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What is the problem of running an older Android OS version on your phone if it runs fine? Some people are not tech savvy, and dont want every update. And most p

by TeeWEE 13y ago

What is the problem of running an older Android OS version on your phone if it runs fine? Some people are not tech savvy, and dont want every update. And most people buy a new phone every two years. So, while the graph is probably right, it is not pointing out a big problem. For developers it is easy to build an android app that supports android version 2.2 upwards with the compatibility packages. Testing is just a tidbid harder.

steveridout 13y ago
The problem is it doesn't always run fine. I've got a Samsung Galaxy S running Android 2.35 and it's a pain in the neck. It's slow and crashes regularly, requiring me to remove the battery to hard reset it. And the Samsung Kies software needed to update the firmware only worked on 1 out of the 4 Windows PCs I tried it on. Got a Nexus 5 on the way, hoping that I'll have better luck with that.
- Qerub 13y ago
  I upgraded my Samsung Galaxy S to Android 4.3 with CyanogenMod. Works really well!
  - steveridout 13y ago
    Thanks, I avoided rooting because I didn't want to spend the time and take the risk, but given the amount of frustration the it's given me I should have done it ages ago. If I wasn't about to receive a Nexus 5 I would definitely try this.
    - king_jester 13y ago
      I had to bite the bullet on a Galaxy S a couple of years ago due to poor performance but it was totally worth it. Running a 10.1 or 10.2 version of cyanogenmod is very snappy, although there are limitations (e.g. storage space on /datadata) due to the age of the hardware.
girvo 13y ago
It's a problem because some people need to justify their purchasing decisions and "belong".
gcp 13y ago
>For developers it is easy to build an android app that supports android version 2.2 upwards with the compatibility packages. No, it isn't. Seriously, tell my how compatibility packages address the lack of TextureView in pre-ICS, the lack of meaningful Camera API, the lack of OpenSLES, the outdated SQLite libs, the lack of way to get the native sampling rate, ... (I could literally go on for an hour like this). Any nontrivial app needs load of work to properly support old versions. And then you can begin the real work: fixing vendor specific bugs.
- king_jester 13y ago
  > No, it isn't. Seriously, tell my how compatibility packages address the lack of TextureView in pre-ICS, the lack of meaningful Camera API, the lack of OpenSLES, the outdated SQLite libs, the lack of way to get the native sampling rate, ... (I could literally go on for an hour like this). Things like TextureView, OpenSLES, and sampling rate are app specific and will be a challenge to deal with in general, regardless of platform level. Camera APIs are available in a good state going back to API 8 and 9, which are 2.x releases. Generally speaking, the majority of app developers will not have to deal with the APIs you are talking about, but yes they are flaws and your app may have to target higher API levels or have extra development if you want to support older devices for those things. > Any nontrivial app needs load of work to properly support old versions. And then you can begin the real work: fixing vendor specific bugs. Vendor specific bugs are always an issue even in the 4.x releases, this is something that cannot be avoided when developing for a platform with a lot of hardware variation.

by TeeWEE 13y ago

steveridout 13y ago

The problem is it doesn't always run fine. I've got a Samsung Galaxy S running Android 2.35 and it's a pain in the neck. It's slow and crashes regularly, requiring me to remove the battery to hard reset it. And the Samsung Kies software needed to update the firmware only worked on 1 out of the 4 Windows PCs I tried it on. Got a Nexus 5 on the way, hoping that I'll have better luck with that.

Qerub 13y ago
I upgraded my Samsung Galaxy S to Android 4.3 with CyanogenMod. Works really well!
- steveridout 13y ago
  Thanks, I avoided rooting because I didn't want to spend the time and take the risk, but given the amount of frustration the it's given me I should have done it ages ago. If I wasn't about to receive a Nexus 5 I would definitely try this.
  - king_jester 13y ago
    I had to bite the bullet on a Galaxy S a couple of years ago due to poor performance but it was totally worth it. Running a 10.1 or 10.2 version of cyanogenmod is very snappy, although there are limitations (e.g. storage space on /datadata) due to the age of the hardware.

girvo 13y ago

It's a problem because some people need to justify their purchasing decisions and "belong".

gcp 13y ago

>For developers it is easy to build an android app that supports android version 2.2 upwards with the compatibility packages. No, it isn't. Seriously, tell my how compatibility packages address the lack of TextureView in pre-ICS, the lack of meaningful Camera API, the lack of OpenSLES, the outdated SQLite libs, the lack of way to get the native sampling rate, ... (I could literally go on for an hour like this). Any nontrivial app needs load of work to properly support old versions. And then you can begin the real work: fixing vendor specific bugs.

king_jester 13y ago
> No, it isn't. Seriously, tell my how compatibility packages address the lack of TextureView in pre-ICS, the lack of meaningful Camera API, the lack of OpenSLES, the outdated SQLite libs, the lack of way to get the native sampling rate, ... (I could literally go on for an hour like this). Things like TextureView, OpenSLES, and sampling rate are app specific and will be a challenge to deal with in general, regardless of platform level. Camera APIs are available in a good state going back to API 8 and 9, which are 2.x releases. Generally speaking, the majority of app developers will not have to deal with the APIs you are talking about, but yes they are flaws and your app may have to target higher API levels or have extra development if you want to support older devices for those things. > Any nontrivial app needs load of work to properly support old versions. And then you can begin the real work: fixing vendor specific bugs. Vendor specific bugs are always an issue even in the 4.x releases, this is something that cannot be avoided when developing for a platform with a lot of hardware variation.