Androids: The Team that Built the Android Operating System Paperback – July 19, 2022

This is a fun and easy book to read, chock full of details and interesting anecdotes from the earliest days of the development of Android. I remember first hearing about Android at a Bay Area Linux Users Group meeting (around 2007 maybe?) and thinking it sounded like a neat little Linux project but having no idea it would turn out to be what it is today. This book helped put into perspective how much work went into it and how really recent all of that work is---amazing.The author's perspective seems pretty unique and useful here, having been part of the Android team for the last ten years, but NOT part of the years covered in the book, so he comes to it with a deep knowledge of Android but without biases from being there when it happened. It must have been a lot of fun conducting the interviews, but a bear to assemble all of it into a coherent book---I’m glad he did it for us.One of the fun little tidbits in the numerous footnotes is a reference to the “tabs versus spaces” controversy, which I gather is a real thing---at least to some extent---and not just a plot point from the _Silicon Valley_ TV show. Who knew. (In any event, surely the correct answer is “spaces,” right?)Having read this book, (a) I feel like I understand a little bit better how professional software development works; (b) I would love to see a similar treatment of other technologies and software projects; and (c) I will react a little more charitably the next time Android annoys me.When can we expect _Androids Part II: 2010-2020_?

I joined the Android team at the start of 2012, two years after the end of this story. I reported directly to Diane Hackborn and was responsible for maintaining and enhancing the Window and Activity Managers. After three and a half years I knew 1% of the origin story told here, and 10% of the design decisions that led to the current, at the time, state of the code. This book fills in the gaps, and in addition it explains so much of the workplace dynamics that I encountered.Not only is this book a history of the Android OS and the team that brought it to life, it is also a primer on what goes into a platform as versatile as Android. From the kernel to the development environment, Chet explains it all at a level that a lay person can understand without their eyes glazing over.Chet tells the story in an engaging, humorous, and casual way. Despite its length I breezed through it quickly. And I love the playful use of footnotes. Normally I dread the interruption in flow that footnotes cause, but with Chet you never know what non-sequitur or dad-joke you'll find at the bottom of the page.This book is required reading for anybody joining the team, and recommended reading for everyone else.P.S. Shout out to Dan Sandler for the illustrations. When I joined the team Dan drew a caricature of me which I put in a safe place when I packed up my desk. Someday I'll remember where that is

An interesting look at the history of Android, as told by & seen from the people who were there. I am impressed by how much of Android & the team that built it is covered. On the other hand, some chapters were extremely short & light on details. I understand that there are pressures to prevent a book like this from ballooning onto a 1,000 page monster, plus deadlines & schedule pressures & all the rest, but still those short chapters just made the book feel a little unbalanced.All in all, I enjoyed reading it. And as I was reading it I realized there were a lot of stories & details about Android that I'd never heard before, so I'm glad I read this book.

I am long retired, but came from a database, network management, and operating system (UNIX) background (both startups and large corporations). The times were different, but the problems and joys so familiar. I got a particular chuckle out of the debate over naming parts of the OS (an example of the Law of Triviality). A relational database product I was involved in spent WEEKS arguing over the name of a particular data structure. Finally, as did Android, a manager said just call it "X" a completely preposterous and made up name signifying nothing.While the OS internals were of some interest (the author doing a great job of making it accessible to almost anyone) the things I most enjoyed were the descriptions of the teams, their individual personalities, the market factors, and the competition (I was familiar with Palm, but had zero knowledge of Be).Highly recommended, both for people who have worked/working in the industry and for those wanting to peek behind the curtains to see what they might be getting into (though given the careers of these folks you might want your 6-year olds to read it).

I expected a lot from this book - the history of Android, design decisions the creators made, dynamics of the ecosystem (OEMs), impact on the world etc.But it turned out to be a surface level documentary of who’s who in early Android development. With too many names thrown about for each topic, I quickly got lost. I wish the author spent more time on what went into some of the decisions the creators took, their implications etc. A lot of key topics - like making Android open source - are seemingly made overnight, the author does not convey the thoughts and weight of those decisions.I also got the sense the author is looking at Android through rose-tinted glasses. Early android had significant performance issues, till late in its life there were UI glitches, comparisons with iOS for polish and consistency were abound, OEM partners did not make much money (except select few like Samsung), some OEM partners crashed out entirely like HTC, fragmented ecosystem with poor OS upgrade support from OEMs and carriers etc. None of these are talked about to give a balanced view of the state of affairs on Android.Overall, mediocre read, 3/5

Thus is a must read for every mobile developer. Not just Android devs also Apple devs. You look things in a very different way.If you are just a user, please read this book. You will not learn about coding. You lean how that device always with you came to life. And is just a great history.

If you're an Android developer, you must read this. This will put things into perspective.

Clearly this is for us nerds - and as usual with the Chet's touch of humor.

If you are interested in understanding how Android came into existence, this book is for you!

Als Fan von Android der ersten Stunde kann ich dieses Buch vollends empfehlen. Chet Haase bietet einen Blick hinter die Kulisse und schreibt in seiner gewohnt humorvollen -- und manchmal auch etwas zynischen -- Art über die Entstehung von Android. Liebevoll wird über Architekturentscheidungen, Teammitglieder, und die Herausforderungen bei der Entwicklung der ersten Versionen geschrieben. Für Fans und vor allem für Android-Entwickler eine klare Empfehlung!