Mark, I think you missed my point; To me openness is not just about contributing code to the platform, it's also about giving all applications a level playing field to build apps on (i.e. not restricting API access to a certain set of approved applications). hackbods statements indicated that there will always be functionality which is only available to a select few approved apps.
To use your metaphor; With Linux all apps are equal, and if you want to create an application or kernel module to do something you can and you don't need the approval of Linus to do so. With Android unless you have your app signed by the same certificate as the platform there will be some functionality you will not be able to access. I hope you can see where I'm coming from now. Al. Mark Murphy wrote: > Luca De Marini wrote: > >> Looks like it is going to be completely closed.... I believe I'll stop >> looking for Android and look somewhere else instead... >> > > *head explodes* > > So...let me get this straight: > > -- The source code is available (http://source.android.com) > > -- There is a patch process in place that is already accepting patches > from outside contributors > > And this is "completely closed"? > > Android, in this area, is behaving exactly like every other major open > source project in existence. A core group of folk wrote code. They wrote > it the way they wanted. They opened it up. They control commit rights > and whether to accept or deny patches. If you want it to behave > differently, you need to write and test replacement code, then > contribute it back and convince them that your patch is a good idea. > > By your definition, the Linux kernel is "completely closed", because > only Linus and his lieutenants are capable of affecting change to the > kernel. Firefox, OpenOffice.org, GNOME, KDE, all the Apache projects > (big and small), and so forth all work this way, and so you must > consider them to be completely closed, too. > > If you don't like the way Android is implemented today, WRITE A PATCH > and CONVINCE THOSE IN CHARGE to accept the patch. In the end, that's > what open source projects are all about. > > ----------------- > > Now, to deal with Mr. Sutton's likely rejoinder, that the Android core > team won't accept a patch changing this behavior, and therefore Android > is closed: > > Perhaps they won't accept the patch now. Perhaps not ever. That doesn't > mean Android is closed. > > Let's go back to the Linux kernel. I can propose whatever patches I > want. Linus is unlikely to accept any of them prima facia, because I > have no track record with respect to kernel development. And he might > reject them on grounds that are within his rights (e.g., attempts to > link in proprietary code, breaks existing APIs, shoddy implementation). > This doesn't mean Linux is closed. It doesn't mean my patch is > completely bad. It does mean my patch won't get into Linux, because > Linus Torvalds, in the end, is the guy who defines Linux. If I keep > proposing a patch that causes the kernel to crash every third Wednesday > at 4pm Eastern, and Linus rejects it every time as being meritless and > moronic, this does not mean that Linux is closed. > > This is how open source works. > > Similarly, we can contribute patches back to Android. It's happening > already. Some of those patches will be accepted quickly, as they are > small, non-controversial changes, particularly bug fixes. Some proposed > patches will get debated for a long time only to be rejected. Some > proposed patches will get rejected out of hand. If they tend to reject a > lot of patches, they will get called rather unpleasant names. But, with > Android under an open source license, if they're accepting a reasonable > number of patches, they're as "open" as any other open source project. > > Android may not meet your wishes or needs. You are welcome to call them > lots of names. Now that the source code is released, though, "closed" is > a profanity, and if you expect to toss that live hand grenade around > willy-nilly, expect me and others to get very, very pissed. > > -- Al Sutton W: www.alsutton.com B: alsutton.wordpress.com T: twitter.com/alsutton --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Android Discuss" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/android-discuss?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
