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it's a pitty, this device is overlooked for newer ROM's. More and more apps will not work in cyanogenmod 11, which based on Android 4.x. any possibility to get cyanogenmod 12 od 13 on fire hd 6 (ariel)?
(Ahem.... old man steps up on soapbox..)
[SOAPBOX]
I've never been an Android developer, but long ago, when PC's were just starting out I made a very good living developing programs for the PC platform. Later on, I managed the people that wrote the code. I know what's involved when developing these ROMs. It's not magic, it's a *
lot* of hard work.
I'll take a shot at this question...
Probably the biggest reason is that Amazon has never updated the Linux kernel or the binary hardware drivers that go with that version of the kernel. This kernel is based on Linux 3.10 --ancient in hardware and Android terms. Amazon has no driving force to update it unless it wants to (I.e., to keep your eyes and wallet on Amazon!) This tablet is 5 years old now. Want a faster Fire tablet - Amazon says, "Buy this new shiny and faster one from Amazon!, " thereby keeping you in their walled garden and your eyes and wallet in Amazon's ecosystem.
Remember, you're not running true Android on the stock Fire, you're running FireOS - a
forked version of Android, no longer pure Android. Amazon changed code to fit
their needs, not the Android community's needs. The Android developer has to find those deviations and decide on their suitability for normal usage. Amazon has no reason to help the Android community - in fact, it's in their best interest if they don't. You're taking
their device from
their captive ecosystem
where they can make money from it, and saying, "Hey, I want to take your moneymaking device and make it a generic tablet that you won't make money from any more. Can you help me do that? " I know if I was Amazon, my answer would be,
"He.l NO!"
The secondary reason would be that these *
great* developers (and they are great! ) make these ROM's in their *
spare* time, while they have the device. People move on - with their devices, their families, their careers, and their lives. Nobody pays them to make these ROMs, they do it for the fun of it. When it's no longer fun, and it's not putting money in their pocket, why do it? It's more fun going out with friends, significant others, going fishing, etc., than working on a program.
We should be profusely thanking these developers for their time and effort for doing what they have done already!
[/SOAPBOX]
(Old man gets off soapbox and disappears into the crowd...)