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by ipaddr 209 days ago
Core is open source but for a device to be "Android compatible" and access the Google Play Store and other Google services, it must meet specific requirements from Google's Android Compatibility Program. These additional proprietary components are what make the final product closed source.

The Android Open Source Project is not Android.
1 comments
bitpush 209 days ago
> The Android Open Source Project is not Android.

Was "Android" the way you define it ever open? Isnt it similar to chromium vs chrome? chromium is the core, and chrome is the product built on top of it - which is what allows Comet, Atlas, Brave to be built on.

That's the same thing what GrapheneOS, /e/ OS and others are doing - building on top of AOSP.

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oblio 209 days ago
> Was "Android" the way you define it ever open?

Yes. Initially all the core OS components were OSS.

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bitpush 208 days ago
> Yes. Initially all the core OS components were OSS.

Are you saying they "un-open sourced" things? Because that hasnt happened. Just beacuse a piece of code is open source doesnt mean additional services need to be open source as well.

vscode core is open source, but MS maintains closed-source stuff that builds on top of vscode. That doesnt mean vscode isnt open source anymore.

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