Android has come a long way from just about making a phone call to being called a Smartphone and dominating the World market till now. The most exciting feature of Android should be its ability to root the device, install CWM and then the most important step- install Custom ROMs on the device. If the device has to be sent for repair, just flash a reset counter and “poof!”– your warranty is back again!
As with the evolution of Android, custom ROMs have evolved as well. And one such evolution is of the CyanogenMod company from being an add-on to release a Smartphone featuring the latest custom ROM iteration of Android- the Oppo N1.
CyanogenMod dates back a few years. When the first Android phone- the HTC Dream was released, the developers saw a loophole in the device’s stock ROM. They found a way to replace the shell and the other commands and most importantly the Kernel. The first version was released for Android 2.3 GingerBread. The version was CyanogenMod 7.
Cyanogen Mod 7
The basics of this version of CyanogenMod was that it replaced Android 2.3 Stock with a more customizable and more usable version and without the “extras” and other products are related to the company. There were many nightly builds but these had some bugs which didn’t make them suitable for daily use. This started the development of CyanogenMod with pure Android experience in mind.
CyanogenMod 8
The CyanogenMod was to be based on Honeycomb. But since Google didn’t release its source code to the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) this version didn’t see its release. And since Ice Cream Sandwich came soon after Honeycomb was released incorporating new features as well as support for Honeycomb, the Android OS didn’t survive long and developers didn’t develop much apps for the OS. The Cyanogen version directly jumped to CM9.
CyanogenMod 9
This version incorporates the pure Ice Cream Sandwich. ICS was released on 19th October 2011. The developer community got its source code some months later. The development started immediately and many ROMs followed. Nightly builds with bug testing and alpha versions with regular updation and features were beginning to roll. This version was the most famous and could include both tablets as well as smartphones. Even though, officially the devices lost support, some of the devices like the Nexus One, the LG optimus were all supported by the developer community and got treated to the latest iteration of Android at that time.
CyanogenMod 10-10.2
This version goes after Jelly Bean 4.1- 4.3. All the latest features are incorporated. The project Butter was also incorporated and the Android without any apps from the carriers was relatively fast. Even when comparing to the other Jelly Bean devices which ran pure Android such as the nexus 4 and co. There are still many developments and bug fixes going on.
CyanogenMod 11
The CyanogenMod 11 will feature the latest version of Android- Kitkat. Google has released its Source Code and developers are in the process of developing a stable and a version for everyday use.
CyanogenMod needs the device to be rooted. But that will not be the case if your device supports the CyanogenMod installer which installs root permission on running which needs you to connect to your computer and select the RunMe.bat file. The list of devices to be supported will be increased in the near future and thus the beginners don’t have to worry about anything and just with a click of a button and a few OKs and Nexts will do the job. Technology sure is developing fast.!!!
ALSO READ: Android evolution at a glance- History of the world’s top OS
