Android phones for example
I guess I’m going to be that guy today. Android is Linux, and it’s installed on a lot of mobile devices already.
Another aspect to this is that Android is Linux, but it is not GNU / Linux. This is true both in the literal sense of not using GNU coreutils or glibc, and also in the broader sense.
What I mean by the “broader” sense:
- no X or Wayland
- GTK or Qt support is something an application has to bring with them.
- filesystem is substantially reorganized
- users and system permissions setup substantially differently
To the application programmer Android / Linux looks like a completely different ball game.
What prevents Linux from being installed on mobile devices?
Android is Linux, but it is not GNU / Linux
You’ll see that’s not the question that was asked. And it’s okay not to give Stallman any more validation for his fame-grab.
And you can (sometimes) install something like PostmarketOS which is closer to the kind of linux people think about when they hear “Linux”
Android is maintaining a fork of Linux kernel that has since diverged.
Its like saying MAC is UNIX, technically yes but not really
macOS definitely is Unix. In the literal sense that it is actually certified (unlike FreeBSD, for example), and it is very much Unix-y under the hood.
Its like saying MAC is UNIX, technically yes but not really
macOS is UNIX-based. Period. In fact, “[s]tarting with Leopard, macOS has been certified as compatible with the Single UNIX Specification version 3 (SUSv3).” Source
Exactly Android also is “Linux based” period.
That’s my point.
Mac isn’t UNIX based, it is UNIX and comes with many of the UNIX tools a user would expect. Completely different situation.
As far as I can tell literally everything (except for windows) is UNIX, it isn’t exactly a high bar to pass, it’s like saying all drinks are water based which is technically true but I’m not going to give a kid a wine box when I run out of juice boxes.
I think that Linux is synonymous with open source and freedom and to some extent privacy.
android is synonymous with Google
I’m only guessing, but when people ask about a Linux tablet or phone, they actually want the former, rather than the later, even though android is a Linux derivative, as you rightly said.
FYI, Android is open source.
I don’t know if you are deliberately missing the point ?
You need a lot more than open source android to make a phone work.
I didn’t miss the point. Maybe you’re conflating a distribution with an operating system. But, since you brought it up:
My point is that — at least in my eyes — open source is not synonymous with one single project. Do with that what you will.
Edge cases
How many phones support grapheme ?
I really shouldn’t feed the trolls, but eh, I’m learning a lot rebuking you, so maybe somebody else can benefit from your ignorance as well:
GrapheneOS has official production support for the following devices:
- Pixel 9 Pro Fold (comet)
- Pixel 9 Pro XL (komodo)
- Pixel 9 Pro (caiman)
- Pixel 9 (tokay)
- Pixel 8a (akita)
- Pixel 8 Pro (husky)
- Pixel 8 (shiba)
- Pixel Fold (felix)
- Pixel Tablet (tangorpro)
- Pixel 7a (lynx)
- Pixel 7 Pro (cheetah)
- Pixel 7 (panther)
- Pixel 6a (bluejay)
- Pixel 6 Pro (raven)
- Pixel 6 (oriole) Source
😊
😂
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Android OS runs a modified version of the Linux kernel.
And with Termux, you can run Linux on Android on Linux.
More than anything, the problem is apps. I installed Ubuntu Touch on an old device I had lying around (after replacing the battery to bring it back to life), and I ended up liking it more than my daily driver. It worked, the interface was snappy (no pun intended), and there’s a lot of solid design choices. I found myself trying to navigate with gestures on my android phone after.
However, I could not talk to my friends, who unfortunately use WhatsApp. I could not install my banking app. There’s a bunch of small thorns in the side that makes changing difficult for most users - kind of like in the early days of desktop Linux.
As in the early days of desktop Linux, the solution might lie in a compatibility layer (like WINE). Android emulation within at least Ubuntu Touch has gotten quite good, I believe. Unfortunately my device is too old to support it.
Those interested should also check out Postmarket OS.
GNOME, a major desktop environment, is also moving towards all apps being designed for all types of devices. But as long as people can’t use their banks, switching is hard.
More than anything, the problem is apps.
True, its a real chicken and egg situation. No one what to use a platform without decent app support but no one wants to develop for a platform without any users.
Locked bootloaders can prevent that. Or proprietary hardware drivers can make it unworkable.
Because all the linux distros for mobile are steaming piles of horse shit.
