When it comes to supporting homebrew, corporations are usually against the modification to their platforms. But it seems that at least one company may be embracing alternative scene by giving away free hardware to support the developers of a popular modification.
For Android, CyanogenMod has quickly become the Android OS of choice for many users who have rooted their device. Rooting a device allows you to install any application to your phone or, if desired, install an alternative version of Android. Samsung knows, or has finally discovered, that to create a healthy ecosystem around your devices, you need the homebrew community. It is because of this that they have given a Samsung Galaxy S 2 to the CyanogenMod team to aid them in creating a version for their device.
This kind of generosity shows that Samsung now understands that they need the homebrew community as they are a valuable asset to their devices. While this is not promising that Samsung will officially support the CyanogenMod on their devices, it shows that they are not actively trying to prevent the team either from creating a version for their devices.
It is a positive sign that a mega-corporation is opening its doors to outside developers to create their own Android OS for their hardware. This type of generosity is appreciated by those who want expanded functionality on their devices that the manufacture may not provide.
Thanks for the tip Hollow.Droid