Related
First of all, let me say that I believe users doooshty and jjcd51590 has a great idea in this thread about remaking all the Google closed source apps form scratch in this thread.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=564263
However this has the obvious disadvantage that this could only help us at sometime in the future when all the new non Google apps are fully developed and stable. I have an idea that can help save the rom dev community immediately and it's 100% legal. (At least I think it is. Anyone on here a lawyer?)
This closed source app situation got me thinking about other programs I've used on my PC in which the legality of it was questionable; specifically PlayStation emulators. If you ever installed one you know that they come missing important files (the bios) that are needed for it to run because it is illegal for them to be distributed by anyone except Sony. You are left to obtain these files on your own and complete the program yourself. The legal way to obtain these missing files is to download them directly off your own personal PlayStation. This has many similarities to the current situation.
Only members of the Open Handset Alliance can legally distribute the Google closed source apps. Unfortunately, Cyanogen is not a member of this group. Neither is any other dev on this site. However, HTC is. HTC publicly distributes the Official rom for the Dev Phone and the Google I/O phone, which legally contains all the Google closed source apps.
http://www.htc.com/www/support/android/adp.html#s3
http://www.htc.com/www/support/android/google-io-device.html
My idea is for all rooted users to store the official Android release from HTC on there SD card in the same way you need to get the bios file for the emulator. Then perhaps someone (maybe Cyanogen) could create a new recovery image that can processes scripts in the update.zip files that can pull individual apk files from the HTC_Official.zip so the closed source apps don't have to be included in the custom rom itself. Allowing the devs to bundle an app extraction script to their roms would allow for a noob friendly and seamless transition. It would also give the devs the direct ability to choose which apps to install and where they want to install them to, much like they can do now. Does anyone know if this can already be done by using the firstboot.sh script? If scripts can't be run from the rom's zip file during the install, then maybe a separate menu option to generically install the closed source apps from the HTC_Official.zip on your sd card. Although this would limit the control the devs have over their roms.
In order for something like this to work, we would need to set standards that everyone could do. Similar to the way the SD card is always divided into three partitions ,first one fat32, second one ext2/3 and the third one linux-swap, always in that order. Downloading the official HTC release and saving it on a standardized location on the SD card will have to become common practice.
Please keep this thread limited to the discussion of if this idea is doable. I don't want this to turn into a "Google sux for doing this" thread.
This is a great idea. We would't have the new market, but ok ;-)
It was originally doooshty idea i liked it and asked if i could start the thread on it since he was busy
and it sounds good to me and i guessed the bios in the other thread (they were a b!tc# to get a hold of... legally of course )
but yea if nothing else a folder and a script moving them to the correct directory
izzit possible to cyanogen to leave out close source apps in his update.zip and we download the left out close source apps from some torrent sites?
ie so as to avoid the legal troubles?
Great idea, i hope this closed apps aren't need to boot rom witouth them.
I tought there were a big integration of this package.
But for sure this the good solution.
Hope devs can make it.
jjcd51590 said:
It was originally doooshty idea i liked it and asked if i could start the thread on it since he was busy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Post edited. Credit given to doooshty as well.
Really I would be happy without the new market if that's all it takes who needs it what because it's prettier it's worth having Cyan make better ROMs that G ever did to not have it. just my opinion.
Alternatively, if someone were to post a tread about how to extact the needed files from a ROM, and the devs made ROMS missing those peices then the individual user could be responsible for putting them on their phone. This whole thing is a very fine line legally. I find it weird that Google are issuing the C&D to Cyanogen when EVERY ROM that has been posted here (except maybe 1 if I remeber right) Has had propriatory code from Google and/or HTC in it.
Relating it to your emulator example, the owners of the ROM copyright have every right to prevent you from doing this, it is their property, but what they usually do is get the sites distributing ROMS shutdown, not go after individual users.
testing567 said:
Thanks. Post edited. Credit given to doooshty as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha thanks i dont want him to think i took full credit
terrible - i have one question: why? (for the money )
Android should be open, why google turn back from developers? Custom roms are better and they probably see danger
this sucks, we need customs roms
Baldyman1966 said:
Alternatively, if someone were to post a tread about how to extact the needed files from a ROM, and the devs made ROMS missing those peices then the individual user could be responsible for putting them on their phone. This whole thing is a very fine line legally. I find it weird that Google are issuing the C&D to Cyanogen when EVERY ROM that has been posted here (except maybe 1 if I remeber right) Has had propriatory code from Google and/or HTC in it.
Relating it to your emulator example, the owners of the ROM copyright have every right to prevent you from doing this, it is their property, but what they usually do is get the sites distributing ROMS shutdown, not go after individual users.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC can legally distribute the rom, and any user can legally download the rom directly from their site. As for putting the apk's in manually, yes that would work but I was wondering if it could be made noob friendly by having it built into the recovery console. Not only that, but if it could be done through scripting in the dev's individual update.zip's, then it allows the devs the freedom to choose which apps to install and to where.
Maybe it's time for a visual kitchen,
1 download the rom
2 add package
3 compile it
4 flash it
imfloflo said:
Maybe it's time for a visual kitchen,
1 download the rom
2 add package
3 compile it
4 flash it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
THIS is a nice idea!
what if we took the official htc rom pulled the closed sourced apps, made a flash pack with just those apps, and left it to the individual user to flash, or would not work bc we would be giving them the apps?
another idea, have the closed sourced apps in a folder on your sdcard, use gscprits to make a script that would push all them to /system/app/ would that work?
or one more
on the principle of the above idea have a .sh file on the fat32 part of sdcard that you could run in the recovery console
Code:
mount /system
cp /sdcard/(standardized folder name)/appname.apk /system/app/
and have the cp command for each of the .apk names. something like
Code:
mount sdcard
sh /sdcard/scriptname.sh
My Opinion
Hey all,
I've mostly been a watcher here at XDA but I felt the need to make a comment. I'm not a lawyer but I am a developer on the application level. Anyways these are just my opinions and should be verified by legal counsel to hold merit
There's some good and viable ideas here for distributing modified Android ROM's w/o Google's proprietary apps. But rest assured any ideas which involve either distributing, installing, ripping, re-packaging, etc, any of Google's proprietary apps w/o their consent is ILLEGAL. That is what spawned off this whole rocus in the first place. Although I do applaud what Cyanogen is doing for the Android community... but I digress.
If Cyanogen or other devs can't workout a deal w/ Google, then the only LEGAL solution is to develop replacements for these proprietary apps. Lets keep in mind that the apps are what needs replacing, not the service that Google provides.
All these apps are replaceable, it will take some work but it is doable. The biggest hurdle, which Cyanogen made a comment about in this thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=564263) is the syncing process. I don't really know the amount of effort required to come up with a workaround for the sync process. My knowledge of Android is mostly on the framework level.
“The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.”
A build without google apps is a bit different from one with them.
imfloflo is dead on, without google apps, the phone won't work for phone calls (needs the SDKSetup package so that phone works), you lose contact syncing ability (so it depends on your SIM Contacts, therefore STK is a must). SDK Setup also interacts with ContactsProvider, and it would conflict if GoogleContactsProvider is also in the build, so the script would have to remove SDK setup and any other files meant to make the phone boot without the Google Apps.
This idea is dead on. When you buy the phone, you enter an end-user license, but we need to read the fine print to see if the license applies in a per-app and per-driver basis or if it only applies to the whole build, otherwise, it means we have to make TRULY custom roms (not a bad idea).
I could work a quick cupcake build that's based entirely on AOSP so you guys can see what it's like (it's not thaaaaat bad), but then there's the issue with the HTC proprietary files, since this event has raised that issue too. I guess I could toss in a script so that you guys have the files extracted on your sdcard and the script will copy them to the propper locations so that the phone can boot.
BoxyD said:
1. But rest assured any ideas which involve either distributing, installing, ripping, re-packaging, etc, any of Google's proprietary apps w/o their consent is ILLEGAL....
2. If Cyanogen or other devs can't workout a deal w/ Google, then the only LEGAL solution is to develop replacements for these proprietary apps. Lets keep in mind that the apps are what needs replacing, not the service that Google provides....
3. “The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.”
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. It's redistribution that's illegal. If the app takes the existing program for which you already are licensed to use, then it's perfectly legal to 1. make a backup of that program and 2. re-install the program in the same environment provided that you're not using said backup application to restore the backup to more devices than which your license has allowed you to. If what you're saying were true, then there would be no backup programs. If you keep an image of the build with the programs you received, then it's basically the same as still having the installation medium, thus you can use this medium to restore your application, again, as long as it's done in a legal usage manner.
2. Making open-source alternatives to Google's apps would be great. We need to find out Google's API's for things such as contact sync, Maps (this is already part of the AOSP project), Market and YouTube, these are biggies, don't think there's an open API for them, for YouTube we could make an flv player based on an open-source player and then find out a way to force the video stream to be played, but without a legal API to stream YouTube content, it's still shakey ground.
3. I like your quote, I'm stealing it
BoxyD said:
Hey all,
I've mostly been a watcher here at XDA but I felt the need to make a comment. I'm not a lawyer but I am a developer on the application level. Anyways these are just my opinions and should be verified by legal counsel to hold merit
There's some good and viable ideas here for distributing modified Android ROM's w/o Google's proprietary apps. But rest assured any ideas which involve either distributing, installing, ripping, re-packaging, etc, any of Google's proprietary apps w/o their consent is ILLEGAL. That is what spawned off this whole rocus in the first place. Although I do applaud what Cyanogen is doing for the Android community... but I digress.
If Cyanogen or other devs can't workout a deal w/ Google, then the only LEGAL solution is to develop replacements for these proprietary apps. Lets keep in mind that the apps are what needs replacing, not the service that Google provides.
All these apps are replaceable, it will take some work but it is doable. The biggest hurdle, which Cyanogen made a comment about in this thread (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=564263) is the syncing process. I don't really know the amount of effort required to come up with a workaround for the sync process. My knowledge of Android is mostly on the framework level.
“The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.”
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ehh I think we CAN extract from the free downloadable package by HTC..
I don't think it's illegal, but it depends on where you live ;-)
Legal
You may not copy (except for backup purposes), modify, adapt, redistribute, decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, or create derivative works of the Google Software or any part of the Google Software. You may only load the Google Software onto the Android Developer Phone 1, and except in conjunction with third party software that makes up the Android system image, you may not combine any part of the Google Software with other software, or distribute any software or device incorporating a part of the Google Software.
Nothing in this License Agreem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Source:
http://www.htc.com/www/support/android/adp.html#s3
testing567 said:
My idea is for all rooted users to store the official Android release from HTC on there SD card in the same way you need to get the bios file for the emulator. Then perhaps someone (maybe Cyanogen) could create a new recovery image that can processes scripts in the update.zip files that can pull individual apk files from the HTC_Official.zip so the closed source apps don't have to be included in the custom rom itself. If scripts can't be run from the rom's zip file during the install, then maybe a separate menu option to install the closed source apps from the HTC_Official.zip on your sd card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking about something similar.
When you build the AOSP code from scratch for your G1, you first have to pull some files off the phone which are device-specific and Google/AOSP doesn't have the rights to distribute them. But everyone who has a G1 already has those files on the ROM that came with it, so he/she can build a new one.
As for the closed source Apps, they're already on the phone. If a user first switches from the official ROM to CM, the closed source apps will be on the phone already (if it's a "Google Experience" phone).
So I think all that has to be done is just not touching those apps when flashing the new ROM. Users who don't have those apps preinstalled could always install them manually once using adb.
Of course, this would mean that we don't get the newest closed source apps when upgrading to a new CM version (like the new Market right now). But that's something I can live with...
Here I provide a half legal (I included the HTC drivers for the hardware...) stock AOSP (android-1.5_r3) ROM!
You can add Google Apps legally if you have bought a Google experienced phone by running this script on a linux-machine:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=564744
Features:
-No special features
-Just stock w/o Google apps
Download for G1:
http://www.4shared.com/file/135524283/e812c64f/dream.html
Instructions:
Unzip the file, then:
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot reboot
To Do:
I'm a lazy guy.
Next release will be cyanogenmod w/o googleapps.
Well does the rom working without all googles stuffs ?
Can we add them easily ?
Thanks for the new build, hope this googles' issue will be fine
It does work, but it's nearly useless.
I work on a windows version of my script which adds google apps legally.
I also will create a script for recovery.
I'll work on this ROM when I'm done with these, as soon as the scripts are ready, this ROM will get some goodies from Cyan.
Nice work Maxisma!
Its a good start
awesome bro
keep it up it's a start!
maxisma said:
It does work, but it's nearly useless.
I work on a windows version of my script which adds google apps legally.
I also will create a script for recovery.
I'll work on this ROM when I'm done with these, as soon as the scripts are ready, this ROM will get some goodies from Cyan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent.
With all this doom and gloom.
Surely this is the problem solved?
But what do you mean by google experience?
I know I got all the apps with my phone... T-Mobile G1...
Google Experience are all phones with Google Apps preinstalled.
Just some indian and russian HTC devices don't have it.
Out of interest would this boot fine without running the script?
I am presuming not, but i am just curious?
I would try it out, but at the moment I am not at home and only have 2g coverage on my phone so its a bit slow to download
Edit //
Could i (in theroy) install, boot and then use wget to download sam3 from slideme.org and then download a third party dialer / K9 etc... etc..
So use all third party apps
vixsandlee said:
Out of interest would this boot fine without running the script?
I am presuming not, but i am just curious?
I would try it out, but at the moment I am not at home and only have 2g coverage on my phone so its a bit slow to download
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It boot's fine w/o the script ;-)
Not to rain on your parade, but ....
Hi Maxisma,
Not to rain on the parade, but ...
Per Google, this ROM is no more "legal" than any other ...
The following is taken from http://source.android.com/documentation/building-for-dream
* The Dream device software contains some proprietary binaries. For contractual reasons, these cannot be redistributed separately from the shipping hardware, but the provided script may be used to extract these binaries from your development device so that they can be correctly included in your build. These libraries include the openGL|ES library, the Qualcomm camera library, the HTC Radio Interface Library, etc. You need adb to be in your path, and you need your device to be configured for adb access. If you don't have adb already, do a generic build first, which will put it in your path.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just my understanding of things.
~enom~
Interesting, i am going to have to have a look and a play later.
Cheers for the work (forgot to say that in my first post)
if you're interested on maybe trying to do this on your own:
http://www.johandekoning.nl/index.php/2009/06/07/building-android-15-build-environment/
Contrary to what you might think, a room w/o google apps is not entirely useless. Probably the major setbacks are the lack of market access, the lack of a YouTube player (we need to work on a port of Totem's Youtube implementation but for android), and a way to manage contacts (irrenhaus is looking at the posibility of setting up a Google Contacts sync), plus we'd probably need to write an utility to actually read/write contacts to and from SIM.
G-mail, you can acess from the browser (which, AFAIK, is still free and open source under the Apache Licence), Maps can be downloaded once we get Market access.
Other than that, a bone-stock android build will keep you connected to the internet, allow you to tether, allow you to run scripts, deliver your mms, give you camera and music player, have theme support, and ofcourse, make phone calls just like any other build will. You'll just have to go a bit off of your way to get apps, but again, that's the main drive here, either get acess to market of create a new one and invite app developers to submit their apps there too
enomther said:
Hi Maxisma,
Not to rain on the parade, but ...
Per Google, this ROM is no more "legal" than any other ...
The following is taken from http://source.android.com/documentation/building-for-dream
Just my understanding of things.
~enom~
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's dead on too, and I forgot about it. The issue would not be with google anymore though, but with HTC and it's hardware partners. This is what cyanogen realized, now that the spotlight is on rom development, companies will have watchdogs for re-distribution of binary code. If you own an ADP device, you can legally download the binaries from the HTC website and MAKE YOUR OWN BUILD (so redistribution targeting dream is out, unless we can talk to HTC about it), either that, or, as I've said before, move onto an open hardware platform so we can write our own drivers.
---edit---
By the way, I still don't agree with the whole feeling of gloom floating around here. This is only a change to the way we're doing things right now, but it doesn't hinder development in any way. If you're the kind of dev that's here for the praise, then yeah, you wont like it that now people will have to actually know what they're doing, so your fanbase will be reduced. I for one welcome the change. This rom, for example, can still be distributed without the HTC binaries and maybe have instructions for the user to download them, install them in their OTA package, and the actually flash the rom. But then that requires that people actually know what they're doing, since we can't legally provide them the finished product.
Also, it doesn't hinder improvement of the platform. None, I repeat, NONE of cyanogen's or other dev's work ever even touched the proprietary parts of the build, as this is nearly impossible without the source (I know, baksmali, but really, I'm trying to make a point here!...) and most of what made his work awesome was the behind-the-userland work; kernel's bfs patches, scripting, cpu time management, modifications to available source, for example, the settings package.
We can still improve the platform, we can contribute, and maybe this time around the way Google wanted people to, by submitting code for their consideration to have it maybe implemented in android's next build.
I'll be glad to see all the "OMG, MY PHONE WONT START" threads diminish as people realize that this will no longer be the place where you get it all dumbed down and easy to use.
hey just by simple curiosity, how do you then log into the phone, if this rom is google less? I presume you still need a google account to set up your machine right????
kmassada said:
hey just by simple curiosity, how do you then log into the phone, if this rom is google less? I presume you still need a google account to set up your machine right????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need to login as there is no setupwizard.
jubeh said:
That's dead on too, and I forgot about it. The issue would not be with google anymore though, but with HTC and it's hardware partners. This is what cyanogen realized, now that the spotlight is on rom development, companies will have watchdogs for re-distribution of binary code. If you own an ADP device, you can legally download the binaries from the HTC website and MAKE YOUR OWN BUILD (so redistribution targeting dream is out, unless we can talk to HTC about it), either that, or, as I've said before, move onto an open hardware platform so we can write our own drivers.
---edit---
By the way, I still don't agree with the whole feeling of gloom floating around here. This is only a change to the way we're doing things right now, but it doesn't hinder development in any way. If you're the kind of dev that's here for the praise, then yeah, you wont like it that now people will have to actually know what they're doing, so your fanbase will be reduced. I for one welcome the change. This rom, for example, can still be distributed without the HTC binaries and maybe have instructions for the user to download them, install them in their OTA package, and the actually flash the rom. But then that requires that people actually know what they're doing, since we can't legally provide them the finished product.
Also, it doesn't hinder improvement of the platform. None, I repeat, NONE of cyanogen's or other dev's work ever even touched the proprietary parts of the build, as this is nearly impossible without the source (I know, baksmali, but really, I'm trying to make a point here!...) and most of what made his work awesome was the behind-the-userland work; kernel's bfs patches, scripting, cpu time management, modifications to available source, for example, the settings package.
We can still improve the platform, we can contribute, and maybe this time around the way Google wanted people to, by submitting code for their consideration to have it maybe implemented in android's next build.
I'll be glad to see all the "OMG, MY PHONE WONT START" threads diminish as people realize that this will no longer be the place where you get it all dumbed down and easy to use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could probably write a Java application that would allow the user to:
1) hook their google phone up over USB and grab the existing google apps off of it
2) point to the location of their proprietary drivers on a manufacturers website for download
3) point to a central location of legal ROMS for download
4) click an ASSEMBLE button to put it all together. The resulting update file would be like they have always been, but no illegal redistribution has taken place.
One little problem ...
Ohsaka said:
I could probably write a Java application that would allow the user to:
1) hook their google phone up over USB and grab the existing google apps off of it
2) point to the location of their proprietary drivers on a manufacturers website for download
3) point to a central location of legal ROMS for download
4) click an ASSEMBLE button to put it all together. The resulting update file would be like they have always been, but no illegal redistribution has taken place.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Ohsaka,
One little problem with that is ... the manufacturers do not post the drivers (standalone) on their websites for download, they only redist with the hardware. Also, there are other library files as well, it's not only drivers.
~enom~
Simple fix.. just don't include it. People will have to "magically" find the drivers on their own.
If it boots, why is it nearly useless?
Hi,
i don't have a android phone yet. But i'm still a little bit frightened about data security there.
I read this article:
hxxp://w ww.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/28/google_remote_android_application_install/
I think normally you should decide yourself what to uninstall and what not.
So my question is - would it be possible to prevent Google from Accessing your phone, means prevent them from Installing / Uninstalling Applications.
Cause i hate this. My phone is my phone and they aren't allowed to play the "admin"
Regards
eagle
fear not
If you read further into this they are talking about malicious apps and it is done for the malicious app or apps only they are actually protecting your phone from being crippled and it is done systewide for those that use the market
APK's installed from SD can't be touched by Google. Only ones installed from the market can be removed. AFAIK so far they have only removed malicious apps(so far), but Googles definition of malicious is different to mine.
Hi,
thank you for your answers ! I know that they removed only a malicious app...but like mercianary already said: this time they only removed a malicious app ...
They could instead (of remote uninstall) just release a "fix" that you can download over the android market and this fix then cleans your mobile phone...
At least they can't remove stuff that you installed from SD ... this is good ...
But is there a way to modify the rom, so they won't have any access any more ?
Or can u disable this if you got root rights ?
Regards
eagle
P.S.
What else can google do with your phone ? What do they log ?
They take your soul. Piece by piece. Slowly over the years. Just like they do with every other product they give you for "free"
But that's another thread...
Sounds like humor but it's probably right :-/
The fact is ..:
I waited all time for Windows Phone 7. Thought that they would make it a good OS .. but now ... no Multitasking, ugly Menu ... it seems to me worse like the iOS (subjective opinion =) ) .
You don't have enough options/ settings and so on. It looks to me, like they try to copy Apple now, and they don't try to make it better =(
And now Android comes with tethering, Hotspot-Ability, a nice menu ... a "free" market , and so on.
Wouldn't i be afraid of Google i would choose it without hesitation.
You got any Pro Points for Win7 Phone ?
----
Don't get me started on Microsoft...
It's certainly possible to mod Market to disable this feature. Ofc you would need root to do this.
well with custom roms and rom specific apps you shouldn't have to worry because essentially you are loading and update zip so i think you'll be OK there and they would be morons to start randomly messing with peoples phones
Hi,
nice answers =) I like you I already got some
New Questions :
- Are there already such modified ROMS ?
- If not - will there be some ?
- @mercianary why i shouldn't get you started on Microsoft? Start please
What is your Fav OS ? Are you scared of google, too ?
recently modded my phone and dont know how to add apps or do anything to it. As you can tell i'm new to this. I also removed everything from my sdcard and then copied something else on it. I have know market , know facebook logo and no gps on my htc evo. I hear that if you mod your phone that you can do a whole lot with it. So far I only have wireless tether. Please help me turn my phone into the race car that I think it can be
Definitely do your homework. Reading related threads is a good place to start. I can tell you that you will need to download a gapps file. This gapps file (zip file) will contain all the google applications (market, maps, etc.). Flashing this from your recovery (like you did your rooted rom) will install said applications.
Again, check out these forums, or quite simply CyanogenMod.com for more information.
Spend some time reading the wiki page that covers your phone, too!
I tried doing a search and couldn't find a relevant thread, but I have a few questions...
OK first, the issue that brings me here is the only web browser that I like (Boat) has long been dead and out of development, it's long not been on the play store but I've had the APK for a long time and just transfered it to every new phone I got so I could keep using it. I have tried finding a different browser, but I hate them all, none of them have any of the features I want. My last phone was running Android 9.0 and Boat was still working on it. Well, I got a new phone now (Pixel 4a 5g) that has Android 11 and boat still mostly works... except it crashes if I click the bar at the top to type in a URL and a few other bugs... but otherwise still works flawlessly.
1. So, I'm wondering first is it even OK for someone to look to hire a developer to basically update a dead app? Any website and contact information for the original developer no longer exists, but I don't know if it's OK for someone to take over a dead app like that, if it would be considered stealing or something.
2. Second, well if it's OK... I have the last APKs of the browser and I had used a guide to deconstruct the APK into a project thinking maybe I can figure it out and how to update it so that it still works but... yeah that's not happening. So I have the APK files and the already deconstructed into a project and was wondering where I can ask about hiring a developer just to basically update the app so that it still works (bug fixes only, not really making any changes to the look/feel/etc, just fix any bugs or code that's old and deprecated and doesn't work anymore)? And when I say hire, I mean like actually hire, with real money.
sardonicus87 said:
I tried doing a search and couldn't find a relevant thread, but I have a few questions...
OK first, the issue that brings me here is the only web browser that I like (Boat) has long been dead and out of development, it's long not been on the play store but I've had the APK for a long time and just transfered it to every new phone I got so I could keep using it. I have tried finding a different browser, but I hate them all, none of them have any of the features I want. My last phone was running Android 9.0 and Boat was still working on it. Well, I got a new phone now (Pixel 4a 5g) that has Android 11 and boat still mostly works... except it crashes if I click the bar at the top to type in a URL and a few other bugs... but otherwise still works flawlessly.
1. So, I'm wondering first is it even OK for someone to look to hire a developer to basically update a dead app? Any website and contact information for the original developer no longer exists, but I don't know if it's OK for someone to take over a dead app like that, if it would be considered stealing or something.
2. Second, well if it's OK... I have the last APKs of the browser and I had used a guide to deconstruct the APK into a project thinking maybe I can figure it out and how to update it so that it still works but... yeah that's not happening. So I have the APK files and the already deconstructed into a project and was wondering where I can ask about hiring a developer just to basically update the app so that it still works (bug fixes only, not really making any changes to the look/feel/etc, just fix any bugs or code that's old and deprecated and doesn't work anymore)? And when I say hire, I mean like actually hire, with real money.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First topic is about licence agreement and legal stuff. It is owned by "Boatmob, Inc." / "Digital Life International Limited" / "Crunchbase Inc.". Although the app was for free, it does not seem to be a free licences. But I am not an expert in this area.
About the browser app itself, I have seen that you were already active here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/boat-browser.3821682/
You either need a permission of the owning company and then maintain the app yourself (or via a hired dev), or you have to switch to another and still actively supported browser app.