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Google has stopped pushing Git tags for some Android source code

grapheneos.social

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

#271

Post by microtonal »

sph wrote: post #251
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…

This comment has convinced me to switch from iOS to GrapheneOS for my next phone. Thank you for all your hard work.

Do it! GrapheneOS is a breath of fresh air compared to iOS. No more annoying pushes of Apple Intelligence, Apple Health+, Apple Music, F1 ads (to your wallet), etc. GrapheneOS gives a device that you truly own.

(Former iOS user.)

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

#272

Post by ValdikSS »

GuB-42 wrote: post #134
bitpush wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Google refusing to do so means Google wants to violate the GPLv2 Not an expert in GPL, but does it say that the source code needs to be provided by a url?

No, and it doesn't even have to be provided for free as long as the price is reasonable with regard to the delivery costs. The GPL was made when mailing disks was a common way of delivering software and it is still a valid way to do it. But the most important part is that once you have that source code, no one can stop you from redistributing it in a cheaper and more convenient way. It means that in theory, only a si…

>But the most important part is that once you have that source code, no one can stop you from redistributing it in a cheaper and more convenient way

Or vice-versa: you're free to sell publicly available free stuff.

https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.html

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

#274

Post by Someone »

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…

> GPL doesn't set a standard time limit for providing the sources, but that doesn't mean they can delay it indefinitely

The GPL doesn’t require them to provide the sources to the world; it requires them to provide it only to those who are in possession of the object code, and even then, _if_ they sell the product with a written offer to get the source code (¿Do they?):

- only upon request,

- only for three years or for as long as they offer spare parts or customer support for the specific product

On top of that, they can charge money for doing that (“for a price no more than your reasonable cost of physically performing this conveying of source”)

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

#275

Post by goda90 »

literalAardvark wrote: post #214
bulder wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A reasonable interpretation would be that they had a previous process that eliminated delivery latency and required no manual manpower for responding, so changing it has been done to induce artificial friction, against the intent of the license. Not that the intent of a license can be enforced.

Compliance with the intent of the law is one of the things courts get to decide on. Someone just needs to be crazy enough to sue (and rich/lucky enough to win)

Just need a lawyer looking for an interesting class action, to be honest. All gOS users can be in the class.

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

#276

Post by doe88 »

What's the point of Android if not of being open?!! I don't see any value for them to be closed or combative. It's sad to see Google, once the greatest company on earth, lose absolutely everything of what they made them great in just a matter of a couple of years.

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

#277

Post by sjamaan »

broken-kebab wrote: post #258
thyristan wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fairphones are easy to unlock, repairable, have a long lifetime and offer a variety of different operating system distributions.

Fairphone with its 8-year updates, swappable battery, and decent repairability is great for those of us who doesn't like to be forced to change phones often. I'm not sure, however, what variety of distributions you mean. It supports 1 Android, and 1 de-googled Android. Which isn't bad at all, but still doesn't sound like "variety".

It also supports PostmarketOS. This post made it to HN yesterday: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49338285

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

#278

Post by westurner »

bulder wrote: post #189
steve1977 wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> GPL doesn't set a standard time limit for providing the sources, but that doesn't mean they can delay it indefinitely. I wonder actually what a court would say here and if "doesn't set a time limit" could mean "the source needs to be made available immediately". IANAL.

A reasonable interpretation would be that they had a previous process that eliminated delivery latency and required no manual manpower for responding, so changing it has been done to induce artificial friction, against the intent of the license. Not that the intent of a license can be enforced.

Which licenses specify which time limit for disclosure of open source code (which is contributed to by many stakeholders)?

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

#279

Post by ivell »

gruez wrote: post #104
KetoManx64 wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both. Google has plenty of government contracts, they are undoubtedly pushing for more surveillance, and also on the inverse side, we are now in an age where users can create their own apps to do whatever they want within a few hours, sothis risks their Google Play Store profits

>Both. Google has plenty of government contracts, they are undoubtedly pushing for more surveillance, I don't get it, are the government contracts somehow contingent on them oppressing users and stifling open source? >we are now in an age where users can create their own apps to do whatever they want within a few hours, sothis risks their Google Play Store profits If that's the reason, they're doing a pretty poor job…

It probably is slow-boiling. Many things have been slow-boiled for so long that majority of us were caught sleeping at the wheels.

The day probably would come where Google does open sourcing just for namesake that too for insignificant piece of software. And other companies will follow suite. There would be time where everything thing will locked up and monitored.

I am so thankful that the PC revolution happened way before app stores and there was a period of open source culture and open formats etc.

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

#280

Post by cosmic_cheese »

palata wrote: post #225
pizzaiolo wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any inconveniences with Linux phones are less annoying to me than what Google is doing to AOSP. My next phone will run postmarketOS.

Well Google is becoming worse every year, but AOSP is way ahead of Linux on Mobile, for many reasons. The thing is, AOSP is open source. Just like Linux is not controlled by one of the TooBigTechs, I could imagine a fork of AOSP becoming a viable alternative without depending on Google anymore. And supporting alternative Android OSes (like GrapheneOS and LineageOS) is one way to support that vision. Linux on Mobile i…

One obstacle to making AOSP independent is the included apps. Last I knew they were overly basic and somewhat derelict because Google has long been favoring their own closed source counterparts, and third party manufacturers all ship their own (often kinda garbage) alternatives.

Not insurmountable at all, building decent apps isn’t rocket science, but a substantial investment of time and energy nonetheless.

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