So, I’m a Finn, and have heard many times that we prefer Android because it’s “built on a Linux kernel” (I know just enough to know the Linux dude is a Finn). But *what* is “a kernel” and how “Finnish” does this make Android? Can Linus Torvalds be credited in any way for Android?
In: Technology
When you’re using your computer or phone, lots of programs are running. There’s the program that’s checking your mail, the web browser you’re using, the messaging app receiving new messages, etc.
The program running all those programs, the base program that the device starts up when it turns on, is the kernel. When some other program wants to open a file, the kernel is what actually does it and tells that program what’s in the file. When your settings app establishes a new wifi connection, it’s a module in the kernel that actually tells the radio transmitter in your phone to send/receive the signal. When more than one program wants to do something at the same time (which is nearly always), the kernel is what coordinates them and tells the processor what specifically to do next.
Android is a bunch of programs built on top of a Linux kernel that’s actually running the show underneath. Linus can be credited with creating the kernel, releasing it to the world and guiding it through its development over the years, but he didn’t make Android. He… facilitated it. He made the Android team’s job easier by giving them a ready-made solution to do the dirty work behind the scenes.
Software development is a game of standing on the shoulders of giants to reach even further, and Linus’ contributions were his shoulders.
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> I know just enough to know the Linux dude is a Finn
I was at a conference in Helsinki last year: Finns are cool people. They have solid fast food (that’s my rubric: can the local Burger King make a decent Whopper? Helsinki YES. Rio YES YES YES. London “honorable mention”. Frankfurt NO. Athens made a good burger but I couldn’t find a BK).
Linus is known for not taking any crap: he’s to-the-point and makes a great software project leader because he doesn’t hesitate to put people in their place and force coordination out of uncoordinated developers. If he thinks you’re wrong, he’ll tell you right to your face and won’t tiptoe around it. But he also respects what you have to say if it’s a good point.
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