Yes. LineageOS and GrapheneOS among other forks are some obvious counterexamples to the narrative that Android isn’t open source. Then there are the countless vendors that use it in China without Google software. I know it’s cool to hate on Google and I do partake but that’s simply a fact.
You can build a version of Android, but not the version that is installed on the device you buy in the store.
There are dozens of forks of Android so I don’t know how you can NOT call it OSS.
Because even those forks ship closed source binary blobs. You simply cannot build an Android phone with 100% open source. The phones you can actually buy in the store? A huge part of those is closed source.
Yes. I would like to see a DIY selfhosted replacement for play services that is a direct swap in, in the sense that as an end user I couldn’t tell the difference (notifications primarily)
Edit: wow! Didn’t realize selfhosting replacements for Google services is so controversial!
Hahahahaha. Good one.
Yes. LineageOS and GrapheneOS among other forks are some obvious counterexamples to the narrative that Android isn’t open source. Then there are the countless vendors that use it in China without Google software. I know it’s cool to hate on Google and I do partake but that’s simply a fact.
Those are missing major parts of a full Android system. Play Services is a huge one.
No, they’re not. You can use sandboxed google services, if you want to. Or you can use FOSS apps.
Or your own proprietary implementation if you’re making an Android device yourself and you were lazy.
Keep digging, bud
Go buy any Android phone from a major brand (Google, Samsung, etc) try to rebuild the OS as it’s installed from the factory from source. You can’t.
Even theAOSP based Android distros like LineageOS ship with closed source binary blobs for crucial parts of the OS.
Calling Android OSS is a marketing gimmick to trick nerds into choosing Android.
I don’t know how to rebuild shit but certainly plenty of people can and have.
There are dozens of forks of Android so I don’t know how you can NOT call it OSS.
You can build a version of Android, but not the version that is installed on the device you buy in the store.
Because even those forks ship closed source binary blobs. You simply cannot build an Android phone with 100% open source. The phones you can actually buy in the store? A huge part of those is closed source.
No one is talking about off the shelf OS’s.
Yes we are. No one runs custom ROMs other than a very tiny number of hardcode nerds.
Android is opensource. It has closed source components, but they aren’t necessary to run Android.
And they’re completely replaceable as there are clean interfaces between the closed source components and the open source base.
If those are you idea of clean interfaces… wow.
Feel free to post comparison images of core apps on different mobile OS’es to strengthen your incredulity.
Exactly. It’s like saying Linux isn’t open source because some distros come with proprietary NVidia drivers.
Mayor parts that are very much necessary for a fully functional Android system are closed source. Play Services is a big one.
Yes. I would like to see a DIY selfhosted replacement for play services that is a direct swap in, in the sense that as an end user I couldn’t tell the difference (notifications primarily)
Edit: wow! Didn’t realize selfhosting replacements for Google services is so controversial!