> Marking a "Install from unknown sources" checkbox provided by the OS is not illegal, nor is downloading properly licensed APKs. If the applications don't (leg

> Marking a "Install from unknown sources" checkbox provided by the OS is not illegal, nor is downloading properly licensed APKs. If the applications don't (legally) permit themselves to be used without being downloaded from Android Market or provide their source code, they totally have the right to do that. Certain system changes, and applications that need to do these changes, are not possible without rooting. This includes things like, for example, using ext3/ext4 on external storage.