Slashdot Mirror
Android Source Code Gone For Good?
First time accepted submitter vyrus128 writes "Many people were upset at the revelation, reported here in May, that the Honeycomb version of Android would not be open sourced. But Google promised that the next version, Ice Cream Sandwich, would have full source available. Now that ICS is out, though, the source is nowhere in sight. In the thread, Android's Jean-Baptiste Queru offers the following, as to the question of whether source will ever be made available: 'At the moment I don't have anything to say on that subject.'"
http://groups.google.com/group/android-building/msg/c73c14f9b0dcd15a?pli=1
---- GENERATION 26: The first time you see this, copy it into your sig on any forum and add 1 to the generation.
It's your God-given right as an American. Sue for the source! Where's RMS?
Wait, so the fact that the OS was announced 24 hours ago, its not been released on any phone/device/etc yet and people are STILL whining that the source is not released?! I want their time machine!
This is a dumb news story. History has shown that the source release hits the AOSP shortly after the update is pushed to phones (presumably to protect against any major flaws before it is rolled out to devs).
SDK has been released, SDK Roms should be out soon and by December ICS source should be under heavy development for CM 8 and other roms if history is any indicator.
Google reported on the live stream last night plans to put the ICS source up, something they said they had no plans to do with Honeycomb.
AnimePapers.org: Anime Wallpapers Handled With Care
Chill out, guys, it's been exactly a day since this all released. They said it will be released, give them time. If we don't have it within a month, THEN worry. ...How long does it usually take them to release the source code?
> "Now that ICS is out" Wow. What has happened to Slashdot? ICS is not out. The first device, the Galaxy Nexus, doesn't get released until next month. And Google did announce ASOP would be released once it is released to the first ICS devices. Basically, everything posted was incorrect. Nice try though
Dan Morrill
Oct 20, 4:29 am
Hi!
As you know, like many other projects the Android Open-Source Project was
affected by the recent kernel.org downtime. So, we’re pleased to let you
know that the Gingerbread source code is now available again, and AOSP git
servers are back online.
Even before the kernel.org downtime, it was clear that AOSP was sometimes
taxing kernel.org’s git infrastructure. When we did the Gingerbread source
release, for example, load due to AOSP made part of kernel.org unusable for
several days. This isn’t fair to kernel.org’s staff or the community, so for
some time we’ve been preparing our own git hosting on Google servers.
We were finishing up just as kernel.org experienced their downtime, so the
Gingerbread source is now available on Google’s servers. Accordingly, the
git URLs have changed.
Here are the instructions to access the new git servers:
- You need to get the latest version of the repo tool:
curl https://dl-ssl.google.com/dl/googlesource/git-repo/repo > ~/bin/repo
- You need to initialize a new repository:
repo init -u https://android.googlesource.com/platform/manifest -b
android-2.3.7_r1
- The full instructions are at
http://source.android.com/source/downloading.html
There are a few limitations to be aware of:
- Our priority has been getting the main source code mirrors back online,
so for the moment gitweb source browsing and Gerrit Code Review are still
unavailable.
- We are now working on bringing AOSP’s Gerrit Code Review site back up,
and hope to be able to say something here soon.
- It might be a little while longer before gitweb comes back,
unfortunately, since Gerrit Code Review is the next priority.
- To reiterate, these servers contain only the ‘gingerbread’ and ‘master’
branches from the old AOSP servers. We plan to release the source for the
recently-announced Ice Cream Sandwich soon, once it’s available on devices.
- As these new servers are, well, new, there may be hiccups if we
encounter unexpected issues. However we’re keeping a close eye on them and
will respond to any issues as quickly as possible.
Finally, we’d like to send a huge “thank-you” to the kernel.org community
and Oregon State University Open-Source Lab staff. They’ve done an
incredible job hosting the AOSP source code mirror and Gerrit Code Review
for nearly 3 years. Without them, it’s safe to say that AOSP would not be
where we are today.
Thanks, and happy coding!
- Dan
"Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far
This is FUD based on nothing. Google has said for quite some time that Gingerbread was available, that Honeycomb would be closed and only suited for tablets and that Ice Cream Sandwich would have the source available once it was released. Google was true to their word and everything for 2.x is available and 3.x is closed. The post linked to in the main article is the sources they are required to release (GPL) now that the Ice Cream Sandwich SDK is available. It should be noted that Ice Cream Sandwich itself as an OS has not been released and is not available on any shipping product. They've already said "We plan to release the source for the recently-announced Ice Cream Sandwich soon, once it’s available on devices." It's not available on devices yet.
Portable versions of Firefox, GIMP, LibreOffice, etc
More precisely, everything after 2.3 is up in the air. When 3.0 was released, we were promised source code for 3.1. Then 3.1 was released, and it was - "no, we've changed our numbering scheme so 3.1 is actually a minor update to 3.0, and what we previously called 3.1 will actually be 4.0". Now 4.0 is out, and Google are being very evasive about the question of source code. My guess is that the partners have become more powerful, and convinced Google that they should have a competitive advantage over the clone manufacturers in China. We might see the Honeycomb source soon, but I wouldn't expect ICS source at least until Jelly Roll is in the hands of Samsung, HTC, Motorola and Sony Ericcson.
Google has said all along: "We plan to release the source for the recently-announced Ice Cream Sandwich soon, once it’s available on devices."
What's with all the Android-baiting on Slashdot lately? Did Microsoft buy some more advertising?
"I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
Why should they release the source for an OS that isn't even out in the wild yet? They've already said that the source will be released once the Galaxy Nexus is in stores (probably so that the Nexus is actually the first phone running 4.0. I'm there will be plenty of custom ROMs for other phones/tablets within days of the ICS source being released)
CATS/Diebold '08- All your vote are belong to us!
I welcome that kind of pressure to keep Google honest. Something has to push back against the many pressures to keep Google dishonest, and to keep Android source unavailable. Pressure from the large geek community is good.
--
make install -not war
So, essentially, this "story" is nothing more than I-Hate-Google-The-Sky-Is-Falling conspiracy speculation nonsense.
Is Slashdot pandering for page-views?
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Fear mongering headlines followed by outright lies in the summaries, and people eat it up...
Now 4.0 is out.
4.0 is out? Where? The first phone running 4.0 (the Galaxy Nexus) doesn't come out til next month.
upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
Or do you happen to know someone who has a device running Honeycomb and was able to follow up on the legal requirement that the source be made available to them?
I haven't followed Google's behavior with the Android source code that closely, but what legal requirement are you talking about? I thought Android was Apache licensed?
Regardless of Android's license, there is no legal requirement for Google to release any code except portions to which they do not hold the copyright and are licensed (to Google) under viral conditions (i.e. GPL). Google's own code (as long as it is not classified as a derivative of someone else's work under the GPL), even if it was released under the GPL (or any open source license) in the past, does not have to be provided freely because Google is the copyright holder and therefore is not subject to the license as if they were a licensee.
As far as I'm aware, Google is adhering to any licensing terms that they are subject to. They also open source some of their own code, as well. Non-story.
This author takes full ownership and responsibility for the unpopular opinions outlined above.
4.0 is out? Where? The first phone running 4.0 (the Galaxy Nexus) doesn't come out til next month.
You can run ICS quite happily in the android emulator from the SDK right now. So, yeah, it's out.
The source isn't out yet, but Google's been very specific that it will be released in the next few weeks ("We plan to release the source for the recently-announced Ice Cream Sandwich soon, once it’s available on devices") just as Gingerbread was.
This post is a joke -- it focuses on the comments on an engineer who has nothing to do with the ICS code release, and says as much. However, some people seem so convinced that Google's gone full-evil that they're jumping on every "no comment".
Don't /. editors check stories for troll submissions these days?
Quoting JBQ's post from today: "yes, that means ICS will be coming to AOSP".
https://plus.google.com/112218872649456413744/posts/HB5qQHeNKBQ
A lot of things (like politics, for instance) would be better if we called people on their bullshit - constantly - rather than let them get away with it.
Thankfully we finally have people leveraging the power of the Internet and aggregating data with things like Politifact and the Obameter, so the populous can be more informed if they want to be more informed. Sadly, a lot of them still don't seem to care.
I do feel a fair bit of hope that there are a lot of younger people who try to be more connected to the world, though. They read the news (and not just Fox's "UHMERICUH FUCK YEAH" shows), they protest, they petition... maybe idealism is something that only the young are good at.
Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
I thought it odd I saw this thread on Slashdot after I'd read this article:
http://www.zdnetasia.com/android-4-0-to-be-open-source-in-coming-weeks-62302580.htm
"Rubin said Ice Cream Sandwich will be open source "in a couple of weeks" when Samsung's Galaxy Nexus ships and manufacturers will be free to push the update to their current range of devices. Going open source means manufacturers will be able to put Android 4.0 into their own devices and cut their own ROMs for existing products."
Sorry but it's not just a word. It has power that can't be willed away. If you use it like that you're asking for trouble, regardless of your intention. I find it offensive (as would most other residents of the United States, I'd guess), particularly when used the way you just used it. You can't make that reality go away by saying "get over it, people".
I knew it will happen :) Soon hard-core linux fans will ban android phones and declare them unclean and all android users as infidels, LOL.
Why is it anti-Android sentiments are assumed to be the product of Microsoft?
You notice nobody at Slashdot is discussing the OS itself?
Despite other commentators recognizing that a new release of the most popular smartphone OS in the world is a big event, and that the new version is a significant improvement, all the discussion here is about what Microsoft has said about it, or more lame versions of the long-running trolling over source code.
Meanwhile, this is what the real world is saying:
"Android ICS offers a massive array of improvements over its predecessors bringing the best of both Gingerbread and Honeycomb while providing a raft of new innovations."
http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/android-4-0-ice-cream-sandwich-everything-you-need-to-know-954464
"I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
Actually, the phone version of Android, 2.X, is still Open Source. Only the tablet version (3.X) and ICS, which isn't available in any product are closed.
Dilbert RSS feed
1) No one does that. 2) It is open. CyanogenMod makes Gingerbread available to an awful lot of devices with source and everything. It's the latest code currently available on Android phones, in actual fact.
I hope that when you grow up, you become more honest. Otherwise, you'll be unsuitable for politics.
And this is the view that keeps the word's power. Contrast with gay. The homosexual community embraced the various slurs that people used against them. It's now hard to find a word to describe a homosexual that is intrinsically insulting - only the attitude of the speaker matters, as it should be. In contrast, people get hyper-defensive about people saying 'nigger', giving it a taboo status.
I am TheRaven on Soylent News
Yes, and in USAGE this word is a derogatory term.
As I stated before, saying you use a certain word with a different meaning than recognized by current society does not make it so.
The meaning of words is determined by the masses (those you want to understand what you're saying), not the individual.
Slashdot social media options: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Jabber and Mobile Text. Why no MySpace?
There's a difference between keeping up pressure on companies to do the right thing (good) and blatant overreactions that harm the company's image without justification (bad). Claiming that the fact that the source isn't available the second the OS is released, despite assurances from the company that it would be open source and nothing official to the contrary, somehow means the end of all open source from said company forever is just insanity level overreaction. Let's give them a chance to do the right thing before we all don the Guy Fawkes masks and march on Google HQ.
Yes, now I don't have to say it. Google would be ill-advised to add more fuel to the fire of the Oracle v. Google case. And it does not matter whether there is or isn't infringing code -- copyright or patent. The additional time wasted in litigation is additional money and potential risk.
Anyone complaining about Google not releasing source code when the whole of the Android platform is being threatened either isn't seeing the larger picture or isn't interested in Android's future.
Let's start with the lie in the summary.
"Now that ICS is out, though, the source is nowhere in sight. "
ICS isn't out. It has been shown but it is not out.
And we have this statement " - To reiterate, these servers contain only the ‘gingerbread’ and ‘master’
branches from the old AOSP servers. We plan to release the source for the
recently-announced Ice Cream Sandwich soon, once it’s available on devices. "
Source: http://groups.google.com/group/android-building/msg/c73c14f9b0dcd15a?pli=1
In other words this is all click bait and the summary should be appended.
The source will be released when the phones are released aka when the program is distributed the source code will be released.
Wow now Slashdot is now Trolling.
See my blog http://ilovecookes.blogspot.com/ for light hearted technical information.
I'm really not that worried about this possibility, simply because Google would be fools to not release the code and they know it. They've benefited greatly from contributions to projects like Cyanogen, and the collective will of the Internet tends to come up with a lot of good ideas for them to integrate back into the official distribution.
I suppose it's possible that they *could* just decide "oh, we'll let them keep playing with Gingerbread and just steal any good ideas we see," but I think they know that's short-sighted and will cost them a lot more than good will.
--Jeremy
Jesus was a liberal