Is Android really free software?

SshekvaL · Sep 22, 2011

Google's smartphone code is often described as 'open' or 'free' – but when examined by the Free Software Foundation, it starts to look like something different

Read More.

By Richard Stallman - Monday 19 September 2011.

Joe · Sep 22, 2011

I don't think rms will ever be happy until every piece of software in the world is published under GPL. On the other hand he's right to say that Google since hasn't released the code of Android 3.0. If by "open" they mean publishing the source code of last year's product, I think they misinterpreted the whole thing ;)

Aazife · Sep 22, 2011

it's open meaning if a manufacturer wants to put android on their phone and sell they wont have to pay a licensing fee
http://source.android.com/

DDope14 · Sep 22, 2011

i believe nothing is free if you really look into it :)

4peterkh4 · Sep 23, 2011

I don't think so.
If you compare 2 Samsung Phones with same hardware characteristics, the one running with Android OS is much more expansive than the one running with Bada