ROM Dev Spotlight: TMartin03 of EvoGingerSense for HTC EVO 4G
We’re back with another installment of ROM Dev Spotlight, a recurring Q&A series here on G&E that features developers who create fantastic custom ROMs for the HTC EVO 4G.
In the spotlight today is TMartin03, who you may remember as the guy who released the first custom ROM (rooted, deodexed, and busyboxed) based on last month’s Gingerbread 2.3.3 leak. That ROM was called TMartinPPC EvoGingerSense and was actuallly just one of his EVO creations. He’s also responsible for TMartinPPC GingerSenseS, the first Desire S Gingerbread/Sense 2.1 port with most everything functional, and a series of ROMs called TMartinPPC Evolved 4G that have since been discontinued.
TMartin03 is also playing an integral part in Leoisright’s HTC Sensation port and XxXViRuSXxX’s HTC Kingdom port. Whew!
While he’s sitting still, let’s get to know more about him below.
Which ROM are you using on your EVO right now?
I’m currently switching between my own Ace S port based off of capychimp’s ROM and the HTC Kingdom port XxXViRuSXxX and I are trying to put together.
If you weren’t using your own ROM, which/whose would you be using instead?
More than likely it would have to be my man XxXViRuSXxX’s GengerSense ReV.
What do you do for a living and when do you have time to make ROMs?
I do inside sales for a tire distributor and do pretty much all of my developing while I’m at work.
How long have you been making ROMs? What other devices do you develop for?
I have been “cooking” for a few years now. I’ve developed for the HTC Mogul, HTC Touch Pro, HTC Touch Pro2, HTC Incredible, and maybe more; I can’t remember them all.
Why did you decide to create an EVO ROM?
I guess it would have to be because the great people over at HTCPedia offered to give me an EVO to start developing and releasing ROMs on their site. I couldn’t say no.
What are your future plans for your current/upcoming ROMs?
At this point, I’m not really sure. The next thing I hope to provide to the EVO public, along with XxXViRuSXxX, is the first fully functional Gingerbread/Sense 3.0 port. So far we have 4G fully functioning, which is a first (well, besides Calkulin’s EVO Shift port, but that’s a similar device to the EVO).
How do you decide when a ROM is ready to be released? In other words, when is it “done”?
For me, I never really know. I have OCD but I know nothing is perfec,t so I release when I know it boots and most things look and work like I want them to.
Do you have a general schedule for when you like to create and release updates?
What are the hardest and easiest parts about developing?
For me, the hardest parts are keeping up with a thread and not starting with a new base everytime.
I’m not really sure if there is technically an easy part. The easy things for me are the little framework edits, hiding taskbar icons, and just adding my own little flavor.
Other than the community, what are the best and worst things about creating ROMs for the EVO?
The best thing is you can have something look and feel the way you want and like it. I can’t stand having all that bloatware and the other space/battery killers that Sprint adds.
What do you want non-devs to know about creating ROMs that you think they don’t already know or understand?
Some of this stuff is easy and other parts are extremely difficult. You might fix one issue but the fix for that one thing breaks functionality for three other things. So we never know what we might be in for.
Just know that we do this for fun. This isn’t our jobs so we shouldn’t really have deadlines or expectations to finish at any certain point. We are here to help and will do anything we can to help/better this great community.
What are the best and worst parts about the current EVO software?
“Current” is a very loose term in our little world here. The 3.70.651.1 build was great at the time of release but became old and outdated pretty quickly. With all the great leaks 911sniper and Football provide us, our software will always be beyond “current.”
Sense or AOSP? Have you always felt this way?
It has and pretty much always will be Sense for me. I have run a few AOSP builds, but it just isn’t the same. I even tried building my own ROM from source.
I actually get much better battery life with a Sense ROM and I just love all the great widgets that HTC provides us with.
Will you be making ROMs for the EVO 3D or EVO View?
Anything else you’d like to say?
Never be afraid to start googling. You can learn a ton by just simply searching. We all started as noobs so if I can do it, then you can easily do it too.
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Download EvoGingerSense v0.1: http://www.multiupload.com/VIOMPVJC5Z
Donate to TMartin03: http://forum.xda-developers.com/donatetome.php?u=1055909
ROM Dev Spotlight is a Q&A series that showcases developers of HTC EVO 4G custom ROMs.
