54

I don't understand why Google didn't just made Android closed source. They would've made custom roms impossible and therefore more able to control and spy on it's users. Why did Google made Android open source, while Microsoft's Windows is still closed source to this day?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Aurix@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Android is effectively closed source anyways. If you use this OS without Google Media Services, you will be effectively locked out of almost any app, system, service unless it works in a browser.

[-] lemmy@lemmy.quad442.com 2 points 1 year ago

This isn't even remotely accurate. You can always use degoogled Android. There's Fdroid for most apps you really need and APK installs for any others

[-] Aurix@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

If your use case revolves around a limited amount of apps and features, I can see how that would work. If you travel the world, experiment with new services etc. you might end up that the only way to obtain the required service or information is an app, which mandates GMS, which goes for an absurd amount of programs, and if you don't have that, that's it. No access to the service or information in the middle of the road and sometimes nowhere. I used a degoogled system. It is everything, but certainly not everyday usable. As a secondary phone perfectly fine, but not as a primary.

Of course you could start a debate with the developers of why their public or event service relies on Google, but good luck until that is implemented when you are locked out right now.

[-] Aux@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

I can tell you why app developers are using Google services.

  • They provide a lot of important features, which are hard to implement otherwise.
  • Unlike others, they provide these features for free or super cheap.
  • Everything is well documented and they produce tons of educational video content. For free.
  • Most app devs use them, so it is easier to find support, code examples, etc.

All this leads to a situation where using alternatives is just too expensive and will increase your development time noticeably (and that will be expensive too). Large companies can bite the bullet and just write off the losses, simply because they don't like Google or whatever. But for a smaller developer that's a death sentence. And if you're creating a free app - just forget it.

[-] lemmy@lemmy.quad442.com -1 points 1 year ago

You just have to commit and be willing to selfhost stuff to replace stuff. If you are unwilling to selfhost then degoogled is harder

this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2023
54 points (93.5% liked)

No Stupid Questions

35868 readers
672 users here now

No such thing. Ask away!

!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.

All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.



Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.

On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.

If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.



Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.

If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.



Credits

Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!

The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS