28
Mar
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[Updated] HTC Insists Android Kernel Sources May Be Published "When They Are Ready," Rather Than When Devices Are Released

Posted by in Development, Editorials, HTC, News, Thunderbolt (Mecha)

Some History

Update: Linux devs are not happy about this.

Update #2: And just like that, only a few hours after this article, HTC released the Thunderbolt kernel source.

If you've been following the "drama" around Android kernel source release timelines and device manufacturers (such as HTC), you should be already aware of 2 forces pushing in opposite directions:

  • On one side, we have the Android community, which maintains that according to GPLv2, Android kernel sources need to be published together with a given device release. Since Android kernel sources are essential to custom ROM development, it is clearly in the interest of the community to see them released sooner rather than later.