As we have mentioned on other occasions, with the rise of new devices, not only has the supremacy of the desktop computer or laptop as the only equipment present in our lives been broken, but a great variety of operating systems implanted in them have also emerged. that appear as alternatives to other traditional softwares.
Yesterday we commented on the appearance of EMUI, Miui and ColorOS, developed by Chinese firms Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo respectively and that, although they are based on Android In aspects such as the source code or its free creation, they have tried to be other options or rather, complement the latter operating system, offering other functions such as greater customization capacity or the appearance of exclusive applications for them. Now we talk about Cyanogen, another of these softwares that is being increasingly implemented in Europe thanks to firms such as BQ and of which we detail some of its most outstanding characteristics below.
Some history
La first version of Cyanogen, the 3.1 and called "Dream & Magic" came to light in 2009. Inspired by Android 1.5, today, it has more than 35 updates, the last one being the 13.0, launched just a month ago and would have its equivalent in Android 6.0 Marshmallow although it is still in an early stage of development with the errors that this can present.
Android Product
When talking about Cyanogen, as we did with the Chinese operating systems, it is essential to mention Android for the following reason: This operating system is the foundation of the others because they are all inspired by your idea of FOSS and open source. Broadly speaking, this is that users can become creators and modifiers of the operating system thanks to the open existence of the source code, that is, the list of commands and tasks that it can execute so that it works correctly. However, this has not been left out of the controversy as some companies have struggled to obtain the copyright of Cyanogen.
Privacy, Cyanogen's big problem
If we have previously mentioned the struggles to obtain control of this software, now we must add a conflict more than this time faces users and developers: La Privacy. 2 years ago, the creators of Cyanogen decided to put device manufacturers and their interest in incorporating this operating system in them before the privacy of consumers, something that, as we talked on other occasions, is one of the great current problems of the new supports. Among the data that could be obtained, the device model or its location stood out.
Cyanogen news
For many, this operating system can be a complement or even a copy of Android and they are not wrong, since many of the functions of the new versions of Cyanogen They are intended to optimize the performance of our tablets or smartphones or increase battery life. However, it also includes some new features such as customization with a great variety of topics or permission control that we give to each application when downloading it.
Arrival slowly but surely
Android is present in approximately 90% of all tablets and smartphones in the world today. Of that percentage, 10% incorporate software developed by Chinese firms. However, the implementation of Cyanogen it is still quite small and can only be supported by some terminals such as BQ Aquaris M5, the Zuk Z1 or O.
A system with lights and shadows
As we have seen, innovation does not come only with the appearance of new groundbreaking devices in terms of size and performance, but also appears hand in hand with operating systems such as Cyanogen, which, despite having its limitations and its failures like all those existing today, it is also a good option. However, it still has significant shortcomings that developers must address as soon as possible. First of all, we highlight your poor implantation, something that contrasts with the high number of versions that have been released of this system. On the other hand, and more importantly, the aspect of Privacy. That in the case of Cyanogen, reveals for many, a lack of ethical component of its creators by preferring that their software be present in a greater number of brands rather than guaranteeing a safe experience for users. These two circumstances can seriously cloud the success or simply the increase in the implementation of this operating system. However, it must be remembered that errors are very common in them, regardless of their creators. We have two examples in iOS, which could render devices useless through Siri, or the most recent and well-known of Android and which happened in summer, when a security breach could put the data of 95% of users at risk.
After knowing some more characteristics of this operating system, do you think that like the Made in China it still has a long way to go or do you think that it is a good alternative and that if it improves, it will be able to offer many more possibilities to users? You have more information available not only about Cyanogen but also about other softwares such as EMUI so that you can judge for yourself and decide if we are really facing a new generation of operating systems or nevertheless, Android will continue to be the king at least for a while.