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I tried Android years ago when I bought an abominable B&N Nook Color, and it became clear very quickly that there was no plan to keep the device updated with se

I tried Android years ago when I bought an abominable B&N Nook Color, and it became clear very quickly that there was no plan to keep the device updated with security patches, etc. Not only that, but the OS had been grotesquely hobbled in an attempt to keep you within B&N's sad walled garden. I understand there are flagship devices that don't have this problem, and maybe this is unfair of me, but I came to expect that devices using Android would likely be riddled with garbage from whatever OEM was relying on the OS. While I do think it's cool that Google made Android so open, it also opened a bit of a Pandora's Box.

_hypx 4y ago
The Nook was a failure because B&N does not have the resources to maintain their own platform. Samsung is probably the only real competitor to Apple here. However, in the long run, it is likely that open platforms will win. Eventually, the Android ecosystem will get to a point where such software updates stop being a challenge. Then you can just buy a generic Android phone and nearly everything will work. Probably it becomes similar to buying a Windows PC.
- krrrh 4y ago
  Next year will surely be the year of the Linux desktop.
- nine_k 4y ago
  You already can buy a generic Android phone, and everything works in it, if the manufacturer is sane. But you can't get security updates for a long time, except for a few models into which manufacturers or enthusiasts put efforts. Linux kernel does not have a stable binary interface. Most phone devices (cameras, fingerprint sensors, even video controllers and radio modules have closed-source drivers. You can't expect manufacturers of these parts to update the drivers for their 3-year-old components for a newer kernel: they want to sell this year's parts instead. Reverse-engineering these drivers is tedious, and only buys you a few years on a handful of models. Long-term support works for Apple because they have essentially one line of phones, with a narrow set of components, and an enormous power over suppliers. So they can afford to buy serious users' loyalty.

_hypx 4y ago

The Nook was a failure because B&N does not have the resources to maintain their own platform. Samsung is probably the only real competitor to Apple here. However, in the long run, it is likely that open platforms will win. Eventually, the Android ecosystem will get to a point where such software updates stop being a challenge. Then you can just buy a generic Android phone and nearly everything will work. Probably it becomes similar to buying a Windows PC.

krrrh 4y ago
Next year will surely be the year of the Linux desktop.
nine_k 4y ago
You already can buy a generic Android phone, and everything works in it, if the manufacturer is sane. But you can't get security updates for a long time, except for a few models into which manufacturers or enthusiasts put efforts. Linux kernel does not have a stable binary interface. Most phone devices (cameras, fingerprint sensors, even video controllers and radio modules have closed-source drivers. You can't expect manufacturers of these parts to update the drivers for their 3-year-old components for a newer kernel: they want to sell this year's parts instead. Reverse-engineering these drivers is tedious, and only buys you a few years on a handful of models. Long-term support works for Apple because they have essentially one line of phones, with a narrow set of components, and an enormous power over suppliers. So they can afford to buy serious users' loyalty.