The Dichotomy of Android
Android
has some interesting dichotomies. Knowing about them upfront is useful not only in
understanding what Android is, but what it is not.
Android
is an embedded OS that relies on the Linux kernel for core system services, but it is
not embedded Linux. For example, standard Linux utilities such as X-windows and GNU C
libraries are not supported.Writing applications for Android utilizes the Java
framework, but it is not Java. Standard Java libraries such as Swing are not
supported. Other
libraries such as Timer are not preferred; they have been replaced by
Android’s
own libraries, which are optimized for usage in a resource-constrained, embedded
environment.
The
Android OS is open source, which means developers can view and use any of the system
source code, including the radio stack.This source code is one of the first resources
for seeing examples of Android code in action, and it helps clarify the usage when
documentation is lacking.This also means developers can utilize the system in
the same way
as any core application and can swap out system components for their own components.
However,Android devices do contain some proprietary software that is inaccessible
to developers (such as Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation).
A final
dichotomy of Android OS is that Google is also backing Chrome OS.Android OS is
built for embedded platforms, and Chrome OS is built for cloud-based platforms. However,
which is the best choice for embedded devices that live in the cloud? Netbooks, which
fill the gap between smart phones and laptop computers, could presumably go either
way (and they have).Android has started to utilize the cloud more. Does that mean
Chrome OS’s days are numbered? Google also backs a web-based market, so Chrome OS
enjoys the same developer leverage that Android currently has.This points to a convergence that might have
been in the cards all along.
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