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A comment on Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system. Parent comment

Re:Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used ope... by bitmapbrother on Monday April 03, 2017 @02:58PM (#14025956)
> Google created the OS. In fact, OEMs are forbidden from forking Android, and therefore, cannot "roll their own OS" from Android, without violating their agreement with Google. Yes, they sprinkle some of their own apps and drivers in, but this is a design flaw in Android: Google needs to be updating their own software independently of manufacturer-specific components.

Forbidden from forking Android? Every OEM version of Android is a fork. What Google does not allow is for an OEM to distribute a version of Android that does not pass the Android Compatibility Test Suite.

>therefore, cannot "roll their own OS" from Android

Do you know how OEM's "roll their own OS"? They take the AOSP source code that Google drops and then they add all of their source code and then build and distribute their own version of Android that only they can update.

>Yes, they sprinkle some of their own apps and drivers

I'm not sure you really understand all of the changes OEM's make to Android if all you think they do is "sprinkle some of their own apps and drivers in"

>this is a design flaw in Android: Google needs to be updating their own software independently of manufacturer-specific components.

No it's not. Google does not build Android for the OEM's. They create their own version of Android and therefore are ultimately responsible for updating it. Once again, Google cannot update an OS they did not build.

>Google barely even does tablets anymore anyways.

Android is still the marketshare leader in tablets.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used ope... by temac on Monday April 03, 2017 @03:52PM (#14026488)
> They take the AOSP source code that Google drops and then they add all of their source code and then build and distribute their own version of Android that only they can update.

Yep that's a insanely huge design flaw, coherent with: "Google needs to be updating their own software independently of manufacturer-specific components."

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used ope... by bitmapbrother on Monday April 03, 2017 @05:57PM (#14027591)
So an OEM being allowed to build their own OS is a huge design flaw?

Is Debian also responsible for Ubuntu's security flaws?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used ope... by ocdtrekkie on Monday April 03, 2017 @07:48PM (#14028316)
It isn't "their own OS". It's Google's OS, which is explicitly and directly controlled by Google's contracts, which you continue to pretend do not exist. It is a single platform, and it is by no means an open source one. If it was, it wouldn't require the explicit approval of a single corporate entry to distribute it or any updates to it.
[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used ope... by bitmapbrother on Monday April 03, 2017 @09:44PM (#14028882)
Yes, it actually is. An OEM builds their own OS from source. Google does not own their OS. Also, why are you claiming that I'm pretending that the MADA contract does not exist? If an OEM wants Google Play Services and Apps then they must agree to the terms in the MADA. It appears you have an problem separating the Android OS the OEM builds and the Google Apps and Services that are given to them.
[ Parent | on HN ]