Ask HN: What is the state of trust in the Android rooting community?

1 pointjl61 comment

I've never followed the rooting community closely. From a distance, it appears reminiscent more of the warez scene than the free-software scene. Is this a flawed perception of mine? I want to know whether following a rooting guide is like installing Ubuntu or like installing a pirated copy of Photoshop.

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I'd have to say that it is "like installing Ubuntu". Maybe kids that want to look all 1337 H4x0R5 make it sound like more than it is (eg. "like installing a pirated copy of Photoshop"). But what you are essentially doing is 'unlocking your phone'. What would be equal to "installing a pirated copy of Photoshop" would be to download and install (illegally) an apk of a non-free (as in beer) program.

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