# Study: Android is least open of open source mobile platforms



## lobster (Aug 4, 2011)

> Market research firm VisionMobile has published a report that evaluates the openness of eight major open source software projects. The study—which was partly funded by the European Union—focuses largely on open governance, inclusiveness, transparency, and ease of access to source code. To quantify relative openness, the researchers established criteria and a numerical rating system with points.
> 
> The projects that VisionMobile analyzed include Android, Eclipse, the Linux kernel, MeeGo, Firefox, Qt, Symbian (based on the governance model of the Symbian Foundation prior to the the platform's transition back to a closed model), and WebKit. They ranked these projects in an "open governance index" based on the percentage of points that they received. Google's Android mobile operating system ranked the lowest, with only 23 percent. The Eclipse integrated development environment ranked the highest, with 84 percent. Android was the only project in the study that scored less than 58 percent.
> 
> ...



Interesting article, I reckon if google was really into putting android as a open source project (not just releasing code to the public when its ready for production ) more devices would have the latest versions and more features would be available. CyanogenMod is the nearest thing to what i mean, as those guys do release all daily code and try to get the firmware working on as many devices as possibly, its too bad there is a limited amount of developers helping.

Source to article http://arstechnica.com/open-source/...east-open-of-open-source-mobile-platforms.ars


----------



## fractionMan (Aug 4, 2011)

The headline is a bit off.

It should read "android is least open open source project out of 8 randomly picked large open source projects in very different spaces'

Unless you're seriously going to contend that Qt, Eclipse, WebKit etc etc are competitors.


----------



## joustmaster (Aug 4, 2011)

what a strange study.


----------



## Crispy (Aug 4, 2011)

Like the other 7 count for anything


----------



## magneze (Aug 4, 2011)

A bit off? That's putting it's mildly. It's completely misleading.


----------



## joustmaster (Aug 4, 2011)

I'm going to do a study comparing a horse, the colour blue and the country of Argentina. then post up a similar headline


----------



## Lazy Llama (Aug 4, 2011)

joustmaster said:


> I'm going to do a study comparing a horse, the colour blue and the country of Argentina. then post up a similar headline


*A Horse is least open of open source mobile platforms*


----------



## kained&able (Aug 4, 2011)

a horse has the least blue in it.

dave


----------



## joustmaster (Aug 4, 2011)

facts are ace.


----------



## mrs quoad (Aug 4, 2011)

Lazy Llama said:


> *A Horse is least open of open source mobile platforms*


 
Closed horse platforms ftw.


----------



## mrs quoad (Aug 4, 2011)

joustmaster said:


> facts are ace.


 
Regrettably, that's only your opinion.


----------



## lobster (Aug 4, 2011)

fractionMan said:


> The headline is a bit off.
> 
> It should read "android is least open open source project out of 8 randomly picked large open source projects in very different spaces'
> 
> Unless you're seriously going to contend that Qt, Eclipse, WebKit etc etc are competitors.



Symbian and Meego are comparable .


----------



## fractionMan (Aug 4, 2011)

Except nobody uses symbian any more, it wasn't always open source and it's closed source now according to the article.  I used to write apps for symbian fwiw.  It was like writing visual basic, but worse 

Never heard of meego.


----------



## joustmaster (Aug 4, 2011)

fractionMan said:


> Never heard of meego.


 
Its a toyota car


----------



## lobster (Aug 4, 2011)

fractionMan said:


> Except nobody uses symbian any more, it wasn't always open source and it's closed source now according to the article.  I used to write apps for symbian fwiw.  It was like writing visual basic, but worse



The article is not about how popular something is or is not but how projects are either really open source or very little in the case of android.


----------



## mrs quoad (Aug 4, 2011)

joustmaster said:


> Its a toyota car


 
Successor to the _no va_.


----------



## joustmaster (Aug 4, 2011)

lobster said:


> The article is not about how popular something is or is not but how projects are either really open source or very little in the case of android.


 
Its just I've never seen anyone using a phone that runs Eclipse as an OS. And because of that the comparison is "a bit silly"


----------



## magneze (Aug 4, 2011)

By my reckoning Android is the third most open mobile os in that's list because 5 of them aren't mobile oses.


----------

