Filed under: OS Updates, Google, Open Source, Mobile, Android
Google Android source code now available
by Brad Linder Oct 21st 2008 at 3:00PM
Google released an SDK for the Android mobile operating system a few months ago. But with the first Android-powered phone set to go on sale tomorrow, Google went all out and released the source code today. This isn't a surprise. Google has long stated that it would make the source code for the operating system available, but now that it is, developers can do far more than create applications that will run on Android. They can help improve the operating system overall by submitting potential new features, bug fixes, or other ideas.
The software license also allows developers to port Android to run on additional devices (Perhaps your old Palm TX? Maybe an Eee PC?), or to develop custom versions of the operating system. Don't like the version of Android that ships with the T-Mobile G1? Maybe Verizon or Spring will have a phone that runs a completely different operating system built on the same source code.
You can check out a video introducing the open source project after the break.
[via Techmeme]
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The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
supernova_hq said 3:14PM on 10-21-2008
As much as I LOVE open source and the idea of an open source operating system for phones, I fear that phone companies are going to take advantage of this. It won't take much for them to take a beautiful open source, extensible, customizable operating system and ship their phones with a custom locked down, provider locked, limited use piece of crap.
As much as I hate restrictive license agreements, there should be a clause in their license stating that no one can install (for resale) a version of this os with restrictions added. This clause may exist (I haven't checked), but it would be very nice if it did.
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Todd said 3:41PM on 10-21-2008
Android is under the Apache license, so anyone can take it, change it, and they are NOT obligated to re-post it as Open Source. Interrupt that how you may ( Yes, it is theoretically possible for Microsoft to take Android and call it Windows Mobile 8 ).
Most importantly, and not mentioned in this blog post ( WTF? ) the newly released Open Source of Android does not contain the software stack for the radio or the carrier network connection. That means it's WiFi only, like the iPod Touch.
Todd said 3:44PM on 10-21-2008
"...The software license also allows developers to port Android to run on additional devices (Perhaps your old Palm TX? Maybe an Eee PC?), or to develop custom versions of the operating system."
No, that's irresponsible to even suggest. Android has a very short list of CPU's it supports ( Ti OMAP and QualComm ). If you can write new code to cause Android to support additional CPUs forget tinkering around with Android and go get a million dollar a year Engineering job somewhere!
When you see Android running on odd ball handsets and Nokia 810s , that's in emulation, not native.
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bradwjensen said 11:45PM on 10-21-2008
Does Android support the Open Source FLAC codec by default?
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Todd said 12:32PM on 10-22-2008
@bradwjensen
Android's supported media file format's are: MPEG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG, GIF
http://code.google.com/android/what-is-android.html
Write to the folks at FLAC and ask them about Android.
http://flac.sourceforge.net/developers.html
Jash Sayani said 8:17AM on 10-22-2008
Wow! I see Android coming to tons of other phones.... MagicianAndroid, PalmAndroid, ......
Maybe and iAndroid :)
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Racetrack_Owner said 8:17AM on 10-22-2008
Scroll up a couple ticks and read Todd's comment, he's dead-on. Don't hold your breath for ports to other hardware. Phone hardware is not interchangeable widgets.