Google ''Not Ready'' to Release Honeycomb Code
Google has said it’s not ready to release the source code for its tablet-optimized version of Android, Honeycomb.
Google's Android OS is open by nature. The company puts the source code out there and allows third parties to use it in whatever devices tickle their fancy. However, despite the openness of Android, Google is holding off on sharing the source code for the latest iteration of Android, Android 3.0, because it feels Honeycomb is not yet ready to be altered and customized for different devices.
According to BusinessWeek, the delay in distribution is ‘for the forseeable future,’ and Android Chief Andy Rubin refused to give a time frame of when we can expect the source code to be made public. Rubin says the Android team is working hard to make Honeycomb work on devices other than tablets and explained that this was something that was sacrificed in the rush to get Honeycomb ready on time.
"To make our schedule to ship the tablet, we made some design tradeoffs," says Andy Rubin, "We didn't want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut."
Rubin goes on to say that releasing the code now would mean developers would put it on phones and the end result would be a really bad user experience.” “We have no idea if it will even work on phones," BusinessWeek cites Rubin as saying.
Fingers crossed they release it soon. Google often makes the source code available to device manufacturers a little bit earlier, so HTC, Motorola, and a few others already have access to it, but we can't wait to see what wild world of Android developers will do with it. Fingers crossed Google releases it soon so smaller companies and developers can really take a crack at it.
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But can it play Crysis?
sabot00 FFS really!
But can it play Crysis?
uber fail.
Anyway, I bet that they're waiting until Honeycomb reaches the mobile market, which according to wikipedia, will be this summer. That is, Q3 2011.
@sabot00
They're just trying to get Honeycomb worked back into Android instead of releasing a separate tablet specific OS which would cause more confusion.
Not a big deal despite what some would like us to believe.
“We have no idea if it will even work on phones," yes you have, on the HTC HD2
But can it play Crysis?
If it supports Wine then it can (if the hardware is fast enough).
Android isn't as free(libre) and open as Linux was meant to be, but OTOH, it's a helluva lot more free and open than Windows or OSX ever will be. So, credit where credit is due, Google is a much better company than MS or Apple.
This is open source by Google.
google is becoming greedy
so sad
Android isn't as free(libre) and open as Linux was meant to be, but OTOH, it's a helluva lot more free and open than Windows or OSX ever will be. So, credit where credit is due, Google is a much better company than MS or Apple.
What world do you live in where the defining characteristic of a "much better company" is based on whether something is "free and open", or, at least in Google's case "free and pseudo-open"?
Such a ridiculous statement. The only thing they can possibly be given, in regards to "credit", is that they made a product that some people will like, and that they managed to whip up a media-frenzy, and that even more people will swallow the hogwash that is Google's claim that Android, and Honeycomb, are "Open Source".
That is all.
The only thing they can possibly be given, in regards to "credit", is that they made a product that some people will like, and that they managed to whip up a media-frenzy, and that even more people will swallow the hogwash that is Google's claim that Android, and Honeycomb, are "Open Source". That is all.
So Android is not open source?
scuba_dave: the importance of companies like Google that support open source is:
1. GPL/LGPL/Apache/Public Domain licenses: If some evil dick-headed company like Oracle buys google, the community has a right to fork the current source code and create their own version, free of the stupidity being imposed by the owner du jour. This happened to Open Office after Oracle bought Sun, now we have a fork called LibreOffice.
2. The ability to compile your own sources: Google gets a bad rap for privacy, and admittedly, they do collect an awful lot of your personal information, but they always give you the ability to opt-out or not use their service. MS collects as much or more information, and their "proprietary-or-GTFO" business model only serves to cultivate such shady backdoor dealings as NSAKEY, which you cannot opt out of. Atleast if I distrust the Android binaries, I can review them and compile my own.
Hopefully, Ubuntu for ARM will eventually contain the necessary telephony stack to be a smartphone OS that's more in the spirit of FOSS that Android. In the mean time, Android is a far better choice than iOS or WP7, for those who aren't complete tech-illiterate lemmings.
"...The only thing they can possibly be given, in regards to "credit", is that they made a product that some people will like, and that they managed to whip up a media-frenzy ..."
Isn't that what Apple has done?
just wondering, do HTC, Motorola, Samsung etc who use the Google source codes, also make their modified source codes available to the public?
^ No idea why you would want them...
@cyanogen "I think Google is doing the right thing by not releasing 3.0 source, because it's probably a pile of nasty hacks."
Cyanogen (of CyanogenMod fame) sums it up pretty well.
That's a lot of crossed fingers
GOOGLE is holding it up just to earn................
or may be its developers are so dumb that they dont know what they developed.
ohh no is Google going the same path Apple choose years back....
just wondering, do HTC, Motorola, Samsung etc who use the Google source codes, also make their modified source codes available to the public?
Yes. Samsung just dropped froyo for the galaxy line. (march 24th)
^ No idea why you would want them...
Need the manufacturer source if you want third party rom...
google is becoming greedy so sad
Becoming?
Google may not have 'released it' , but it is 'open source'... It is already in the wild if you want a copy. I had a quick look in XDA-Developers. Here is a quote from almost two months ago, "some sites speculate since its based on the NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core CPU that it will be the minimum." This might well be why Google are holding it. They may be waiting for the imminent release of two core phones.
The most propably reason are "nasty" UI hacks that some phone companies have done, and so prevented users to update to new and better version os android to their phone... Baybe they try to release an version where you can upgrade the motor (os) and leave the User interface intact, so all Android users can upgrade their phones, without wainting if some lazy phone maker will ever upgrade their version of Android (to older phone models... Any happy Samsung users in this forum that still wait their os update...
So much for open source.
If Microsoft announced the same thing they would've been bashed to no end for it. But if it's Google, it's alright.
Sigh.
So Android is not open source?
Android would be more defineable as "Free Source" than "Open Source". It's free, but their marketing it as "Open" was a brilliant tactic nontheless.
scuba_dave: the importance of... ...In the mean time, Android is a far better choice than iOS or WP7, for those who aren't complete tech-illiterate lemmings.
1. And yet companies are signing license agreements with Microsoft for Android? Kinda defeats the purpose ya think?
2. That affects almost no one. Yes, you could compile your own, and more power to you, however as most people can't review the code/compile their own, let alone understand or realize what they are looking at.. Would make you, and I, the exception, not the rule. Hence, useless. Not to mention, adding to my first point... Anyone that uses your new code.. Well apparently they, and most likely you, would owe MS some money(at least until that issue goes away.. >.>)
Also, on you last statement.. I would love to see another competitor in the field.. I love a good company battle
"...The only thing they can possibly be given, in regards to "credit", is that they made a product that some people will like, and that they managed to whip up a media-frenzy ..."Isn't that what Apple has done?
Exactly. And to date.. Apple has done it better.. So based on the above.. Wouldn't that make Apple the better company? ;P
google is becoming greedy so sad
Also, ask yourself this.. Why is Google only paying 2% income tax when the corporate level is supposed to be 32-35%?
Heck.. Even Apple paid 20%.. And I thought Apple was the Greedy one
What a disgusting GPL violation. If Google can't be professional and opensource they modifications of their Linux OS then they should just get professional and move to something else like how Apple has done with BSD.
Crysis isn't going to happen on Tegra2, might be something you can play on Tegra3, if you can't wait just get the iPad2 since it has x5 faster graphics then then Nvidias Tegra2, Jesus I thought everyone knew that by now.