4 ms·

Good article but I disagree that supporting "Android (not Google) even though you like IOS" is a valid strategy for openness. android is all about monitoring an

Good article but I disagree that supporting "Android (not Google) even though you like IOS" is a valid strategy for openness. android is all about monitoring and datamining the user. Sad to see the good old openmoko project die.

zem 15y ago
even maemo and meego were a large step in the right direction.
lunarscape 15y ago
The difference is that I have the source for Android, am running a kernel I compiled myself and have explicit control over all the processes running on it. The only flaw in it is that I have to rely on a closed binary blob for the radio as writing my own would be illegal (FCC etc). It can be treated as a closed circuit though. That's the compromise the openmoko projects are using. Also check out Replicant, Stallman's Android project.
- listic 15y ago
  Even if writing your own firmware would be illegal (would it be, really?), what prevents manufacturers from releasing the code for examination? Also, radio firmware isn't the only one missing. I think drivers for video and other hardware are not released for no particular reason. All this contributes to the fact that one cannot build firmware for any Android device from source. Accompanied by the fact that Google gets to do their mining on your data, Android looks just a little more open, compared to iOS. And it's a shame that there is no alternative in sight.
  - lunarscape 15y ago
    "Even if writing your own firmware would be illegal (would it be, really?) " For a radio module I would say so. It's one of the reasons cited by the openmoko successors from not doing it. Radio devices have to be tested and certified that the device stays within FCC or EC standards. Changing the firmware changes behaviour. "what prevents manufacturers from releasing the code for examination?" Patents, security... I'm sure they have their reasons. "Accompanied by the fact that Google gets to do their mining on your data, Android looks just a little more open, compared to iOS." Not if you use your own ROM or root your phone and stop all Google applicatons.

zem 15y ago

even maemo and meego were a large step in the right direction.

lunarscape 15y ago

The difference is that I have the source for Android, am running a kernel I compiled myself and have explicit control over all the processes running on it. The only flaw in it is that I have to rely on a closed binary blob for the radio as writing my own would be illegal (FCC etc). It can be treated as a closed circuit though. That's the compromise the openmoko projects are using. Also check out Replicant, Stallman's Android project.

listic 15y ago
Even if writing your own firmware would be illegal (would it be, really?), what prevents manufacturers from releasing the code for examination? Also, radio firmware isn't the only one missing. I think drivers for video and other hardware are not released for no particular reason. All this contributes to the fact that one cannot build firmware for any Android device from source. Accompanied by the fact that Google gets to do their mining on your data, Android looks just a little more open, compared to iOS. And it's a shame that there is no alternative in sight.
- lunarscape 15y ago
  "Even if writing your own firmware would be illegal (would it be, really?) " For a radio module I would say so. It's one of the reasons cited by the openmoko successors from not doing it. Radio devices have to be tested and certified that the device stays within FCC or EC standards. Changing the firmware changes behaviour. "what prevents manufacturers from releasing the code for examination?" Patents, security... I'm sure they have their reasons. "Accompanied by the fact that Google gets to do their mining on your data, Android looks just a little more open, compared to iOS." Not if you use your own ROM or root your phone and stop all Google applicatons.