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ranjank
May 26th, 2011, 11:05 AM
Just read that Android 3.x series won't be open source. So tablet pc makers have to pay for source code?. Is there any open source alternative available?. And can we expect restart of Ubuntu Mobile Development or Ubuntu tablet pc edition. [Just curious]

Grenage
May 26th, 2011, 11:10 AM
From what I understand, they will probably releasing the source code, but not immediately (read:when it suits them).

ranjank
May 26th, 2011, 11:12 AM
I thought one has to pay for it. Any news about Ubuntu Tablet PC edition?

alexan
May 26th, 2011, 11:17 AM
Google is intentionally slow the release of Android 3.


My guess is that they want to introduce some engineering software features that they don't want to show to competitors... before Android 3 isn't the first one to better use them.

aeiah
May 26th, 2011, 11:18 AM
does this mean it no longer uses anything from the linux kernel?

charging for source code is fine, and you can do it with an open source project - its just it becomes a race to the bottom because everyone can sell it, and everyone must provide it with the binaries.

anaconda
May 26th, 2011, 11:20 AM
Just read that Android 3.x series won't be open source. So tablet pc makers have to pay for source code?. Is there any open source alternative available?. And can we expect restart of Ubuntu Mobile Development or Ubuntu tablet pc edition. [Just curious]

Meego is completely opensource.

It will be great.

one great thing is that you can run android programs in meego if you install dalvik? to it

Yeah. And Meego is a real linux. Not some java hack build on top of linux kernel, like android is.

ranjank
May 26th, 2011, 11:23 AM
So one can't expect Mobile/Tablet PC edition of Ubuntu/Kubuntu. I would love to use Ubuntu in a tablet with Unity.

bfc
May 26th, 2011, 11:29 AM
Google has released all the GPL and LGPL portions of 3.x (which includes the kernel) as required of them. They haven't released the portions of the code that is licensed under the Apache License. The Apache license does not require the release of the code.

Google stated that it will release the complete code of "Ice Cream Sandwich" which is the next major version of Android, which should be released before the end of this year.

3Miro
May 26th, 2011, 11:33 AM
Releasing the code is only one of the four rights Google must give us. Do they respect the other rights? Can we edit the source code and recompile? Can we redistribute the original code and our changes?

magneze
May 26th, 2011, 11:39 AM
Releasing the code is only one of the four rights Google must give us. Do they respect the other rights? Can we edit the source code and recompile? Can we redistribute the original code and our changes?Yes, there are many custom builds of Android 2.x doing exactly this.

Quadunit404
May 26th, 2011, 12:00 PM
Google has released all the GPL and LGPL portions of 3.x (which includes the kernel) as required of them. They haven't released the portions of the code that is licensed under the Apache License. The Apache license does not require the release of the code.

Google stated that it will release the complete code of "Ice Cream Sandwich" which is the next major version of Android, which should be released before the end of this year.

/thread

3Miro
May 26th, 2011, 02:56 PM
Yes, there are many custom builds of Android 2.x doing exactly this.

Android 2.x is Open. The OP question was about Android 3.x.

magneze
May 26th, 2011, 03:15 PM
Android 2.x is Open. The OP question was about Android 3.x.I was responding in general to the question posed later in the thread, not to the OP.

The OP is correct at the moment.

Madspyman
May 26th, 2011, 03:21 PM
Android 3 is just Gingerbread (http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/20/android-honeycomb-has-hidden-gingerbread-interface-enabled-by-h/) with a custom interface built on top of it, the reason they aren't releasing the code is because they don't want people putting it on phones, they might be a hint embarrassed as well.

Ice Cream sandwich will actually be a new version of Android and the source will be released.

3Miro
May 26th, 2011, 03:44 PM
They don't have to release the code before they release Android 3.x So long as they release the code at the same time, there is no issue.

ranjank
May 26th, 2011, 03:45 PM
Anyone know when Kubuntu Mobile comes out?

zekopeko
May 26th, 2011, 05:26 PM
They don't have to release the code before they release Android 3.x So long as they release the code at the same time, there is no issue.

Android 3.x is already shipping e.g. Motorola Xoom. The only code they released is for the GPL components and that is the Linux kernel. Everything on top of the kernel is more or less under an Apache 2 licence which doesn't require you to release the source code.

BrokenKingpin
May 26th, 2011, 07:18 PM
Android is heading down a path that I do not like at all. I thought it was going to be a cool open Linux platform for mobile devices, but Google is really starting to screw it up.

I had hope for MeeGo, especially because it uses a more traditional Linux stack (Xorg instead of a crappy Java VM). But the latest deal that Nokia did with MS cannot be good for MeeGo's future.

forrestcupp
May 26th, 2011, 08:07 PM
Android is heading down a path that I do not like at all. I thought it was going to be a cool open Linux platform for mobile devices, but Google is really starting to screw it up.
I, personally, don't care if it's open or not. The only reason I chose Android over iPhone is because with Android I can freely develop my own apps without having to go out and buy a Mac.