Comment Re:Openness (Score 1) 65
There actually are relatively few closed pieces necessary to make something like Nexus S go. For the most part they're firmware, not actual "drivers", though the opengl libraries fall into a middle ground -- the SGX kernel driver is GPLv2, the userspace opengl libraries are closed. We've been working with vendors to make the closed pieces available under a license that allows them to be included in builds and distributed non-commercially (commercial distributors tend to be OEMs which have direct relationships and licenses with these vendors already):
http://code.google.com/android/nexus/drivers.html
I'd use the term "proprietary components" rather than "drivers" (the above URL is unfortunately named), personally, since at least for lead devices that Google works on, all the kernel drivers are GPLv2 and readily available:
http://android.git.kernel.org/?p=kernel/common.git;a=shortlog;h=refs/heads/android-3.0
(kernel/common is code common to all variants, SoC-specific work is under kernel/omap, kernel/msm, etc)