[nathanb]

Do you think that Android in its current incarnation as quasi-open-source, free to adopt, would survive? Or do you think it would be death by a thousand forks, where Samsung, HTC, Motorola, etc. all grabbed their own copy of the repository and made TouchWiz, Sense, and Blur respectively a core part of the UI? I just can't see how Android as a device-agnostic OS would survive without a relatively neutral curator.

[justincormack]

An open foundation could work. Imagine Apache Android. Sure there would be fragmentation, but at the moment the need for apps is pushing them together. If web apps win then the APIs look a bit different, with more scope for UX differences.

Not that this will happen.

[Jwsonic]

I would assume the other 81 members of the Open Handset Alliance (http://www.openhandsetalliance.com) wouldn't just do nothing if Google went away...

[d0nk]

Exactly, many of the members have too much invested in android to just drop it and move on.

[nathanb]

Thanks, I needed a good laugh.

[r00fus]

This would rapidly become the Unix-wars of the 80's all over again... OR Microsoft would gladly step into Google shoes, completely uninvited but unchallenged, while wielding their deadly patent swords.

[kls]

I think it would resemble Linux personally, each vendor would probably set up their own app store and their own package system but binary compatibility would probably remain. There is just too much at stake for all involved to fracture it as bad as the Unix wars.

[mcantelon]

There are economic benefits to playing well together. Hopefully the hardware vendors will figure this out if they haven't already.