Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread goes open source

[javajolt]

Google is releasing the source code for Android 2.3 Gingerbread. That’s not a huge surprise, since the company releases the source code for every version of Android after the company as finished baking in all the major features. What this means is that phone makers, independent developers, and others will be able to start messing with the source code to find ways to improve the operating system or better link third party apps into the OS.

Google’s Jean-Baptiste Queru warns that folks who have purchased the Google Nexus S might want to hold off on using the Android Open Source Project code on that phone for now. It’s possible to mess things up badly enough that the phone is left in an unbootable state if you don’t know what you’re doing — and instructions should be available soon.

The full source code should be available and the AOSP web site within the next few hours