CyanogenMod 12 nightlies available
cyanogenmod.org
cyanogenmod.org
Basically I can compile AOSP myself, but I don't want to. I want OTA updates, I don't care about any "enhancements" Cyanogen added, and I'm happy with OSS apps in F-Droid instead of Play.
Am I alone in this?
But without the proprietary drivers, not much of the hardware will be functioning. No GPS, no 3D acceleration and no hardware video codecs.
I'm only after convenience. As I said, I can compile AOSP, but I don't want to invest in this maintenance work at all. I just want a plain Android that can update itself. Basically the only thing I'm after is OTA updates to stock AOSP. I don't care about modifications, new features, or more free drivers. If such a project ever appears, I'll be the first to donate. I would even pay for a subscription to such a service.
There are some ROMs out there that are closer to AOSP but normally have limited phone support and no OTA updates.
I doubt anyone would go to the trouble of creating a Android ROM for different phones and not tweak anything on it.
But what I really am after is not some build of Android, but the service that enables OTA updates to this build of Android. I'd even pay for such a service.
It's especially weird, since the Nexus 4 (mako) is in the first batch of devices. I'd expect the more recent and more up-to-date devices to be easier to port, and also a higher priority.
That said, this has taken a lot less long than I'd feared, so I'm pretty excited to see this! Privacy Guard alone is worth the switch to Cyanogenmod[0], in addition to a number of other tweaks that CM allows.
[0] Yes, it's available on rooted non-CM devices, but it's much cleaner when it's integrated into the ROM.
These sorts of shenanigans are a big part of why I haven't had any desire to switch from my S3, since even with the neat specs, you could hardly call swapping performance, personal control, and extensive added functionality for bloatware and unalterable permanently out of date OS versions an "upgrade".
Especially the unlock/lock features of Lollipop are interesting: Don't lock it near my laptop/car etc. or let me unlock it with my yubikey.
If the current management model of CM allows this to happen, it can be safely assumed the quality of this ROM leaves a lot to be desired.