Next year's Huawei phones: Android without snooping?
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Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
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Originally Posted by jazzy_mood
Yeah, as if anyone could roll their own Android version from the open source version. Since you suggested it, I must ask: do you have the skills to do it, or do you think anyone can do it?
Again, when I said "but if you have the source and are willing to go to the effort no reason why you could not "roll your own" non spy version." I was referring to the likes of Huawei who most certainly have the resources to do something like that. There's a team of people doing something similar that's open source already too.
So, while I agree that "just anyone" can't go creating an OS or a version of one there are people whose hobby and whose job it is to do just that. Or do you think that only Google is capable of creating an OS?
IIRC, Google just hired people who dreamed this up, and patched/hacked/forked a basic gnu/linux system to be rootless, and run a java interpreter. Then they went through everything removing crud and pc-only features but holding on to as much functionality as possible. They also wrote piles of screen drivers, the mobile phone section, etc. They spent several years at it, and as I had one of the first phones, I can tell you the finished product was basic, but great for what it was, and what it ran on.
A lot depends how up to date Google's OSS version is; It could be Android-1.0! If it's 8.0, they can write their own drivers, and even offer a snoop free OS to people fed up with Google (Like me). If the OSS version is version 1.0, they have a lot of work to do.
Last edited by business_kid; 07-16-2019 at 04:10 AM.
google bought Android Inc about 15 years ago, so rather than hiring people, they bought the whole outfit.
My understanding is that it was always based on the Linux kernel, at least since google's involvement, but never GNU. The C library, "bionic libc", is 3 clause BSD licenced code at least partially developed by google, but which includes NetBSD, OpenBSD and FreeBSD code (and is not based on GPL licenced GNU libc). I believe bionic libc was based on the libc from one of the major *BSD projects but not sure which.
I did a quick search of the bionic libc libc/ source directory and found:
435 occurrences of "openbsd"
359 occurrences of "netbsd"
201 occurrences of "freebsd"
That figures. Richard Stallman (say what you will about him - I assure you I do) was always very firm on Open Source. So you can't close gnu source - the copyleft thing.
the majority of Android software is licensed with Apache 2.0. While the project strives to adhere to the preferred license, there are exceptions, which are handled on a case-by-case basis. For example, the Linux kernel patches are under the GPLv2 license with system exceptions
[...]
Android is about freedom and choice. The purpose of Android is to promote openness in the mobile world, and we can't predict or dictate all the uses for our software. So, while we encourage everyone to make open and modifiable devices, we don't think it's our place to force them to do so. Using LGPL libraries could be restrictive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by business_kid
Richard Stallman (say what you will about him - I assure you I do) was always very firm on Open Source.
The terms “free software” and “open source” stand for almost the same range of programs. However, they say deeply different things about those programs, based on different values. The free software movement campaigns for freedom for the users of computing; it is a movement for freedom and justice. By contrast, the open source idea values mainly practical advantage and does not campaign for principles. This is why we do not agree with open source, and do not use that term.
I appreciate the freedom of Open source. I can roll my own kernel. I have my choices of software, and can roll my own system. I prefer to learn config files rather than GUIs, because some dweebs keep rearranging them.
For now this all we got and still unaware of more information but now we can say that this Operating system is not a thing of today or tomorrow. Also, if this OS’s development is completed then the company could only release it if it’s extremely necessary, otherwise, they may take some more time.
The official line says it's about "freedom and choice"
One of the stated goals of Android in terms of its use of Linux as a kernel and it's choice of permissive licences elsewhere, was to isolate GPL from the rest of the OS.
The OS is being developed. Yes, they will have issues to overcome but, really, does anyone think a company backed by the Chinese government (even alledgedly) isn't capable of cloning Android?
The OS is being developed. Yes, they will have issues to overcome but, really, does anyone think a company backed by the Chinese government (even alledgedly) isn't capable of cloning Android with tweaks?
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Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
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Originally Posted by rokytnji
Fixed it for ya.
thanks
By the way, I'm not pro-China -- I just find the idea that a Chinese company is somehow incapable of cloning Android a little odd. Plus, I find the likelyhood of them picking up on some random email or internet post of mine and demanding my extradition a little less likely than the US (not that that is hugely likely either) but I will mention Operation Ore as an explanation as to why the US government is a potential threat to innocent people in extraditable countries.
So they're going to lift the Open Source Android, apply the security fixes google has already given out, continue to monitor google code, probably root their own (legit) Android phones & tablets & continue getting google updates which they can probably apply fairly handy to further versions of Harmony/HongMeng.
Sure, it will take extra coders. Chinese coders are available, and good. It makes a huge difference when you manage them well.
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