Mobile devices typically run either of these two operating systems: Android and iOS. There are other operating systems as well like Windows and Google Chrome Operating System but that is quite low compared to the market domination of Android and iOS. The following passages shine some light on the development and implementation models and some of the major features of these mini-dominating operating systems.
Development Models
Before we jump into the depth of each of these operating systems, let’s slow down and take a look at the big picture. The whole underlying concepts which fire up these operating systems as well as navigating the companies that make them, help us break things down like why these companies do some things in one way over another. Let’s take a hike on both the closed source and open source as development models. You may have come across these terms relating to software development and how it is released and licensed. They also offer an interesting framework to take a gander at how products are developed and released.
Closed source development
So what is this closed source development? Closed source development is something when how a product is built and delivered are secrets and confidential. This traditional model has its own take, which is for competitive and authentic products, nobody wants to let their secret recipes out in the wild. Sharing out in the wild meaning there will be competitors coming onto it like a bunch of honey bees over a drop of honey.
Vendor-specific and proprietary
These terms are mostly used with a product where the source code and technologies are kept within the company and products, typically when someone is trying to shine some light on something that does not follow the common open standards and have their own unique set of standards known only from the inside. These terms are closely related to the closed but have a thin line and are not interchangeable. These labels often come in as the kind of product which is not there to play nice with other products, as well as may not behave so friendly to anyone trying to mod it or play around with the source code.
Sometimes the concept and use of these terms are slippery. For instance, a maker of a device may use the USB 3.0 standard yet have their own designed connector. In this case, the device is technically using the open standard of USB 3.0, still, the device’s ports and connectors used are proprietary. It is confusing but working in such a production line unclogs how all of these work.
Open Source
Open source is absolutely the opposite of closed source. This is something when the maker of the product releases the instructions and other guidance, and information out to the public. This is not necessarily applicable to software only but applies to different other things as well, depending on the context but typically more popular with software. In terms of secrecy, these products work differently. They release the source code public knowing that anybody can build it or mod it based on their code while they focus more on other aspects of the business, like pricing, service, support, quality, strategy, etc.
Yet, there is a catch. Making these codes public does not mean anybody can simply own them and they are generally licensed. It is more like when the artist or author gives out permission to play around with their work or modify it typically under some conditions or terms of usage. Sometimes they may release their work for educational purposes or personal use but you cannot sell copies of them. As for the software, these terms generally guide them on whether companies modifying the software are bound to publish their changes and if they are allowed to make any profit from them.