[freehunter]

It depends on how you view it. From a FOSS standpoint, yeah it might be a bad thing. From a user experience standpoint, being able to get new features for your existing phone without having to install a custom ROM is a pretty big bonus.

[hayksaakian]

The problem is that google presents you with a false choice.

They COULD contribute their changes to AOSP, AND include them in a separate app, but choose not to.

[nileshtrivedi]

They can disclose the source (without a license to distribute it). That'll go a long way in satisfying the FOSS audience, even if not perfect.

[josteink]

From a user experience standpoint, being able to get new features for your existing phone without having to install a custom ROM is a pretty big bonus.

Which ironically is something you now don't get if you bought a Galaxy Nexus 18 months ago.

[freehunter]

You can get everything that has been decoupled from the OS from the Play Store. That was my entire point, until you tried to derail it. The point is that upgrading the OS won't matter, because you can just update the app.