Re: Sour Grapes: Missing the Point About Google Android and the G1

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: October 7, 2008 11:34:56 AM EDT
To: Johan Ovlinger <johan () ccs neu edu>
Cc: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>, dave () farber net
Subject: Re: [IP] Sour Grapes: Missing the Point About Google Android  
and the G1


> Now, if users were able to install their own compiled kernel images on
> android phones, that would be a different story, but I afaik, that  
> won't
> be possible.

There are a couple of issues here.  We don't (or at least I don't) at
this point know how much of the basic phone functionalities that we
typically wouldn't want people screwing around with (mainly related
to the air link) are embodied in fixed silicon vs. in reprogrammable
flash.  My assumption is that the crucial aspects that could affect
FCC approval are locked up pretty well one way or another.

But those particular low-level aspects of the hardware are not the
ones that application or even system developers would likely need
access to, unless perhaps their goal was to actually disrupt the
cellular networks.

Without knowing yet how the low-level Linux living in the G1 (for
example) interfaces with the hardware it's hard to get very specific
on some of this right now, particularly issues like kernel replacement
and the like.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
  - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
  - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com






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