Well if Google is forced to sell it off or spin Android off into its own company, we’ll see if it remains private.

Possibly incorrect summary: Android is moving from a bazaar development style to a cathedral development style if I understand it correctly.

Fuck, looks like it’s time to start looking at more alternatives to Android phones.

Already got an old one rooted. We need a solid Linux alternative or potentially a European company to start development.

If any of y’all know of a good, usable platform, I’d love to know about it.

Tldr:

To balance AOSP’s open nature with its product development strategy, Google maintains two primary Android branches: the public AOSP branch and its internal development branch. The AOSP branch is accessible to anyone, while Google’s internal branch is restricted to companies with a Google Mobile Services (GMS)licensing agreement.

Beginning next week, all Android development will occur within Google’s internal branches, and the source code for changes will only be released when Google publishes a new branch containing those changes. As this is already the practice for most Android component changes, Google is simply consolidating its development efforts into a single branch.