The past year, among other things, was remembered for the closure of one of the oldest projects to create a modified version Android. A small analysis of what happened is in this issue of the Gazebo.
It hasn't been long since Cyanogen announced its 'kill' plan Android. In 2015, Kirt McMaster, who was then the CEO of the company responsible for an ambitious Forex project, bluntly called Google an enemy. In an interview with Forbes, he even stated that Cyanogen would literally blow the brains out of Google. But as McMaster soon realized, it was not easy to end such a giant. After a series of mistakes and staff layoffs at the end of 2016, a 'shop closure' was announced and the struggle for a just cause ended abruptly.
Shortly before Catholic Christmas (obviously, this time was chosen to attract as little attention as possible), the company issued a statement on its blog to discontinue operation of 'all services and supported nightly builds … no later than December 31, 2016'. In a short text, the company also rushed to reassure enthusiasts by reassuring them that the project itself and its source code “will remain available to anyone who wants to create a CM build on their own.”
The CyanogenMod project may not pose a serious threat to Google, however, with its closure, Mountain View has celebrated a significant victory. As it was shown in the Pixel presentation, Google is making sure that no one else can 'steal the soul' Android.
Forks and sticks in the wheels
The closure of Cyanogen did not come as a surprise to users following the company's latest news. The news included mentions of staff cuts and a move to app development. But while Cyanogen lost much of its 'foundation', Cyanogen was still Android at its best, a truly teamwork of enthusiasts that refused to 'fly the flag' Alphabet. The news of the inglorious closure of the project greatly upset the enthusiasts who tirelessly downloaded assemblies of the rebellious OS.
There was a time when McMaster's bold proclamations about Cyanogen's attempts to 'take Android from Google' didn't seem like an exaggeration. Android was gaining market share due to little-known phones with hastily assembled assemblies and the scenario of 'seizing' control of Android one of these alternative players looked quite likely. At that time, Cyanogen had just started cooperation with a young and aggressive company OnePlus, and even Microsoft through a partnership with Cyanogen was ready to admit the possibility of a modified version of the OS breaking through and changing its status from a niche product to a major player in the world of smartphones. Cyanogen has in many ways embodied more of that 'spirit' of Google's mobile OS project than Android. Being an early offshoot of the main project, created and maintained by seasoned 'modders', Cyanogen OS was much more like the community of jailbreak supporters on iOS than on itself Android and offered users unavailable in stock option, functional features and options for personalization.
But as soon as the rapid development began Android, its course began to be held back by Google. The company actively worked to keep the offshoots of the main project at the periphery of the user community by imposing stricter rules for manufacturers to prevent further fragmentation, which included licensing applications and mandatory use of the search widget. Against all odds, the CyanogenMod project continued its existence, surviving the order to stop illegal actions, rumors of a change in leadership and constant threats from Google. But now it's all over. Google won, but not by open war against Cyanogen, but by doubling the work on its own vision Android, establishing strong partnerships with manufacturers and taking active steps to turn its version Android into the only one in the world. To date, Google has created the smartphone it has always wanted for Android, with its own skin and built-in Google Assistant. It looks like this is just the beginning of a new path and future OS versions from Google's closest partners will not differ much from the main version.
Time check
Fans of endless customization can still entertain themselves with this in the Android framework. In response to Cyanogen's sudden announcement, the OS team vowed to keep working and developing a project called Lineage OS. The name (lineage – pedigree, line of inheritance) is well suited for a product that will quite resemble from afar what Cyanogen could have become and almost became. In their unsuccessful quest to excommunicate Android from Google, Cyanogen was able to uncover the pitfalls built into the system. It seems that anyone has the right to create a modified version of the OS with their own applications, widgets and launchers, but the road to any kind of success with a large mass of users is full of uncertainty.
This is what Google wants. The future Android has mostly returned to the hands of the company and for the first time it is actively promoting its own vision of the OS to the masses. We can actually see that the system in Pixel devices is also not a clean version Android. This is a standalone fork that is not available to anyone else. After Cyanogen's 'death', Google can safely work to ensure that the company's DNA is forever entwined in Android to avoid any future threats to its dominance.
Original article by Michael Simon
The end of Cyanogen, as many fans knew it, does not mean a complete victory for Google over the forks Android. To some extent, Google itself entered this path, creating a version of its operating system that is closed from everyone. And in this, it seems to me, the company takes risks and makes a big bet on the controversial Pixel line and its products based on its own services. Will users like Google's vision? We will see later. Returning to the inglorious closure of Cyanogen, of course, it is a pity for the specialists who worked on the project. But Lineage's initiative lends some optimism about the development of the CM idea itself. And even if there is a paid subscription, in my opinion, there will be people willing to support the project in this way. The main thing is not to rush to the commercial aspect, this also put an end to the excellent initiative of Cyanogen.
On the other hand, it is unclear what the future holds for third-party mods Android. The community is quite active in developing and supporting such projects, but commercial success is highly questionable, which turns fashion into a kind of hobby. Plus, the majority of the user base of such projects consists of a relatively small group of geeks, it is difficult to pretend to be massive. I want to believe that the legacy of Cyanogen will not disappear and will be reflected in future projects. I wish Lineage a reliable 'iron' partner.