Here's what's in the news:
HTC Forces Owner Of HTCRUU.com To Shut Down, Hand Over The ROMs (And Domain) | Android Police
HTC demanding I take down RUUs and even my custom sense roms | JMZ Taylor at reddit
HTC Cracking Down on ROM Community? | Pocketnow
HTC declares war against the dev community, takes down ROM websites across the web | androidauthority.com
Here are the main points:
What this means for the dev community:
I hope I have represented both sides fairly so as to not poison the well. The point is this: Pursing this path is fully within HTC
HTC Forces Owner Of HTCRUU.com To Shut Down, Hand Over The ROMs (And Domain) | Android Police
HTC demanding I take down RUUs and even my custom sense roms | JMZ Taylor at reddit
HTC Cracking Down on ROM Community? | Pocketnow
HTC declares war against the dev community, takes down ROM websites across the web | androidauthority.com
Here are the main points:
- HTC is actively pursuing websites that distribute its software (especially RUUs) and shutting them down.
- HTC is also targeting the removal of all Sense-based ROMs including custom ROMs. This may include ROMs that port Sense to devices from other manufacturers.
- HTC is fully within its rights to do all this as redistribution of their code (ie, Sense) is not legal without their permission. Hence, there is no legal foul on HTC's part here.
- HTC's motivation for doing so appears to be that people mod their devices, brick them and then dishonestly take them to an HTC service center for repair/replacement on HTC's dime.
- These activities are a move away from Android's open-source nature and toward what we see with Apple -- a closed OS totally controlled by the manufacturer.
What this means for the dev community:
- You can no longer download an RUU to update your device manually.
- You can no longer recover your device with an RUU if softbricked after rooting, greatly increasing the risk of rooting.
- If you softbrick your phone and can't get the RUU, chances are you'll have to take it to an HTC service center and they'll deny you warranty service because you rooted/modded your device.
- If you develop or distribute any ROM with Sense, HTC may come after you. This could conceivably include Nandroid backups of stock ROMs since they also contain Sense.
I hope I have represented both sides fairly so as to not poison the well. The point is this: Pursing this path is fully within HTC