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Android 4.5: End of Road?

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Re: Android 4.5: End of Road?

#11

Post by izacus »

Note that the title is misleading: Android ALWAYS had a read-only /system partition.

Now they're adding a slew of SELinux policies which also enforce read-only access to /system partition. These are still applied if you remount it rw, which means that in the future users will have to modify SELinux policy to write while the OS is running.

Recovery (which is tasked with updates) will keep its write ability. Also all apps which don't write to /system partition (which includes most root apps like Titanium, etc.) will not be affected.

Re: Android 4.5: End of Road?

#12

Post by izacus »

drdaeman wrote: post #10
veeti wrote: post #3

Every single time these new SELinux changes in AOSP come up before the release of a new Android version there's some FUD about root access dying and bla bla bla. Guess what? It never happens. Buy an open device (for example, Nexus) that lets you flash whatever software you want through the bootloader and thus recovery. Nothing prevents you from removing this security policy, which makes complete sense: nothing in And…

Open devices are rarer and have limited hardware options. Say, I didn't found any affordable multi-SIM phone that fit my tastes available at the local retail (i.e. I wasn't willing to wait for a month for a remote purchase to ship) when I needed one.

Well you should address complaints to operators like AT&T and Verizon which force bootloader locks to your phones.

Here in EU pretty much most of the new Androids are fully unlockable including phones that ship with completely locked bootloaders on Verizon and AT&T.

Demanding that Google ships an OS with security vulnerabilities because US telcos demand bootloader locking is ludicrous.

Re: Android 4.5: End of Road?

#15

Post by Nux »

izacus wrote: post #11

Note that the title is misleading: Android ALWAYS had a read-only /system partition. Now they're adding a slew of SELinux policies which also enforce read-only access to /system partition. These are still applied if you remount it rw, which means that in the future users will have to modify SELinux policy to write while the OS is running. Recovery (which is tasked with updates) will keep its write ability. Also all a…

Thanks for pointing it out, it's too late to edit the title now.

Re: Android 4.5: End of Road?

#16

Post by steanne »

This is already being done by some vendors. My Sony Xperia Z1 Compact shipped with a UK image (where things are supposedly freer), was rootable only via a long flashing process that at one point breaks the screen, had an unlockable bootloader, and had a policy keeping /system read-only built into the 4.3 kernel. If one unlocks the bootloader, the DRM keys for Sony-specific extras are lost.

I've found root without /system access is good enough for most things. Tibu works fine. ...but isn't it my phone?

Re: Android 4.5: End of Road?

#17

Post by iamben »

Goldenromeo wrote: post #13
TsukasaUjiie wrote: post #6

Ive found the longer android has been around, the less likely I've been to need to root it. This doesn't seem like a bad change?

Do you want ads? Because that is his we get the horrible ads On our favorite apps.

Do you think that the devs that put hard work and time into building your 'favorite apps' don't deserve to be compensated?

Re: Android 4.5: End of Road?

#18

Post by LukeB_UK »

higherpurpose wrote: post #9
veeti wrote: post #3

Every single time these new SELinux changes in AOSP come up before the release of a new Android version there's some FUD about root access dying and bla bla bla. Guess what? It never happens. Buy an open device (for example, Nexus) that lets you flash whatever software you want through the bootloader and thus recovery. Nothing prevents you from removing this security policy, which makes complete sense: nothing in And…

"Just buy Nexus". Sure: http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/29/report-google-ditching-...

Rumours aren't a good base for disputing someone's point.

Re: Android 4.5: End of Road?

#19

Post by rossy »

iamben wrote: post #17
Goldenromeo wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you want ads? Because that is his we get the horrible ads On our favorite apps.

Do you think that the devs that put hard work and time into building your 'favorite apps' don't deserve to be compensated?

With a paid version of the app or an in-app purchase, sure. Sadly, some devs only have an ad-supported version. Apps that waste my screen space and download quota with ads just aren't worth it. Either the ads go (with AdAway) or the app goes.

Re: Android 4.5: End of Road?

#20

Post by iamben »

rossy wrote: post #19
iamben wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think that the devs that put hard work and time into building your 'favorite apps' don't deserve to be compensated?

With a paid version of the app or an in-app purchase, sure. Sadly, some devs only have an ad-supported version. Apps that waste my screen space and download quota with ads just aren't worth it. Either the ads go (with AdAway) or the app goes.

I'm not arguing that ads aren't annoying! It's just an incredibly entitled way of thinking. Perhaps ads are the only source of income for that particular developer. Why not just use something else / get on with it / write something yourself?

Also - downvote if an answer is offensive or inappropriate, not because you disagree with an opposing point of view!

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