Ask Android

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is android an open source linux distro technically?? (lemmy.today)

submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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i know some parts of it are proprietary and you need google services for it to work properly but if you don't need any of that and only rely on say fdroid apps and just use it without a google account and all of those things could android still be considered that?? i like android so much and i think it's an amazing fully american operating system, great!! so technically it is? and i know about grapheneos and other roms but what about stock android? stock android is still mostly open source and free (well gratis), and linux

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Technically, yes.

Android follows the letter of open source, but not the spirit.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I don't know anything. Why not the spirit?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

While Android is an free and open-source operating system, it doesn't follow the Free Software philosophy of sharing information. Android is becoming increasingly locked-down to those without technical expertise, to the point where the only way to get a truly "open" Android phone is to buy a Pixel.

In other words, Google wants to reap all the benefits of making Android open source, but they don't seem to want to contribute or give back to the community, which is the entire spirit of open source.