: Add an option to disable the capacitive touchkey backlights.  There are still limitations being investigated but progress so far seems promising.  Currently the option allows the lights to timeout normally, but will not allow the backlights to turn back on unless you press them.  This allows keyboard or main screen use without seeing the buttons.

68 comments:

  1. This is all great news. It is very apparent that you are taking an exhaustive approach in getting all the bugs worked out.

    We are truly fortunate to have such a dedicated and skilled CM9 team.

    Most awesome.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. +2 My wife & I use the latest releases as our daily drivers & are grateful for the speedy, & complete releases. Truly, if Chuck Norris needed Android support, Epiccm CM9 team would be there first!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Race condition kills me. Waititng for that test kernel.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Keep up the good work, loving it.

    Netflix Nerd Challenge. This was an easy one:

    Star Trek Voyager, Season 7 Ep. 24, Endgame Part 1

    ReplyDelete
  5. In Beta2 I think the rotation vector thing is causing problems with Orientation auto-rotate as well. For example, my homescreen and Google Maps WILL NOT auto-rotate, EVER... but the photo gallery auto-rotates just fine o_O

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks guys for continuing to strive for the ultimate Epic 4G experience in Beta 3. Correcting the intermittent navigation crashes and perhaps the 3-way calling functionality would be fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  7. i love cm9 for epic 4g, was rocking acs gingerbread roms previous because they were very stable. since beta phase started this rom has been remarkably stable, very fast interface, eats my battery for lunch though. no other complaints,actually getting a replacement battery lolz, instead of even thinking about upgrading. i would love if you guys could allow different lock scrrens, as that has been put into placeholder for a while.
    i believe there is an after market lockscreen editor from the same developers as the nova dock, installed it but had glitches. other than that,i cant think of any other features that would be nicer to have than that.

    Keep up the great work!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Actually, and i dont know if this is even feasable, but is it possible to update prl and profile from within the ics rom? i have seen this work around for several build cycles and just wondering if it is possible or not?
    i would assume that it wouldnt be impossible, and if so maybe integration of prl and profile into modem or os? sorry i dont really understand how it works lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We don't know if it is possible, but integration of PRL update is a long-term goal.

      Delete
    2. i would love to see this also, that and some of the stuff like sensor calibration. but even without prl, profile, and other stuff that has to be worked around... this rom is awesome. you guys are really great for doing this!

      Delete
  9. Warren- I love this team, and I get the sense that you coming to it has helped bring a higher level of structure and organization than I've observed for any developed device. I truly appreciate your contributions.

    When I put 2 and 2 together about your history with Fedora, well, let me say you're practically a rock star to me. I'm in some training with a RedHat instructor this week, and each time Fedora comes up I love knowing that the founder of Fedora also contributed to the greatly improved functionality of the phone in my pocket.

    Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. this is great and all but can we please also try for headset volume rocker controls and mic?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Has anyone been able to get the keyboard smiley face or .com button to work? Also has anyone noticed the camera autoflash still does not work. You still have to switch it from auto to on in order to get it to work? Once every couple of weeks my phone will shut off after pressing a button like it has frozen up and then just reboots on its own.

    Small things but other than those I love the cm9 ics. Also I found an that blocks 9016 text. It is called private sms and call

    ReplyDelete
  13. I tried the test kernel for awhile tonight. First try was aggressive, set to 1200 and 100 then tried nav. Nav seemed to work fine but when I exited the gps did not shut off and even after manually turning off gps and back on it was still trying to lock. Rebooted and tried just changing the governor to smartassv2 this seems to work much better. I will continue test as long as I can. Thanks for the improvements!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I don't know if it makes a difference. I am running el30 w/ ...."earthbounds" usb host samuria kernel. 1200 ghz. No problems yet. Daughters phone is also running the beta3 on VIRGIN mobile epic 4g. No fc. But can't get data (internet) to work on her phone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You failed to program the Epic to work on virgin mobile properly. This is not CM9's fault. We don't know how to help you.

      Delete
  15. I am still a little new to the whole CM9 scene. to run the temp kernel do I just install from sdcard in CWM? I am going to run the temp for 24 hours and then if all is good switch to the permenant. Then do I install that the same as stated above?
    thank you

    ReplyDelete
  16. When my device is charging and locked the touchscreen doesn't always respond. Am I alone on this one?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some people have reported that using a different USB cable or charger will sometimes fix this.

      Delete
    2. That is not a CM9 issue. It depends on the charger. Use of a high amp charger will often lock out the touch screen while its charging.

      Delete
  17. Two days using test kernal and the only problem I had were when OC'ed with ondemand governor. I've been using smartassv2 governor either oc'ed or not and gps has worked perfectly. I did have one time when the lockscreen stuck. But I turned the screen off and back on and it worked fine. This has made beta2 much more stable. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  18. Smartassv2 and 1.2ghz smooth sailing. No gps lock up

    ReplyDelete
  19. I hope the bluetooth problems get moved up into the queue soon. I can't use my headset or my car's hands free because the bluetooth worbles the entire time and neither party can hear the other :\

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't been able to use my car's OBDII bluetooth adapter with the torque program with CM9 either. I don't know if it is the same bluetooth problem as the headset one, but it is a problem nonetheless.

      Delete
    2. Bluetooth is being worked on see my other comment at the bottom.

      Delete
  20. I tried the temp kernel for about 8 hrs today. When recording video, it does fine until I try to stop then it force closes. No problems playing the recorded video or any previous videos that I tried. I also noticed higher battery use and the top user being mediaserver. Maybe unrelated but while playing music the music pause and made a loud buzz then continued, I have never had this happen before. Hope this helps. Thanks for the continued progress.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you reboot into a previous kernel does recording video work without issue? Then after rebooting with this temp kernel, the problem returns?

      Delete
    2. Yes and No but in the mean time I had changed my processor setting to restore on reboot. So this time I was using oc and smartassv2. I will leave the temp kernel on with these settings.

      Delete
    3. Worked fine all day except for a random reboot around 3 today. I was not using the phone at time but heard it shut down.

      Delete
    4. I may have a problem with this test kernal, unless I've done some stupid although I don't think so. This morning I took a picture with my phone and emailed it. This afternoon when I went to look at another picture and all picture taken with my phone except the one taken this morning were gone. I've deleted a couple videos in testing but nothing else lately. Any suggestions?

      Delete
    5. looks like I have sd card problems,,, no testing for a few days til everything is repaired

      Delete
  21. Tested the 1.2 gHz on the beta2. Went permanent two days ago. Not a lick of hesitation. Loves the battery, but what did we expect? Count me in as one that isn't going to get an upgrade phone. Just CM9...

    ReplyDelete
  22. You guys should make a custom siri into the cm9 project also . I know there some siri alikes the app store but it would be better if you guys were to create one already built in the cm9 rom

    ReplyDelete
  23. Testing cm9 beta3 have been running for a few hours, after a couple of reboots, just to test things... GPS seems to work just fine along with google maps, photos storing in the right order. Still can not add video to mms, although it is an option. Overclocking no noticeable difference as of yet.

    ReplyDelete
  24. The temporary kernel is great because it makes everything run smoothly but it kills my battery. Any word on new updates?

    ReplyDelete
  25. I have been using the perm testing kernel (beta 2) and my soft keyboard doesn't work in chrome when clicking text boxes (although interestingly it does work in the chrome address bar). Seems to work correctly in the stock browser. Anybody else seeing this? I've uninstalled and reinstalled chrome to no avail. The physical keyboard DOES work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nothing to do with Epic CM9. This started when Chrome was last updated and not anything we changed. I verified. Please see my comment at bottom.

      Delete
  26. Just a little friendly feedback hope it helps.
    Flashed temp_kernel_CONFIG_FB_S3C_NR_BUFFERS_6.zip on Beta 2 a few days and some of my background apps were getting killed every time I switched to something else.

    Flashed kernel_epicmtd_beta2_gps_oc12ghz.zip and they started working properly again.

    I haven't tried epicmtd-cm9-beta3-pre3.zip yet. Keep up the goodwork guys :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. flashed CM9 beta3-pre3 since it came out i've notice that on chrome my keyboard doesn't pop up i have to use the physical keyboard i tried uninstalling chrome but still the problem idk if somebody else is having this problem. my WiFi speed got a little faster with this new release though

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is a chrome bug with a recent new version. Nothing we can do about it.

      Delete
  28. Been on pre3 for three days now. Very smooth. Installed new 4/22 gapps. Very smooth. Installed multi-boot yesterday. No problems going into either system. I seem to get better reception when booting into the FC09, but the phone still works as advertised either way. I realize a lot of people are having problems, but I've really tested the systems both ways. Never had a crash. No problems with pictures. No problems with any of the apps I use. What can I say? Let's roll!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I'm very new to this whole thing. I decided to root my Epic 4G after we got no ICS love from sprint. I am currently running CyanogenMod alpha 5 and want to know how to upgrade to beta 2 or 3? Is there a step by step link for this? Thanks I love you guys!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At the very top of this page if you click on the "CM9 Install Guide" it will take you to the beta 2 install instructions. Beta 3 will be on that page when it is released.

      Delete
  30. Im on Beta 1 right now and it works pretty good. I get the random battery drains, but lately Im getting a volume mute happening. I can get off a call and then not notice my volume went muted and I have to turn it back up. Im debating on updating to Beta2 or waiting for Beta3 yet. (or even the pre-release here. Any thoughts on this?
    Thanks and you guys rock!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Upgrade to at least Beta2. Upgrade to pre-release Beta3 if you don't mind a possible bug to report.

      Delete
    2. Will do today and let you know. Thanks again!

      Delete
  31. Ok i was just wanting to know if someone is able to help me out. i have a epic 4g with the keyboard. i want to root it and it is still in factory state. it is running the over the air update to 2.3.6. i would like to be able to run the ice cream sandwich cm9 on my phone the videos i have seen all are talking about doing it from froyo i just dont want to brick my phone if not needed if someone could help me out that would be great. and thank

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To do simple root with otherwise stock experience, I would recommend checking out XDA (or other) forums, as those methods do not relate directly to Cyanogenmod on the Epic.

      To install CM9 follow root and clockworkmod install directions. Install CM9 rom. http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/wiki/Samsung_Epic_4G:_Full_Update_Guide

      Delete
  32. I am the "Bug Master" of the Epic CM9 team. I know the remaining issues are very frustrating and we are trying to work on many of them at the same time. As one patch gets finished we test and/or give it out for testing. Depending on the complexity and/or difficulty of the issue depends on time it takes for completion. We have had much bigger bugs that needed higher prioritizing because they affect the stability of the phone which is greater than the "usability" of some components but that doesn't mean that the devs aren't working to get them fixed. Bluetooth is a complex issue requiring a lot of hands-on dev time. These guys spend there free time or not-so-free time working to fix all these remaining bugs and issues. Please be patient. Also you can check out the issue tracker to see if a bug you are having is reported but make sure to check all tickets NOT only the open ones as for example the Chrome Keyboard issue will be closed as invalid since it is not a Epic CM9 bug but a bug with the App. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I have been running the beta 3 Pre-3 sense 4/25 and I havent had any issues with anything. (Yet) but will contune to test. Great job !!! Love ics on my Samsung epic.

    ReplyDelete
  34. I downloaded Pre-3 and gapps. Copied to my SDcard, ran updates.zip and then gapps. Rebooted and everything looks good so far. I will report back if I see anything. The upgrade process was great!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I just installed pre-3 and it looks fine. I am wondering if I am suppose to change my cpu settings to overclocking or should I just leave it as is which is minimum 100 max 1000?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Not really something you are "supposed" to do. Just an option if you want it.

      Delete
  36. Beta-3 looks great! flashed the Beta-3 pre7 and is running without a hitch for 2 days now.. You all are doing a great job with the bug fixes and the releases! Thanks for all of your hard work!

    ReplyDelete
  37. It has been a full day. Basic usage bluetooth,phone,internet,camera,video,gps,music. So far so good. I am not overclocking at this point. My phone seems to run fast enough. Everytime I think of giving up this phone for really no other reason than change you make it a harder to do that. I bought the phone for the physical keyboard but I have finally adjusted to the virtual so I really dont need it any more. I think when the epic 4g touch ever goes free I will upgrade but until then I am good.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I am using the pre beta3-pre7 all is working good. The only problem i have noticed is while playing music Incoming ringer is very low and incoming volume on the headset is very loud even adjusted all the way down. Hope this helps, keep up the good work. Thanks again!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Any updates on if Beta3 will work with WiFi tethering utilities, or if the Airave 1x bug has been looked at?

    I noticed the Airave bug a few weeks ago and posted in Google Plus (it refuses to sit on the Airvana Airave's EV-DO channel, choosing instead to flip between 1X and EV-DO, chewing through battery life)

    Also just recently noticed (when I needed to use it) that Wifi tethering is no longer functional. I usually used Wireless Tether version 2.07... It still loads, asks & gets superuser permissions, and says tether is turned on, but does not broadcast the SSID, nor actually transmit or receive any data.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. im on beta test 2 and beta3_pre9 and every other beta/ alpha and it has worked. still does. usually reboot fixes it. or you could reflash.

      Delete
  40. I updated my phone to the newest version mainly to try out the lock screen but neither the themes or the lock screen work on my phone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. theme is automatically applied. drag down the status bar and toggle sound. if it looks like parenthesis around a megaphone then the theme works. as for lock screen i havent tested it yet

      Delete
  41. so i have 2 phones that are the samsung epics on the latest cm9beta3-pre9 and i took off my privacy screen protector (which ive had on for all of cm9 development for the epic) and i put on the theme and was AMAZED at how it looked!so i HAVE to say you guys have been doing an amazing job especially with bug fixes, looks, and quick and stable releases! Thank you tons!

    ReplyDelete
  42. lockscreen addition is freaking amazing!!! love it :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can someone please explain how to get the lockscreen options to work? I can't seem to figure it out.

      Delete
  43. I noticed today, (Beta 3) all of sudden my background changed to the android dude on skate board. I had a picture, etc. I did not change anything but now its here? Its been pretty good though so far. Battery reporting is off. When it gets low, it seems to not report correctly until I reboot it. If its really low.. say 20 percent, I plugged it in, went to charge.. just got fairly hot until I rebooted it. Seems snappier than earlier releases as well.

    ReplyDelete