4 ms·

At least you can fix the bug when you have the source.. not so much with iOS.

dangus 3y ago
Android is not exactly open source. Everything useful is bundled in Google play services. Almost all Android phones are not designed to be modified. Let’s say I buy a Samsung phone and find a bug that I want to fix. How do I do it? Can you walk me through it step-by-step at a high level? Also, you can release source code and still be monopolistic and abuse your competitive advantage. Chrome, Edge, and Safari are essentially open source but their competitive advantages come from being installed as defaults on their respective operating systems. They have an inherent competitive advantage over other open source browsers like Firefox (and the market share statistics prove it).
dagmx 3y ago
Only at a very narrow layer, and only if you’re also installing a custom AOSP build. Want to fix a bug in any of the hardware interacting modules like drivers? Not usually possible because you can’t modify binary blobs. Instead you need to modify the parts interacting with the driver and hope you can get a workaround. Want to modify the apps? Most of the apps people use are closed source , including many that people take for granted as being vended by the OS. So that’s also moot unless you stick to FOSS apps only. And even then, to go AOSP, you’d probably lose access to a majority of the differentiating features of your device. At the end of the day, yes, you can MAYBE fix a small section of bugs if you have the skills and are willing to make a lot of compromises as well. It’s not as cut and dry as OSS makes it sound
- ungamedplayer 3y ago
  Most people care about user facing code. Which is by and large most of the code. You get the option with open source. You do not get the option with closed. Cut, dried, dehydrated and delivered to your door.
SkyPuncher 3y ago
I was an android fan boy for years. I solved exactly zero bugs myself. Most of the bugs I wanted to fix where things that worked correctly on the iPhone. Turns out having essentially the same device across the entire platform makes development way easier.
- dd_xplore 3y ago
  However most functionalities of the OS are ridiculous. File management is the worst. On Android you could do whatever you want exactly with the particular file, not so much on iOS. iOS despite being smooth and consistent only works the way that apple wants.

Android is not exactly open source. Everything useful is bundled in Google play services. Almost all Android phones are not designed to be modified. Let’s say I buy a Samsung phone and find a bug that I want to fix. How do I do it? Can you walk me through it step-by-step at a high level? Also, you can release source code and still be monopolistic and abuse your competitive advantage. Chrome, Edge, and Safari are essentially open source but their competitive advantages come from being installed as defaults on their respective operating systems. They have an inherent competitive advantage over other open source browsers like Firefox (and the market share statistics prove it).

dagmx 3y ago

Only at a very narrow layer, and only if you’re also installing a custom AOSP build. Want to fix a bug in any of the hardware interacting modules like drivers? Not usually possible because you can’t modify binary blobs. Instead you need to modify the parts interacting with the driver and hope you can get a workaround. Want to modify the apps? Most of the apps people use are closed source , including many that people take for granted as being vended by the OS. So that’s also moot unless you stick to FOSS apps only. And even then, to go AOSP, you’d probably lose access to a majority of the differentiating features of your device. At the end of the day, yes, you can MAYBE fix a small section of bugs if you have the skills and are willing to make a lot of compromises as well. It’s not as cut and dry as OSS makes it sound

ungamedplayer 3y ago
Most people care about user facing code. Which is by and large most of the code. You get the option with open source. You do not get the option with closed. Cut, dried, dehydrated and delivered to your door.

SkyPuncher 3y ago

I was an android fan boy for years. I solved exactly zero bugs myself. Most of the bugs I wanted to fix where things that worked correctly on the iPhone. Turns out having essentially the same device across the entire platform makes development way easier.

dd_xplore 3y ago
However most functionalities of the OS are ridiculous. File management is the worst. On Android you could do whatever you want exactly with the particular file, not so much on iOS. iOS despite being smooth and consistent only works the way that apple wants.