OnePlus says that it is close to fully revealing the stuff that makes up its new OxygenOS. But before that, it is teasing its fans with a few juicy tidbits, like the core people who will be working on its own custom Android ROM. The startup was able to gather quite an international team of designers and developers, but quite curiously, six out of its eight core members actually come from the core developers of CyanogenMod‘s biggest ROM rival, Paranoid Android.
For those not familiar with the Android ROM scene, Paranoid Android is one of the more popular ROMs next to CyanogenMod. Last year it went about redefining itself as a ROM that sticks as close as possible to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) experience, so much that so that they made their official acronym “AOSPA” for Android Open Source Project (Paranoid Android). That said, it of course has some rather interesting features, like Peek and Hover notifications and was already on its way to migrating to an Android 5.0 base.
The hiring of six PA developers, then, would seem like a slap on Cyanogen’s face in light of the recent fiasco involving Micromax in India. Drama aside, acquiring Paranoid Android talent does bode well for OxygenOS. OnePlus promises to make the ROM bloatware-free, light, and energy efficient, and PA’s track record gives confidence in that promise. Of course, OnePlus will most likely include its own special features, and it is yet to be seen if PA’s feature list will be included there.
It’s well and good for the OnePlus community, but it does raise some questions for those on the other side of the fence. With a third of the PA force focusing on OxygenOS, will there development on Paranoid Android take a hit? OnePlus also flatly (and without further elaboration) said that OxygenOS won’t be open source, which probably isn’t surprising considering CyanogenMod 11S for the OnePlus One isn’t either. Perhaps we will also see here a division along the lines of Cyanogen, Inc./CyanogenMod, but for now those questions remain unanswered. In the meantime, enjoy a first taste of the boot animation that will greet you in the new OxygenOS.
