If Android is generally just Linux underneath . . .

[ezekielchariot]

Hi,

I didnt really know until I heard some expert on the radio, apparently Android is just another flavour of Linux, me who usually knows everything didnt know this.
So I hear its about 60% normal free linux underneath, whatever that means.

Is it possible then that programs written in B4A have some chance of running on a copy of Ubuntu perhaps? Or perhaps future versions may reach this ability?

Just thinking . . . , the guy also felt that Linux would eventually crush everything else so it would be nice to have various ways to approach Linux programming that we already know.

 

[rfresh]

"...the guy also felt that Linux would eventually crush everything else..." Yeah, I've been hearing this for the last 20 years, but it ain't going to happen. I use both Linux and Windows and I do think Linux is more powerful, however, Linux is an OS that "tech heads" or "gear heads" love to use from the command line. They will never give up the complex use of the command line in favor of a GUI. Linux is not for the masses like windows is and never will be because of this.

Yes I know there are GUI interfaces out there but the software apps that run under them are small in number compared to the apps in the Android Market (sorry, some new manager at Google needed to impress his boss so he renamed it to Google Play, extremely stupid name in my opinion).

While Android is a version of Linux, it is heavily modified to run on mobile devices of every kind. So, I doubt very much you could run it on a non-Android platform. And I guess I don't understand why you would even want to do that.

 

[rbsoft]

Ubuntu for Android is already in the starting holes:

Ubuntu for Android | Ubuntu

Ubuntu for Android Turns Your Phone Into a Desktop Computer | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

It is not yet a completely new shell for Android devices but who knows what will come out. An interesting project by all means.


Rolf

 

[JohnK]

I do not know too much about Linux & Android (and hence B4A), however, what I do understand, is that what is running on the Android device is Java. Now, for .Net, people made Mono, and now .Net applications can run on Linux boxes. So I would find it hard to believe it would be all that hard to make a Java interpreter to mesh between Android Java and the full Linux Java. Just my thoughts.

Also, you can already run Android applications within Windows using the emulator.

 

[Erel]

The problem is with the complete ecosystem that runs your app. Android adds another layer above the OS. You cannot run an Android app without this layer.

 

[HotShoe]

Erel is right. Dalvik is a java vm that uses non standard byte code. It runs under the Android OS which is a modified Linux kernel.

 

[kanaida]

As a side note, I did install ubuntu on a Dual Core 1Ghz, 1GB ram LG Connect phone. I was surprized how well it ran. I'd say as good as a netbook.

Another thing I do is try to find native linux binaries compiled for arm and they do work after you give them permissions to execute. I was able to run intel's PowerTop application which was pretty cool. I'm sure there's many more ported commandline apps out there.

Since I know more about linux than android API or just find it much less work to do things directly in linux (like talking to drivers), my apps tend to be dynamically generated shell scripts using the android views etc... just as fancy front ends. This tends to require root permissions for some stuff, but for me it's just a ton less code.

As for linux taking over, it really has. Pretty much everywhere. Routers, microwaves, tv's, etc... with the exception of desktop pc's. Servers are often linux too like the one at my work that I set up. I use linux as my main OS and have for a few years at work on my worstation and at home. I can tell you it's probably about 75% ready for primetime, except for a few bugs that shouldn't really be there. It just needs polish, but feature wise, windows is a non-competitor except for gaming.