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I believe the article is talking about Android(TM), you're talking about the Android code in the source control, two very different things. About HTC and Samsu

I believe the article is talking about Android(TM), you're talking about the Android code in the source control, two very different things. About HTC and Samsung(and the rest) forking Android, such moves have failed in the past with Symbian etc, because of two reasons. First is that you need a primary driver and others need to play second fiddle, also, the OEMs expertise is in hardware, not software. Their 'enhancements' to the stock Android UI and code have been reviled for lagging the phone and running down the battery. Same with the PC OEMs, the stuff bundled with their PCs universally suck. Nokia is the latest to fail at making software and I don't think HTC and Samsung are going to go that route, especially since they're already pushing a ton of phones for now.

rbanffy 15y ago
> I believe the article is talking about Android(TM), you're talking about the Android code in the source control, two very different things. Ballmer's threat was about the risk of patent extortion OEMs incur when they make Android phones. Since he runs the company that extorts about $15 out of every phone Samsung makes, I would not be surprised if he had good information (despite being Ballmer). Let's see how the racket goes now that Google has 17000+ more patents to defend their partners with. I don't think anything like Android ever happened to the mobile space. Symbian was co-owned by Nokia and Sony Ericsson for a while, but was never open-source. I think saying a common Android stack would fail is premature. And my point is that it would survive even if Google tried to kill it, something I doubt will happen. Motorola will, as Google has repeated many times, continue to be an independent company and will have to compete with other Android licensees in order to win preferred partner status. I strongly suspect they won't win frequently (as that would jeopardize the Android ecosystem)

rbanffy 15y ago

> I believe the article is talking about Android(TM), you're talking about the Android code in the source control, two very different things. Ballmer's threat was about the risk of patent extortion OEMs incur when they make Android phones. Since he runs the company that extorts about $15 out of every phone Samsung makes, I would not be surprised if he had good information (despite being Ballmer). Let's see how the racket goes now that Google has 17000+ more patents to defend their partners with. I don't think anything like Android ever happened to the mobile space. Symbian was co-owned by Nokia and Sony Ericsson for a while, but was never open-source. I think saying a common Android stack would fail is premature. And my point is that it would survive even if Google tried to kill it, something I doubt will happen. Motorola will, as Google has repeated many times, continue to be an independent company and will have to compete with other Android licensees in order to win preferred partner status. I strongly suspect they won't win frequently (as that would jeopardize the Android ecosystem)