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Google is about to make life more difficult for custom ROM fans

androidauthority.com

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Re: Google is about to make life more difficult for custom ROM fans

#11

Post by hans_castorp »

jraph wrote: post #7
jeroenhd wrote: post #5

Most custom ROMs don't seem to use the AOSP dialer anyway. I've mostly seen forks with some nice features Google's dialer still lacks (call recording, for one). AOSP hasn't been a useful Android distribution for years. Luckily, you can make it useful through third party apps like the Simple apps: https://www.simplemobiletools.com/

if QKSMS still exists, it seems like a good replacement for the messaging app. That's what I used when I used Android a few years ago.

It still exists.

F-Droid also has alternative dialers, so I don't see how this is a big issue.

Re: Google is about to make life more difficult for custom ROM fans

#13

Post by jeroenhd »

tripdout wrote: post #8

Very interesting article that talks about the progression of Google's closed source app alternatives: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-on... I always thought that sure, they're deprecating old apps for the closed source Google version, which sucks, but at least AOSP still comes with barebones versions. But now AOSP, a mobile phone operating system, will come without calling and texting abilit…

They're just saying they've stopped maintaining it, I'm pretty sure that puts these apps in the same situation as the Android 2 style music player that's still part of AOSP.

Re: Google is about to make life more difficult for custom ROM fans

#16

Post by charcircuit »

jraph wrote: post #3

This is the kind of shit I thought could theoretically happen and it was one of the reason I got rid of Android a few years ago and got a PinePhone when my smartphone died. I've been counting on the Linux mobile ecosystem to develop so we have an good alternative to Android and iOS. It's not there yet. I need my phone to be reliable and IMHO, it would need to reliably let me place an emergency call if I ever needed i…

The Pinephone can suffer from the same issue where people maintaining the software included may decide they no longer want to maintain their software anymore. It's no different for this. Either someone needs to step up to mountain it or you replace it with something else. Wanting to get rid of the rest of Android just because dialer and messenger are no longer maintained is throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Re: Google is about to make life more difficult for custom ROM fans

#17

Post by crote »

hans_castorp wrote: post #12
albertopv wrote: post #9

How can you call Android an open source mobile OS anymore given even these basic functions will be dropped?

There are open source alternatives available (e.g. on F-Droid). So I don't see why this is such a big issue.

Would you call Windows "open source" just because you run a few open source apps on it?

Google is slowly but surely turning more and more components of Android into closed source code. This is a targeted effort to kill AOSP and lock consumers into their ecosystem. The end result will probably look a lot like macOS: a few open source parts, but primarily a proprietary stack.

Re: Google is about to make life more difficult for custom ROM fans

#18

Post by uneekname »

Perhaps custom ROMs will only ever exist among a relatively small group of "hackers" or whatever you want to call us, but I do really hope we can grow this community in the coming years.

You know that xkcd with n standards, let's add another, now it's n+1? That's kinda how I feel about Android ROMs these days. I'm hopeful we can join forces to a greater extent, and make these platforms easier for less-technical folks to access.

Re: Google is about to make life more difficult for custom ROM fans

#19

Post by gobdovan »

uneekname wrote: post #18

Perhaps custom ROMs will only ever exist among a relatively small group of "hackers" or whatever you want to call us, but I do really hope we can grow this community in the coming years. You know that xkcd with n standards, let's add another, now it's n+1? That's kinda how I feel about Android ROMs these days. I'm hopeful we can join forces to a greater extent, and make these platforms easier for less-technical folks…

join forces to create the n+2nd standard.

Re: Google is about to make life more difficult for custom ROM fans

#20

Post by ars »

crote wrote: post #17
hans_castorp wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are open source alternatives available (e.g. on F-Droid). So I don't see why this is such a big issue.

Would you call Windows "open source" just because you run a few open source apps on it? Google is slowly but surely turning more and more components of Android into closed source code. This is a targeted effort to kill AOSP and lock consumers into their ecosystem. The end result will probably look a lot like macOS: a few open source parts, but primarily a proprietary stack.

The OS and the default apps it comes with are really not the same thing.
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