In the first installment of our look at the history of Linux and Android, Linus Torvalds we saw not only achieved his goal of creating an operating system that would serve as an alternative to closed alternatives (and expensive), but it eventually became a phenomenon among developers and hackers worldwide. When big companies started investing in Linux, it was only a matter of time until it should become the benchmark oriented operating systems to servers and professional use. The “small” problem was that the average user does not even know the word “Linux” , let alone know install and configure.
Since then, each new project based on Linux has had ultimate aim to reach the public . Taking advantage of the Linux code is free and can be redistributed without problems, appeared several distros (short for “linux distribution”) that had several differences aimed at ease of use. Ubuntu , the company Canonical, has proved the most popular desktop distro in the history of the operating system, thanks to the developers tried to get into the skin of the common user, and ironed out many of the differences found daily as automatic installation of drivers and codecs. Moreover, its current interface called Unity , drink from the influences of the mobile environment. In fact, there is already a version for Ubuntu for smartphones, and the plan is that the desktop version and end up being the same.
But despite that Canonical is an organization that manages many resources are not sufficient to date to result in a change in the market. So, since Google established itself as the dominant web market, many have argued that it would be the ideal company to popularize Linux . And the open philosophy and alternative (at least in its early years) of Google seems to fit perfectly with Linux. These desires were not as far from reality as the company created a Linux distro, popularly known as Goobuntu . Unfortunately, this system was never released to the public, but that is only for internal company use.
No, if Google was going into the operating system market, had to do it in a special way. And here comes Android, Inc. was founded by a man named Andy Rubin , with the aim of “creating mobile software”. Over time demonstrating that description fell short: what we were getting was a complete operating system for smartphones, and Google knew when in 2005 took over the company and made it the focus of their efforts. Unlike Symbian and Windows Phone, Android using the Linux kernel.
Technically, Android is not a distro, but the amount of code modifications deemed makes a separate operating system , but the amount of code shared with the kernel “normal” desktop is very high. But how Google has achieved what others could not, reach so many devices around the world? The answer is simple: he has collaborated with manufacturers.
that Android can run on a mobile device drivers are necessary a code that tells the system how to control various hardware parts . For example, to use the WiFi, Android needs to know how to tell the chip the instructions you need, and for that goes to the drivers. As drivers include information about how the hardware manufacturers are always reluctant to release them, for fear that competitors from copying it. Google’s expertise was in manufacturers to ensure their independence and safety of their technologies while taking advantage of Linux open philosophy to build a system around them. That is the reason why, although Android you can download freely from the network, you really can not run on your mobile without getting prior and compile drivers.
In the next and final installment, we will discuss how the current relationship between Android and Linux, and what we can expect in the future.
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