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Sure Android is open, but it isn't open enough.

Do you agree?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 9 37.5%
  • No.

    Votes: 15 62.5%

  • Total voters
    24
I think somebody has decided to assign a different definition to "open" than what everyone else in the computer world has... Openness has nothing to do with what version of Android is officially available for what model phone.

Open means that the source of the operating system is available for people to inspect, modify, and redistribute. Android allows that and all the custom ROMs like Cyanogenmod are proof. Windows is closed source and any attempt to modify it's source code is illegal, as well as intentionally very hard to do at best. Don't mistake UI overlays in Windows as modifying source code.

It doesn't have to be that way. PC users can install Windows 7 anytime they want. Why can't all of us have access to Android 2.2? To me, that isn't open at all.

You do have access to 2.2, you just have to be willing to install the modded ROM, or undertake the perfectly legal task of modding 2.2 to work on your device. The openness of Android means you are able - legally - to modify it to run on a Nintendo DS if you have the skill and then to release it to the public. (Nintendo's lawyers might argue the legality of hacking their drivers to make Android work though) The not open nature of Windows means you would have to illegally hack it to even try, and then would be the proud recipient of a Cease and Desist letter from Microsoft's lawyers if you tried to release it.

Having a single ROM of 2.2 to work on all devices would likely bloat it beyond all reason since it would have to contain every possible driver and the ability to run multiple resolutions, etc. Having a gig's worth of unused driver files is no big deal when you're installing Windows 7 on a PC with a 1TB hard drive. Having even 100MB worth of unused drivers on an Android ROM would be a massive waste of very limited space.
 
Upvote 0
Think about how much extra space Android would take up if it had all the drivers for all the possible hardware in every install.

It would be huge. Windows 7 occupies like 15-20 GB of hard drive space on my computer. Now, my computer, like most computers has a big hard drive so this isn't an issue at all. Let's say 2-3 gb of that is just drivers that I'm never going to use. That's still a very, very small part of my hard drive. The DVD I ripped is going to take up more space than that. On phone though, space is at a premium. You don't want your phone OS taking up 6-8 gb of space just in drivers for various hardware configurations you're never going to use.
 
Upvote 0

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