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Chinese IT Ministry Looks Askance At Google's Control of Android
itwbennett writes "In what one expert is calling a clear message to China's tech industry that the authorities want to support a homegrown mobile operating system, China's tech regulator warns in a white paper that the country is becoming too dependent on Google's Android OS. 'Our country's mobile operating system research and development is heavily reliant on Android,' reads the white paper from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. 'Although the Android system currently remains open source, the core technologies and technology roadmap is strictly controlled by Google.'"
Pot, kettle, black.
Can't impose proper surveillance on their people :
Don't like it? Fork it. It's like the typical copycat bullshit China usually does, only better. Others have already taken the initiative:
http://news.yahoo.com/three-android-forks-exist-today-135000744.html
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
Fork it and do not depend on google.
Who in their right mind would install a chinese OS on their device, unless it was Open Source. And i'd still be nervous even then.
But most of the cheap knockoffs *run* android.
Of course the Chinese might be able to fork some of it, and the Apache licensee lets them do this without giving back. But then, given that 50% Android phones pay a tribute to MS, the Chinese government might get into trouble for being a pirate nation, unless of course they pay tribute to MS>
"She's a scientist and a lesbian. She's not going to let it slide." Orphan Black
There are already a number of Android forks in China, including one by the Chinese search giant Baidu, who has also replaced Google as the default search engine in most of the Android phones there.
cf. "Android is failing by succeeding in China"
The Google "control" of Android doesn't seem to be doing much to deter Chinese companies.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Not entirely true. Google initially created Android and released it as open source. But Android today is governed by the Open Handset Alliance. Several companies (including hardware ones) have a say in Android development, not just Google.
http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/android_overview.html
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
I could use a good sucking.
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
Just curious...
If you want to look smart and use a rarely encountered word such as "askance", you should at least remember not to capitalize a preposition.
I like fine vocabulary just like any other intellectual, but pretense bothers me - a lot.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
A bullet to the base of the skull won't do it.
Most likely, China just wants control of the OS used on phones within its Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.
Definition of ASKANCE
1: with a side-glance : obliquely
2: with disapproval or distrust : scornfully
Guess that's the word of the day...
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How come China is now complaining about Android dominance and they are using window$ without any complaints
Because China knows they have Microsoft by the ball$. All they have to do is threaten to move a small part of their operations over to Linux and maybe close Microsoft's Beijing R&D office and Microsoft will give them the keys to the kingdom.
I'm guessing that what China really wants is the ability to put back doors and kill switches into communications platforms used there. Microsoft (and other businesses, like RIM) will do that For A Few Dollars More.
Have gnu, will travel.
And since it doesn't seem like it's been mentioned yet, Google can't even stop Amazon, another American company that has to follow all the US rules on copyright and patents, from making their own incredibly successful fork of Android and cutting Google out of the revenue stream entirely. Why does China, who generally takes a "look the other way" attitude even when actual copyright and patent issues are involved, feel like they need to be concerned in this case?
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Explanation. Microsoft are disloyal, money grubbing sellout who would give those Communists a long, leisurely blowjob if they thought they could make a few bucks out of it. No doubt Microsoft are happy to do anything to keep the Chinese happy.
Google have higher standards, and to their credit, have told the commies to fuck off in the past.
This is why the dictators are all whiny and butthurt now. Because Google won't let them have their own way and oppress China and the world.
That is also why America needs to stop our reliance on China as well. It is high time for us to stop their dumping, subsidies, and money fixing, or using any of their parts/equipment in our gear.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Bill gates and his companies work closely with China and give up all of their technology to them.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Android is only "open" in name. Google will put the ban hammer on you if you fork it, just like Microsoft did to squelch BeOS.
http://www.zdnet.com/cn/report-google-stops-acer-from-launching-aliyun-phone-in-china-7000004246/
http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Google-prevents-Acer-from-distributing-phones-with-Aliyun-OS-1709555.html
Also, forking the SDK is now banned. How is Android open again?
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/01/04/1339206/the-android-sdk-is-no-longer-free-software
Yeah!! What's not to love about a mobile OS that has all the security of the Chinese State Department? On the bright side, every back door to the system will be built there intentionally so you'll know exactly where they all are.
Most of my kitchen appliances and electronics are Chinese now. Whos what they are doing when i am sleeping? :-)
Remember the expression: "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" ? Well it's exactly what China continues to do. China offers hardware and we buy it and continue to do so. On the other hand, we make intellectual products and they copy them so they don't have to buy them from us. I wish we could automate more of our manufacturing so we can reduce on dependance on China and make them realise that it's a two way affair, not one way.
'Although the Android system currently remains open source, the core technologies and technology roadmap is strictly controlled by Google.'
Isn't the core technology actually the kernel, and strictly controlled by Linus Torvalds?
No, "core" is being used in the context of the user experience. In this context Linux is not a core technology of Android. Its just the kernel underneath that very few interact with directly. It could be replaced and few apps or users would notice or care.
The core technologies being referred to are search, cloud services and storage, factory installed apps (ex maps), etc. Maybe the store, purchases.
<racism>Andloid?</racism>
Google paid for the development of Android and then released it as open source. They try to make that money back through licenses and mobile search ads.
If you don't like it, then you're free to install a forked ROM that caters to your privacy needs, because Google released it as open source and even encourages Android fork development. And they'll be happy to sell you hardware without a locked bootloader, making it even easier to do this.
Google wants to make money, but they're giving you the tools and freedom to do what you want.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
But most of the cheap knockoffs *run* android.
As someone with a Chinese tablet (Ainol Novo 7 Flame) that runs android, I can safely say 2 things-
1. They are not knockoffs. The midrange to high end Chinese tablets often have better or more features than ones pushed by big american companies. Micro-SD slots, support for 3G dongles, HDMI out, front AND rear cameras at a non-stupid price etc. Sure, there are a lot of really horrible sub-$100 chinese tablets out there. But you can get a very nice device which is on par with the Nexus 7/10 for 70-80% of the price. Chinese companies push new and better versions much faster than American companies.
There are disadvantages (market fragmentation and model confusion, the low end is really low, questionable lifecycle support) and advantages (nobody pushing you to use "their" store, adding internal memory isn't stupidly expensive, micro-SD slots, bleeding-edge technology is available before anybody else, etc) to the Chinese tabletmaker approach. They are different devices for different people.
2. Chinese companies generally do whatever they feel like doing with the software and couldn't care less about what Google or any other american company would want them to do.
Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
gimmie google any day over that.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
re: I'm guessing that what China really wants is the ability to put back doors and kill switches into communications platforms used there. Microsoft...
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That seems like the most likely answer. China would definitely want central control and a centrally throwable kill switch. But China would also have to worry that some TLA from the USA might convince MS to introduce a few extra features into the mix. China would be better off building its own mash-up OS, preferably one from open source so that they could look at all of the code when they compile the final package.
.
So ironic for an iron-fisted government to have to cradle the soft-warm-fuzzy underbelly of open-sourcery in order to get what it needs. Otherwise, they have to worry about Stuxnet like trojans or other hidden gateways and messengers.