Android ranked the most "closed" open source project: here's why
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23 Comments
1. bloodline posted on 13 Dec 2011, 04:08 6 0
if it was 100% it would be out of control, Google’s tighter control does bring coherence
15. ivanprskalo posted on 13 Dec 2011, 08:36 4 1
ASK the PEOPLE.
I am continuously asking people about user experience on different OS-es, brands, sort of doing my own little research, and trough last 5-6 years.
What I can notice that people complaining about iOS is restrictive about everything they trying to put on their phone, and iOS is constantly monitoring flow of everything on phone. People are saying: "It's like they (Apple) still own my phone!"
Another often complain about iOS is: "They trying only to make money out of me, it's like I'm just sack with money to them..."
With Android is different, people feeling generally that google allows more freedom to end users. Little bid of everything for everyone, everything is supported, community responds well to potential flaws of OS...
WP7 has I'm afraid negative reactions in the same way like iOS has.. closeness, control of everything, to many Metro UI is too simple, like Microsoft thinks people are too stupid to use as many options as modern smartphone has... and no one like when he or she is considered as stupid...
18. networkdood posted on 13 Dec 2011, 09:40 2 0
Which is why I have an Android phone - I can do anything to the phone that I damn well please, even if the carrier/manufacturer tries to stop me.
23. Lucas777 posted on 13 Dec 2011, 21:21 0 1
so have u actually tested a wp7 or are u just saying that? because the metro ui is far from simple… it flows from one app to the other and u often dont even know where you are.. but that is the beauty of metro.. and it looks great while doing it.. no it doesnt offer every little customization possible but it is not trying to.. neither is the iphone.. but sticking to wp, what super smart things does microsoft not include that arent os-specific? and what exactly makes people feel stupid when using the glorious wp?
2. messiah posted on 13 Dec 2011, 04:09 0 1
only 23% open source?? well, doesn't that mean that they are not copying a true open source system like Lynux, as claimed? nor with that 23% are they effectively stealing patents from ios. so... case closed, everyone can take a step away from the lawsuits on google for a bit now
3. Gemmol posted on 13 Dec 2011, 04:31 4 2
Damn, I thought my android phone was open, Google lie to me and the fandroids, but its okay, I still like my phone, but yall should not be lying to me, in order for me to join Android
7. TechDroid posted on 13 Dec 2011, 06:59 7 0
Android is twenty billion times more open than iOS and WP put together
16. kshell1 posted on 13 Dec 2011, 08:55 0 0
it may only be 23% but it seems like at least 60% considering you can change launchers themes etc etc he!! bootanimations and kernels and roms if you root -__-
4. Bluesky02 posted on 13 Dec 2011, 05:06 5 1
Android is the most successful Linux Distro out there
6. ardent1 posted on 13 Dec 2011, 06:58 3 6
The late Steve Jobs was right (from 10/18/2010 conference call):
"Google loves to characterize Android as open, and iOS and iPhone as closed. We find this a bit disingenuous and clouding the real difference between our two approaches. The first thing most of us think about when we hear the work open is Windows which is available on a variety of devices. Unlike Windows, however, where most pc's have the same user interface and run the same app, Android is very fragmented. Many Android OEMs, including the two largest, HTC and Motorola install proprietary user interfaces to differentiate themselves from the commodity Android experience. The users will have to figure it all out. Compare this with iPhone, where every handset works the same.
Twitter client, Twitter Deck, recently launched their app for Android. They reported that they had to contend with more than 100 different versions of Android software on 244 different handsets. The multiple hardware and software iterations present developers with a daunting challenge. Many Android apps work only on selected Android handsets running selected Android versions. And this is for handsets that have been shipped less than 12 months ago. Compare this with iPhone, where there are two versions of the software, the current and the most recent predecessor to test against."
Due to its fragmented approach, the Android OS has never been truly open. When you have customers that can't upgrade to the latest Android OS, that's a BIG PROBLEM. Android users always harp about their ability to customize their handset but are ALWAYS SILENT when asked about upgrading (as in CUSTOMIZING) to the latest and greatest android OS -- I would love to try out Android os 4.0, but I am not allowed to CUSTOMIZE my handset without potential legal actions by the carrier.
8. TechDroid posted on 13 Dec 2011, 07:01 2 3
It's clear that Steve Jobs never heard about ROMs
10. remixfa posted on 13 Dec 2011, 07:05 7 3
good morning dr. negative.
I see you have had your "mountain out of a mole hill" cereal this morning. Chasing it with a side of green troll tea?
geesh.
21. faisal8708 posted on 13 Dec 2011, 11:56 3 2
Fandroids will laugh but will never answer why their phones are not running ICS? ohh you can run it by using ROM blah blah blah
And they will call others FANBOYS and wht not and will say oh ICS will destroy iPhone and it is the best thing tht has ever happened in the history of cell phone technology and it has eliminated the lag issues of Android but the fact remains they havnt even used it yet now who is a FANBOY
About the updates they will say its the OEMs who has to do blah blah blah etc etc etc and wht not but they will never answer how the XDA developers are releasing ICS alphas? do they hav more resources than the OEMs.
The fact remains they will start getting updates in march or april and they will realize tht its another sh!t from google and nearly the same time google will announce another Android version and they will go wet on tht and tht will become the best thing ever happened and they will become wet on tht. So in short the cycle continues
9. remixfa posted on 13 Dec 2011, 07:04 6 0
people scream that Google needs tighter controls, and at the same time i bet this thread gets flooded with people mad at google for not being more open.. What do you want? lol
11. taz89 posted on 13 Dec 2011, 07:37 2 0
agree...you cant argue its not open then say it need to have tighter controls..
13. Trainer posted on 13 Dec 2011, 08:12 8 0
You cannot appease the vocal minority, only the quiet masses. Google seems to be keeping the masses pretty happy.
Back to the article, Android is tricky to classify. The source for Android itself is completely open. Easily found on the internet, and you yourself can download and adjust it all you wish.
Where android "fails" is in GAPPs and OEM Android skins. Google apps (GAPPs) are not open sourced, nor should they have to be. It is Google's software. They use it to leverage OEMs to not pollute Android with craptastic skins or broken versions of Android. OEMs can still do what they want, but they may not receive access to the Market and GAPPs.
OEMs are responsible for a lot of the closed feeling. They don't always release the source code for their skins in a timely manner. And as we all know, they can take forever updating to the new version of Android. They also severely delay the release of drivers into open source, which drives the modding/hacking community crazy! Cyanogen will rant on this. Not to mention the absurdity of locking, or worse yet encrypting bootloaders!
12. ZEUS.the.thunder.god posted on 13 Dec 2011, 07:47 4 1
anyone who thinks that android is not open source, is a POS.
17. hepresearch (unregistered) posted on 13 Dec 2011, 09:17 2 0
Having developed for Linux, WebKit, Qt, and Symbian before, I always found Android to be too prohibitive to really do what I wanted with it. I did not want to sign a commercial agreement because my aim was to make non-commercial scientific sensor package management products, and I could not sign a commercial agreement and still abide by my security protocol agreement. Also, there was no way to get access to all necessary parts of the source code, at that time, to do what needed to be done within the required parameters... granted, I felt that it could still be done a different way, but the prior requirements would have to be ignored.
Now that Symbian and Qt are essentially done as a pair, I really do not have anything left but Linux, and I am getting tired of that.
If you have no other constraints, Android can still be harnessed to do just about anything. But, to do it right, for some purposes, is now impossible... and thus I am essentially finished as a mobile developer. I find this fact to be highly unfortunate.
20. ZEUS.the.thunder.god posted on 13 Dec 2011, 10:31 2 0
i understand what you are saying and i thumbed you up lol but not every user is a developer. but you stopped devolping thats sad. its always good if anyone, who has the ability, can contribute something good.
22. hepresearch (unregistered) posted on 13 Dec 2011, 12:40 0 0
Yeah, it is sort of sad. My "excuse" is that I got divorced, poor, unemployed, sick, old, and burned out all in the same two-year span. Technically, I cannot be re-hired in my prior field of choice until 2019, and I cannot be hired in my ultimate chosen field until I have my Ph.D., my publishing quota, and two years of residency. In order to get a Ph.D., I have to finish my bachelors degree first, as well. At the moment, federal educational loan rules preclude me from getting financial aid to go back to PSU.
So, I am sort of stuck between a rock and a hard place...
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