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HTC Dragging Feet On GPL Source Release For "Hero" Phone

Squiff writes to mention that despite being based on the Open Handset Alliance's Android platform and using several open source components, HTC are effectively refusing to release the source for the GPL parts of their "Hero" Phone code, saying that they are "waiting for their developers to provide it." It has been called an "object of lust," it's beating the iPhone for awards, and it seems to be the first Android phone that really is "the phone to have," to hear some people tell it. It has also just become available in the US after a June release in Europe.

7 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I emailed them... by Minwee · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's funny, I received a similar if slightly longer email from HTC.

    PERMIT ME TO INFORM YOU OF MY DESIRE OF GOING INTO PROGRAMMING WITH YOU. I GOT YOUR NAME AND CONTACT FROM THE TOGOLESE FREE SOFTWARE FOUNDATION. I PRAYED OVER IT AND SELECTED YOUR NAME AMONG OTHER NAMES DUE TO IT'S ESTEEMING NATURE AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS GIVEN TO ME AS A REPUTABLE AND TRUST WORTHY PERSON I CAN SHARE SOURCE CODE WITH AND BY THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS I MUST NOT HESITATE TO CONFIDE IN YOU FOR THIS SIMPLE AND SINCERE BUSINESS.

    I AM AITCH TEE SEE, THE ONLY CHILD OF LATE MR AND MRS TEE SEE. MY FATHER WAS A VERY WEALTHY TELEPHONE MERCHANT BASED IN TAIWAN...

    It went on for a while, but finally Mr. Tee See got to the point about source code:

    THE SOURCE CODE IS CONTAINED IN A SEALED TRUNK BOX, IT WAS REGISTERED AND DECLEARED AS CONTAINING HERO SANDWICHES, SO EVEN AS I AM WRITEING YOU NOW THE SECURITY AND IT'S AGENTS ARE NOT AWARE OF THE CONTENTS CONTAINED AS SOURCE CODE FOR THE HERO PHONE. LET ME ASURE YOU THAT THIS TRANSACTION IS 100% HITCH AND FRISK FREE.BASED ON YOUR ACCEPTING TO HELP ME I WILL BE GIVING YOU A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF PERCENTGE FOR YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THIS AND THIS WILL BE DISCUS UPON YOUR RESPONCE TO MY MAIL.

    I have been reading over the terms of the GPL and this all seems like everything is legal, but a week later I'm still no closer to getting that trunk full of source code. Every time Mr. Tee See emails me there's some hitch or another -- First the location of the trunk was encrypted so I had to FTP him a copy of GPG, then he needed SRPMs for OpenOffice.Org so he could clear up some kind of red tape, and now he wants me to copy all of /usr/src from FreeBSD on a web server for him.

    It's all very frustrating, but I'm convinced that Aitch Tee See is honest in his desire to get me the source code for the Hero. I will update you all when I finally receive it.

  2. Re:Kill them! by natehoy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, I did have a friend who owns a Lexus tell me, "Lexus is really the Cadillac of the automotive world". With a completely straight face (on their part, then a briefly befuddled one when I couldn't help burst out laughing).

    In his defense, he did laugh along with me when he realized how silly it sounded.

    I guess "HTC is the Jaguar of mobile phones" would work better.

    --
    "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
  3. Re:Definition of lust? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's lust. You get excited by the idea of something, knowing the real thing is actually bad for you, and will be shallow and unfulfilling if you really get your hands on it.

  4. Re:iPhone killer? by Verdatum · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Say you want iphone to be killer in the first place. There's an app for that."

  5. PLEASE STOP by DMiax · · Score: 5, Funny

    I am incredibly annoyed at people that RTFA and then post entire paragraphs in hope they get modded "Informative".

    IT IS AN ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

    for many reasons:
    1. not RTFAing is not lazyness, it's a principle. The parent did put a disclaimer ,but so many trick us into readng taboo content that it get very very disciminatory against thos of us with moral values.
    2. it may spawn an utterly informed thread, a situation to be avoided at all costs.
    3. in the same way it may bring to an end a highly speculative thread - that is the very essence of slashdot - just because it does not agree with the so-called "facts".
    4. the points 2 and 3 may affect other threads due to people inadvertently read the quote and reproducing it in other posts.

    On the other hand we appreciate and encourage your karma-whoring attempt, you will receive your mod points soon :)

  6. Re:Waiting for the Acer A1 phone by wimg · · Score: 1, Funny

    Read and weep, Apple geek : http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/173601/symbian_and_android_to_lead_mobile_os_market_in_2012.html
    And no, that's not an opinion story, it's a Gartner report.

    The iPhones will end up in the bin as quickly as they were bought...

  7. Re:Definition of lust? by ShieldW0lf · · Score: 2, Funny

    FTA: Going into the review, we desperately wanted to love this phone, but given the combination of a few poor hardware choices and an OS which outclasses the device it runs on, we can only recommend that you enter at your own risk.

    That sounds completely different then my definition of lust.


    They went into the review drunk on a Friday night. They sent the phone back to the manufacturer in a cab around 4 AM, and they wrote their findings when they woke up on Saturday afternoon. Haven't we all been there?

    --
    -1 Uncomfortable Truth