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Android is almost fully supported with Linux kernel 3.3

androidcentral.com

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Re: Android is almost fully supported with Linux kernel 3.3

#11

Post by ajross »

rlpb wrote: post #4
nextparadigms wrote: post #2

Someone else said that full support will come with kernel 3.5. But does that mean Linux apps will be able to work on Android then?

Linux apps generally expect a full software stack. Android's userspace is radically different (and for good reason). There's no GNU libc or GNU coreutils or GTK/Qt or X. There's a minimal libc implementation, busybox, and an Android-specific framebuffer-based GUI framework. From the source it appears that Google have tried hard to exclude GPL'd code as much as possible, too. Getting Linux apps to (natively) run on An…

No busybox in android; that too is GPL software that Andy Rubin and the pre-Google Android people didn't want to ship. They actually hacked up a minimal "toolbox" to avoid shipping it. Sad, really.

Re: Android is almost fully supported with Linux kernel 3.3

#12

Post by ajross »

krakensden wrote: post #7

Don't be too hopeful- Binder is still a big sticking point, and nothing is going to work without it. The two schools of thought on it are: * It is a terrible, terrible interface that doesn't belong in the kernel * Linux supports SysV IPC because other Unices do, Binder is at least as popular Before you pile in and declare your reasonableness by endorsing the latter position, please understand that the former is not e…

Binder was merged. But yes, both of the above are true.

Re: Android is almost fully supported with Linux kernel 3.3

#13

Post by Tobu »

nextparadigms wrote: post #2

Someone else said that full support will come with kernel 3.5. But does that mean Linux apps will be able to work on Android then?

No. All this means is that the delta will be lower, and new kernel work will be able to cross-polinate a bit more easily. Though manufacturers don't really follow the mainline's upgrade path, and it seems like they will converge on this (embedded LTSI) instead: https://lwn.net/Articles/484337/

Re: Android is almost fully supported with Linux kernel 3.3

#14

Post by rlpb »

ajross wrote: post #11
rlpb wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux apps generally expect a full software stack. Android's userspace is radically different (and for good reason). There's no GNU libc or GNU coreutils or GTK/Qt or X. There's a minimal libc implementation, busybox, and an Android-specific framebuffer-based GUI framework. From the source it appears that Google have tried hard to exclude GPL'd code as much as possible, too. Getting Linux apps to (natively) run on An…

No busybox in android; that too is GPL software that Andy Rubin and the pre-Google Android people didn't want to ship. They actually hacked up a minimal "toolbox" to avoid shipping it. Sad, really.

Of course, yes. My mistake. Busybox is one of the first things I add after rooting an Android phone.

Re: Android is almost fully supported with Linux kernel 3.3

#15

Post by krakensden »

ajross wrote: post #12
krakensden wrote: post #7

Don't be too hopeful- Binder is still a big sticking point, and nothing is going to work without it. The two schools of thought on it are: * It is a terrible, terrible interface that doesn't belong in the kernel * Linux supports SysV IPC because other Unices do, Binder is at least as popular Before you pile in and declare your reasonableness by endorsing the latter position, please understand that the former is not e…

Binder was merged. But yes, both of the above are true.

I thought it was just merged into staging?

Re: Android is almost fully supported with Linux kernel 3.3

#16

Post by nextparadigms »

ajross wrote: post #11
rlpb wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux apps generally expect a full software stack. Android's userspace is radically different (and for good reason). There's no GNU libc or GNU coreutils or GTK/Qt or X. There's a minimal libc implementation, busybox, and an Android-specific framebuffer-based GUI framework. From the source it appears that Google have tried hard to exclude GPL'd code as much as possible, too. Getting Linux apps to (natively) run on An…

No busybox in android; that too is GPL software that Andy Rubin and the pre-Google Android people didn't want to ship. They actually hacked up a minimal "toolbox" to avoid shipping it. Sad, really.

Why did they remove it? What is GPL stopping them from doing?

Re: Android is almost fully supported with Linux kernel 3.3

#17

Post by shimon_e »

dsr_ wrote: post #5
nextparadigms wrote: post #2

Someone else said that full support will come with kernel 3.5. But does that mean Linux apps will be able to work on Android then?

You can recompile most Linux apps to work on an Android phone now. Anything requiring graphics will require a complete rework, though, because Android doesn't have X.

iirc there was a port of x server recently to android.

Re: Android is almost fully supported with Linux kernel 3.3

#18

Post by ajross »

nextparadigms wrote: post #16
ajross wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No busybox in android; that too is GPL software that Andy Rubin and the pre-Google Android people didn't want to ship. They actually hacked up a minimal "toolbox" to avoid shipping it. Sad, really.

Why did they remove it? What is GPL stopping them from doing?

It's just the standard fear. Shipping GPL code you didn't write means that you need to honor a license in ways you might not forsee. Some people view that as a scary risk and some don't. Rubin is firmly in the "GNU is for commies" camp. Shrug.
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