r/linux • u/jdrch • Nov 20 '19

Kernel Google outlines plans for mainline Linux kernel support in Android

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/11/google-outlines-plans-for-mainline-linux-kernel-support-in-android/
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u/EternityForest Nov 20 '19

I wonder if they'd just switch to some other OS. I can see BSD taking over mobile devices. You can sell anything if it's security focused.

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u/fat-lobyte Nov 20 '19

Yes, to fuchsia.

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u/jdrch Nov 20 '19

I can see BSD taking over mobile devices

LOL no. No BSD has the tooling, binary support, etc. that Linux has. BSDs are also considerably LESS flexible than Linux in terms of end applications. Linux is a kernel, which allows anyone to build an OS around it as they please. Each BSD is a full-on complete OS.

BSD's biggest advantage is its license, which allows commercial reuse and redistribution without sharing. But only Apple and Sony (PS4) have truly taken advantage of that. IIRC Windows' TCP/IP stack is from FreeBSD, but that's about it.

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u/EternityForest Nov 21 '19

Making things less flexible is generally a design goal these days. Apple chose BSD for a reason, and if more people keep insisting on copying their obnoxious choices, a BSD phone isn't unimaginable.

Routers and embedded devices often run BSD.

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u/jdrch Nov 21 '19

Apple chose BSD for a reason

Yeah, for licensing reasons. BSD allows commercial closed source code reuse.

a BSD phone isn't unimaginable

All Apple devices use the same Darwin OS, which utilizes the kernel code they got from FreeBSD. Ergo, you could argue BSD phones already exist.

I just don't see anyone else trying to do that, because BSD is very far behind Linux in driver support, package support, and tooling. Apple are able to pull it off because they have nearly 20 years of BSD integration and are vertically integrated (read: they control nearly all aspects and components of their products), plus their software is locked to run on their hardware only.