HTC is once again at its song and dance with source code. Last time it was the HTC Hero, but this time it’s the HTC Desire. HTC went public with Android OS 2.2 (Froyo) for the HTC Desire, however any attempts to get the source for the kernel has fallen on HTC’s deaf ears. Their copy-and-paste garbage brush-off response to requests say that they are “waiting for the developers to provide the source.” Some interesting correspondence between a rising of users on www.xda-developers.com and HTC tech support can be found here. The users have also pointed out that HTC is ignoring its own EULA/Legal agreement for their Android devices which specifically states that “you may obtain a copy of the source code corresponding to the binaries for GPL-licensed file by sending a request to HTC customer service at www.htc.com, and HTC will send you a link to such source code.”
From the information in the XDA-Developers thread, HTC’s e-mail support is oblivious to the fact that they are the contact point for acquiring said source code. For any one who has read the GPL v2 can see that this failure to provide requested information is a violation of the license itself. This situation is very similar to previous issues with HTC – the company ignores users unless otherwise compelled to address them. This should not be a reoccurring issue – someone with power needs to light a fire under under the situation. Interestingly enough, HTC promptly released the source code for the Evo and Incredible 2.6.32 kernel within mere hours after the public compiled binary was released.
HTC’s EULA/Legal Agreement can be found here