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Google have declared Droidscript is malware

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Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#181

Post by victornomad »

This is very upsetting. Hopefully they could fix it soon!

I worked on a very similar Open Source tool for really long time called PHONK https://phonk.app (priorly called Protocoder)

It started around the same time as Droidscript but PHONK has been always a hobby project rather than a business.

I can imagine how painful might be for the Droidscript devs if that's a part of their monthly income...

This type of actions by big actors should keep us awake to protect the web with tech, companies and user diversity.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#182

Post by CivBase »

cookiengineer wrote: post #173
nromiun wrote: post #26

> We don't allow apps with any code that could put a user, a user’s data, or a device at risk. If Google thinks the ability to execute arbitrary code puts users' data at risk why don't they go the full iOS route and ban everything, from scripting apps to other JS engines beside Chromium? I am so sick of their behaviour, the only reason I am still on Android because things like F-Droid still exists and iOS is even mor…

Technically, f-droid is a walled garden of sorts, too. The difference is that fdroid is actually helping users through being transparent about it. The other stores and their policies usually are not transparent, and therefore nobody knows whether there were financial motivations involved in the decisions. What I don't like is google claiming droidscript harms Android through a malicious AdMob ID. Even if that were th…

I can add third-party repositories to F-Droid. The default F-Droid repository may be a walled garden but as far as I can tell the app and protocol are definitely not.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#183

Post by donio »

negativegate wrote: post #139
nromiun wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, Termux is the most used app on my phone and I don't know what I will do when they have to migrate to SDK 29. I will probably buy another phone and install LineageOS.

This is the first I've heard of Termux and now I'm curious what you use it for. Like are you SSHing into other environments?

For me ssh to access my main Emacs session is a big part of it but I also run some shell scripts and CLI tools and services written in Go. ssh-ing back into the phone for file transfer is another important use.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#184

Post by e3bc54b2 »

overgard wrote: post #66
pdkl95 wrote: post #47

The War On General Purpose Computing[1][2] is escalating. The war has moved past trivial fights over copyright/"DRM", and is now directly targeting programming environments. [1] https://boingboing.net/2012/01/10/lockdown.html [2] https://boingboing.net/2012/08/23/civilwar.html edit: fixed link - thanks for the bug report

This seems so self-defeating by these companies. All this will do is push people to learn to develop on the web (arguably where they already are learning), while completely bypassing any built-in API's and stores. Sure, there's stuff you can't access without native code, but at a certain point why would anyone want to risk making their primary codebase dependent on one of these stores? When FOSS tablets and phones be…

Web is being crippled too. Google is clenching its iron grip from both sides (search and browser), while Apple leaves it crippled on its own devices for obvious reasons.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#185

Post by megous »

Aperocky wrote: post #50
goda90 wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Phones are the only pocket computers that see quick advances in performance and battery use. For someone who wants a pocket sized computer, it's just most convenient to combine it with your phone.

But they are horrible as production machines, at least until when our brain is no longer using our body as interfaces. For pure pocket sized computing, why not use RPi? It's both much cheaper, more customizable, and it runs Linux. With enough tweaking you can make it run completely headless, plug-and-run mini computer that you can ssh over local network. I think the biggest problem with the combining idea is that com…

It's not much cheaper if you want battery, LCD with CTP, and perhaps a LTE modem for non-wifi mobile internet. Also it would have a horrible form factor.

Pinephone is basically a smarthpone shaped SBC, with much better software situation than rpi, and you can use it as such. I ssh into mine all the time. You can connect anything you like to it via USB hub, incl. the full keyboard and mouse. You can use bluetooth keyboard, and just do normal computing you'd do on your dekstop, etc.

Except for small display and lower performance there's no differnece.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#186

Post by jabroni_salad »

ncann wrote: post #161
pdkl95 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> "Can't you just make us a general-purpose computer that runs all the programs, except the ones that scare and anger us? Can't you just make us an Internet that transmits any message over any protocol between any two points, unless it upsets us?"[1] The War On General Purpose Computing continues. Far too many business models depend on selling general purpose computers as "appliances". They presume it is possible to…

Even as a casual Android dev I've noticed it becoming more and more restrictive over the years, from restricting apps from reading storage, to restring apps from accessing clipboard, to restring apps from running in background, and a ton of other things all in the name of protecting customer. Every time I update to a new phone with a new Android version my hobby apps (which only I use, not published anywhere) are bro…

You can still do things, its just that now the user has to approve it. Maybe a 'let every app have every permission by default' checkbox would make you happy but I'm not going to advocate for it. And you can still sideload an APK without even having to jailbreak the device.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#187

Post by Jach »

lupire wrote: post #151
protoman3000 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t get your point. Sideloading apps was always possible on Android even without a jailbreak. We’re not in Apple world, so it’s unclear which Playstore rules got broken here.

Side loading is an Android OS feature, not a Play Store feature. Can you sideload via Play Store apps? F-Droid isn't in Play Store, but APK Manager is, so I'm confused.

You've always been able to use any of the web browsers in the store to download and install a random APK from a website (for example F-Droid), you don't even need to sideload it. Sideloading apps is mostly just a relevant concept for developers or for users who have no alternative to getting custom code on a device. (Edit: Speaking of ad fraud brought up by the GGP, there are also many automation apps, at least one (Automate) uses a plugin flow-chart architecture exposing all sorts of functionality, with users able to share custom scripts. Not to mention tons of plain "auto-clicker" apps.)

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#188

Post by e3bc54b2 »

heywherelogingo wrote: post #155
AlwaysRock wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are you going to do? Stop using Google products? Good luck.

Yes. Android and gmail are my last two to get rid of. I was wanting to play with mail in a box, but this morning had an alert on my phone demanding my birthdate within 14 days. So, I'll be expediting google out of my life within the next 14 days.

If you don't use YouTube, I bow to you good netizen.

But in all honesty, it is very very hard to avoid Google. Android, Gamil, YouTube and Search are big four left on my list.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#189

Post by cookiengineer »

CivBase wrote: post #182
cookiengineer wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically, f-droid is a walled garden of sorts, too. The difference is that fdroid is actually helping users through being transparent about it. The other stores and their policies usually are not transparent, and therefore nobody knows whether there were financial motivations involved in the decisions. What I don't like is google claiming droidscript harms Android through a malicious AdMob ID. Even if that were th…

I can add third-party repositories to F-Droid. The default F-Droid repository may be a walled garden but as far as I can tell the app and protocol are definitely not.

A walled garden doesn't necessarily exist solely of proprietary protocols and code. In the case of fdroid, apps that violate open source licenses are not allowed.

So, technically, from the perspective of a company like Facebook, fdroid is a walled garden they cannot enter without open sourcing their code.

(I'm not saying fdroid's policies are bad. I'm just trying to make an argument for the counterside and am playing the devil's advocate here.)

PS: I know about third-party repositories. That's not the point, it's differences in policies and their effects on the ecosystem I want to discuss because I think they're more important.

Google advocates always make the argument that endusers "can just root their phones and install the APKs anyways" which is similar to f-droid with an external repository. Most non-technical endusers simply won't do that.

Re: Google have declared Droidscript is malware

#190

Post by salawat »

wyattpeak wrote: post #129
pydry wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most users don't really understand what they're giving up when they give up the option to run arbitrary code As with privacy (Facebook privacy settings, cookie boxes), it's easy to bamboozle the general public with complexity and then interpret their confusion and (violated) trust as consent.

This is one case though where that lack of understanding leads to the right conclusion. The average user is giving up nothing by losing the right to run arbitrary code, because they never were running arbitrary code.

Which is why it's all the more important to fight against it.

Change your point a bit.

People are fine with giving up Freedom because they were never really Free in the first place.

Circular reasoning is sucha seductive fallacy because it'll fit any use case like a glove.

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