I have probably spent more time dealing with the implications and real-world scenarios of copyleft in the embedded device space than anyone. I'm one of a very few people charged with the task of enforcing the GPL for Linux, and it's been well-known for a decade that GPL violations on Linux occur most often in embedded devices such as mobile hand-held computers (aka “phones”) and other such devices.
Why companies don't do GPL enforcement
As LWN's reports on Linux kernel code contribution have shown for years, corporations pay for l [...]
Google’s iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary
From the archives: Android is open—except for all the good parts.
California lawmakers unanimously pass Linux exemption from age-verification law — software distributed under the GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache licenses are exempt
AB 1856 excludes open-source operating systems from the upcoming Digital Age Assurance Act.
Time for Net Giants to Pay Fairly for the Open Source on Which They Depend | Linux Journal
Licensing lies at the heart of open source. Arguably, free software began with the publication of the GNU GPL in 1989. And since then, open-source projects are defined as such by virtue of the licenses they adopt and whether the latter meet the Open Source Definition. The continuing importance of licensing is shown by the periodic flame wars that erupt in this area. Recently, there have been two such flarings of strong feelings, both of which raise important issues.
The seL4 Microkernel | seL4
seL4 is both the world's most highly assured and the world's fastest operating system kernel. Its uniqueness lies in the formal mathematical proof that it behaves exactly as specified, enforcing strong security boundaries for applications running on top of it while maintaining the high performance that deployed systems need.
Hybris - postmarketOS Wiki
Libhybris is an Android compatibility layer, allowing libraries compiled with bionic (Android) libc to be loaded by applications built with different libc (originally glibc, musl in postmarketOS case). It allows a device to run proprietary Android userspace drivers on top of a downstream kernel by running parts of Android in a container. The upsides and downsides of this approach are discussed in pmaports#703.
I'm switching my phone from Android to Linux.
Since Android is becoming increasingly more locked down and slopped, I'm jumping ship.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Sideloading | F-Droid - Free and Open Source Android App Repository
We recently published a blog post with our reaction to the new Google Developer Program and how it impacts your freedom to use the devices that you own in th...
Linux distributions worldwide targeted by the Copy Fail exploit
An exploit for the "Copy Fail" security vulnerability (CVE-2026-31431) in the Linux kernel has been made public. The vulnerability affects all major Linux
Block - Open Source
By collaborating in the open, we create higher quality software, hardware, and protocols through relentless collective examination, and also ensure our systems, hardware, and protocols evolve to meet real-world needs.
An Update on OpenTitan
GrapheneOS (@GrapheneOS@grapheneos.social)
Apple and Google are gradually expanding their use of hardware-based attestation. They're convincing a growing number of services to adopt it. Google's Play Integrity API and Apple's App Attest API are very similar. Apple brought it to the web via Privacy Pass, which Google intends on doing too.
Android developer verification: Balancing openness and choice with safety
News and insights on the Android platform, developer tools, and events.
Will the new judicial ruling in the Vizio lawsuit strengthen the GPL?
Last week an important judicial ruling came down on a very intriguing case about open source license compliance. In this post, I'll talk about what makes it so interesting and potentially impactful across our industry.
