What does "root" mean?

[HelenaCan]

I'm brand new to the mobile reader/Android device world, so I'm reading all I can while I'm waiting for my new pocket eDGe to charge before I mess with it. I've read many recommendations to root, seen links for ways to root, etc. But no explanation of what rooting is or does. I'd love it if someone would explain- Thanks!

[emusan]

rooting is a linux term derived from the root user on a linux machine being the one with control over everything, to root an android device is to give yourself access to root, and therefore everything on it. I would recommend staying away from it until you can fully understand what it does and that it can in fact destroy your device if you do something wrong... If you really want to though it does open a lot of possibilities.

[HelenaCan]

Thanks for the explanation. I'll take that recommendation

[Filark]

Welcome to MobileRead and the eDGe, HelenaCan!

Not only do you not need to root your device when it comes, you also do not have to update to the latest software, which is a beta release.

You will have a lot of functionality and plenty to learn right out of the box.

Upgrading is probably a good idea, because it means you can use more Android apps (up to version 2.2 from 1.6) and your device can "hibernate", which means it goes longer before needing to be recharged. But rooting -- that is fancy stuff for people who want to make the eDGe more than it already is. Leave them to it, I say!

[sarah11918]

See, THAT's the question I thought was being asked in the other thread... does one need to root. And nope, I leave that to the techies who want to play around at a programming kind of level. I am firmly in camp non-root.

[kennyminot]

If you want some more details, check out the Wikipedia site on the process:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooting_(Android_OS)

Look at it this way. When you get a Windows machine, you can install programs that do basically whatever you want to the operating system. You can browse around and experiment with different features. You can fool around with system files and change various settings. On an Android device, the OS basically prevents you from doing these things, mostly for your own protection--if you don't know what you are doing, you can completely mess things up.

"Rooting" is basically the process of unlocking your device so you can mess around with it like a Windows machine. For owners of most Android devices, I don't see any need to go through this process; they work great right out of the box. In the case of the eDGe, though, the operating system has a number of bugs, and rooting allows you to do a number of things that might improve your experience; for example, without rooting, it's impossible to install any of the Google Applications (gapps) such as Gmail, Google Maps, and the Android Market.

[HelenaCan]

Thanks so much! I'm trying the PE out now- getting a little frustrated with how clumsy my touchscreen typing is, but no major issues yet