Why are you defending google so much? Do you have google stock or some shit? Google is a corporation. Their decisions are based on money nowdays. The original guys are long gone.
I'm defending Google because right now Nexus devices are the only phones that reasonably respect their users' right to unlock the bootloader. I dread living in a world dominated by Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft.
Your secure boot theory sort of undermines your user rights argument. So in your scenario of why the limitation might be justified you can add Google to that domination list.:-)
I have no idea what you're talking about. Android 7 has a new secure booting mechanism, but it's not the same as Intel's SecureBoot that (theoretically) locks the bootloader. You can still unlock the bootloader on Nexus phones. Indeed, Google even advertises that as a benefit.
I don't know and there's no point in baseless speculation. I would guess it would be something like a security chip in the Nexus 5 isn't compatible with the new secure boot mechanism, but again, I have no idea.
Even if it were a secure boot issue that is also an arbitrary business decision. Secure boot could be a feature only supported on devices with a compatible security chip. It is not a technical decision as "not enough RAM" would be.
"Not enough RAM" is an equally arbitrary restriction -- they could only change the OS in ways that don't use additional system resources.
Why are you defending google so much? Do you have google stock or some shit? Google is a corporation. Their decisions are based on money nowdays. The original guys are long gone.
I'm defending Google because right now Nexus devices are the only phones that reasonably respect their users' right to unlock the bootloader. I dread living in a world dominated by Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft.
I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, but what do you suggest Google does? Close the source on Android? That defeats its primary advantage over iOS -- nobody can beat Apple at being Apple.
Compare this to desktop machines though. Microsoft of Ubuntu or whoever makes your OS can issue updates. As soon as those updates are made available, you can update your desktop computer. You don't have to wait for HP, Dell, or anybody else to allow you to make that update to your desktop computer. Why can't phones work the same way? When Google updates Android, I should be able to apply that update, and the manufacturer of the device should have no control over whether or not that update is applied.
Well, if you bought a phone with an unlockable bootloader, you can flash whatever OS you want on it. As I wrote elsewhere, even the original Galaxy Nexus from 2011 can get the Cyanogenmod equivalent of Android Marshmallow this way.
But the main "problem" (if you want to consider it so) with Android is that it's a FOSS platform. Apple and Microsoft heavily strangle their respective closed platforms so that OEMs and carriers can't do anything to interfere with Apple's and Microsoft's business (aside from, in the case of Windows, pre-installing bloatware). But since anybody can legally install Android on anything, Google can't use the same kind of leverage. Well, that's a good thing, I say. It means I'm not on Google's leash.
I don't know and there's no point in baseless speculation. I would guess it would be something like a security chip in the Nexus 5 isn't compatible with the new secure boot mechanism, but again, I have no idea.
Sorry, you're going to need to back up "99% of people are now running pwned phones" with some facts (which are to be distinguished from the refuse coming from your ass).
Google patches their OS. OEMs and carriers don't send them downstream, and there's nothing Google can do about it because Android is FOSS and you can do whatever you like with it. The fact that iOS is restricted and closed gives the illusion that iPhones have better security, but if anybody could sell iOS devices beside Apple, their ecosystem would look just as bad.
You're right. But I also would like to point out that probably the best reason to buy a Nexus phone is the easily unlocked bootloader. While it's probably a bit too hard for ordinary plebs to do, it's effortless for a tech person to unlock the bootloader on a Nexus device and flash the newest version of Cyanogenmod. You can get the equivalent to Marshmallow on phones from 2011 and older, making them last longer than iPhones.
Who says the Nexus 5 isn't getting updates anymore? It's not getting Android 7, but Google updates older OS releases, just like Apple still gives security updates for macOS 10.9.
Leave Thunderbird alone! It does everything I want it to and nothing I don't. I heavily use extensions whose developers haven't touched it for 5+ years, and I don't want them to break for some features I won't use.
It's still getting security updates, just leave it at that.
I'm sure their C programmers could be off fixing bugs right now, except they're being forced into doing art design.
That, or these are completely separate offices in Mozilla and whether or not they change Firefox's logo has absolutely no bearing on its technical progress.
LG's been talking about cutting their mobile division entirely, so I don't doubt how cutthroat the competition is. But it seems awfully unlikely that Samsung and Apple are the only profiteers, since Lenovo and Huawei both boast about how much money they're taking in.
Slashdot Mirror
Why are you defending google so much? Do you have google stock or some shit? Google is a corporation. Their decisions are based on money nowdays. The original guys are long gone.
I'm defending Google because right now Nexus devices are the only phones that reasonably respect their users' right to unlock the bootloader. I dread living in a world dominated by Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft.
Your secure boot theory sort of undermines your user rights argument. So in your scenario of why the limitation might be justified you can add Google to that domination list. :-)
I have no idea what you're talking about. Android 7 has a new secure booting mechanism, but it's not the same as Intel's SecureBoot that (theoretically) locks the bootloader. You can still unlock the bootloader on Nexus phones. Indeed, Google even advertises that as a benefit.
I don't know and there's no point in baseless speculation. I would guess it would be something like a security chip in the Nexus 5 isn't compatible with the new secure boot mechanism, but again, I have no idea.
Even if it were a secure boot issue that is also an arbitrary business decision. Secure boot could be a feature only supported on devices with a compatible security chip. It is not a technical decision as "not enough RAM" would be.
"Not enough RAM" is an equally arbitrary restriction -- they could only change the OS in ways that don't use additional system resources.
Why are you defending google so much? Do you have google stock or some shit? Google is a corporation. Their decisions are based on money nowdays. The original guys are long gone.
I'm defending Google because right now Nexus devices are the only phones that reasonably respect their users' right to unlock the bootloader. I dread living in a world dominated by Samsung, Apple, and Microsoft.
Nothing google can do? Keep on keeping.
I'm not sure what that's supposed to mean, but what do you suggest Google does? Close the source on Android? That defeats its primary advantage over iOS -- nobody can beat Apple at being Apple.
Compare this to desktop machines though. Microsoft of Ubuntu or whoever makes your OS can issue updates. As soon as those updates are made available, you can update your desktop computer. You don't have to wait for HP, Dell, or anybody else to allow you to make that update to your desktop computer. Why can't phones work the same way? When Google updates Android, I should be able to apply that update, and the manufacturer of the device should have no control over whether or not that update is applied.
Well, if you bought a phone with an unlockable bootloader, you can flash whatever OS you want on it. As I wrote elsewhere, even the original Galaxy Nexus from 2011 can get the Cyanogenmod equivalent of Android Marshmallow this way.
But the main "problem" (if you want to consider it so) with Android is that it's a FOSS platform. Apple and Microsoft heavily strangle their respective closed platforms so that OEMs and carriers can't do anything to interfere with Apple's and Microsoft's business (aside from, in the case of Windows, pre-installing bloatware). But since anybody can legally install Android on anything, Google can't use the same kind of leverage. Well, that's a good thing, I say. It means I'm not on Google's leash.
I don't know and there's no point in baseless speculation. I would guess it would be something like a security chip in the Nexus 5 isn't compatible with the new secure boot mechanism, but again, I have no idea.
I perfectly understand that.
For most unsavvy people though, "no new major OS update" = "no updates at all".
"Your phone isn't running Android 7.0? Wow, what a turd!"
Um, alright? And that's better than people with the iPhone 6s Plus 128GB mocking other iPhone users for having inferior devices?
Why don't you install Firefox on it?
Sorry, you're going to need to back up "99% of people are now running pwned phones" with some facts (which are to be distinguished from the refuse coming from your ass).
Google patches their OS. OEMs and carriers don't send them downstream, and there's nothing Google can do about it because Android is FOSS and you can do whatever you like with it. The fact that iOS is restricted and closed gives the illusion that iPhones have better security, but if anybody could sell iOS devices beside Apple, their ecosystem would look just as bad.
You're right. But I also would like to point out that probably the best reason to buy a Nexus phone is the easily unlocked bootloader. While it's probably a bit too hard for ordinary plebs to do, it's effortless for a tech person to unlock the bootloader on a Nexus device and flash the newest version of Cyanogenmod. You can get the equivalent to Marshmallow on phones from 2011 and older, making them last longer than iPhones.
Android 4.4 and 5.1 got security updates a month ago: https://android.googlesource.c...
Granted, OEMs and carriers are probably blocking those from getting to 99% of peoples' phones, but that's not Google's fault.
Who says the Nexus 5 isn't getting updates anymore? It's not getting Android 7, but Google updates older OS releases, just like Apple still gives security updates for macOS 10.9.
That line seemed to be the submitter's personal opinion and not backed up by anything in the linked article.
We don't know why Google didn't push an update for the Nexus 5.
Older Android versions still get security releases.
Ironically, I can't download Seamonkey right now because I'm getting a Firefox security error about download.cdn.mozilla.net being misconfigured :P
(I'm on Nightly 51)
There's nothing to say because they haven't actually changed anything yet. It's just a call for feedback.
Even if they make Firefox super ugly, I'll just use a custom theme and it won't bother me.
Leave Thunderbird alone! It does everything I want it to and nothing I don't. I heavily use extensions whose developers haven't touched it for 5+ years, and I don't want them to break for some features I won't use.
It's still getting security updates, just leave it at that.
You're assuming more developers = higher quality.
Throwing a hundred mediocre programmers at every project is why most Microsoft products suck.
I'm sure their C programmers could be off fixing bugs right now, except they're being forced into doing art design.
That, or these are completely separate offices in Mozilla and whether or not they change Firefox's logo has absolutely no bearing on its technical progress.
I'd like to know that my device mounted cleanly before I do anything to its data. Seems like a worthy feature.
https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp...
Incredibly strong urge for Baskin-Robbins right now, am I the only one?
Obviously, but what's the point of selling anything if you're not making a profit?
Damnit! Everything good has already been invented....
LG's been talking about cutting their mobile division entirely, so I don't doubt how cutthroat the competition is. But it seems awfully unlikely that Samsung and Apple are the only profiteers, since Lenovo and Huawei both boast about how much money they're taking in.
Shit. I had so many great ideas to improve the site, like a Google Translate module that automatically converts TFS into a car analogy.