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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.'"

27 of 362 comments (clear)

  1. Umm.... by zixxt · · Score: 4, Interesting
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    1. Re:Umm.... by sapphire+wyvern · · Score: 5, Informative

      They're letter codes with a dessert theme. The first letter of the name is in alphabetical order.

      C = Cupcake = 1.something
      D = Donut = 2.0
      E = Eclair = 2.1
      F = FroYo = 2.2
      G = Gingerbread = 2.3
      H = Honeycomb = 3.0
      I = Ice Cream Sandwich = 4.0

      I'm not sure what the B version was called. The next version will presumably start with J. Jelly maybe?

    2. Re:Umm.... by Anthony+Mouse · · Score: 5, Informative

      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.

    3. Re:Umm.... by Thantik · · Score: 4, Funny

      A = Alpha
      B = Beta

    4. Re:Umm.... by Anthony+Mouse · · Score: 4, Insightful

      what good will it be to get the source?

      See obvious answer here.

      Having the source to the drivers would be preferable as then they could be improved as well, but nothing other than being a purist stops you from using the binary blobs as-is and improving the code that is open source.

    5. Re:Umm.... by tlhIngan · · Score: 3, Informative

      have a question....what good will it be to get the source?

      Well, a ton of devices use AOSP - Kindle Fire, Nook, many tablets and phones, so those will get 4.0 when it comes out.

      The other reason is if you have the True Android Phone. Or several now - the Nexus One, Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus phones, which are completely open and trivial to enable installing your own OS. Which is the whole point of Android.

      The other phones? They're merely Android compatibles. Most have roots and other stuff that let you get them closer to the true Android phones.

    6. Re:Umm.... by brian.swetland · · Score: 5, Informative

      There are remarkably few binary blobs in Android lead devices (some OEMs add more proprietary goop to their own phones though).

      http://source.android.com/source/building-devices.html

      Nexus S, for example, requires these pieces above and beyond the available open source userspace and kernel code:
      - opengl userspace libraries (ImaginationTech)
      - radio interface library (Samsung) -- glue between the Android Telephony stack and the Radio
      - firmware for bt/wifi chip (Broadcom)
      - GPS userspace library (Broadcom)
      - NFC firmware / loader library (NXP)
      - auto-calibration library for orientation sensor (AKM)

      The closed pieces are available here, under a license that allows you to use them in your own builds, and even to redistribute (non-commercially) entire flashable OS images including them.

      We continue to work to reduce the number of closed binaries needed on the lead Android devices. We have *never* shipped a lead device that includes any non-gpl/bsd kernel code.

    7. Re:Umm.... by oakgrove · · Score: 3

      We continue to work to reduce the number of closed binaries needed on the lead Android devices. We have *never* shipped a lead device that includes any non-gpl/bsd kernel code.

      Thank you! Great work and I can't wait to get my hands on the Galaxy Nexus!

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  2. Impatient, much? by mariasama16 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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!

    1. Re:Impatient, much? by amRadioHed · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Right, or in the words of Matias Duarte "On Honeycomb we cheated, we cut the corner of all that smaller device support. That’s the sole reason we haven’t open sourced it."

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  3. Too Early, comes with official update push by Kotoku · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    1. Re:Too Early, comes with official update push by ScrewMaster · · Score: 4, Interesting

      CyanogenMod 9. They're skipping 8 because 8 was supposed to be for Honeycomb.

      Well, I hope the Cyanogenmod project continues. Steve Kondik is now working for Samsung: what that will do to his priorities (and to what is actually allowed to do on CMx) is hard to say. I hope it goes on: that one project has advanced the state-of-the-Android-art considerably. For the past couple of years, I won't even consider a device that I can't root and put my CM on.

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  4. Incorrect by rainwater · · Score: 5, Insightful

    > "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

  5. FUD Alert. FUD Alert by CritterNYC · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

  6. Re:Well then why bring it up? by ozmanjusri · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Exactly.

    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?

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  7. No shit by Rebelgecko · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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)

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  8. Re:Well then why bring it up? by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

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  9. The Sky Is Falling? by Frosty+Piss · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, essentially, this "story" is nothing more than I-Hate-Google-The-Sky-Is-Falling conspiracy speculation nonsense.

    Is Slashdot pandering for page-views?

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  10. Slashdot is turning into Fox News by Flipao · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Fear mongering headlines followed by outright lies in the summaries, and people eat it up...

  11. Re:Bad title. by compro01 · · Score: 3, Informative

    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.

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  12. Re:FUD Alert. FUD Alert by onefriedrice · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

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  13. Re:Bad title. by shellbeach · · Score: 4, Informative

    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?

  14. That's the opposite of what he said by EboMike · · Score: 5, Informative

    Quoting JBQ's post from today: "yes, that means ICS will be coming to AOSP".

    https://plus.google.com/112218872649456413744/posts/HB5qQHeNKBQ

  15. Re:Well then why bring it up? by ozmanjusri · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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."
  16. Re:Well then why bring it up? by MrHanky · · Score: 3, Informative

    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.

  17. Lies damm lies and Slashdot by LWATCDR · · Score: 3, Informative

    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.

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  18. Re:Well then why bring it up? by scot4875 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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

    --
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