-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On 2013-10-29 17:52, Jer wrote: > I have begun trying to research this but it is very confusing. Is it actually > possible to run a (mostly at least) open-source Android version on a current phone? Even if one has to run some firmware blobs for radio or graphics, is there a mod that specializes in polishing a non-google-ified version? > > Just wondering if anyone has looked into this.
I am often testing this stuff and searching for viable alternatives to Google's own walled gardens. In order to reach web autonomy and function w/o putting all your pics/address books/calendars etc. on Google servers, I often experiment with different setups. This should provide ample details about your question: http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/android-and-users-freedom.html I'll also describe below CyanogenMod, which is only briefly mentioned in the above web page. - From http://replicant.us/about/ : "Most of Android is licensed freely under the Apache License 2.0. The Linux core is mostly Free Software under the GPLv2. However, there are numerous components of the default software stack on the devices that are proprietary software. Most notably, nearly any component that touches the hardware directly is proprietary software." Replicant is aiming at 100% free Android (that includes drivers) - ALL devices supported have working 3G radio+Telephony, NONE of them have Wifi + GPS + Bluetooth for now. The detailed status is here: http://redmine.replicant.us/projects/replicant/wiki/ReplicantStatus I'd encourage you to research the above first. There is also CyanogenMod, its core is free open source software, unfortunately it includes non-free drivers so it works with many devices: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Devices#vendor=; Each device page describes in details for to root + flash + install custom recovery ROMs. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, I can do it for you, for a fee - contact me for an estimate: http://legoutdulibre.com CyanogenMod also has its own OTA ("over-the-air") update mechanism, no need to reinstall / flash firmware every time there is a new update. The Google apps are optional, however, and that's explained here: http://wiki.cyanogenmod.org/w/Google_Apps * So, CyanogenMod is exactly what you described: Android minus non-Free Google+other apps, plus non-free drivers * I'd still encourage you to research using Replicant and checking if the compromises it'd require are acceptable to your project/use. Regarding apps, instead of Google Play, you can use F-Droid to get alternatives and complete replacements (including mapping + routing with French/ENglish/Spanish etc. voice guidance for example): https://f-droid.org This ensures: 1) not needing to worry about future restrictions from Google in thei app store 2) Benefiting from Q&A and code review by F-Droid project members, for example removing tracking/ads libraries and replacing them with dummy libraires 3) All the advantages of free open source software I encourage you (or anyone) to donate to the above projects (Replicant, F-Droid) if you're interested in seing progress and helping maintain the needed infrastructure. Donations to Replicant are done via the Free Software Foundation, F-Droid donations are made directly. Both accept Bitcoin. Cheers, - - Fabian - -- Fabián Rodríguez http://fsf.magicfab.ca -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.11 (GNU/Linux) Comment: PGP/Mime available upon request Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/ iEYEARECAAYFAlJw+qMACgkQfUcTXFrypNW/PgCg1ilEUa1neZZkEmVKXZqc25r0 s64An2mEP5SHPb+3Sklvi+hzU01unykV =Z/ik -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______________________________________________ mlug mailing list [email protected] https://listes.koumbit.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mlug-listserv.mlug.ca
