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Jolla's Sailfish OS Now Certified as Russian Government's First 'Android Alternative' (techcrunch.com)

Posted by msmash on from the things-russia-likes dept.

The future for one of the few remaining alternative mobile OS platforms, Jolla's Sailfish OS, looks to be taking clearer shape. Today the Finnish company which develops and maintains the core code, with the aim of licensing it to others, announced Sailfish has achieved domestic certification in Russia for government and corporate use. TechCrunch adds:In recent years the Russian government has made moves to encourage the development of alternatives to the duopoly of US-dominated smartphone platforms, Android and Apple's iOS -- flagging Sailfish as one possibility, along with Tizen. Although Sailfish looks to have won out as the preferred Android alternative for Russia at this point. The government has said it wants to radically reduce its reliance on foreign mobile OSes -- to 50 per cent by 2025 vs the 95 per cent of the market garnered by Android and iOS in 2015. Sailfish's local certification in Russia also follows an announcement earlier this year that a new Russian company, Open Mobile Platform (OMP), had licensed the OS with the intention of developing a custom version of the platform for use in the domestic market. So, in other words, a Russian, strategic 'Android alternative' is currently being built on Sailfish.

3 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. I just want some fucking choices by geek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Android is shit. Complete and total garbage. You're either stuck with insecure software with it or stuck with Google spyware.

    iOS is at least secure but you're stuck in a walled fucking garden with Apple spying on you instead.

    Just give me something with the apps I want, without the spying and with security updates, please for the love of God.

    1. Re:I just want some fucking choices by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You're begging for the wrong thing.

      What you really want is well-documented, open hardware that anyone can program; then you'll automatically get all the choices you want. That's what gave us the PC revolution, and that's what will give us the actual mobile revolution, which has unfortunately not yet occurred.

  2. Re:In Russia, certification owns you. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    At least we'll have a choice on what government is watching us.