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Android 4.0 Source Code Coming "Soon"
itwbennett writes "Good news today for those of you who have been waiting for news about whether Google would be opening up the ICS source and for those of you who thought it was gone for good. Android engineer Dan Morrill revealed new information in the Android Building Google group yesterday evening, saying that Google plans 'to release the source for the recently-announced Ice Cream Sandwich soon, once it's available on devices.'"
The only reason they didn't release the Honeycomb source wasn't because of some shift to evilly exploiting the open source community (*cough* DARWIN), it was because it really really wasn't intended for phones. Google likely didn't want manufacturers hacking it into running on phones and giving a largely unsatisfactory experience. They always said this, and people still suspected Google of shifty evil motives. The ICS source being the unification of phone and tablet branches should keep people happy for a while...
Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
I can predict the next story already: "Android 4.0 Source Code Coming Any Day Now".
Followed by "Android 4.0 Source Code Coming Tomorrow".
After that there will be "Android 4.0 Source Code Coming Today".
Followed on the same day by "Android 4.0 Source Code Just Released".
And the next day "Android 4.0 Source Code Released Yesterday".
Closing with "Android 4.0 Source Code Release Confirmed".
So... please dump your comments to any of those below here and /. can skip posting them and post some actual news instead.
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I think the general idea is that quotation marks have been used because the word's a quotation. May be wrong, but that was just the impression I got.
Why wait till the software is stable? Even if you do believe in the myth that software ever is finished enough, isn't the one of the purposes of open source to have a few extra eyeballs to check if it is mature? There are zillions of real open source projects with both stable versions for everyday use and current state for development. Why does Google think Andoid is any different?
Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
The big question has been, since 'Ice Cream Sandwich', whether it would continue to be closed development/open source, or whether it would go closed entirely, except for a few GPL-obligated kernel bits...
No, that's never been a question for anyone other then the conspiracy minded. Google has been extremely clear and consistent about their reason for not releasing Honeycomb's source and about continuing with the open sourcing of Android as soon as the code base is fixed in ICS.
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
Depends. Nokia was considering Android and dumped it, because it was too painful. (Nokia provides a lot of services, especially in the area of location bases services they are competing with Google, and due to their offline navigation software they might pull people away from Google Maps.) Samsung is putting more effort in their Windows Phone devices.
The problem is, branching would be pointless: Android without Android App-store is not competitive. In case of Nokia, a great system was available already and they canceled it because of the lacking ecosystem. For others it will be the same problem.
DISCLAIMER: I work for Nokia, but here I state my personal opinion only. Statements are only made based on public available information.
Trolling is a art!
Mod parent under-rated.. they've said this from the start, but the trolls have been having a field day with how Android is now closed source, Google are so Evil, blah blah..
which is totally what she said
Yes, the ICS tree that will be released to AOSP is the same code used to do the build for Galaxy Nexus (among other products).
Instructions on building for Galaxy Nexus will likely end up here (alongside Nexus S):
http://source.android.com/source/building-devices.html
The handful of closed source userspace pieces necessary (some firmware, the hardware opengl libraries, samsung radio library, etc) will end up here:
http://code.google.com/android/nexus/drivers.html
(please disregard the unfortunate use of "drivers" here -- all the kernel drivers are GPLv2, none are closed source)
What's not included is the Google Mobile Apps (gmail, gcalendar, gtalk, maps, etc). These are proprietary Google applications, not part of the core Android platform (which consists of the lower level libraries, dalvik vm, framework libraries, services, core apps like phone, contacts, launcher, settings, etc, etc).
Those aren't "air quotes". Those are quotes. "Air quotes" are the ones you do with your fingers.
Google + android = open source fail.
At least with Apple you generally know where you stand.........(what did I just say!??)
Steve Jobs says:'I'm going to destroy Android': - Jobs declared 'thermonuclear war' on Google
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/im-going-to-destroy-android-jobs-declared-thermonuclear-war-on-google-20111021-1mbaq.html#ixzz1bPhM8NJY
Now the source code to android is open everyone on the planet can get IOS features (and more). We're way ahead because of Google.
No need to be an apologist for Apple. They've got enough cash to keep you in new shiny gadgets for at least 10 years. The rest of us can build and play with linux and android.
Android without Android App-store is not competitive.
By "Android App-store" did you mean Android Market? If so, then Amazon seems to be doing just fine with its own store. The only thing I haven't been able to get on it is, unfortunately, my bank's check deposit application.
I can't believe Slashdots readers are really as stupid as the last few posts about the Android source are making them appear to be.
Google was clear that Honeycomb's code was not going to be released because they did not want people attempting to shoehorn what was effectively a tablet OS on to mobile phones. End of story.
Google has also been clear that the ICS code will be released after the devices that are shipping with it roll out, which none have yet. Also end of story.
Really, has the intelligence of the average Slashdot reader fallen so low that these two simplistic statements have been rendered incomprehensible?
Nokia was considering Android and dumped it, because it was too painful.
Surely the $1 billion MS paid them to take on WP7 had something to do with it? I think Nokia was a bit silly in eschewing Android, personally ... but then, their previous decisions on phone OSes haven't really inspired confidence in their ability to pick the market.
Nokia owns Navteq (they sell map data). With focus on Android this asset would be wasted. They provide an offline navigation software. Incidentally I'm working on the location where this software is implemented. This would have been wasted as well. Nokia has a business unit around location based services. This is direct competition to Google and would have been wasted. OTOH, Bing maps is already using Navteq data for some time, MS and Nokia are both cooperating with Yahoo for quite some time, etc. All this is public available information, and I think it is enough reason to turn down Android. So I think it was rather a decision of building the own ecosystem for MeeGo faster or going for WP.
Of course the 1Billion did not hurt either, and I can imagine that Elop did have some good contacts to MS which helped building up the trust for negotiations. But I don't think this was the decisive issue.
Trolling is a art!
Assuming it's like Gingerbread, then yes and yes. Depending on your phone, you will probably need hardware drivers for some things, though (for which, just as with any linux distribution, you'll have to speak to the hardware manufacturers or wait until a compatible ROM is released by the phone manufacturer).
for e.g., Linux kernel is open source .i can always over write my kernel from the distro by downloading the source from kernel.org. can i do the same with android?
That's possibly not the best example for you to pick -- are you aware that Android runs on top of the linux kernel, and that you can build and install your own custom kernel on your Android system if you want?? But yes, you can download the full android source from here and build your own AOSP ROM should you so wish.
Of course, you could have found this out by using the search engine of your choice rather than trolling /. -- googling for "android source" brings up the relevant link on the first hit.
Did you know that Google allows competition on Android with their own services?
Example, did you know that Google allows hardware manufacturer or carrier to remove all Google services and apps from Android?
Example, did you know that Google does not pay anyone using Android or choosing Google services and apps in Android? Google does pay for device manufacturer and carrier part of the feed what it gains when user clicks an Ad when doing a search trough Google search widget when it is located to Android launch screen. But so does Google pay to Mozilla and every other who set Google search to search panel. It is same payment to every one.
And then third question. Did you know that Microsoft have paid tens of millions to Verizon and many other carrier in the world to sell Android phones where Google apps and services were replaced with Microsoft own services?
Example, Search is done with Bing, Emailing is done trough Hotmail, Calender and contacts are linked to Hotmail, news reader is pulling data from Microsoft news services.
Oh, and did you know that user who bought such Android device, can not remove those Microsoft services and Apps or install Google replacements? So user who bought such Android phone, is locked to Microsoft permamentally on that phone.
Google allows open development, you only need to join to that development alliance. Google does manage the Android project as someone needs to do it. But before Google release the Android source codes for everyone, it has released it to Android alliance partners. They can modify the code as they want for their handsets and prepare them to release.
The open development does not mean that every person out there is allowed to download sources and push changes to Android project.
If it would, then not even any GNU project is open development as upstream (what Android Alliance is) do not need to accept modifications or patches if not wanted.
And even GPLv2 how Linux operating system in Android is licensed, denies the other people having the source code than those who have the binary.
Even the one of the most puriest open source licenses do not force source code to be published to everyone, only for those who has the binary.
Google does not need to release Android source code (GPLv2 + Apache etc) for everyone until binaries are released and still they are following open development idea.
Air quotes don't have to be scare quotes. You can use the gesture to indicate that you are repeating an official party line without allowing the irony into your spoken word. Useful for expressing irony without being caught. In some countries, irony might get you shot. Hell, if you kick a little too much in front of some NYPD whiteshirts, you might get punched in the face, even if you're some old lady.
Yes, everything is about politics :p
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
They've said this from the start, but Open Source means you can get the source, and they're not giving the source, which means that an entire release is not Open Source. Maybe every other version of Android is, but those with those devices are running a non-Open-Source version of Android, period, the end. Clear and consistent? Clearly, consistently, not Open Source, until they release the source, at least to their customers.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Assuming you can download the app which allows app downloads, or so GP appears to saying. If, as he indicates, there is a legal problem with loading the Android Market on a CM device than in theory CM (as a usable system, since the applications are what make the OS do anything useful) is also illegal. Now granted that doesn't mean much in a practical sense, Google doesn't seem to be the type of company to hunt down individual modders and sue them; but it's still somewhat philosophically unfortunate given that Google touts Android as an "Open" system.
I don't need a million points of light, just two points of multi-mode fiber and a 10 Gig-E router.