12 ms·

How can you call Android an open source mobile OS anymore given even these basic functions will be dropped?

by albertopv 3y ago

hans_castorp 3y ago
There are open source alternatives available (e.g. on F-Droid). So I don't see why this is such a big issue.
- crote 3y ago
  Would you call Windows "open source" just because you run a few open source apps on it? Google is slowly but surely turning more and more components of Android into closed source code. This is a targeted effort to kill AOSP and lock consumers into their ecosystem. The end result will probably look a lot like macOS: a few open source parts, but primarily a proprietary stack.
  - ars 3y ago
    The OS and the default apps it comes with are really not the same thing.
  - CrampusDestrus 3y ago
    Windows is not open source, AOSP is
    - luca020400 3y ago
      A lot of people still don't see how the operating system as a whole is open source, not having properly supported open source apps is not the best, but while we can make apps and/or update the aosp versions, we can't make an operating system...
      - palata 3y ago
        > A lot of people still don't see how the operating system as a whole is open source What? Just checkout the sources and go through them, maybe? > not having properly supported open source apps is not the best If your definition of "properly supported" means "supported by Google", I guess...
        luca020400 3y ago
        Supported => Supported by Google yes. I think you misread my comment, or I wasn't clear enough, I work on AOSP daily so I know very well what's in there :)
        palata 3y ago
        Oh, maybe I did misunderstand it, indeed. Sorry :)
    - realusername 3y ago
      There's not a single phone on earth running AOSP though
  - charcircuit 3y ago
    If the bootloader, all of the services, the kernel, the window manager, etc were open source, but edge was closed source and bundled in a separate version of Windows then yes I would consider Windows an open source operating system.
    - 0xedd 3y ago
      Because the desktop OS is used for so much more. But if the core functionality is missing, the point is lost. A better analogy, as you like to play games, is a VPN company releasing their app as open source, after being critiqued for privacy issues. Only to find out just the GUI was released but the rest can be installed using a plugin system.
      - surajrmal 3y ago
        The analogy is lost here because the core is open source but the GUI is not. Core system services do most of the heavy lifting for these apps and that remains in AOSP.
palata 3y ago
Respectfully, I think you need to look closer and understand what AOSP actually is. It seems like your are mixing things up.
- albertopv 3y ago
  Am I? An OS without apps is really useful? What's linux kernel without gnu tools?
Xeamek 3y ago
Is Linux not open source because it doesn't ship with client apps by default? There are tons of things to criticize google for, but the fact that they won't maintain a client app that's so barebone it's practically unusable anyway, isn't one of them.

How can you call Android an open source mobile OS anymore given even these basic functions will be dropped?

hans_castorp 3y ago

There are open source alternatives available (e.g. on F-Droid). So I don't see why this is such a big issue.

crote 3y ago
Would you call Windows "open source" just because you run a few open source apps on it? Google is slowly but surely turning more and more components of Android into closed source code. This is a targeted effort to kill AOSP and lock consumers into their ecosystem. The end result will probably look a lot like macOS: a few open source parts, but primarily a proprietary stack.
- ars 3y ago
  The OS and the default apps it comes with are really not the same thing.
- CrampusDestrus 3y ago
  Windows is not open source, AOSP is
  - luca020400 3y ago
    A lot of people still don't see how the operating system as a whole is open source, not having properly supported open source apps is not the best, but while we can make apps and/or update the aosp versions, we can't make an operating system...
    - palata 3y ago
      > A lot of people still don't see how the operating system as a whole is open source What? Just checkout the sources and go through them, maybe? > not having properly supported open source apps is not the best If your definition of "properly supported" means "supported by Google", I guess...
      - luca020400 3y ago
        Supported => Supported by Google yes. I think you misread my comment, or I wasn't clear enough, I work on AOSP daily so I know very well what's in there :)
        palata 3y ago
        Oh, maybe I did misunderstand it, indeed. Sorry :)
  - realusername 3y ago
    There's not a single phone on earth running AOSP though
- charcircuit 3y ago
  If the bootloader, all of the services, the kernel, the window manager, etc were open source, but edge was closed source and bundled in a separate version of Windows then yes I would consider Windows an open source operating system.
  - 0xedd 3y ago
    Because the desktop OS is used for so much more. But if the core functionality is missing, the point is lost. A better analogy, as you like to play games, is a VPN company releasing their app as open source, after being critiqued for privacy issues. Only to find out just the GUI was released but the rest can be installed using a plugin system.
    - surajrmal 3y ago
      The analogy is lost here because the core is open source but the GUI is not. Core system services do most of the heavy lifting for these apps and that remains in AOSP.

palata 3y ago

Respectfully, I think you need to look closer and understand what AOSP actually is. It seems like your are mixing things up.

albertopv 3y ago
Am I? An OS without apps is really useful? What's linux kernel without gnu tools?

Xeamek 3y ago

Is Linux not open source because it doesn't ship with client apps by default? There are tons of things to criticize google for, but the fact that they won't maintain a client app that's so barebone it's practically unusable anyway, isn't one of them.