Some Common Terms related to android asked by most users

Are you an Android user?

If Yes, then you may have come across these. Did you get to know about your doubts? Did you search them on Internet? If no then here are the terms for You.

• Bootloader :

Defination - A boot loader is a type of program that loads and starts the boot time tasks and processes of an operating system or the computer system. It enables loading the operating system within the computer memory when a computer is started or booted up. A boot loader is also known as a boot manager or bootstrap loader.

Explaination - A boot loader primarily manages and executes the boot sequence of a computer system. A boot loader program is typically started after the computer or the BIOS have finished performing the initial power and hardware device checks and tests. It fetches the OS kernel from the hard disk or any specified boot device within the boot sequence, into the main memory. A boot loader is associated with only a single operating system. An operating system can also have multiple boot loader programs classified as primary and secondary boot loaders, where a secondary boot loader might be larger and more capable than the primary boot loader.

• Kernel :

- A Kernel is the core component of an operating system. Using interprocess communication and system calls, it acts as a bridge between applications and the data processing performed at the hardware level. When an operating system is loaded into memory, the kernel loads first and remains in memory until the operating system is shut down again. The kernel is responsible for low-level tasks such as disk management, task management and memory management.

Explanation - A computer kernel interfaces between the three major computer hardware components, providing services between the application/user interface and the CPU, memory and other hardware I/O devices. The kernel provides and manages computer resources, allowing other programs to run and use these resources. The kernel also sets up memory address space for applications, loads files with application code into memory, sets up the execution stack for programs and branches out to particular locations inside programs for execution.

• Virtual Private Network  :

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a network that is constructed using public wires, usually the Internet, to connect remote users or regional offices to a company's private, internal network.

• Bootloop :

Bootloop means your phone doesn't but up right, it's just starting and starting and nothing happens, or it's starting and shutting down and starting again. It just means your phone makes a loop while booting

• Soft Brick and Hard Brick :

When your phone boots and shows the screen and then immediately and automatically turns off, or it keeps restarting with vibrations, or it is totally dead without any visible signs, all these signals indicate that your phone is bricked

Soft Brick - Soft brick is the state of android device due to some software problems like bootloops or device freezing at some point during boot. This may occur if some software problem occurred in the device mainly during OS upgrade or flashing something such as a custom ROM, camera mod or app in your custom recovery mode. A soft-bricked device is only half-dead. Because of this, your device is not booting anymore or is constantly crashing but can be recognised by a computer.

Hard Brick - Hard brick is the state of android device that occurs when your device is unbootable without a bootloop. A hard Brick device generally show little to no signs of life. If this happens, you had better to buy a new device since your device is showing you a black or grey screen at this point.

• Firmware :

Defination - Firmware is a software program permanently etched into a hardware device such as a keyboards, hard drive, BIOS, or video cards. It is programmed to give permanent instructions to communicate with other devices and perform functions like basic input/output tasks. Firmware is typically stored in the flash ROM (read only memory) of a hardware device. It can be erased and rewritten. Firmware was originally designed for high level software and could be changed without having to exchange the hardware for a newer device. Firmware also retains the basic instructions for hardware devices that make them operative. Without firmware, a hardware device would be non-functional.

Explanation - Originally, firmware had read-only memory (ROM) and programmable read-only memory (PROM). It was designed to be permanent. Eventually PROM chips could be updated and were called erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM). But EPROM was expensive, time consuming to update and challenging to use. Firmware eventually evolved from ROM to flash memory firmware; thus, it became easier to update and user friendly.

• TWRP and CWM Recovery :

TWRP Recovery - TeamWin Recovery Project or in short; TWRP, initiated in 2011, is an Android Custom Recovery with full touch UI. This Recovery brought in and created a new trend of Touch-based recoveries. It adds customization support and  enormous other amazing features to the AOSP recovery code which makes it one of the best Android Custom Recoveries available till date. The GUI on other hand is fully XML based, so you can modify each and every aspect of this recovery according to your desires, provided that you have appropriate knowledge of XML and Android.

CWM Recovery - ClockWorkMod (CWM) is a recovery software which we use as a better alternative to Stock android Recovery. This recovery was built by Koushik Dutta (Koush) which is a pretty well known name in the Android Developers forums. This recovery has different options that the Android Recovery doesn’t has. It holds a few basic yet customizable options on android that are only used for maintenance and betterment of Android which we don’t get in the Stock Recovery.

• Xposed Framework :

Xposed Framework needs root and it allows you to do system-level modification and tweaking without messing with code and compiling stuff. Instead of downloading a Custom ROM for your device, just to have some cool features of that particular ROM, You can Download and install Small Modules on any of your favourite ROM, and have those cool features that are available in another Custom ROM.

     

Hope this information will help you****

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