[wplug] Cyanogen partners with Microsoft

[Doug Green]

Adding to your post, Cyanogen recently had a territorial dispute with Oppo over OnePlus One phone distribution rights in India. I'm not sure of the details (I don't presume to know who was "in the right"), but the end result was the OnePlus group releasing their own OS (which they call Oxygen). Regrettably, they decided to make OxygenOS a closed program, pulling the rug out from beneath people who bought the OnePlus phone because it was "open source". Users have been basically stranded, waiting for an update for a device Cyanogen no longer has an interest in supporting. And now This (your post). Although not technically "abandonware", it feels that way when your Free options have suddenly disappeared. 

All of this reminds me that License Matters. If derivative works aren't covered in a license (as they are under GPL), we can quickly lose our right to examine the code running on our devices. Everyone loses. This has always irked me about the implementation of GPL on Android. While the kernel is GPL, the door is still somehow open to produce closed source "layers" or "UIs"that effectively castrate the "open-ness" of the kernel. I feel like they "got away with something" by conforming to the Letter of the Law while ignoring the Spirit of the law. 

Thanks for the link to slimrom, maybe I'll give it a try on my One. 

I'm probably in the minority, but I'd be willing to pay a Pretty Penny at this point for a phone Made In America, running Free software, with a Removable/replaceable Battery and an SD card slot. Kickstarter, anyone?? Keep dreaming, right? 

-D



> On Apr 19, 2015, at 9:38 AM, Justin Smith <justin at adminix.net> wrote:
> 
> Cyanogen, the company that develops the popular Android derivative 
> CyanogenMOD, has signed an agreement to distribute Microsoft software in its 
> operating system. Don't believe me? Read it yourself[1].
> 
> So just to review, Cyanogen started releasing its own proprietary version of 
> CyanogenMOD and is now partnering with Microsoft to distribute Microsoft 
> proprietary software. 
> 
> If you're still using CyanogenMOD on your Android device, I recommend investigating 
> alternatives that respect software freedom. If you're not sure where to begin, try 
> SlimROM[2]. That's what I use. It's a lean, mean, 100% open source version of 
> Android that has many of the sort of ease-of-use features that CyanogenMOD does.
> 
> 
> *Justin Smith*
> GNU/Linux System Administrator
> 
> --------
> [1] http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/-2010445.htm
> [2] http://slimroms.net/
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