Thoughts around an Android Go VM for the Pyra?

[Grench]

https://liliputing.com/2017/12/google-launches-android-go-optimized-low-end-smartphones.html

IMHO this new version of the Android OS sounds like a pretty good option to run as a VM on the Pyra.

Of course saying it's a good option and actually doing it are two entirely different things. But - the resource requirements being brought into reason is a good step toward being more feasible.

 

[Swordfish II]

Hmm maybe an update to the Pandora android???

 

[ible]

wouldn't you need a compiled version of android Go for pyra's underlying architecture? i wonder how hard that is, even if you have the source codes...

 

[levi]

It's the work of a spare afternoon at most to sync down the android source repo and set it building. I haven't checked yet to see if the source for android go is available, but I'd kind of assume it was.

 

[Grench]

wouldn't you need a compiled version of android Go for pyra's underlying architecture? i wonder how hard that is, even if you have the source codes...

Mmmm.... not exactly. If the objective is to run it as a VM environment, it would have to be compiled to reflect what the VM environment exposes to the OS. First we would need a VM environment.

Alternatively...
There are examples of Linux running in a chroot on Android.
We would 'simply' need to go the other direction.

Androiid in a KVM environment (X86):
https://developer.android.com/studio/run/emulator-acceleration.html

Guide to deploying Ubuntu and Android (Jellybean) KVM on ARM - even specific to the Cortex-A15:
http://www.virtualopensystems.com/en/solutions/guides/kvm-on-arm-vexpress/
http://www.virtualopensystems.com/en/virtualization/open-source/kvm-arm/

So, with consideration for the lighter weight Android Go OS, what pieces are still missing?

 

[WizardStan]

I still can't figure out why there's no Android environment for Linux. The whole point of Android was to abstract away all the hardware, it should be "easy".
Now I haven't actually done any investigation so this is literally me blowing smoke out my ass, so don't take it too seriously. I'm certain there are very good reasons it isn't as easy as it would appear, I just don't know what those reasons might be.

 

[Grench]

I still can't figure out why there's no Android environment for Linux. The whole point of Android was to abstract away all the hardware, it should be "easy".
Now I haven't actually done any investigation so this is literally me blowing smoke out my ass, so don't take it too seriously. I'm certain there are very good reasons it isn't as easy as it would appear, I just don't know what those reasons might be.

Top Google for, "Android environment for Linux," result is:
https://anbox.io/

#3 is
http://aptgadget.com/best-android-emulators-linux/

So - not exactly a new concept.

 

[levi]

Stan's not talking about an android emulator. Now anbox looks like it might be more what he had in mind, but I couldn't read that much about it. As I understand it the principle problem with running android in a chroot for example, is that android generally runs on older kernels than most Linux users run.

 

[wismerhill]

As I understand it the principle problem with running android in a chroot for example, is that android generally runs on older kernels than most Linux users run.

Android also needs a patched Linux kernel, I don't think it can run on a vanilla kernel. And AFAIK (though I haven't looked at it recently) some of their patches are a no-go for the mainline kernel.

 

[netcat]

instead of forking a new version they should have made the enhancements a config option.