Stop Android
20th post of my Stop Google serie.
What is it?
Android is an operating system mostly for phones and tablets. It's more like a Linux distribution, based on the Linux kernel and other open source softwares and libraries.
Android is supposed to be open source but most of it is developed secretly by Google, releasing only the source code with an open source license when a new version is released. Some optional components of Android are still proprietary software from Google.
Alternatives
There are some real open source operating systems for mobile phones, most of them are still very young.
Firefox OS
Firefox OS is the mobile operating system developed by Mozilla (the guys making the Firefox web browser). So far they are mainly focusing on low budget phones and phones with Firefox OS started being sold last year in different countries.
You can see my quick review of the development phone GeeksPhone's Peak with Firefox OS. On that review I was running an early version of Firefox OS, now I'm using version 1.3 and it's way much better, they are making a lot of progress. I think the only thing that still prevents me from using it as an everyday mobile operating system for my phone is that the contact application does not handle CardDAV protocol.
Ubuntu Touch
Ubuntu Touch is the mobile operating system developed by Canonical (the guys behind the Ubuntu operating system). This is a mobile version of their desktop operating system, Canonical wants to build a full ecosystem mobile/desktop/cloud.
The first stable release of Ubuntu Touch is planned for this year and some phone makers are interested by using it.
Tizen
Tizen is an other Linux based mobile operating system mainly developed by Samsung targeting phones, tablets, TVs, satnavs…
Mass market phones with Tizen should start being sold this year.
Mer
Mer is more a platform for building mobile operating system. For instance Sailfish OS is based on Mer. Mer and Tizen share some common ancestors.
First of all, you may be more FLOSS oriented by installing CyanogenMod (Andoid distro) without the Google (and other proprietary) applications. Then you install the F-Droid repository (FLOSS only apps - fdroid.org). You still have to use the original binary blobs as hardware drivers, but at least, no proprietary apps.
While I agree with the need to stop using that proprietary stuff, there is not really a real alternative right now.
The only real FLOSS options is to use Replicant (another Android distro, but without proprietary blobs). However, they support very few devices, which are those that there are reverse-engineered device drivers.
Firefox OS - it uses the binary proprietary drivers from Android. Also, either you buy a phone with it, or you have to hack your way of replacing an Android ROM with it.
Ubuntu touch - The same as Firefox OS, but without the option of buying a phone right now. Very few devices compatible, but you still need those Android binary blobs.
Tizen - not available at all for smartphones
Mer - not usable. You still need user facing applications that don't exist. There are no drivers for anything useful, either.
SailsihOS - uses those damned proprietary Android binary drivers too. Moreover, all the components (except for the Mer part) are proprietary.
I wish the situation could change, but for now, the most open and easy (not very easy, actually) way to have more FLOSS is to use CyanogenMod+F-Droid and no Google apps (no Play store).
Cheers,
Luis
I agree with you Luis, but I hope that Firefox OS, Ubuntu Touch, etc. will bring more open platforms (for apps it's obvisous) and they will try to push the phone makers for more open hardware.
Mobile phone world is a very bad world, the whole architecture should be rebuilt, more like a regular computer network, and killing the SIM card should be the first step.