android on pandora

[Tempel]

The distinction I see between Android and many other Linux distributions is, quite simply, POSIX compliance. Not all Linux distros will be POSIX compliant, but many seem to be close. Android, though, doesn't even try; it's immediately excluded by not including a Bourne-compatible shell. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it just means that, by having a different userspace, software is less portable between Android and other Linux distros. My point is that there is a clear-ish line between Android and many other Linux distributions, and since I've become so comfortable with the more POSIX-compliant userspace (and the software that runs in it), that's where I intend to stay.

 

[Eridger]

We're viewing the device from different standpoints. I think from a user perspective, Android could be considdred a distro. But I think the question now is are software systems that also use the Linux kernel (TomTom, some DVR systems) also considered distributions? If not, then why? It seems sort of strange to me to think of those systems as having or using linux distrobutions while considering Android as being one.


Now that I'm thinking about it, I have to reverse my position: just because Android uses the Linux kernel doesn't make it a Linux Distribution, though I'm not sure what the criteria for being a distribution is from a user's prospective.