[dotch]

You can always find ways to monetise an operating system. Some possibilities include:

* add products/referral links to os search results (like ubuntu lenses)

* add ads to the base operating system (like kindle's sponsored homescreen)

* sell spots for default search providers (like bing for siri)

And you target old phones by providing them with an upgrade path to cyanogen mod based on a more modern android version. Many devices are technically fully capable of running modern android versions but have been abandoned by their manufacturers.

[rodgerd]

> You can always find ways to monetise an operating system.

That's news to pretty much every *ix vendor except Apple, Red Hat, and maybe Canonical.