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Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

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Re: Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

#201

Post by asdfsa32 »

CBLT wrote: post #146
asdfsa32 wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is an easy to overlook this, but even for someone in position of power to change, creating different code with the same hash is borderline impossible.

Non-sequitor? They're not providing a (sha-1) hash, they're providing source code to integration partners using their business channels, not public git providers. Those business channels include contracts etc to "secure their supply chain". You and I aren't in those business channels, and we're not being given anything with a hash. There's simply no hash to collide with?

A git hash is cryptographically secure. It doesn't matter how you distribute it. That is the entire point you're missing.

Re: Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

#202

Post by eviks »

wakawaka28 wrote: post #140
pas wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

what does the license say? provide source when asked or publish source? OSI is not clear on this either. ("Where some form of a product is not distributed with source code, there must be a well-publicized means of obtaining the source code for no more than a reasonable reproduction cost, [...]")

I hate to be that guy but publishing source online for free theoretically involves unbounded distribution costs that can't be recovered. That isn't the issue here but it should be considered before changing a license.

It doesn't if you use a better theory

Re: Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

#203

Post by [deleted] »

phire wrote: post #65
jmole wrote: post #4

“In violation of GPL” is a stretch. Can’t imagine Google is making the process of obtaining source code easier on themselves though. Android has always been more source-open than “open source”. The vast majority of community contributions that make it into the codebase are security fixes and small bug fixes. Everything else is essentially all the work of Google and (to some extent) Samsung.

Google are absolutely within the letter of the GPL, pedantically so. But maybe not the sprit. We didn't have git tags when GPL was written in 1989, and while we did have sccs and rcs, (and early versions of cvs) they just weren't that widely used, and generally not used for distribution. Even when GPL 3.0 was written in 2005-2007, source tarballs were still the primary form of distribution, even though it was startin…

[deleted]

Re: Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

#204

Post by grapheneos »

phire wrote: post #65
jmole wrote: post #4

“In violation of GPL” is a stretch. Can’t imagine Google is making the process of obtaining source code easier on themselves though. Android has always been more source-open than “open source”. The vast majority of community contributions that make it into the codebase are security fixes and small bug fixes. Everything else is essentially all the work of Google and (to some extent) Samsung.

Google are absolutely within the letter of the GPL, pedantically so. But maybe not the sprit. We didn't have git tags when GPL was written in 1989, and while we did have sccs and rcs, (and early versions of cvs) they just weren't that widely used, and generally not used for distribution. Even when GPL 3.0 was written in 2005-2007, source tarballs were still the primary form of distribution, even though it was startin…

GPL says we need to be provided with the preferred form for modification. Those are the Git repositories for Android source code.

For Pixel kernel drivers, Google is converting the source code from the preferred form of dozens of Git repositories to a massive monolithic tarball. The build system used for this code expects it to be a bunch of Git repositories and spews out errors without it. It does build the code but it isn't the build process they used to do it themselves which is non-compliance. We need to be provided with what is needed to build it in the same way they built it.

Re: Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

#206

Post by Brian_K_White »

RE satisfying GPL, the google drive thing is annoying, and I called it paying a bill in pennies in another comment, But RedHat is 100x worse.

They might actually be violating the gpl because of the attempt to set terms on redistribution and the retaliation (kill your account and block future access) if you do.

Re: Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

#207

Post by usef- »

tsimionescu wrote: post #187
JasonHarrison wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What will you purchase instead? It sucks that the modern smartphone OS market is a duopoly.

Since they're saying "Google phone", not "Android phone", I imagine the next purchase could be a Samsung or such.

Comments elsewhere in this thread say other major brands are even more locked down.

Edit:

> With One UI 8, Samsung removed the OEM-unlocking capability globally,

> Samsung uses a physical Knox Warranty Bit/e-fuse. Loading unofficial software can permanently trip it.

This seems far worse than google releasing source slowly

Re: Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

#208

Post by rob74 »

grapheneos wrote: post #199
rob74 wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, it's as you wrote: they are making the source available, albeit in a very inconvenient way, and because there is no time limit specified, they're complying with the letter of the GPL (although not with its spirit), so you can't even realistically sue them. And the number of people who buy new Pixels to immediately install GrapheneOS on them is (no offense) negligible, so I don't think they'll see a sales impact…

> they are making the source available Not in the preferred form for modification expected by the build system and not in a reasonable amount of time. It's artificially delayed with no legitimate reason. > And the number of people who buy new Pixels to immediately install GrapheneOS on them is (no offense) negligible Nearly all of our current users bought a device specifically to install GrapheneOS. Our current userb…

Sorry, I stand corrected: Despite owning a Pixel 9 Pro myself, I didn't realize Google's Android phones market share was so tiny (1.1%! according to https://www.appbrain.com/stats/top-manufacturers). In that case, of course, the number of Pixels bought because of GrapheneOS could be a significant fraction.

Re: Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

#209

Post by matheusmoreira »

grapheneos wrote: post #114

They stopped pushing tags for any of the Pixel kernel or userspace driver repositories to AOSP. They also stopped pushing AOSP releases specific to Pixels which is why AOSP now only gets yearly releases, QPR2 releases and security backports to both of those. Other OEMs use the yearly and theoretically also the QPR2 releases. Both the yearly and QPR2 releases get monthly security backports. Since they dropped Pixel su…

Thanks for GrapheneOS, and shame on Google.

> They'll sell far fewer Pixels because of these overall changes.

They don't even sell Pixels internationally. Can't tell you how glad I am you're moving to Motorola. I'm really looking forward to having a Motorola GrapheneOS phone!!

Re: Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

#210

Post by realusername »

izacus wrote: post #191
croes wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did Apple claim iOS is open source?

So you're saying Google should stop open sourcing Android? That should like a bad incentive to make to defend Apple.

Google has no choice, the moment they stop releasing Android sources, a chinese consortium will just take over and they will lose ownership of Android
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