Comment on Apple calls Android a 'massive tracking device'

• avidamoeba@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  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.

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  • BorgDrone@lemmy.one ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Those are missing major parts of a full Android system. Play Services is a huge one.

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    • tiredcapillary@iusearchlinux.fyi ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      No, they’re not. You can use sandboxed google services, if you want to. Or you can use FOSS apps.

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      • avidamoeba@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        Or your own proprietary implementation if you’re making an Android device yourself and you were lazy.

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    • helenslunch@feddit.nl ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      Keep digging, bud

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      • BorgDrone@lemmy.one ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        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.

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• elouboub@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Android is opensource. It has closed source components, but they aren't necessary to run Android.

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  • avidamoeba@lemmy.ca ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    And they’re completely replaceable as there are clean interfaces between the closed source components and the open source base.

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    • jayrhacker@kbin.social ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      If those are you idea of clean interfaces… wow.

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      • registrert@lemmy.sambands.net ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        Feel free to post comparison images of core apps on different mobile OS’es to strengthen your incredulity.

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  • bigmclargehuge@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Exactly. It’s like saying Linux isn’t open source because some distros come with proprietary NVidia drivers.

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  • BorgDrone@lemmy.one ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Mayor parts that are very much necessary for a fully functional Android system are closed source. Play Services is a big one.

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    • thisisawayoflife@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      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)

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