by George Heymann
techeadlines@gmail.com
Back in February, I penned an “op-ed” on how Google should wrestle control of system updates back from carriers and handset manufacturers.
The most frequently cited reason for manufacturers not updating their devices on a timely basis is that they require time to customize their proprietary User Interfaces (UI) for the latest release of the OS.
My point then and now is that Google should require manufacturers to d-couple (separate) their custom interfaces from the operating system making them both optional and un-installable.
It appears that Google may be doing just that — requiring vendors to sign an “anti-fragmentation” agreement. A recent Mips blog post confirms the agreement: “The driving force behind the agreement has been concern over potential fragmentation of the Android code base. Some vendors have replaced parts of Android with their own layers/applications. and some application writers have been encouraged by third parties to make inappropriate use of architectural features of the underlying hardware or instruction set architecture (ISA). The result of this is that applications currently in the Android Market do not always work on all Android devices. The anti-fragmentation agreement is aimed at overcoming this issue.”
I’ve urged action on this issue in the past and I’m ecstatic that Google is taking the necessary steps to solve the problem. Although handset partners maybe unhappy about the development it’s good for the users. It means that users will receive software updates faster and that many handsets will be supported longer.
Kudos Google!
Filed under: Android, General technology, Google, Software, Android, Android Market, Android OS, AndyRubin, fragmentation, Google, Handhelds, Handset, instruction set architecture, ISA, Manufacturing, Mips, Open Handset Alliance, Operating system, OS, processor, UI, updates, User interface
Very Interesting, Keep up the good work. Thanks 🙂
I hadn’t thought of that!