At Least Motorola Admits It

I've written before about the software freedom issues inherent with Android/Linux. Summarized shortly: the software freedom community is fortunate that Google released so much code under Free Software licenses, but since most of the code in the system is Apache-2.0 licensed, we're going to see a lot of proprietarized, non-user-upgradable versions. In fact, there's no Android/Linux system that's fully Free Software yet. (That's why Aaron Williamson and I try to keep the Replicant project going. We've focused on the HTC Dream and the NexusOne, since they are the mobile devices closest to working with only Free Software installed, and because they allow the users to put their own firmware on the device.)

I was therefore intrigued to discover last night (via mtrausch) a February blog post by Lori Fraleigh of Motorola, wherein Fraleigh clarifies Motorola's opposition to software freedom for its Android/Linux users:

We [Motorola] understand there is a community of developers interested in … Android system development … For these developers, we highly recommend obtaining either a Google ADP1 developer phone or a Nexus One … At this time, Motorola Android-based handsets are intended for use by consumers.

I appreciate the fact that Fraleigh and Motorola are honest in their disdain for software developers. Unlike Apple — who tries to hide how developer-unfriendly its mobile platform is — Motorola readily admits that they seek to leave developers as helpless as possible, refusing to share the necessary tools that developers need to upgrade devices and to improve themselves, their community, and their software. Companies like Motorola and Apple both seek to squelch the healthy hacker tendency to make technology better for everyone. Now that I've seen Fraleigh's old blog post, I can at least give Motorola credit for full honesty about these motives.

I do, however, find the implication of Fraleigh's words revolting. People who buy the devices, in Motorola's view, don't deserve the right to improve their technology. By contrast, I believe that software freedom should be universal and that no one need be a “mere consumer” of technology. I believe that every technology user is a potential developer who might have something to contribute but obviously cannot if that user isn't given the tools to do so. Sadly, it seems, Motorola believes the general public has nothing useful to contribute, so the public shouldn't even be given the chance.

But, this attitude is always true for proprietary software companies, so there are actually no revelations on that point. Of more interest is how Motorola was able to do this, given that Android/Linux (at least most of it) is Free Software.

Motorola's ability to take these actions is a consequence of a few licensing issues. First, most of the Android system is under the Apache-2.0 license (or, in some cases, an even more permissive license). These licenses allow Motorola to make proprietary versions of what Google released and sell it without source code nor the ability for users to install modified versions. That license decision is lamentable (but expected, given Google's goals for Android).

The even more lamentable licensing issue here is regarding Linux's license, the GPLv2. Specifically, Fraleigh's post claims:

The use of open source software, such as the Linux kernel … in a consumer device does not require the handset running such software to be open for re-flashing. We comply with the licenses, including GPLv2.