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Why is Android so fragmented?

I purchased a Sprint Galaxy Tab to give myself an opportunity to get acquainted with Android (it came with ver 2.2 Froyo). After two months reading the xda threads I have basically learned that Android isn't just a few variations (Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, etc.) - but rather each device has its own flavor of Android within those larger general classes. Different ROMs, different kernels, different application compatibilities, etc.
This surely isn't good for Google and/or Android in the marketplace.
This has come to light most vividly while trying to get my Netflix subscription to work on my Samsung Galaxy Tab. Netflix promotes that they support "Android devices" which technically may be true. I suspect there are at least a handful of Android devices supported. Sadly my Galaxy Tab is not among the selected few. And based on the extremely long threads on this subject with such a wide variety of proposed possible solutions, it is not isolated to the Galaxy Tab. This should not be such a big deal. And yes, I realize it is likely the fault of Netflix themselves trying to be the DRM cops that complicate this issue. But dang - how hard can it be???
I've got to ask why? How is it that this same Galaxy Tab can display video from a variety of sources, but not Netflix? And why are there so many 'apps' that will not run on similar (but not identical) Android platforms?
Sorry for venting a bit. But dang....

It would be nice if phone hardware had more of a PC architecture so when a new version of Android was released by google, you could just go and download it, possibly with a Google installer that would auto detect drivers and such. But that's just a dream.

avrillapete said:
... with a Google installer that would auto detect drivers and such. But that's just a dream.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
20 years ago it would have been a dream. But today? And a company as agressive as Google? WHY would it still be just a dream?
Google says they want to set an open source 'standard' and I think that is commendable. But it feels like the whole process of implementing and supporting the Android OS is stuck in the '80s - with the same problems and limitations that plagued the early CPM and MSDOS world. Surely Google has resources and smarts enough to do better!
Mostly I am surprised and disappointed that Google hasn't done a better job with this aspect of Android. Surely it will get better...

Google has acknowledged this issue, and it WILL get better. Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will have even less fragmentation than honeycomb, and be on ALL devices from its release onward. many pre-existing devices will be upgraded to it as well, ending, for the most part, all android fragmentation.

[Campaign] ICS-compatible OpenMAX IL compiled for ARMv6 from Qualcomm

Hello. I've just started a new campaign for Qualcomm. Please, support it by signing
http://www.groubal.com/ics-compatible-openmax-il-compiled-for-armv6-from-qualcomm/
As you might know there are millions of ARMv6-based devices in the world, and many developers are trying to prolong their life porting latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich to them.
Last time we asked you to release Adreno 2xx driver updates for ARMv6-based chipsets MSM7225 and MSM7227. And Qualcomm has released the update which is really greatly appriciated. (http://www.groubal.com/ics-drivers-compiled-for-armv6-from-qualcomm-update-drivers-released/)
But now we stuck at another point and we couldn't proceed any farther without the help of this great company.
I'm talking about OpenMAX Integration Layer update (core & codecs) for our devices. It is used for hardware-accelerated video recording and playback, image capturing, camera controls etc. Now we are able to use only software "acceleration" for that, which makes device almost useless for many things. It was present in Gingerbread, but it has lower API version, so we can't just use it in Ice Cream Sandwich.
Without help of Qualcomm it's nearly impossible to overcome, because our devices uses QDSP5 digital signal processor, which has no publicaly available specs to port OpenMAX by hand.
Qualcomm has also released updated version of the chipset named MSM7227a which has pretty same hardware (QDSP5 too), but ARMv7 core. Devices with MSM7227a are able to run ICS out of box!
These devices are affected by the problem (according to Wikipedia):
LG Optimus Me, Samsung Galaxy Fit, Samsung Galaxy Mini, Samsung Galaxy 551, LG Optimus Chic, ZTE Blade, HTC Legend, Mytouch 3G Slide, HTC Gratia, LG Optimus One P500 GSM, ViewSonic ViewPad 7, Samsung Galaxy Europa, Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 (SE Shakira), HTC Aria, Palm Pixi GSM, OlivePad VT-100, HTC Wildfire S, Alcatel OT-990, Micromax A70, LG Optimus chat L-04C, Huawei Pocket WiFi S II S41HW, Huawei Ideos X3, Huawei Sonic U8650, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro, Garmin & Asus M10, WellCom A88, Coolpad W706, Garmin & Asus A10, Samsung Galaxy Gio, Samsung Galaxy Ace, Odys Space, LG Optimus Net, LG Optimus Hub, ZTE Skate, HTC ChaCha, HTC Salsa, Huawei smart bar S42HW, Coolpad 7260, ZTE Blade S
Most of them already have a working port of ICS, CM9, AOSP, AOKP etc. Almost everything is working except multimedia hardware acceleration!
So, please Qualcomm, hear our voice again!
Please sign the petition if you have a device that meets one or more of the following:
1. uses ARMv6
2. has an unofficial ICS port (CM9, AOKP, MIUIv4, etc.)
3. does not have an ICS port due to the lack of these drivers
If you have anything you would like to say, please add a comment along with your signature.
Also, please spread the word about this Groubal (in forums, social networking sites, etc.). For example, if you are using some kind of ICS port, you can post in the thread of your rom. Or if there is a Facebook page for your phone, you can post there too.
Please do not sign the petition more than once or spam the petition. It ruins its credibility, not to mention that you are probably lowering the chance that our voice will be heard. If you really want to support this petition, then don’t spam.
Other than signing the petition below, please voice your opinion in the following links:
https://developer.qualcomm.com/forum/qdevnet-forums/multimedia-optimization-qdsp/13248
Use social networks to reach Qualcomm:
http://www.facebook.com/qualcomm
http://twitter.com/QUALCOMM
There is another petition about this problem, but author forgot to mention any technical information into it:
http://www.change.org/petitions/arm-release-openmax-codecs-for-arm-v6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

If you found any typos, misspelling or inaccuracy in the above text, feel free to contact me and i'll edit it.

divanikus said:
Hello. I've just started a new campaign for Qualcomm. Please, support it by signing
http://www.groubal.com/ics-compatible-openmax-il-compiled-for-armv6-from-qualcomm/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Signed!!!!

Signed

i already sign this petition hope this campaign will success

already signed.....

done (signed)
also, thanks for your effort

Signed

Signed!

Signed tooooo

Signed

Member
signed!

signed

Every time I'm looking at Qualcomm forum, I have strong feeling that it is dead by now >_<
I do not mean replies to mentioned topic, but whole forum's activity.

Already signed. I hope Qualcomm will hear us again)

signed and supporting the cause

UP ,
hope that people will see it and signe this petition, our phone still has some chances to get ICS fully working, come on !!!

signed

any response from qualcomm dev team?
make this facebook post top click the like button guys
http://www.facebook.com/qualcomm/posts/242180012557312

No response

I wish Android was more like iOS or GNU/Linux.

First, let me unravel what I mean by the title...
Apple offers updates to most if not all iOS devices when a new version of iOS comes out. I can be mistaken about this, but it really doesn't make my coming point invalid.
Most major GNU/Linux distributions supports a **** ton of hardware via the Linux kernel and can thus be installed on a lot of different computer configurations. Arch and others manage to have a rolling release, while Ubuntu and others can be updated to the latest version every time there is a new one.
Now, the Android kernel is a fork of the Linux kernel.... yet to my knowlegde, Cyagen Mod is the closest thing we have to an "Android Distrobution" that works on several devices... yet the latest stable release for my Optimus 2X was in October 2011 (Android 2.3).
My guess is that, as of 2012, the number of Android users has far surpassed the number of Linux Desktop Users.
So my question is, why can't I have an up to date Android experience on my phone?
One simple answer would be to blame NVIDIA for not updating their tegra-drivers... I might be extremely uninformed, but I believe I had a working tegra driver in my stock android 2.3 version. So why not patch the same driver for 4.1? Is Android 4.1 really that different? Why arn't more people working on this? No commercial interest? Has that ever grinded the linux community to a halt?
I want 10 stable Android distibutions by Friday afternoon... Go!
No, but seriously... I understand there are a lot of developers working on bringing the latest Android experience to all sorts of devices.

My phone may stop working next year

Hello,
I have a LG L90 D415 that I bought back in 2014 and is working perfectly. I was using it with the last official update sent by the manufacturer (Andorid 5.1.1 Lollipop), but one single APP stop working and when I check for that APP, for it to work I needed to have Android 6 Marshmallow. Problem was that the manufacturer stop supporting the unit and they decided not to provide any other update beyond 5.1.1. Luckily I found that there was version 7 Nougat for my unit as an AOSP with Linange OS. Me, being an ignorant of android configuration, had a hard time installing it but finally was able to make it work. If not for that APP that stop working I would never change the OS but at the end I was happy, it was like having a new phone. I was able to install the APP and make it work. Then few days ago I read this article:
Devices may stop working next year: Here's why
The article is talking about devices that won't be able to work due to outdated security certificates. Specifically about andorid devices using Android version 7 Nougat (the one that I recently install on the phone), the article says:
The most vulnerable devices
Helme said users of Windows computers won't need to worry, as Microsoft has built in constant updating of certificates. Web browsers on most platforms get certificate updates regularly. And because iPhones get system updates so frequently, "I wouldn't be too concerned about this problem if I was an iOS user (I am)."
"But it looks like Android users might have some concerns in the not too distant future," Helme added.
That's because as of April 2020, nearly 40% of all Android devices visible to Google were using now-unsupported Android versions such as Nougat or earlier. (These statistics don't include Amazon Fire tablets, Xiaomi Mi phones or other devices that run non-Google versions of Android.) Many of those older devices may soon lose the ability to connect to most app servers and websites.​
Since I have an old unit it seems that there is no interest from the LinageOS people to build at least version 8 of Android for the LG L90. So I need to ask, What are my options? Is there a way to find updated security certificates?
Please advise.

3d1l said:
Hello,
I have a LG L90 D415 that I bought back in 2014 and is working perfectly. I was using it with the last official update sent by the manufacturer (Andorid 5.1.1 Lollipop), but one single APP stop working and when I check for that APP, for it to work I needed to have Android 6 Marshmallow. Problem was that the manufacturer stop supporting the unit and they decided not to provide any other update beyond 5.1.1. Luckily I found that there was version 7 Nougat for my unit as an AOSP with Linange OS. Me, being an ignorant of android configuration, had a hard time installing it but finally was able to make it work. If not for that APP that stop working I would never change the OS but at the end I was happy, it was like having a new phone. I was able to install the APP and make it work. Then few days ago I read this article:
Devices may stop working next year: Here's why
The article is talking about devices that won't be able to work due to outdated security certificates. Specifically about andorid devices using Android version 7 Nougat (the one that I recently install on the phone), the article says:
The most vulnerable devices
Helme said users of Windows computers won't need to worry, as Microsoft has built in constant updating of certificates. Web browsers on most platforms get certificate updates regularly. And because iPhones get system updates so frequently, "I wouldn't be too concerned about this problem if I was an iOS user (I am)."
"But it looks like Android users might have some concerns in the not too distant future," Helme added.
That's because as of April 2020, nearly 40% of all Android devices visible to Google were using now-unsupported Android versions such as Nougat or earlier. (These statistics don't include Amazon Fire tablets, Xiaomi Mi phones or other devices that run non-Google versions of Android.) Many of those older devices may soon lose the ability to connect to most app servers and websites.​
Since I have an old unit it seems that there is no interest from the LinageOS people to build at least version 8 of Android for the LG L90. So I need to ask, What are my options? Is there a way to find updated security certificates?
Please advise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the manufacturer stops supports a device and if the device is no longer supported by custom development in the android user community and if security updates are no longer supported by the manufacturer or by custom android developers, the only other options are to support the software development yourself, if possible, or get a new device. You obviously won't be able to do the software/security support yourself so that leaves you only the option of getting a new device.
By the way, whoever wrote that article is an idiot iOS user. Yes, Apple will continue to release security updates, but, not for all Apple devices, they don't offer updates/support on their older devices. Apple doesn't want its users to use Apple devices more than a year or two, for this reason, they discontinue support on those older devices to force its users to buy newer devices.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk

Droidriven said:
If the manufacturer stops supports a device and if the device is no longer supported by custom development in the android user community and if security updates are no longer supported by the manufacturer or by custom android developers, the only other options are to support the software development yourself, if possible, or get a new device. You obviously won't be able to do the software/security support yourself so that leaves you only the option of getting a new device.
By the way, whoever wrote that article is an idiot iOS user. Yes, Apple will continue to release security updates, but, not for all Apple devices, they don't offer updates/support on their older devices. Apple doesn't want its users to use Apple devices more than a year or two, for this reason, they discontinue support on those older devices to force its users to buy newer devices.
Sent from my SM-S767VL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks,
I definitively won't be able to built my own, I'm just a dumb ignorant normal user, I don't even know how I was able to pull it out, I'm talking about rooting with magisk and installing the Linage version 14 ROM. I read and read, ask a lot of questions that were never answered (nobody seems to be interested). It was like my android lifetime achievement and something that you are able to do only once in your life.
I was checking the phone status and it says that the last uptade that I have installed is Linage OS 14.1 (Andorid 7.1.2), with android security patch level 2019-01-05. I hope that that helps somehow. I also found that there is another ROM of Linage OS using Android 8 (Oreo), for the LG L90 but it says that it is unofficial, so I feel uneasy installing it. It's a shame, the phone is working so fine, it is my first and only smartphone and has been with me... well... more than seven years.

Android One

Hello everyone,
I was searching for Android One topics here and unfortunately found nothing ( probably because of the confusing name)
So can someone explain what's up with this Android One software overlay.
I read some info on wiki but still have some questions:
Is it like normal firmware that only comes with certain smartphones, or you can flash it yourself?
It's a near stock android but, which version is it based on,
does it come out every time new android version rolls out, or it just gets updated to the new one.
and lastly let's say I have android one phone, and after three years they stopped regular updates,
it's still android one compatible phone right, so I can update to the new version myself?
Thank you.

avoup said:
Hello everyone,
I was searching for Android One topics here and unfortunately found nothing ( probably because of the confusing name)
...
and lastly let's say I have android one phone, and after three years they stopped regular updates,
it's still android one compatible phone right, so I can update to the new version myself?
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, Android One are phones that run a lite weight version of Android for budget phones with small specs (under 2Go of RAM, entry level processor,...) called Android Go. It's supposed to give a fluid experience to phones with limited capacity. Each Android Go version (for each Android One device) is in consequences very specific to the device, in order to use efficiently all of what the different specs has to offer.
You can still build ROMs/TWRP for those devices, and use it as a normal device, but the experience will be much slower. So to answer your 3 questions:
1)It's firmware that only comes with certain phones, it's build to use perfectly the SoC and memory, so it's very specific (not generic like GSI)
2) Android One are phones, Android Go is the Android version. Your phone may or may not receive an update to the Next Android version, on that side it's the same as other phones. If it receives an update, you'll run (for example) Android 10 Go Version. So update exists for Android One phones, they won't stay for ever at the same Android version they had at the beginning.
3) when your phone won't be supported anymore, you won't be able to update your phone to another version of Android Go. You'll still be able to flash ROMs or stuff like that, but since Android Go builds are very specific to each devices, you can't flash them "cross devices".
PS: at the moment I've not heard of Android 10 Go Edition, it's still at Android 9 if I'm correct. But it will be updated, the goal of Android one is to support cheap and often not long lasting phone over time.
Read more here : https://www.android.com/versions/go-edition/