Let Custom Android Build Devs Use Google Apps | Save Cyanogen!

When Android was introduced a few years ago, it seemed extremely promising. It was an open source operating system for mobile phones, with almost unlimited potential. This potential was unleashed over at XDA-Devs, where they created custom apps, modded the OS, and even the recovery image for Dream and Magic (aka G1 and myTouch 3G in USA).

However, this amazing freedom that seemed to create the perfect solution for smartphones everywhere has just hit a wall, Google, the company of which has the unofficial motto of "Do No Harm" has sent a cease and desist (Wikipedia it) order to Cyanogen, one of the top modders in the Android Scene. It basically told Cyanogen that he had to stop including Google applications (such as Market, GTalk, IM, etc) with the phone, that without the phone would be a practically worthless pile of garbage. The reason? Google states that by letting custom developers use the proprietary applications in their custom builds that it somehow harmed Google. Now, I for one do not understand how that would hurt Google. It's not like they'll be losing any money from the modders using the FREE applications that come BUNDLED with the phone that it shall be used on.

Please, Google, continue to let the XDA Devs use Google Applications in their custom builds. If you do not, the years of work you have put into this project will all have been for nothing (as you shall constantly lose traffic to other mobile OS's).