So I've been having a discussion in another thread regarding the use of older versions of MSOS's on PPC. That spawned a question on my part:
Is there a development group here somewhere that is working on a Linux OS, or another OS for PPC?
Linux will run on just about anything, its' lightweight OS needs little memory and cpu power. So how hard would it be to design a light Linux based OS for a PPC?
Obviously it would take a group of people, much like those groups developing Linux distros and programs.
I think there is memory to be saved, and speed to be had. And if someone were smart enough to wrap a dialer and vendor agnostic connectivity around it, it would take off.
Any interest in this?
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=Xanadux
or android
or
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=e...H_en-GBGB243GB243&q=linux+for+pocket+pc&meta=
Wow, I'm disappointed.
There are hundreds of WM5 & WM6 custom ROMs' being developed by hundreds of top notch developers...... and only ONE Linux port?
very underwhelming...
You may also want to check out OpenMoko (http://www.openmoko.org) or just try and put together your own.
Splitter said:
Wow, I'm disappointed.
There are hundreds of WM5 & WM6 custom ROMs' being developed by hundreds of top notch developers...... and only ONE Linux port?
very underwhelming...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a whole different thing. All those roms you are talking about are just modifications of an existing OS.
The linux port amounts to building an OS from scratch, and it's a lot harder.
edzilla said:
It's a whole different thing. All those roms you are talking about are just modifications of an existing OS.
The linux port amounts to building an OS from scratch, and it's a lot harder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed.
Actually porting Linux to an HTC device wouldn't be so bad. Some people have found out how to flash ROM's theoretically without needing a bootloader even.
The problem really boils down to drivers for Linux. We can't even get proper video drivers working with the Kaiser under Windows Mobile (the proper drivers were never included, so video output is slowwww) though the hardware supports 3d acceleration! HTC denies our requests for hardware specs to develop our own. And this is trouble we're having with drivers for Windows!
Really it boils down to this hardware. This type of hardware being proprietary as you can get. You've got processors and controllers that are highly proprietary and the vendors are tied in to 100 different non compete non-disclosure agreements and can't provide specs. Even the qualcomm chips borrow code from broadcom -- which means qualcomm can't publish how those portions of their chips work! Microsoft then licenses code from these vendors with promises not to share source. HTC licenses code from broadcom and qualcom swearing not to publish it. Etc etc...
Now, your a Linux developer. How do you integrate drivers in to your kernel when the chip instruction set isn't even documented? Control codes aren't published? Reverse engineering is the only way, which can take years. Developers here have learned simple controls such as to change LED's or discovered the standard interface for USB/SD cards. That's about it.
It's hard for an open source OS to survive in a closed-spec hardware world. PC's are open and well documented and very standard. However, every phone is different, and different production runs may even have significant changes in internal hardware design.
It's really a waste of time to seek Linux on mobile devices until hardware becomes standardized. Which is never because companies like qualcomm and broadcomm via and others are not fans of open source. This is the market and those who dominate it.
If this saddens you, it should -- but it's just the way it is.
Now that we have kernel source... anyone see Ubuntu in our future?
I have unbuntu on my pc and in process of partitioning he for mac os x install 3 OS why not
Well, ubuntu netbook edition 10-10 would be the perfect candidate, but it seems someone already beat us to the punch:
http://techietonic.com/an-ubuntu-netbook-os-tablet-pc-edition-2011-the-tenq-p07-specs-features/#respond
If we could find a somewhere to download that version of ubuntu netbook, all the basic tablet specific work has already been done, might just need a couple tweeks. I have personally had no luck to even find the company's website though.
TheZedo said:
Well, ubuntu netbook edition 10-10 would be the perfect candidate, but it seems someone already beat us to the punch:
http://techietonic.com/an-ubuntu-netbook-os-tablet-pc-edition-2011-the-tenq-p07-specs-features/#respond
If we could find a somewhere to download that version of ubuntu netbook, all the basic tablet specific work has already been done, might just need a couple tweeks. I have personally had no luck to even find the company's website though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That does not apply, there are no hardware similarities between an android tablet and that one other than form factor.
That machine uses an Intel Atom processor, ubuntu install image on a usb drive and you're pretty much done on that one. Not so much for us.
I see now why the lack of Linux support for Tegra tablets...
http://developer.nvidia.com/tegra/forum/linux-support-becoming-unsupported
(follow the link in his post for some udated info)
Its sad, but between the Honeycomb delays, and Linux being put on the back burner, we have very limited choices at the moment. Ultimately I would like to have Linux on my A7 too, as long as its not uncomfortably slow with only 512MB DDR2 RAM. It looks like Meego might be the distribution to watch for any kind of prebuilt distributable images, at least they have some big players still on board for backing, and they support a variety of platforms.
If you have access to the Nvidia Tegra 250 Developer kit, you could try building a custom Gentoo distro. I really like Gentoo for its configurability options, but honestly, I'm afraid of bricking my A7 with one little mistake.
Android still uses a Linux kernel though, so with kernel source and ability to compile for the tegra chip progress will not grind to a halt. Things just unfortunately won't move along as quickly as most of us would like.
I think a modified version of Ubuntu NBR would run fairly quick on an a7 though.
After some more digging around on the Nvidia Developers forum, I tracked down a few "work-arounds" to install linux...however, please note that most of these posts are very dated.
http://developer.nvidia.com/tegra/forum/workaround-run-ubuntu-now
http://developer.nvidia.com/tegra/forum/fedora-12gnome-running-tegra
http://www.elinux.org/Installation_Detail
I would dare to call this post, "Instructions for the Brave".
After reading those it does sound like we could have a unbuntu os
Hi guys I am buying a eee pad but currently I am emailing Eclipse Google and others to try and get support to make developing for Android on Android possible.
I wish to start a foundation or support group toward this end if you want to contribute or help in anyway it would be great I will also add a poll for comparison of votes so please vote it all helps.
As I understand it porting Ubuntu to different devices is well still in beta stages for the most part but we all know that personalized mobile computing is the future and tablets or tf style devices will eventually replace laptops netbooks and the like.
As I understand the biggest problem is new tech!! that fresh out the box smell is still lingering and leaves support and development slim in some more common place computing needs where x86 has rained supreme leaving others to wish for such a client base of great support and programs.
So all in all this is to try push things in the right direction. Who to talk to when to talk to them and how to help the eee pad and other similar devices become fully fledged dual boot Android Ubuntu platforms with the option to develop and do all the other great things Ubuntu can offer.
Please only positive criticism or feedback this is the tech community anything is possible so please no comments of OMG YOU CANT DO THAT!!!! etc etc
Currently, you can compile C program or whatever without problems, using a chroot ubuntu or debian.
But developing for android implies that the android sdk has to be ported on arm platform. This is a paradox, but most android and java tools are working only on x86 platform, probably because at this time, phones was not meant to be dev platforms considering their cpu power.
Openjdk seems to work on arm but the android sdk relies on javac from sun.
There are now powerful tablet devices on the market - including our beloved tf - where we could potentially develop android apps ; I think that google will sooner or later release an arm version of the android sdk. Since then, we are almost pretty stuck : I'm not sure that all the android tools are opensource, and even if it is the case, there is still the problem of javac from sun which does not work on arm platform. However, doing our own dev platform implies that we can port ourselves the sdk on arm, and use openjdk as a replacement of sun-java runtime. Not a piece of cake My advice is to wait several months google next move to see what's going to happen, now that there are more and more tablets on the market.
If we get enough support though maybe we can push for both to be ported and released
Sent from my GT540RR using XDA App
Omg this doesn"t belong in the development forum!!!!!!!
Would love to see more development done on this!
As time progresses, more will be done definitely this is more about making sure that it is pushed as i believe at the moment its being over looked. I think manufacturers and Google and eclipse etc all under estimate there own products possibilities and the abilities of the tech community and in particular the xda community. Even if we had beta releases only for xda devs it would be a step in the right direction for developing android on android.
OK I'm going to bite the bullet and ask why would this be considered a good idea? I write software for Android and using Eclipse on lower screen resolutions isn't that productive IMHO, throw in poor keyboards and miniscule touchpads and it makes little sense. Finally considering the performance differences between a tablet and development laptop (i7, 8 GB RAM, SSD, etc) I just can't see getting the development tools working on an Android device to be all that useful at this point in time.
Nvidia is claiming the T3 will be as powerful as a Core 2. Seems a little exaggerated, but in the near future, it may be possible to dev. on a tab. Eclipse (and real games) are the last things tying me to my PC. Now I would not want to run Eclipse on a T2, but a T4??? Now we are talking.
GeraldNunn said:
OK I'm going to bite the bullet and ask why would this be considered a good idea? I write software for Android and using Eclipse on lower screen resolutions isn't that productive IMHO, throw in poor keyboards and miniscule touchpads and it makes little sense. Finally considering the performance differences between a tablet and development laptop (i7, 8 GB RAM, SSD, etc) I just can't see getting the development tools working on an Android device to be all that useful at this point in time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my Transformer TF101
I tend to agree. I find even a powerful laptop is pretty marginal. I prefer a desktop with at least 2 monitors, one for code and one for the emulator.
All valid points but if no one is looking forward at the glass half full it wont become a reality
What I'm saying is work needs to start now infrastructure then city not a repeat of Auckland central we need the ground work done then the devices can catch up
Sent from my GT540RR using XDA App
I support, its something i would use.
danielmtp.mg said:
I support, its something i would use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my GT540RR using XDA App
I've a script pack for installing Java's JDK to ARM either hard float or soft float that can be found at the following link
https://github.com/S0AndS0/Debian-Kit-Mods
Check the readme for how to download and enjoy the work I've done to get us this far. Furthermore there are other installers available that may be of interest; such as jMonkey and node.js and NoFlo installers for debian based Linux OS's running on Android.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using xda app-developers app
Anyone alive on this thread?
I've some links to information and projects relating to developments on Android and Linux Android systems.
For running GNU software on Android (better than busybox perhaps)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2613243
Some maybe slower than the busybox versions but its a small sacrifice for better compatibility.
For running SDR (software defined radio) with Android or Android Linux
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2108053
https://github.com/martinmarinov/rtl_tcp_andro-
This github is really cool because the drivers are for either.
For running OpenBTS on Android Linux (turn your cellphone into a cell tower)
https://github.com/martinmarinov/rtl_tcp_andro-
Do some digging on this Dev's work; its amazing
For Crypto Currency mining on Android Linux (why buy an app when you'll have more for free here?)
http://bitbiz.io/threads/linux-script-cpu-minerd-installer-android-rpi-vps-32-64bit-pc.138/
Be sure to check out the example scripts I posted too; especially the ones relating to temp. monitoring or ya may blow a battery.
For MPI (message passing interface) on Android Linux (just modify the RPi directions to have the right username and networking options)
http://www.tinkernut.com/2014/04/27/make-cluster-computer/
Be sure to check out TinkerNut's other videos and guides; nearly anything a Raspberry Pi can do we can do on our phones for cheaper and with better specs/built in hardware.
For running Maptools server on Android (software for running custom table top games over a network)
http://forums.rptools.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=24082
I play DnD and Pathfinder so having a way to go mobile with it was something I had to do for them
For building Android NDK on Android Linux (step one of writing apps for Android on Android)
http://www.timelesssky.com/blog/building-android-sdk-build-tools-aapt-for-debian-arm
For building Android SDK on Android Linux (step two for writing/modding you phone with your phone)
http://www.timelesssky.com/blog/develop-app-on-android-with-android-sdk
Above two links are fantastic when combined with rdp or vnc for a larger screen size when at home.
For running Linux on Android without root (hidden goodies on FUSE filesystem)
http://www.timelesssky.com/blog/debian-android-with-no-root
There's a narrow window of compatibility but if your apposed to root on Android and still want Linux theses steps might just let you pull it off too.
For modifying Debian Kits' source code so you can have loop files larger than 2 Gigs and install hard floating point instead of soft float
http://www.timelesssky.com/blog/running-debian-armhf-alongside-android#comment-1525580294
If you've not found this Dev's blog then do some digging as there is some really cool guides posted.
For installing GPU drivers to Android Linux (scroll down to Related Projects for the other brands)
http://freedreno.github.io/
The above link and related software should allow for OpenCL/GL support and the added bonus of being able to run Blender on your tablet.
The above links should prove that developments on Android and Android Linux systems is very active; just hard to find sometimes.
I'm currently working at http://bitbiz.io/rf/?c=IGQ3ZLRT with a few other team members to bring together the above subjects into a new mesh-networking crypto coin system that allows users and developers to buy or rent hardware time from networked devices; others have tried and failed to make a AndroidCoin but this one will not as much of the core features have already been tested or scripted up in my other github repo as installers. Feel free to post feature requests and concerns.
http://bitbiz.io/threads/altcoin-taucoin-new-arm-excusive-coin.142/
Sent from: SPH-D700 or myTouch3Gs or Sero 7 Pro
Linux Install guide for Android devices that I'm writing:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2240397
Or
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ssVeIhdBuuy8CtpBP1lWgUkG6fR6oHxP20ToYPPw6zI/edit?usp=drive_web
And my script pack for installing; Java's JDK, node.js and more to your Linux OS
https://github.com/S0AndS0/Debian-Kit-Mods
Note: if you're new to Linux/scripting/command line; check readme file for instructions.
Can I do by chance T-Mobile S4 or Samsung original ROMs on the Google Edition of this phone? Or, T-Mobile ROM on the Unlocked International/World version? I want this because, basically, I want to buy unlocked, but in the case of the Google Edition, be able to install original Samsung ROMs or T-Mobile ROMs to restore lost functionality. On the case of a world phone, it would be purely to restore T-Mobile WiFi Calling. I plan to use this on T-Moble mostly, so I want it to work. HOWEVER, I want to be able to play with ROMs, swap out to stock Android or Google Edition ROMs for play, on occasion. Is it really easy to install a T-Mobile ROM on GE/Unlocked World Phones? and does everything work the same? Like, there won't be a part of the T-Mobile ROM not working, will there be?
I'm just bumping this because I'm curious too. I would love to flash AOSPA to my google edition, and theoretically the t-mobile is the same device.
jpculp said:
I'm just bumping this because I'm curious too. I would love to flash AOSPA to my google edition, and theoretically the t-mobile is the same device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I am aware its not possible right now.
jetlitheone said:
As far as I am aware its not possible right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is that? They are using GE ROMs on T-Mobile phones. Why couldn't someone install or flash a T-Mobile ROM to a GE phone? Is there a particular problem they encounter right now?
There is big reason to want to do this, of course. The GE ROM is missing all the Samsung specific software, like camera features, probably finger tracking and pointing software, etc. Also missing, T-Mobile WiFi Calling support, because T-Mobile rather making this a hard to get feature by tightly concealing it inside some custom additions to the frame work rather than a separate app.
Because the hardware is the same, which it is, isn't it? I am having hard time figuring out why it wouldn't work. Is there some BIOS limitation, hardware limitation going on here?
None of the I9505 variants are using the stock GE rom. I9505G has different partition sizes so the devs had to change those first to make them compatible. I'm sure there are other differences because otherwise TWRP team wouldn't be taking this long to release the recovery for I9505G if it was just partition difference.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using xda app-developers app
deaffob said:
None of the I9505 variants are using the stock GE rom. I9505G has different partition sizes so the devs had to change those first to make them compatible. I'm sure there are other differences because otherwise TWRP team wouldn't be taking this long to release the recovery for I9505G if it was just partition difference.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already released: http://teamw.in/project/twrp2/192
moops
deaffob said:
None of the I9505 variants are using the stock GE rom. I9505G has different partition sizes so the devs had to change those first to make them compatible. I'm sure there are other differences because otherwise TWRP team wouldn't be taking this long to release the recovery for I9505G if it was just partition difference.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
partition sizes? so you're saying the ROM doesn't take care of filesystem stuff, or changing the layout of the partitions on the system during installation? it just reuses the old partitions and possibly filesystems? so installations aren't truly "clean" just like gaining root access is always some clunky hack/workaround?
I mean, wouldn't the ROM just flash itself, and it's preferred layout within the flash memory, not even care about what it was before? I got this weird feeling about Android, that things are too hacked together, that's why I hate it. Why not develop a method to install Linux/Android from scratch, like manual bootloader installation, manual partition, manual formatting, manual installation of kernel and software to get it all working, just like a "fresh" "clean" install of an OS on any other computer? Is this already possible somewhere? I actually prefer to do all the installation and set up myself. They could also design the ROMs to include this information, or the flash utility to do most of it automatically.. I am surprised it doesn't do this already.
Let me ask another question, is it possible to go through and do a clean install of Android from an Android ROM? Like say you restart and repartition everywhere, recreate the filesystem, all settings, all files, etc? possibly even remove files or programs you don't want, but in a clean fashion? or add some you want to add?
masturbaker said:
I mean, wouldn't the ROM just flash itself, and it's preferred layout within the flash memory, not even care about what it was before?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, flashing ROMs does not re-partition the NAND.
masturbaker said:
partition sizes? so you're saying the ROM doesn't take care of filesystem stuff, or changing the layout of the partitions on the system during installation? it just reuses the old partitions and possibly filesystems? so installations aren't truly "clean" just like gaining root access is always some clunky hack/workaround?
I mean, wouldn't the ROM just flash itself, and it's preferred layout within the flash memory, not even care about what it was before? I got this weird feeling about Android, that things are too hacked together, that's why I hate it. Why not develop a method to install Linux/Android from scratch, like manual bootloader installation, manual partition, manual formatting, manual installation of kernel and software to get it all working, just like a "fresh" "clean" install of an OS on any other computer? Is this already possible somewhere? I actually prefer to do all the installation and set up myself. They could also design the ROMs to include this information, or the flash utility to do most of it automatically.. I am surprised it doesn't do this already.
Let me ask another question, is it possible to go through and do a clean install of Android from an Android ROM? Like say you restart and repartition everywhere, recreate the filesystem, all settings, all files, etc? possibly even remove files or programs you don't want, but in a clean fashion? or add some you want to add?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not that simple. You seems to think that this is an Android's problem but this is the way it is in any programming. Apple can get away with one OS because they only have one type of hardware. For example, if you have to develop the CM for each device, you have to take account for everything from the screen size to SoC.
Back to your first question, if partition sizes are different, you can't flash roms because the rom that you are trying to flash could have bigger or smaller size and this could ruin the filesystem.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using xda app-developers app
deaffob said:
It's not that simple. You seems to think that this is an Android's problem but this is the way it is in any programming. Apple can get away with one OS because they only have one type of hardware. For example, if you have to develop the CM for each device, you have to take account for everything from the screen size to SoC.
Back to your first question, if partition sizes are different, you can't flash roms because the rom that you are trying to flash could have bigger or smaller size and this could ruin the filesystem.
Sent from my GT-I9505G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is that simple, though. it's just the problem with Android, is the tools aren't designed to be like this right now. the software is designed to do what it does now, because it was designed to not take care of these problems automatically.
I understand the issue right now is that the developers are focused in hacking Android, rather than opening it up and putting back in what's missing from the manufactures. stuff like user account management, being able to run all the command line tools from a shell, repartition, this and that. the current developers seem to think that everyone wants to keep their existing software in place without being able to clean install or reinstall any of it, so the tools don't start off the the beginning, don't make perfect clean back ups, and are just really bad hacks to everything in general. there is no solid OS development on android because of this. they don't think you want to have access to modify or treat the system just like it was any other computer, so they focus on cheap hacks instead of giving you full access and explanations on how to do everything. I'd like to see guides on how to manually do things myself, instead of using other peoples tools and programs to do it. I love to dive in and get physical with the OS, rather than do things the cheap and hacky way. i would also like an android kernel which has root without need for hacks.
Yes, each phone is different. But it doesn't mean that the kernel/OS couldn't be designed to handle this, without a different build for each phone. What you want to do is modularize the features of the phone, including driver for CPU, GPU, screen, resolution, color profile information, and specific hardware features. you should be able to do this exactly the same as in Windows, or Linux - the phone would load up only the relevant modules for the hardware components present on the phone. if the CPU architecture was vastly different, a different build could be offered to optimize performance. but other than that, there isn't a big different between the many phones out there. they all got ARM processors, often based on the same architecture, or similar design as each other. ie, a QUALCOMM or Samsung or NVidia CPU, each one that runs the same ARM code/instructions code, with small differences at best. they all got screens and touch input, there is a difference in WiFi and wireless chipsets, but that should all be handled by a driver from the hardware vendor (I am sure there is drivers in Android, but i haven't looked myself - you should be able to swap them out and load them up in different operating systems without hassle, because typically, in Linux, drivers are built to function with the major version of the kernel, not a specific build of a kernel). Because Linux is virtually the same all around, you should be able to build a driver that works in more than one kernel, and have is made available just like in Linux today, where you load it up only if you need it. If Android is not like this, the whole platform sounds like it was really poorly implemented...
masturbaker said:
it is that simple, though. it's just the problem with Android, is the tools aren't designed to be like this right now. the software is designed to do what it does now, because it was designed to not take care of these problems automatically.
I understand the issue right now is that the developers are focused in hacking Android, rather than opening it up and putting back in what's missing from the manufactures. stuff like user account management, being able to run all the command line tools from a shell, repartition, this and that. the current developers seem to think that everyone wants to keep their existing software in place without being able to clean install or reinstall any of it, so the tools don't start off the the beginning, don't make perfect clean back ups, and are just really bad hacks to everything in general. there is no solid OS development on android because of this. they don't think you want to have access to modify or treat the system just like it was any other computer, so they focus on cheap hacks instead of giving you full access and explanations on how to do everything. I'd like to see guides on how to manually do things myself, instead of using other peoples tools and programs to do it. I love to dive in and get physical with the OS, rather than do things the cheap and hacky way. i would also like an android kernel which has root without need for hacks.
Yes, each phone is different. But it doesn't mean that the kernel/OS couldn't be designed to handle this, without a different build for each phone. What you want to do is modularize the features of the phone, including driver for CPU, GPU, screen, resolution, color profile information, and specific hardware features. you should be able to do this exactly the same as in Windows, or Linux - the phone would load up only the relevant modules for the hardware components present on the phone. if the CPU architecture was vastly different, a different build could be offered to optimize performance. but other than that, there isn't a big different between the many phones out there. they all got ARM processors, often based on the same architecture, or similar design as each other. ie, a QUALCOMM or Samsung or NVidia CPU, each one that runs the same ARM code/instructions code, with small differences at best. they all got screens and touch input, there is a difference in WiFi and wireless chipsets, but that should all be handled by a driver from the hardware vendor (I am sure there is drivers in Android, but i haven't looked myself - you should be able to swap them out and load them up in different operating systems without hassle, because typically, in Linux, drivers are built to function with the major version of the kernel, not a specific build of a kernel). Because Linux is virtually the same all around, you should be able to build a driver that works in more than one kernel, and have is made available just like in Linux today, where you load it up only if you need it. If Android is not like this, the whole platform sounds like it was really poorly implemented...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright don't take offense, but I think you have many wrong ideas on basic computer programming. Hacking basically means that exploring the limits of what is possible, thereby doing something exciting and meaningful. Hacking and programming aren't technically different. I don't get what you mean when you say 'hacky' or 'cheap' way. Like I said this isn't Android's problem. This is the way it is in any OS including Linux, Windows, OSX, iOS, etc.
We have had a way to do clean backups/restores for a long time. I don't know what you mean by 'bad hacks' on this regards. The way it does backups is the same way in any other system.
Android developers do not think that 'everyone wants to keep their existing software in place without being able to clean install or reinstall any of it.' If this were true, there wouldn't be so many ways to do backups either through individual app or NAND.
When you say 'there is no solid OS development on android' what do you mean by that? Android is the mobile OS that had gone through the most OS developments by independent programmers in the history. Everything from the corporate developments such as TouchWiz and Sense to the independent developments like Cyannogen and Paranoidandroid, each and everyone made significant deviation from the original AOSP source.
Where did you hear that Windows or Linux use one kernel for all hardware? Each and every hardware has different kernel that's specially made for the hardware.
deaffob said:
Where did you hear that Windows or Linux use one kernel for all hardware? Each and every hardware has different kernel that's specially made for the hardware.
Click to expand...
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mostly all distros use a standard kernel build, which is the same across each install. sometimes you can find customized versions, or builds, or architecture dependent builds. like i can build Linux kernel for AMD64 architecture, and it works on both Intel and AMD. or i can build for i686, and it works on all modern 32-bit and 64-bit x86 processors. if I build it for i386, it works on processors dating back to the Pentium 1/2. I can also do a build specific to the Intel Ivy Bridge, or AMD Bulldozer architecture, which sometimes makes it faster on modern processors, but can be run on older ones with reduced speed. it is the same kernel, across every CPU it is run on. generally, I bet, the kernel in Android is built for "ARM" and it loads up and works on all ARM processors. sometimes you can compile it for specific architectures, and that may break it on others, but that is not how it's commonly done. On Windows, there is one kernel, that works on all OSes. recently Microsoft has begun doing architecture specific builds, like Windows 7 64bit has a kernel built for Intel and a separate for AMD, which gets installed depending on which one you have. The difference is not much, just mostly the compiler will be set with architecture specific flags which merely optimizes order and execution of operations usually. sometimes it enables the use of CPU specific features like SSE, etc.
the way it gets by using one build of the kernel, is through use of drivers and modules to support other hardware specific functions and features. most of the hardware specific features are in the modules and drivers. Distributions like Windows, Redhat and FreeBSD use a precompiled kernel that is the same in every installation, regardless of architecture, unless you compile it yourself or choose a more custom build. but the difference is generally only whether it's optimized for an Intel or AMD CPU, and code designed for both is generally just as fast as the architecture specific builds. on Android, the difference is, the CPU within each SoC, is probably virtually identical. each one based on a specific ARM core or design (which they bought and licensed from ARM, so it is a design shared amongst vendors), which is the ARMv7-A architecture on modern Android phones, whether it's NVidia, QUALCOMM, or Samsung. there is not a whole lot of difference in each vendors product other than the GPU and wireless chipsets, but most chipsets other than NVidia do share the common GPU architecture as well (Adreno 320), meaning the kernel/drivers should be identical. support for GPU and other chipsets within the phone should be handled by a driver or module.
Hello everybody, i'm very excited with Cyanogen's new way and i must to say that it be a huge community for the device that i solicite support.
It's a device with an awesome hardware, but, sure you know, Android OS came from China isn't very good, i hope you regard my request.
Thanks to all of you (and sorry for my quite bad english).
As an CUBE U30GT2 owner, It will be a mircale for cube U30GT2 users if you will make a rom for our device.
Cube Android os is owful, crush and stuck.
jgarciaillanf1 said:
It's a device with an awesome hardware
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Rockchip is about as far as possible from awesome as you can get from a developer perspective. RK3066 is an utter and total nightmare to work with, I assume 3188 will be equally bad.
I've attempted a bringup of RK306u6 with Codeworkx before. While someone else might be able to do a neat bringup, it won't be me working on it, I'm afraid.
The RK architecture was horrendous, I'm afraid, and had a lot of design compromises (ie. no wifi and ADB at the same time, etc)
Hi,
things have changed a bit since the rk3066.
Rockchip recently released the kernel sources and there is some work that has been made, especially by omegamoon, Galland and aloksinha2001 (take a look here : https://github.com/omegamoon/Rockchip-GPL-Kernel).
Although there are some modules that are always closed sources. :d
Given the number of Android PC Keys that run through a SoC Rk3188, it would be interesting for omnirom to work on it, or even to work in parallel with the above mentioned developers to give it a try and bring a true clean android experience, especially with the multi-window feature that would be a huge improvement in those products.
Regards.