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0 pointsbad_user14y ago0 comments

WTF is "open" anyway? It doesn't mean shit when taken out of context.

Open-Source does mean that I (as an individual) have a lot of rights, including having the right to fork it in case I don't like the current stewardship.

     Most of the Android eco-system is actually as 
     closed as with every other platform

That's bullshit.

The Android eco-system includes thousands of open-sourced Java libraries and cross-platform development tools that are also open-source. I can develop Android apps on Linux or Windows or OS X, depending on my mood. And I can modify those tools to make me more productive.

Yes, I don't have a direct influence on what Samsung might deploy on their phones, or on the code getting deployed in Android's master ; but then again, it's equally hard to have that effect on Linux, the kernel.

If you don't like it, fork it. That's what open source is about.

     except the false advertising

An open-source license is a legally binding contract. That's not word of mouth or advertising.

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anon138514y ago

You are right that previous versions of Android meet the Open Source Definition [1], once they were actually released and the source made available. Honeycomb does not, but Google claim that was just an anomaly and won't be repeated; we will have to wait and see, but it seems unlikely that they won't fulfil that promise.

I don't think that Android follows the spirit of open source though:

Open source is a development method for software that harnesses the power of distributed peer review and transparency of process. The promise of open source is better quality, higher reliability, more flexibility, lower cost, and an end to predatory vendor lock-in. [2]

There is no peer-review or transparency about the Android development process (unless you only define peers to be multi-billion dollar megacorps).

>The Android eco-system includes thousands of open-sourced Java libraries and cross-platform development tools that are also open-source.

Irrelevant; there are vast numbers of open source libraries for Windows or OS X, doesn't make them Open Source operating systems.

>If you don't like it, fork it

Except I can't fork any of the recent versions or development builds. How do I fork Honeycomb? How do I fork Ice Cream Sandwich? What good is the 'right' to fork something when the actual source isn't available unless you pay Google millions of dollars?

[1]: http://opensource.org/docs/osd [2] http://opensource.org/

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