Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by jankotek 3172 days ago
Can Galaxy even run without Linux kernel?
1 comments
pjmlp 3172 days ago
In theory yes.

Android doesn't expose a proper Linux to userspace and Google has been clapping down what we are allowed to do with the NDK since Android 7.0 (edit: corrected, only started in 7.0).

So playing "what if", you can replace Linux with something else that is compatible the NDK APIs and no one would notice, other than the OEMs.

link
throwaway613834 3172 days ago
> Android doesn't expose a proper Linux to userspace and Google has been clapping down what we are allowed to do with the NDK since Android 6.0.

Would you have a link to more details/reading on this? I wasn't aware.

link
pjmlp 3172 days ago
Here are the official NDK APIs.

https://developer.android.com/ndk/guides/stable_apis.html

Here are the documentation entries related to clamping down unauthorized use of other on-device libraries or Linux Syscalls.

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2016/06/android-ch...

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2016/06/improving-...

https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/07/seccomp-fi...

https://developer.android.com/about/versions/nougat/android-...

https://developer.android.com/about/versions/oreo/android-8....

Small correction, it is actually Android 7.0, not 6.0

link
throwaway613834 3172 days ago
Great, thanks!
link
exikyut 3172 days ago
Ah. So it is a direct case of Linux>Fuschia, then.

Makes sense. That way there isn't a massive stockpile of old useless Android devices when the "new Google OS" comes out.

link