You are right, we can only really go on assumptions. They could be bound by some other obligation to not make their binaries freely redistributable, but seeing as how we can neither prove nor disprove that, I'm going to stick with my assumptions and you can stick with yours.
This is evil, there is no other way to look at it. For over a year now Google have been reaping the positive press of claiming Android to be an Open Source platform, which it is demonstrably not. If you cannot build the source and run it on any of the hardware that its intended to run on, the platform is not open source. Android is officially as open source as the iPhone OS, ie, it has major chunks of open source code in it, but the whole is closed. Many people have been willing to look the other way, because until last night you could build the AOSP sources, roll it up with some binary blobs and get a running distribution. It sure felt open source. This is now dead. With one single C&D they killed Android as a community open source project. If they don't realize this, and rectify it quick, kiss the good will good bye. As I'm sure Google, Inc. is aware, good will is a commodity that can not easily be gained back once lost. -Josh On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 1:32 PM, lbcoder <[email protected]> wrote: > > Are you certain that Google has the *legal right* to do that? Could > very well be some non-google components in it which come with a > license that google has to bend to. > > For that matter, this whole thing could stem from this kind of IP > issue.... > Google app contains X corp code under license terms restricting > redistribution and NDA agreement between google and X corp preventing > google from disclosing the nature of the license and the name of X > corp.... have you considered that? The assumption of evil has no > merit. And who knows where in the system the problem exists... might > it be within the payment processing system? Or could it be some > convoluted chunk of code? > > > On Sep 25, 3:20 pm, Josh Steiner <[email protected]> wrote: > > They don't have to open source it. All they have to do is extend a "not > for > > profit" right to distribute the binaries, like Adobe does with Acrobat. > If > > a handset manufacturer wants to distribute the apps, they still have to > go > > through the screening/certification process that Google rightly wants in > > place, but community moders like Cyanogen would get a free license to > > distribute, as long as they weren't charging for their mods. > > > > -Josh > > > > On Fri, Sep 25, 2009 at 11:52 AM, lbcoder <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > They can't open source the market app due to the $$ nature of it. Sure > > > the transactions could be handled safely by an open source app, but > > > enforcing that they are installed to app-private cant be done. > > > > > On Sep 25, 12:17 am, williamthrilliam <[email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > This is really just wrong. If you are that concerned about your > image > > > > and trade mark, open source the closed bits and let others > > > > redistribute it under another name. There are other ways to go about > > > > this, and this should not have been your first step. > > > > > > On Sep 24, 10:08 pm, Josh Steiner <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > This is one of the stupidest moves I've seen a company do in a > while. > > > > > First, wait til an organic community developer group forms around > your > > > > > product, wait til they release improved version of your free OS, > let > > > them > > > > > hype it to death for you... then C&D them out of existence until > they > > > all go > > > > > tinker with Maemo or Linmo (or iPhone or Web OS) devices. > > > > > > > It doesn't matter if Google, Inc are legally correct, this is a > > > boneheaded > > > > > business decision. > > > > > > > -Josh > > > > > > > On Thu, Sep 24, 2009 at 4:03 PM, schwiz <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > So everytime I have seen someone ask about apps2sd for android, > the > > > > > > response has been something along the lines of 'well if you don't > > > like > > > > > > the space on the phone modify it yourself if its that easy' > Someone > > > > > > takes this to heart and does it for free for thousands of users > who > > > > > > are already supporting google and you shut them down? Now we > have to > > > > > > pick between having space for apps on our phone -OR- not having > the > > > > > > marketplace on our phone anymore so it doesn't even matter? I > highly > > > > > > suggest if you are going to C&D cyanogen to give users who have > PAID > > > > > > for a 'powered by google' android device to backup their google > apps > > > > > > that they paid for. We have paid for the software we should be > > > > > > entitled to use it with any build of android we choose. > Otherwise, > > > > > > you might want to try taking user requests a little more > seriously. > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Discuss" group. 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