Real Linux vs Fake Linux?

[sfbloodbrother]

So, I heard somewhere in the forums here that Android is not a real Linux distribution and is not even using a real Linux kernel at all. I am no Linux guru genius or anything, which is why I'm a little confused. Is Android real Linux or not, and how would someone know the difference between what is real and what is not real Linux?
I love Android, I would love for someday Android tablet devices to be able to basically completely replace my desktop. Real Linux or not.

 

[dibblebill]

Android, if I recall correctly, is a BRANCH of Linux. You can access a lot of the Linux functionality via a terminal emulator. However, I've found that there are also swaths of functions removed from the binaries and kernels. I wouldn't call it 'fake', just a branch.

 

[Hadron]

Yeah, it's based on a branch of the linux kernel, and every now and then I read that a future linux kernel will merge android back in. Not sure when/if that will actually happen though.

However, that's just the kernel level. The way Android runs applications (the dalvik virtual machine) is very different indeed from a desktop Linux distribution, there's no native X-windows support, and as dibblebill says there's quite a lot of stuff not included by default.

There isn't an absolute consensus on whether you should say it is linux or isn't. Given the kernel I usually go for "linux-based", but it's certainly not just a standard linux distro.

To confuse it further, a quick web search will turn up a number of projects to run more conventional linux on Android phones - well come on, you'd not have expected anything less, would you

 

[nkk]

This is a pretty simple question that gets tied up in semantics a lot. Linux is only a kernel. There is no real Linux or fake Linux. That is like asking if something is real Windows or Fake windows. Was it coded within the Microsoft Corproation? Then it it windows. Similarly, if something uses the Linux kernel, then it is Linux.

People make arguments such as "it uses a branch of the Linux kernel, not the main upstream branch from kernel.org". This argument is idiotic for a number of reasons:

• Very few "true" Linux distributions use the kernel.org kernel. Ubuntu and Linux Mint both use modified versions. As does RHEL and CentOS. It is almost always the case that people who use the Linux kernel use only what they need to improve size on disk, speed, etc. That is the beauty of open source software
  
• uname is a Unix command that basically prints out the name of the system (along with other options such as version, etc). When you get a terminal emulator from the market and type uname , Android identifies itself as Linux. I am not sure why that is not enough for some people.
  
• If android is not Linux, then neither is the thing that some guy hacked to run on an Atmel microprocessor architecture. Tht was not from kernel.org, either.
  
• The whole notion of open source software is that it can be taken and edited/improved. Just because Android did this to Linux to optimize for mobile does not mean that Android lost its Linux heritage. It was and will always be Linux.

Nkk

 

[saptech]

Just look at it this way...

If Operating Systems Ran The Airlines

UNIX Airways
Everyone brings one piece of the plane along when they come to the airport. They all go out on the runway and put the plane together piece by piece, arguing non-stop about what kind of plane they are supposed to be building.

Air DOS
Everybody pushes the airplane until it glides, then they jump on and let the plane coast until it hits the ground again. Then they push again, jump on again, and so on ...

Mac Airlines
All the stewards, captains, baggage handlers, and ticket agents look and act exactly the same. Every time you ask questions about details, you are gently but firmly told that you don't need to know, don't want to know, and everything will be done for you without your ever having to know, so just shut up.

Windows Air
The terminal is pretty and colorful, with friendly stewards, easy baggage check and boarding, and a smooth take-off. After about 10 minutes in the air, the plane explodes with no warning whatsoever.

Windows NT Air
Just like Windows Air, but costs more, uses much bigger planes, and takes out all the other aircraft within a 40-mile radius when it explodes.

Linux Air
Disgruntled employees of all the other OS airlines decide to start their own airline. They build the planes, ticket counters, and pave the runways themselves. They charge a small fee to cover the cost of printing the ticket, but you can also download and print the ticket yourself. When you board the plane, you are given a seat, four bolts, a wrench and a copy of the Seat-HOWTO.html. Once settled, the fully adjustable seat is very comfortable, the plane leaves and arrives on time without a single problem, the in-flight meal is wonderful. You try to tell customers of the other airlines about the great trip, but all they can say is, "You had to do what with the seat?"

Different versions of this joke have been floating around the net for the past couple years. The original author is unknown.

 

[SiempreTuna]

I don't understand why people get so uppity about all this - does it really make an iota of difference whether Android's based on Linux, a sub-set of Linux or french toast and elastic bands?

It works. I like it. That's enough

 

[phoneguru9]

So, I heard somewhere in the forums here that Android is not a real Linux distribution and is not even using a real Linux kernel at all. I am no Linux guru genius or anything, which is why I'm a little confused. Is Android real Linux or not, and how would someone know the difference between what is real and what is not real Linux?
I love Android, I would love for someday Android tablet devices to be able to basically completely replace my desktop. Real Linux or not.

I believe Android uses the same kernel as linux.....so its basically linux

 

[Bob Maxey]

Linux Air
Disgruntled employees of all the other OS airlines decide to start their own airline. They build the planes, ticket counters, and pave the runways themselves. They charge a small fee to cover the cost of printing the ticket, but you can also download and print the ticket yourself. When you board the plane, you are given a seat, four bolts, a wrench and a copy of the Seat-HOWTO.html. Once settled, the fully adjustable seat is very comfortable, the plane leaves and arrives on time without a single problem, the in-flight meal is wonderful. You try to tell customers of the other airlines about the great trip, but all they can say is, "You had to do what with the seat?"

And 900+ ex-Linux Airlines employees decide, each, to start their own Linux Airlines; each one looking for airspace in a very crowded Linux airport.

The bonus is, each passenger can build their own version of a Linux airport. not to mention, toilets, snack bars, planes and one will likely be solar powered.

At least UNIX is easier, with only 30 or so versions to cope with.

Thank the gods above, Microsoft created this:

Microsoft