Public Release of Honeycomb Source Delayed by Google

[dgstorm]

Google has decided to delay the release of the Honeycomb source-code to the general public for now. If you are a member of the Open Handset Alliance you can get access to 3.0. Also, other manufacturers are able to get access to the source-code upon request, but only for use on tablets. Ultimately, Google wants to avoid contaminating Android's marketing image because some low-end device makers forced out buggy "Honeycomb phones". Here's what Andy Rubin, CEO of Google had to say on the matter,

Android 3.0, Honeycomb, was designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes and improves on Android favorites such as widgets, multi-tasking, browsing, notifications and customization…We didn’t want to think about what it would take for the same software to run on phones. It would have required a lot of additional resources and extended our schedule beyond what we thought was reasonable. So we took a shortcut. While we’re excited to offer these new features to Android tablets, we have more work to do before we can deliver them to other device types including phones… Until then, we’ve decided not to release Honeycomb to open source.

Before anyone could cry foul and compare Google to Apple, Mr. Rubin added,

"[Google is] committed to providing Android as an open platform across many device types and will publish the source as soon as it’s ready."

It is probably a bit nerve racking for developers and enthusiasts that Google has taken this step. It's easy to jump to the conclusion that they intend to begin "locking down" the product, but one could also look at it from the standpoint that Google is serious about protecting 'Andy' from being "dumbed-down" too much. Also, this fine-tuning process will help them nail-down extra security measures to help reduce malware issues in the future. What do you guys think? Is this a signal of sad times for Android, or just smart business strategy?

Source: AndroidPolice

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[Jaxidian]

I've posted my opinion on this here and here.

While it sucks for me who wants custom ROM HC on my devices, I think it's the right decision and it seems to me that it is based on quality and not political motivation.

[strider_mt2k]

You make an interesting point. Both here and in the other thread.

I wonder if Google was quite ready for the explosion of Android devices?