Android Modder Tries To Outmaneuver Google

itwbennett writes "Google recently sent a cease-and-desist letter to Steve Kondik, the creator of Cyanogen, a popular souped-up version of Android, asking him to stop distributing applications such as Gmail with his modified software. 'We make some of these apps available to users of any Android-powered device via Android Market, and others are pre-installed on some phones through business deals,' wrote Dan Morrill on the Android developer blog. 'Either way, these apps aren't open source, and that's why they aren't included in the Android source code repository.' Now, Kondik thinks he's found a workaround. He plans to release a 'bare bones' version of Cyanogen without the applications, leaving it to modders to make a backup copy of the Google applications that shipped with their phone for later reinstallation before hacking away at the Android software. 'The idea is that you'll be able to Google-ify your CyanogenMod installation with the applications and files that shipped on your device already,' Kondik wrote."

Comments

Re:Interesting

[smoker2]

It's flamebait because you cannot be allowed to own an idea. Or is that too technical for you. Do you suggest that we stop thinking in case we infringe somebody elses brain patterns ? Dickhead ! If you build something, fair enough, we can't copy it. But if we can do what you did without taking the exact same steps you did, then it's fair game. How can you do that if the very idea is protected ! One Click ? FFS we all had one click solutions back in the late 90s. But the "world" didn't like cookies or "invasion of privacy" so it wasn't commercially viable. These days everybody's a data whore. Then big guy Amazon pushes it through because they are too big for the small guy to deal with. But they didn't invent it, they just took advantage. So where do you stand ? Prevent the small guy from realising some invention, or prevent the invention period. Or let the corporations have it by default ?

Do you work for Amazon ?

as I'm here, I may as well say that google are being arseholes here. I run the gmail manager add on in firefox, and I'm pretty sure they didn't need googles approval. It breaks every time gmail updates anyway, so approval means nothing it seems. If the Cyanogen app is displaying googles trademarks, take them out. If google don't like it they can block it from the gmail end. Why stop the market they're pretending to be encouraging ? Somebody didn't pay their dues ....

Re:In other words

[elrous0]

Something tells me that Google isn't going to just let this matter drop with this "workaround." They may have the IMAGE of being cool and laid back, but at their heart they're a prick corporation just like any other. And prick corporations HATE to lose control of anything (or be shown up by some punk outside programmer). Releasing *some* of this stuff open source was more PR than true dedication to open principles.