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Android as open source operating system
Wan Muhammad Azim Bin Wan Mohd Hazan Amri 1*
UNIMY, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia
D09190003@student.unimy.edu.my
ABSTRACT
Android Operating System is developed by Google for smart phones and tablets. It is a Open
source software. This paper is about Android as open source operating system and why various
smartphone manufactures considered it as their main operating system.
Keywords: [open source, operating systems, software]
INTRODUCTION
About Open Source Software
Open Source refers to something people can modify and share because its design publicly
accessible which anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance. There is a source code which is a
part of the software that any computer users can’t see, it’s the code computer programmers can
manipulate to change a program or application works. Open source programs can help
programmers to improve their knowledge and their experiences or improve their program by
adding features to it or fixing parts that don’t always work correctly. Open source also benefit
both programmers and non-programmers because early inventors built much of the Internet
itself on open source. Most people prefer open source software to proprietary software for a
number of reasons like control, training, security, stability, and community. Most of new
programmers use open source to study it and develop their skills to make better software by
discover the source code.
Security
they consider it more secure than proprietary software because anyone can view, modify, and
update or upgrade it, they might correct errors that a program’s original authors without asking
permission.
Stability
programmers publicly distribute the source code for open source software, users relying on
that software for critical tasks can guaranteed that their tools won’t disappear or fall into
disrepair if their original creators stop working on them. It also tends to both incorporate and
operate according to open standards.
Community
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open source software always inspires a community of users an developers to form around it.
Many popular applications are the subject of user groups and put interest for people to give
their ideas and share their knowledge to improve the software they love.
Economics
For those who is not really good in term of financially, really recommended for open source
but not all open source are free for the users. Some open source software programmers charge
money for the open source software they create, contribute, or modify. Some of the open source
programmers doesn’t charge for it because they want to share heir ideas or try improve
themselves by request a report or comment form the users. But in some cases, some
programmers might need open source licence to release their source code if they want sell it.
About Android
Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and
other open source software which primarily designed for touchscreen mobile devices such as
smartphones and tablets. Android is being developed by a group of developers known as the
Open Handset Alliance, and funded by Google commercially. It was unveiled in 2007, with the
launch of its first commercial Android device in September 2008. Android is a free open source
software and its Android Open Source Project (AOSP) source code, which is licensed under
the Apache License. Most Android devices ship pre-installed with additional proprietary
software, Google Mobile Service (GMS), which includes core apps such as Google Chrome,
the Google Play Store digital application distribution platform, and the Google Play Services
development platform associated with it.
History
Android Inc. was founded in Palo Alto, California, in October 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich
Miner, Nick Sears, and Chris White. The company's early plans were to create an integrated
digital camera operating system, and this was the foundation of its investor presentation in
April 2004. Rubin described the Android project as "tremendous potential in developing
smarter mobile devices that are more aware of its owner's location and preferences". On April
2013, The business then concluded that the cameras market was not big enough to reach its
ambitions, so five months later it redirected its resources so introduced Android as a
smartphone operating system that would compete with Symbian and Microsoft Windows
Phones.
Smartphone based on Android operating system
The first commercially available smartphone that used Android as operating system was the
HTC Dream which is from the device manudacturers company, HTC on 23 September 2008.
Within a year, Android faced two other open source competitors, the Symbian Foundation and
the LiMo, which is also developing a Linux-based mobile operating system. Since 2008,
numerous updates has been released to improved the operating system, new features and fixing
bugs. Each version has been named after a dessert or sugary treat. During its announcement of
Android KitKat in 2013, Google explained that "Since these devices make our lives so sweet,
each Android version is named after a dessert".In 2019, started with their tenth version
officially would be branded after numbers since Android 10 has been announce. In 2010,
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Google launched its Nexus device series, a lineup in which Google partnered with various
device manufacturers to produce new devices and introduce new versions of Android. In June
2014, Google released Android One, that would allowed smartphone manufactures easily
create better quality phone at low cost which is for low specification smartphone. In October
2016, Google introduced the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones, which were marketed as
Google's first phones, and featured exclusively certain software features, such as the Google
Assistant, before wider rollout. The Pixel phones replaced the Nexus series, which was
launched in October 2017 with a new generation of Pixel phones. In May 2019, the operating
system became embroiled in the Chinese-U.S. trade war involving Huawei, which, like many
other tech firms, became dependent on access to the Android platform. In the summer of 2019
Huawei revealed that they would build an alternate Android operating system known as
Harmony OS.
Figure 1: The first Android phone
METHODOLOGY
This paper based on qualitative research method, literature studies on Android as open source
operating system and why various smartphone manufactures considered it as their main
operating system.
Features of Android
Interface
The default user interface is mainly based on direct manipulation, using touch inputs like
swiping, tapping, pinching, and the reverse pinching to manipulate on-screen objects, along
with the virtual keyboard. Game controllers and full-size physical keyboards also supported
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via Bluetooth or USB. Other internal hardware, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and
proximity sensors are used by some applications to respond to additional user actions, for
example adjusting the screen from portrait to landscape depending on how the device is
oriented. An All Apps screen lists all installed applications, with the users ability to drag an
app from the list to the home screen. A recent screen enables consumers to move between
applications that have been used lately.
Application
Android application are written using the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) like
Android Studio which including set of development tools which make easy to developer to
develop their programs, and, often, the Java and Kotlin programming language. It might be
combined with C/C++ programming language, together with a choice of non-default runtimes
that allow better C++ support. Due to the open nature of Android, a number of third-party
application marketplaces and application also exist for Android.
Figure 2: Android’s user interface
Development
Android is developed by Google until the latest updates are ready to be released, at some point
the source code is made available to the an open source initiative led by Google, Android Open
Source Project (AOSP). The AOSP code won’t being modify or custom on Android Stock
Device like Google Pixel series and Android One devices, but on original equipment
manufactures (OEMs), the source code will be customized to run on their device.
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Linux kernel
The kernel is based on the Linux kernel's long-term support (LTS) branches. As of 2020,
Android uses versions 4.4, 4.9 or 4.14 of the Linux kernel. The actual kernel depends on the
individual device. The Android framework is based on the Linux kernel. The Android Runtime
(ART), for example, relies on the Linux kernel for underlying functionalities like threading and
low-level memory management. Using a Linux kernel helps Android to take advantage of core
security features and encourages smartphone makers to build a well-known kernel's hardware
drivers.
Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)
The Hardware abstraction layer (HAL) provides standard interfaces that expose the capabilities
of device hardware to the Java API framework at the higher level. The HAL consists of several
library modules, each of which implements an interface for a specific form of hardware device,
such as the camera or the bluetooth module. The Android code loads the library module for
that hardware part when a Platform API allows a request for application hardware to connect.
Android Runtime
For devices running Android version 5.0 (API level 21) or higher, each app runs its own
Android Runtime (ART) instance, in its own process. ART is written to operate several virtual
machines on low-memory devices by running DEX scripts, a Bytecode format explicitly built
for Android that is optimized for reduced memory footprint. Develop toolchains such as Jack,
which can operate on the Android platform, compile Java sources into DEX bytecode. Android
also provides a collection of core runtime libraries to include most of the Java programming
language's functionality, including some Java 8 language features used by the Java API
application.
Native C/C++ Libraries
Many core components and services of the Android system, such as ART and HAL, are built
from native code, which require native libraries written in C and C++. The Android platform
provides Java framework APIs to expose the functionality of some of these native libraries to
apps. You may, for example, use OpenGL ES via the Java OpenGL API in the Android
platform to add support for drawing and manipulating 2D and 3D graphics in your device.
Java API Framework
The entire Android OS feature set is accessible to you via Java language-written APIs. Such
APIs are the building blocks for Android apps by simplifying the reuse of essential, modular
framework components and services. Developers have full access to the same framework APIs
that apps use for the Android system.
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Figure 3: Android’s architecture diagram
Open-source community
Android’s source code is released under a open source license which has encourage a large
community of developers to use the source code as a foundation for community-driven
projects, which delivers updates , add new features for advanced users or bring Android to
devices originally shipped with other operating systems. These community-developed releases
frequently introduce quicker new functionality and improvements to smartphones than the
official manufacturer / carrier networks, with a comparable level of quality andSupport older
devices that no longer receive official updates or bring Android to devices that have been
officially released using other operating systems, such as HP TouchPad, on an ongoing basis.
Community updates also come pre-rooted and include improvements not made by the initial
manufacturer, such as the option to overclock the device's processor or over / undervolt it.
Security and privacy
Android programs operate in a sandbox, an enclosed part of the network that may not have
access to the majority of the system's infrastructure, unless the user expressly requests access
rights before the program is enabled however that might not be necessary with pre-loaded apps.
For example, the microphone access to the pre-installed camera app can not be switched off
without completely disabling the camera. Every application that installed on device needs to
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specifically ask for permission to perform certain tasks. This is done when application has been
installed. Which this means in practical terms is that apps have limited abilities.
Licensing
The source code for Android is open source developed in private by Google, with the source
code released publicly when a new version of Android is released. Under the non-copyleft
Apache License version 2.0, Google publishes most of the code including network and
telephony stacks. Which allows change and redistribution. The license does not confer rights
to the trademark "Android," so device manufacturers and wireless carriers must license it under
individual contracts from Google. Only the base Android operating system including some
applications is open-source software, while most Android devices are shipped with a significant
amount of proprietary software, such as Google Mobile Services , which includes applications
such as Google Play Store, Google Search and Google Play Services, a software layer that
provides APIs for integration with Google services. These applications must be licensed by
device makers from Google, and can only be shipped on devices that meet its guidelines for
compatibility and other requirements. Custom, approved Android releases created by
manufacturers like Samsung Experience that often substitute some stock Android apps with
their own proprietary versions and install additional content that is not included in the stock
Android operating system.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It’s very concerning that expensive Android devices have such a short shelf life before they
lose security support leaving millions of users at risk of serious consequences if they fall victim
to hackers. Google and phone manufacturers need to be upfront about security updates, with
clear information about how long they will last and what customers should do when they run
out.
CONCLUSION
Android is a much more diverse operating system than iOS and Windows Phone Mobile.
Android has grown rapidly over the past 4 years becoming the most used smartphone operating
system in the world. It's because Android doesn't release 1 phone from 1 company with 1 new
OS every year, but countless phones from numerous companies, adding their own twist,
throughout the year, developing gradually day-by-day. Android's ability to customize is
unparalleled compared to Apple's and Microsoft's software allowing the user to change and
customize nearly every aspect of Android which most iPhone and Windows Phone users
wouldn't dream possible. It is not that Android is better or worse than one OS, but is unique
and incomparable to other mobile operating systems. Some manufactures also will get hit with
a lot of loss without Android as their operating system.
REFERENCES
[1] https://opensource.com/resources/what-open-source
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[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)
[3] Ben E. (2005). Google Buys Android for Its Mobile Arsenal. Retrived from
https://web.archive.org/web/20110205190729/http://www.businessweek.com/technology/
content/aug2005/tc20050817_0949_tc024.htm
[4] Jay A. (2013). Android founder: We aimed to make a camera OS. Retrived from
https://www.pcworld.com/article/2034723/android-founder-we-aimed-to-make-a-camera-
os.html
[5] Murali K M. (2008). Android Nougat: Here’s why Google names the OS after sweets. Retrived from
https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/food-wine/from-donut-to-nougat-why-are-
android-versions-named-after-sweets-2887237/
[6] Omar S. (2019). Huawei’s Own Smartphone Operating System Reportedly Named HongMeng OS,
According to Foreign Sources. Retrived from https://wccftech.com/huawei-hongmeng-os-
for-smartphones/
[7] https://developer.android.com/guide/platform#linux-kernel