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Google throws the ‘open’ out of ‘open-source’ by shutting down Android mod

by Mihir Patkar / Sep 28, 2009 15:15:58 IST / Tags: open source, Google Apps, Google Android, Cyanogen, CyanogenMod, Google Android Mod, cease and desist, ethics, controversy

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Well, it was nice while it lasted. With Android, Google had promised us the ideal of a truly open-source mobile operating system being headed by one of the technology world’s most influential organisations. And now, the company has gone ahead and issued a ‘Cease and Desist’ (C&D) order to one of the most popular Android mods around, CyanogenMod.

Before we go on, let’s be clear about one thing: Google is clearly right in the legal sense. The problem is the abstract ethical side. For a company that prides itself on its ethics and ‘Don’t be evil’ motto, this is one of the most trust-shattering moves in its history.

CyanogenMod is a modded version of Android that overcomes the many shortcomings of Google’s original OS: it’s faster, more stable, comes with more features and can run applications stored on the memory card. With over 30,000 users, this is one of the most popular Android mods around. And as far as developing this mod and distributing it is concerned, Google has no problems at all.

But the mod’s developer received the C&D notice for redistributing the Google Apps that come with the mod. Official Android developer Dan Morrill wrote a long post on the official blog, and in a nutshell, said that while it’s fine for someone to take the Android framework and modify it, it’s not fine to distribute it with Google Apps such as YouTube, Gmail, Maps, etc.

Again, this is legally sound and Google might actually be earning a bit from the cell phone manufacturers that it licenses these Apps to; but doesn’t this whole deal make you feel downright icky? It’s a bit like the world’s greatest pizza-maker saying he will share the recipe of his dough and sauce with the whole world for free, but every single topping for the pizza is copyrighted by him and cannot be used.

The CyanogenMod developer has since written a blog post that says he will be developing a bare-bones version of the popular mod and that he is in talks with Google to figure a way out of this.

Open-source software relies on several unwritten codes of conduct. It’s one of the few places in this dog-eat-dog world – and especially a super-competitive software industry – that gives a lot of importance to morals and ethics. More importantly, open-source relies on a lot of trust, and Google just violated that.

One of the biggest testaments to how badly the community is taking it is a Twitter message that Android and Me unearthed. It is posted by official Android developer Jean-Baptiste Queru – who works for Dan Morrill – a few hours after this controversy erupted: “To my Apple, Microsoft and Palm buddies: are you hiring to work on mobile stuff?”

Sorry Big G, there’s no way you are ever going to be forgiven for this one… unless you go on to hire the CyanogenMod developer and incorporate his framework into the main Google Android OS itself!

Source: CyanogenMod, Android Developers blog, TechGeist, Freedom To Tinker, Android and Me

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Seriously, check out their website!!! their not shut down, just stripped down a little. Google is just protecting company secrets and security of their apps. Look before you leap, bitch!!!

6 Comments

Oct 03,2009, by STFU and read the site status!!!!!!!!

Seriously, check out their website!!! their not shut down, just stripped down a little. Google is just protecting company secrets and security of their apps. Look before you leap, bitch!!!

Sep 29,2009, by Penguin

"This is a really sad article. Google is doing nothing wrong from a ethics perspective." Ya think? I think that we were promised free as in freedom smartphoneOS. Yeah, the base OS is free, but it's really no android if we cant use the Apps. It's like if Microsoft released Windows as free software, but there would not be any third party software support. Those great third party programs are what Windows is about. Android is similarly a lot, if not all, about GoogleApps. I'm disappointed. Also, I'm now also afraid to see the GoogleOS. An operating system, whose fork just doesn't work.

Sep 29,2009, by Nice

This might not be "nice" from Google, but they have every right to do so and I read somewhere that perhaps the closed source code contains something that prohibits free distribution. But leaving Android and thinking Apple or M$ are any better, that's just hilarious.

Sep 29,2009, by Wout

This is a really sad article. Google is doing nothing wrong from a ethics perspective. Just because a company develops and distributes open source software that doesn't mean ALL software from the same company is or should be distributable using the same license. I find it really annoying that lots of open source enthusiasts keep fighting the few companies that partially embrace the OSS ideas. One could easyly argue that CyanogenMod was way of when it distributed an open source OS with closed source components, just reaping the benefits and not doing the work. By work I mean, develop open source counterparts of the closed source software.

Sep 29,2009, by neil klump

>you develop free software, you should >not include non free software into >your product. They dont develop free software but rather the generic open source definition. One involves copyleft licenses like the popular GPL and its related family while the other uses all kinds of licenese like Apache, BSD and even Microsofts own two open source licenses (open is the new black). Free software worries about things like ethics and morals, none of the others do. Open source is about a methodology which can benefit large corporations to cut costs. Free software ethics are not of any interest to them. Now, tell us which license Google is using for thise project because I got a fiver saying that its not a copyleft license.

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