64 lines
3.7 KiB
Plaintext
64 lines
3.7 KiB
Plaintext
page.title=Philosophy and Goals
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doc.type=about
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doc.hidenav=true
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@jd:body
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<p>Android is an open-source software stack for mobile phones and similar
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devices.</p>
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<h2>Origin and Goal</h2>
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<p>Android was originated by a group of companies known as the Open Handset
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Alliance, led by Google. Today, many companies -- both original members of the
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OHA and others -- have invested heavily in Android, typically in the form of
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allocating significant engineering resources to improve Android and bring
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Android devices to Market.</p>
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<p>We created Android in response to our own experiences launching mobile
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apps. We wanted to make sure that there would always be an open platform
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available for carriers, OEMs, and developers to use to make their innovative
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ideas a reality. We wanted to make sure that there was no central point of
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failure, where one industry player could restrict or control the innovations
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of any other. The solution we chose was an open and open-source platform.</p>
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<p>But the ultimate goal, of course, is to improve the mobile experience for
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real users by facilitating innovation. Accordingly, the primary goal of the
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AOSP is to make sure Android is a success as an end user product.</p>
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<h2>Governance Philosophy</h2>
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<p>The companies that have invested in Android have done so on its merits,
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because we believe that an open platform is necessary. Android is
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intentionally and explicitly an open-source -- as opposed to free software --
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effort: a group of organizations with shared needs has pooled
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resources to collaborate on a single implementation of a shared product.
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The Android philosophy is pragmatic, first and foremost. The objective is
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a shared product that each contributor can tailor and customize.</p>
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<p>Uncontrolled customization can, of course, lead to incompatible
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implementations. To prevent this, the AOSP also maintains the Android
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Compatibility Program, which spells out what it means to be "Android
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compatible", and what is required of device builders to achieve that status.
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Anyone can (and will!) use the Android source code for any purpose, and we
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welcome all such uses. However, in order to take part in the shared
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ecosystem of applications that we are building around Android, device builders
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can take advantage of the Compatibility Program.</p>
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<p>Though Android consists of multiple sub-projects, this is strictly a
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project-management technique. We view and manage Android as a single,
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holistic software product, not a "distribution", specification, or collection
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of replaceable parts. Our intent is that device builders port
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Android to a device; they don't implement a specification or curate a
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distribution.</p>
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<h2>How We Work</h2>
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<p>We know that quality does not come without hard work. Along with many
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partners, Google has contributed full-time engineers, product managers, UI
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designers, Quality Assurance, and all the other roles required to bring
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modern devices to market. We roll the open source administration and
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maintenance into the larger product development cycle.</p>
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<ul>
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<li>At any given moment, there is a current latest release of the Android
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platform. This typically takes the form of a branch in the tree.</li>
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<li>Device builders and Contributors work with the current
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latest release, fixing bugs, launching new devices, experimenting with new
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features, and so on.</li>
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<li>In parallel, Google works internally on the next version of the
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Android platform and framework, working according to the product's needs and
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goals. We develop the next version of Android by working with a device partner
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on a flagship device whose specifications are chosen to push Android
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in the direction we believe it should go.</li>
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<li>When the "n+1"th version is ready, it will be published to the public
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source tree, and become the new latest release.</li>
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</ul>
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