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Originally Posted by vjoy3 Android provides many forums to developers at various levels. While it is easy to dismiss others who disagree by labeling them as evangelists(do you really become one by web search?. Interesting)/ normal app developers and claim to know better, it would help appreciating the approach google is taking to build android with help from communities and the traction there is only proof of the openness. Some links below android-porting | Google Groups Android Linux Kernel Development | Google Groups Issues - android - Project Hosting on Google Code Android Developers | Google Groups
Yes android uses the best of both the worlds - Linux kernel, open forums to discuss & develop BSD licensed userspace and greediness of phone manufacturers to cash in their IP (hardware/technology) etc.,
As usual, expect experts hardwired against android to dismiss this as another PR (just like the news on android market share growing more than iPhone) ploy.
Just consider the number of bhpians thinking of android. Does that say something?. |
A little correction first may be little OT the License is Apache 2 and not BSD the big difference is that Apache 2 is not as liberal as 3 clause BSD and makes disclaimers for patents , Also code can no be relicensed like in case of BSD 3 clause. While most communities using Apache use IP tools to seach for infringements before code release google remained silent and now you can see a can of worms opening up.
Now coming to the part not acknowledging the existing issues and brushing them under carpet stating the lies churned out by PR machinery is sign of evangelism, As for me you can say I was enthusiast , turned evangelist turned agnostic now.
There are many like me who do not hold any similar grudge against truly FOOS communities like kernel.org , GNOME or other similar ones.
Google deliberately introduced various incompatibilities like removing Sys V IPC for no apparant reason other then breaking the compatibility so that other FOSS code can not run. To top of it the whole model is geared towards google experience ( and thus their business) under clock of altruism.
You seem to fully belie about the greediness of manufactures, Through out this thread point after point you seem to come up with a single point of argument that manufacturers do not contribute drivers and below kernel code to android and that is the single reason for features not working like Alarm or poor UI response.
This is after ignoring the fact that google already has private GIT repositories for TI and Samsung processors not yet released in market and also the full kernel code is available in GIT repository of Kernel.org for released product.
In fact as the kernel code for S3C6410 and S3C100 was available it was possible to port Android on iPhone 3GS because it uses S3C100 from Samsung.
If you say hardware manufacturers are greedy , but any hardware is agreegate of licenced code purchased from so many small 3ed party companies like Audio Video Codecs , Many times implementation is free but there are license issues for example if you plan to make a product using MP3 you can easily pick FOSS Lame MP3 codec under LGPL license but still while productising royalty need to be payed to fraunhoffer institue germany as they are holders of IP rights on MP3.
Almost all AV codecs have this issue except FLAC , Orgs and Vorbis perhaps. So hardware manufacturers can never release some of the code.
But Is google not greedy by using community resources and preexisting code from other communities and then imposing their data mining of the users to further their business. I gave an example earlier
While people at kandroid,org are making good use of it somehow this single line is parroted again and again by evangelists and PR machinery.
While I can site penMoko as really open Linux based community , Maemo little closed control but still open , Android does not have same characteristic.
I hope that emerging regional communities like Kandroid and that in China can take it out from fist of google.
I just wish if some Indian companies and acadamic institutes can start Inandroid defining their own roadmaps minus the business for google.