Google's Android supremo, Andy Rubin, has responded to critics who said the big G stopped Acer from launching a phone running a rival operating system.
Acer was set to announce a new mobile running the Aliyun OS -- a heavily modified version of Android. But Google cried foul, and said it would stop supporting Acer if it went ahead. In other words, Acer wouldn't be able to make Android smarties. So what reason does Rubin give for the ultimatum? Compatibility is the issue, apparently.
Aliyun (made by Chinese company Alibaba) isn't compatible with Android apps, according to Google's tests. As a member of the Open Handset Alliance, Acer has an obligation to stay compatible or it'll be cut off. Google made this clear, and Acer cancelled Thursday's press conference where it would have announced its Aliyun-powered handset.
"We were surprised to read Alibaba Group's chief strategy officer Zeng Ming's quote 'We want to be the Android of China' when in fact the Aliyun OS incorporates the Android runtime and was apparently derived from Android," Rubin wrote in a blog post.
"Based on our analysis of the apps available at http://apps.aliyun.com, the platform tries to, but does not succeed in being compatible."
Google also said in an emailed statement to our sister site CNET in the US: "Compatibility is at the heart of the Android ecosystem and ensures a consistent experience for developers, manufacturers, and consumers. Non-compatible versions of Android, like Aliyun, weaken the ecosystem."
Alibaba wasn't best pleased with Acer's volte-face.
"Aliyun OS is not part of the Android ecosystem so of course Aliyun OS is not and does not have to be compatible with Android," said John Spelich, vice president of international corporate affairs for Alibaba. "It is ironic that a company that talks freely about openness is espousing a closed ecosystem."
It's a bit of a murky one. Amazon uses its own version of Android on its Kindle Fire tablets, and isn't a member of the Open Handset Alliance. So not all companies using Android need to abide by Google's rules.
Is Google right to give Acer the ultimatum? Will too many heavily modified versions of Android weaken the ecosystem? Let me know in the comments below or on Facebook.
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Peter Hudson 15 September, 2012 09:26
It's odd that google would do this. With Samsung phones and tablets being banned everywhere and more and more companies dropping google maps and search, you would think they would be trying to stay on the good side of the smaller manufacturers. Especially with WP8 proving to be quite good.
damien2501 15 September, 2012 10:28
But android is open and free right? Lol
anonymous 15 September, 2012 10:44
Why are people surprised by this or think its bad? Why would google want other companies modding/altering their OS to the point where its not part of the same ecosystem. The whole point of making android accessible to manufacturers is to grow the ecosystem.
A proportion of the revenue stream is clearly in selling apps in the playstore..having fragmentation to the point where apps are not compatible is clearly a lose-lose
anonymous 15 September, 2012 13:21
anonymous 15 September, 2012 10:44
Well said anon. I really don't understand why people can't get their head around this and think it is somehow a bad thing.
anonymous 15 September, 2012 15:10
Want your own OS? Build your own OS.
Want an Android OS? Play by their rules.
Not difficult really.
anonymous 16 September, 2012 00:45
Acer can contribute to Android if they want as can anyone. This is the point of open source. As to whether your enhancements get accepted by the curators is another matter. The license permits anyone to use it, if Acer want to go it alone then they can. Why should google support them?
I see Google as an open company, look at the IO conference they hold each year. They are making our lives richer on the web. Some will hate them as they see advertising as bad but every business must be profitable.
I've worked in open source technologies for the past 6 years and I have seen that they enable companies big and small access to powerful enterprise tools. I find it incredible that companies develops software and just give it away for the greater good. Take a look at Apple. Where would they be without freeBSD, the OS that iOS is based on.
So all tech companies use open source and a lot contribute back. Still no reason for Google to support Acer if they want to go it alone.
anonymous 16 September, 2012 10:21
I read somewhere (so unconfirmed) that china dislikes google..especially after google moved their servers to Hkg. The move to make this OS spin-off is being pushed by the Chinese Government, so it's more complicated then simply 'open source' or not.
anonymous 16 September, 2012 18:40
Sorry. Isn't Android just a mobile optimised version of Linux which is based on Unix? Goolgle cant stop people developing there own OS Based on theirs when they took a free to develop OS and started tikering with it themseves.
anonymous 16 September, 2012 22:29
Read the article again and get an understanding of open source licensing. Google have not stopped and cannot stop Acer using Android in whatever form they want to. What Google have done is said they will not support Acer if they do use a modified version of Android. The android source code falls under there control and alterations are accepted by Google.
Yes Android runs on a Linux kernel. At the heart of Android is the dalvik VM but application developers can write natively too. As to what part of the software stack Acer were altering I do not know.