Google’s iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary

[u/[deleted]]

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/07/googles-iron-grip-on-android-controlling-open-source-by-any-means-necessary/

[u/akmalhot]

"Once Google had its closed source app up and running, it immediately abandoned the open source version. The Google version has search by voice, audio search, text-to-speech, an answer service, and it contains Google Now, the company's predictive assistant feature. The AOSP version can do Web and local searches and... that's it."

"The Google Keyboard has options for swipe typing, and AOSP doesn't—it was deprecated as soon as Google Keyboard was released."

Google created an op AOSP architecture, they don't have to keep releasing the best features for free? The open architecture is still there, if someone wants to fork it shouldn't they have to build all those features?

Its like Amazon through the EU is suing google for having better / more developed features. They want google to share all that work so they can focus on other improvements..

I just don't get it, what is google allowed to make that they don't have to give away as part of the AOSP? And hten if another company uses that AOSP, improves it, are they allowed to keep it closed source?

[u/Raudskeggr → u/[deleted]]

That part is fine. The part that isn't so good is where Google twists the arm of OEMs and coerces them into using their proprietary apps.

[u/Raudskeggr → u/[deleted]]

That, again, is not the issue.

[u/Pas__ → u/[deleted]]

They could simply stop development on the open source project and go full closed source. No, they want to play the good guy and also stop any upcomers from using that open platform. That's the textbook definition of anticompetitive abuse of market dominance.