Google Apps License Forbids Forking, Promotes Google Services

Sockatume writes "If you want to ship a phone with Google's apps on it, you need to license them. A copy of the OEM licensing agreement from 2011 was recently leaked, and Ars Technica provides a summary. Amongst the rules: a company licensing Google Apps can't act in a way that would fragment Android, but must also maintain the platform's open-ness; most of Google's services must be included; Google apps must be defaults, and placed within a couple of clicks of the default home screen. No surprises, but it's interesting to see the details laid out."

Re:Wait, what?

[Kenja]

Android is based on Linux. The Google apps are not. Despite what some people claim, not everything written for a GPL operating system must be open source.

You don't have to have google apps in your droid.

[queazocotal]

http://www.jolla.com/ [jolla.com] - for example - is one example of a vendor selling a phone that can run android apps - on top of 'normal' linux - without preinstalling the normal google play market. (because they can't - as what they are doing in making the linux side more open means it's not vanilla android anymore)

Re:Gee, just fork it.

[cduffy]

You are free to use the Darwin Kernel and make your own GUI.

...just as you're free to use AOSP without any Google Apps, and make your own mail reader / app store / etc.

And AOSP is one heckuvalot more than just a kernel.

Re:Antitrust

[Anonymous Coward]

The Sherman Act has nothing to do with the EU dipshit