[Rayven01]

Originally Posted by da2zoe

1) Lingo....there's so much! What are some key terms I should understand to root? I often see clockworkmod, adb/adb failure, XDA and have no idea what they are.

Clockwork Mod (CWM) is a boot loader (something the NC boots from) which allows you to perform backups, restores, and apply ROMs (basically zipped up updates). There's a sticky in this forum that goes much more into depth on CWM and is very well written.

ADB (android debug bridge) is an SDK toolkit from google that allows you to communicate with a rooted android device and perform command-line functions and install/uninstall applications manually. It's pretty technical to set up, and luckily generally not needed with the tools available and the ease of rooting nowadays.

XDA refers to xda-developers.com, a forum for android hackers in general. It has a subforum dedicated to the nook color where much of the rooting/hacking discussion and releases happen.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

4) SD card honeycomb booting option?
5) Class 6 card?

Honeycomb (android 3.0, for tablets) isn't even released yet, and the build floating around for the NC is basically just a toy for people to play around with the new interface. Very buggy and not for general consumption. There are froyo (android 2.2) SD card builds available as well which are a little more fully-baked, but in general running off an SD card is slow, even with a class 6 or better card. You also cannot use the B&N apps on these builds. For most users, stick with a root of the standard NC versions on the internal memory.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

6) I know .apk is a file extension but what does it apply to?

An apk is basically a zipped up android application. Generally if you get the market working you don't have to worry about these unless an app doesn't show up for the NC in the market (some apps are tied to certain devices, even though they technically will work on others.. Angry Birds is a good example).

Originally Posted by da2zoe

7) What is ROM Manager and do I need it?

ROM Manager is kind of like ClockworkMod, except it's an application you run while the device is already booted up. You can do the same kinds of things (backup, restore, install ROM zips, etc). Generally less useful than ClockworkMod because some things cannot be modified while they are in use.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

8) My NC software shows 1.0.1 but is there a newer one I should be worried about whether I root or not? I don't live near a B&N store so reading there is not a concern for me, but are there other issues with the update?
9) Do software updates install automatically (kinda like on Android or BB)? Or do I need to check for them?

The latest version is 1.1. Unrooted devices are supposed to automatically update but it seems very random when/if they do. I have a friend who has a stock 1.0.0 NC unrooted that has never attempted to update itself. You can update to 1.1 manually before rooting by going here. It's worthwhile to go to 1.1 because it works with the read-in-store feature even after rooting, unlike 1.0.1.

Originally Posted by da2zoe

10) Terrified of bricking my new best friend......words of advice?
11) Purchased 2 yr protection through Best Buy for NC. If there's a problem after rooting, can it be restored to factory root settings so I can have it repaired if I need it?

You can rest easy here. It's pretty much impossible to really brick the NC. There hasn't been one single report of a truly bricked device since it came out. Worst case scenario, you can always restore the stock image by interrupting the bootup process 8 times in a row (turn it on, let go of power for 1 second when words appear on the screen, then hold down power again until it turns off. Repeat 7 more times). Even if you somehow manage to destroy the place where this failsafe resides (difficult unless you are attempting to install clockworkmod directly on the internal memory), you can boot off an SD card image and restore it.

Good luck with your rooting. Generally the easiest method is autonooter, available here. Follow the Linux instructions on step 2 by performing it from the Mac terminal window. If you're more comfortable experimenting with clockworkmod on an SD card, I actually prefer this method, as it's much easier to dig into the ROM zips and see what's going on behind the scenes.