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Et tu, Google? The CyanogenMod issue gets a resolution [commentary]
September 27, 2009 | by Andrew Kameka
Android Hacks, Android OS, Featured post
In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, Caesar had a tragic realization in his waning moments. As he lay covered in blood and struggling for air, Caesar looked up and saw his friend Brutus among his attackers. “Et tu, Brute?” (You too, Brutus?) he asked.
Thousands of angry Android users now believe they are Caesar and Google is Brutus. The company they once championed has become the backstabbing turncoat who betrayed “the spirit of Open Source” and blocked Cyanogen from including their apps in his popular custom ROM’s. There’s only one problem with the narrative: Google isn’t Brutus and Android users didn’t get treated nearly as bad as Caesar.
Google sent Cyanogen, the most popular and recognized custom ROM builder, a cease-and-desist order because his ROM’s include Google-owned apps that are licensed with certain rules attached. Google says that they own apps like Google Maps, GMail, etc., and only licensed parties are allowed to distribute them. This effectively makes Cyanogen’s — and practically every other ROM developer’s — work illegal if they distribute Google apps. Cyanogen has announced a way that he will workaround this issue, but it creates an annoying hurdle for independent developers and more than 30,000 Cyanogen users to overcome.
If you seek comment from Andrew Kameka, rooted G1 owner and Cyanogen fan/user, his first reaction will be to tell you that this is a dick move on Google’s part. But Andrew Kameka, level-headed adult, will say Google was perfectly within its rights. They own the apps and have a legal right to determine how its creations are distributed.
Regardless of what you think Open Source means, every open source project has licensing issues. As peeved as I may be that the rooting community has been given a huge headache, the boys and girls in Mountain View did what they thought was best for their company and their project.
I’ll take on the unenviable task of defending Google and say that extreme actions of rooted users are understandable but excessive. “Google has turned into Apple!” they scream. Hardly. Google is a company that blocked one developer from using their apps in his unauthorized work. Meanwhile, Apple routinely blocks or cripples apps and features that iPhone users want. Two sides of a coin they are not.
“Screw Google, I’m getting an iPhone!” others have cried. Good luck. If you’re ticked off about Google’s actions, wait until you get accustomed to Apple’s antics. I can understand switching to iPhone because Android doesn’t meet your needs, but if this incident sends you over the edge, you haven’t seen anything yet. Send me a postcard and keep me updated of how things are going.
Google’s sudden decision to block Cyanogen was not fun or good for anyone involved in Android. Thousands of users have a new inconvenience to using what made them love the platform even more, and Google has ticked off thousands of its consumer base and advocates. The only winner here is the chuckling iPhone fan who says, “Now you know how we feel.”
Put things in perspective, folks. Cyanogen will still be releasing ROM’s. Google isn’t stopping him from doing that. We’ll just have to work harder to get those ROM’s and install the Google apps we love.
I want Google to change course and let Cyanogen and other ROM cookers continue their work. There’s nothing nefarious and they give users choice, which is the reason Android is such a great platform. However, I think its time for angry Android users to do what I did: huff, puff, and realize this is Google’s house. They have a right to dictate how guests behave. You, the paying consumer, have the right to reject those rules and go elsewhere, but remember the alternatives before you do.
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The problem is not Google software, the problem is the Market software. Any custom ROM is completely unusable without a Market app, so, if Android itself is nothing without Market we can say that Market should be part of Android, so, closing the Market is like closing Android, there is no point of having an open system if the key to "power it on" is controlled by Google. Hope in a free market which cuts them out, but this is not going to happen soon i think, and maybe this is also violating their rules.
Actually, it is both a dick move and within Google's legal rights. Luckily there are market alternatives – and those of us in locked out regions (who can't purchase apps), we'd prefer that developers offer up on SlideMe and similar (I love Speed Forge 3D). I'd also like better apps than gmail, gtalk, calendar – so once available we can wean off that in custom builds. This of course sidelines Google in the whole custom ROM debate – but maybe that is what they want. They may have had a great initial idea, but their tweaking of the kernel and Android code for efficiency has basically sucked, and the ROM cookers have made handsets infinitely more responsive, usable and with better battery life. Basically, Google (and perhaps carriers and handset vendors) has looked a gift horse in the mouth.
OR you could use my script that takes the proprietary Google Apps from either an HTC dump (provided on their site) or a NANDroid dump you make yourself. The beta version of my script is provided here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=…
I agree with most of the comments of BandedHawk. Yes, while the move is completely within legal rights, it's in the wrong direction. One of the things that make Windows Mobile devices bearable is the cooked ROMS that strip off the junk that providers put on the devices. Often times, it is the community that will fix the drivers that manufacturers won't. Google has a similar model as Microsoft in that sense and will more than likely be dependent on the community to provide the support that it otherwise wouldn't be able to. In my personal opinion, I think putting native apps as is doesn't detract from the Google quality. If interested, here are some of my thoughts on Cooked ROMs form Windows Mobile: http://www.thekunit.com/post/2009/02/03/Reasons-a…
I was glad to see a rational post about this topic. I love the custom mods and the innovation they bring to the Android platform, but I also think that Google has every right to protect/regulate their apps as well. This is a unfortunate situation, but Cyanogen seems to have a good handle on how to continue with the wonderful roms. Maybe someday Google can come up with a plan to allow devs of custom roms the ability to include thier apps though a different means but until then, I will just wait and see. I still see no reason to get an iPhone… at all.
"…Google has ticked off thousands of its consumer base and advocates." Thousands? Can you back that up? That number would surprise me. My guess is that well under one thousand people are actually using Cyanogen on a day to day basis. Very dedicated and very noisy people, I will say that. Phones are coming out from different manufacturers, from different carriers, and with different levels of support by Google. The potential for the scene devolving into "I will root my phone so I can get a ROM that has apps that didn't come with my phone," is becoming much greater than it was when there was only one or two phones on the market.
The Save CyanogenMod app has more than 10,000 downloads and more than a few negative comments directed at Google. Cyanogen has also confirmed that there are 30,000 active downloads of his CM Updater. Most of the people who did the One-click rooting method were novice users who have continued to use his ROM's that came with it. There are a lot of people using it.
Showing support is one thing (and necessary, of course), but does anyone know where we can donate to Cyanogen so he can continue his work? His site is currently down.
I’m disapointed in google. I do feel like I was misled. I do have hope that google will find a way to change its distrtribution policy. Wake up google. I know the google I once knew is listening.
Cyanogen will be back this weekend, and. . .wait for it. . .Google developers are helping him get it worked out. The solution is to ship ROMs without the Google stuff. Individual users will use an app provided by cyanogen to back up the Google apps and then reinstall these after the new ROM is flashed. Easy as that. Source: http://www.cyanogenmod.com/home/just-a-quick-upda…
"Tu quoque, Brute, fili mi!" – ignorante!
I'm a Cyanogen user – I'm running his latest experimental ROM now, and it's head and shoulders above the standard ROM in speed and performance. Which begs the question – why can't Google's developers match the performance achieved by Cyanogen? If they could, all of this would be a non-issue. But it's really not even close…before I went to Cyanogen, simply trying to load and scroll around the screen in the browser was an exercise in futility. The Cyanogen mod has made my G1 truly usable for the first time.
Just confirming what I said here earlier. Cyanogen is back on XDA with a 4.1.99 ROM–fully legal.
It was to visit your website. Thanks for the opportunity. http://www.socialbullet.com/google-1/google-1-circles/