For Consumers, Android Is More “Clopen” Than Open →
By Danny Sullivan.
“Open” is meaningless. It means whatever people want it to mean to advance their agendas, much like “freedom”, “national security”, and “family”.
It’s true that parts of Android are open-source. But Google pushing PR about Android being generally “open” for consumers, whatever that’s supposed to mean, is misleading at best. That’s why I called it bullshit: most people misinterpret it more favorably to Android and Google than what it means in reality, Google knows this, and they not only allow the misinterpretation to continue but actually fuel its expansion.
Bullshit isn’t lying, usually: it’s the art of bending the truth to persuade others of a false or misleading perception without technically lying or doing anything “wrong” yourself.