There's open-source and there's open-source

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2011: The year of the Android OS

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Rabid Howler Monkey Updated - 10th Dec

@Dietrich T. Schmitz * Your Linux Advocate Here's Google's view on Android's open-sourceness:

http://allthingsd.com/20110510/what-googles-andy-rubin-means-when-he-says-android-is-open/

While Android is indeed open-source, it's not a community project. Unless one views the OHA as a community, but it's a closed community. Android is developed internally by Google and released, minus some proprietary bits and the Linux kernel, as open-source via the Apache 2.0 license.

And all the pretty, Android-based devices manufactured by Google's OHA partners are closed. Tablets from B & N and Amazon, neither are members of the OHA, come fully locked into their own app stores. There are basically three paths to freedom with an Android-based device one has purchased:

1. 'rooting' it (a bit like jail-braking an iOS-based device)
2. 'rooting' it and installing CyanogenMod, or a similar Android derivative, on the rooted device
3. 'rooting' it and installing WebOS (when it becomes available) on the rooted device

I will grant you that Android is more open than iOS, especially for OHA partners and non-OHA entities like B & N and Amazon, but it's closed for most users. Android is in no way open-source like Linux on the desktop (or server), even when compared to Red Hat and SuSE who sell licensed versions of Linux. Both Red Hat and SuSE have their community projects with Fedora and openSuSE, respectively. These community projects are what Red Hat and SuSE dip into to create their licensed products. CyanogenMod, however, has much more in common with the CentOS community. And from what store do I buy a smartphone or tablet with CyanogenMod pre-installed?

All this said, Android has indeed gone viral and is in the process of taking the world by storm.