Re:Whose Computer Is It?
by m463 on Thursday October 22, 2020 @04:56PM
(#24863206)
I do not mean "can you do it", I mean can a commerical entity do it or allow you to do it.
The .pdf says specifically:
"Google’s anti-forking agreements, however, have inhibited operating system innovation through forking, ensuring that manufacturers and distributors are beholden to Google’s version of Android. Distributors know that any violation of an anti-forking agreement could mean excommunication from Google’s Android ecosystem, loss of access to Google’s must-have GPS and Google Play, and millions or even billions of dollars in lost revenue sharing. Thus, distributors avoid anything that Google might deem "fragmentation” — a term that Google “purposely leave[s]... very vague” and interprets broadly."
Re:Whose Computer Is It?
by Jtsummers on Thursday October 22, 2020 @05:32PM
(#24863517)
Their anti-forking provisions put them, in some ways, close to what MS got in trouble for in their anti-trust case (removing or threatening to remove OEM pricing from OEMs who sold non-Windows OSes).
The .pdf says specifically:
"Google’s anti-forking agreements, however, have inhibited operating system innovation through forking, ensuring that manufacturers and distributors are beholden to Google’s version of Android. Distributors know that any violation of an anti-forking agreement could mean excommunication from Google’s Android ecosystem, loss of access to Google’s must-have GPS and Google Play, and millions or even billions of dollars in lost revenue sharing. Thus, distributors avoid anything that Google might deem "fragmentation” — a term that Google “purposely leave[s]... very vague” and interprets broadly."