> The other side of the coin, the other option we shouldn't really rely on but we can, is entirely blocked by the way these vendors operate. Android has had its fragmentation issues because the vendors aren't using the stock Android, and aren't upstreaming the drivers and tweaks needed to actually run Android on their hardware. There is usually an economic incentive to not do so (if a custom ROM can be made for their phone, they won't get the ad and deal revenue from the garbage they've preloaded into the phone).

That's a really long-winded way to say "Violate GPL of Linux Kernel".

Compiled in closed source modules is explicitly against terms of GPL2, and yet billions of violating portable computers.

And people wonder why I pirate? Our rights are constantly shat on by the same interests that would imprison us for copying software or movies.