a9788cd98f
This change fixes some formatting artifacts that resulted from the export from
Sites, and also updates links to no longer point to Sites and use the standard
{@docRoot} idiom. Also contains a few content updates, and introduces a page
about branch management.
79 lines
4.8 KiB
Plaintext
79 lines
4.8 KiB
Plaintext
page.title=Philosophy and Goals
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doc.type=about
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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. The Android Open Source Project is tasked with maintaining current
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and developing new versions of the Android software. We believe that users
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deserve to have the source code to the software they run on their devices,
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that developers deserve an open, level playing field for their apps, and that
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OEMs and carriers deserve the freedom to differentiate and innovate. That's
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why we created Android, and made the source code open.</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 collectively believe that an open platform is necessary. In some
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ways, Android is the purest form of an open-source (as opposed to free
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software) 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. That
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is, 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 incompatibile
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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 that we are building around Android, device builders can take
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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. Conceptually, our notion 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. The
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members of the Android Open Source Project have contributed full-time
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engineers, product managers, UI designers, Quality Assurance, and all the
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other roles required to launch modern devices in the modern marketplace.
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We integrate the open source administration and maintenance into the larger
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product development cycle.</p>
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<p>In a nutshell:</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>AOSP members, 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, the AOSP members work 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. Some of the work from the current latest tree will promoted into these
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releases.</li>
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<li>When the "n+1"th version is determined to be nearing completion, it will
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be published to the public source tree, and become the new latest
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release.</li>
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<li>Since Android is open source, nothing prevents device implementers from
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shipping devices on older (obsolete) Android builds. However, active work will
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be focused on the current platform release.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>To meet our goals, Android needs to achieve widespread, compatible
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adoption. We believe that the best way to accomplish that is to make sure that
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we ship high-quality, flagship devices with an intense product and end-user
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focus. The "next release" of Android is driven by the product needs for the next
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generation of mobile devices; the resulting excellent product is then released
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to open source and becomes the new current version of the platform.</p>
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