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Hi, this is Mobile Network Comparison and welcome to the next instalment in our series
on the top ten tech stories from 2013. Our last video was #9 in our countdown and we
talked about using mobile phones and other electronic devices on flights as well as a
way to hack a 747 with just an Android smartphone.
We're working on this in collaboration with my buddy Scottie Ladeaux and I'd really encourage
you to check out his channel. He just put up an awesome video for #8 in the countdown
about wearable tech and has a ton of great videos about mobile phones.
But let's get on with the top tech stories from 2013. Today we have #7 and we're looking
at the custom ROM, CyanogenMod. --
CyanogenMod has been at the forefront of open source Android development for many years
now. The founder, Steve Kondik initially published his first version of the CyanogenMod ROM way
back in May 2009 and since then the software has grown to an unprecedented degree. It started
with just a few developers but now thousands contribute to the code.
The big story of 2013 broke on September 18th when some massive news shook up the Android
community. The Steve Kondik announced in the official blog that CyanogenMod also raised
over $7 million of venture capital and that the organisation had incorporated itself.
The money would fund a staff of fifteen (and a dog) who would work on the ROM full-time.
They'd even negotiated a deal with hardware manufacturer Oppo to feature CyanogenMod as
the default operating system on its new phones.
This news was pretty unprecedented in the mobile industry it's really exciting to anticiapte
what the future might bring. CyanogenMod have declared that they intend to become the third
platform in the smartphone arena behind Apple's iOS and Google's official Android builds.
However, this news also came with a healthy dose of controversy. Immediately after the
announcement, there were some very pressing questions from the community - the $7 million
isn't a donation without any strings attached and there were concerns about how CyanogenMod
intends to provide a return to investors.
Guillaume Lesniak ("'xplodwild') used to be one of the main developers on the team but
left the project following the incorporation. He also withdrew his code which made up the
Focal camera app because of changes to the license that CyanogenMod Inc wanted to introduce.
Others alleged that all the code they have written for free to further the CyanogenMod
project may now be been included in a commercial product in which they won't benefit at all.
There were also complaints from the community about the communication surrounding the announcement
as well as the fact that hundreds of individuals have contributed to the CyanogenMod source
code over the years but only a select few are going to be getting a salary out of the
corporation.
Furthermore, many who have worked on the project over the years have done so in on the assumption
that it was an open source and not-for-profit project .Following the incorporation and the
millions of dollars worth of investments, there was substantial controversy about requests
to re licence their contributions under a MySQL esque dual licence. As a result, Steve
Klondik had to reassure the community that CyanogenMod wouldn't be selling out or doing
something drastic like closing its source.
Despite that, there were still many criticisms immediately after the news broke with suspicions
that it's being dumbed down after certain advanced settings and root access were removed
from newer versions. Some developers left the project as they saw these changes as making
the software more commercially viable rather than in the interests of users. Recently,
CM insiders have admitted that Going forward, there will two separate release branches.
And they even have plans to change the name to make it more marketable.
In general though, aside from the fears of commercialisation, there is huge admiration
for what CyanogenMod has managed to achieve. It has now clocked well over 100 million installs
and has even recently introduced a simple CyanogenMod installer for both PCs and Macs.
This level of investment and recognition for the ROM shows that big business has faith
in open source projects. After all, contributors work on projects like this to make better
software and help the community rather than for recognition or money.
This is a really fascinating opportunity and it will be great to see how CyanogenMod improves
and evolves over the coming years. It's clear the team have some really big ideas and they've
already contracted Moxie Marlinspike who's a big-name security researcher (and seriously
cool dude) to build a secure messaging app. Hopefully the ROM will continue to get more
stable and add some really innovative features to stock Android.
The best outcome will be if CyanogenMod reaches as many phones as possible so it can rescue
millions more people from the tyranny of slow updates and bloatware from the main carrier's
and manufacturer's official stock ROMs.
Okay, so that was our #7 - what did you make of this news? Have you used CyanogenMod before
and if so would this change your opinion anyway? You think is a wonderful step forward open
source software or has Steve Kondik sold-out everyone's hard work? Will they ditch the
ethos of free and open source software in pursuit of the almighty dollar will this be
fantastic new way to promote its ideals?
Let us know your opinions below and stay tuned for the next video in our countdown. Scottie
Ladeaux will be back soon with #6 and make sure you subscribe to our channel so you can
catch our coverage of the #5 biggest tech story from last year. Thanks for watching.