The Android mobile operating system is based on the Linux kernel, but it is not a standard kernel, but a highly modified one. It includes “upgrades” from Google, chip designers Qualcomm and MediaTek, and OEMs. But now, it is reported that the "good corporation" your system to the main version of the kernel.
Google engineers held talks on this topic at this year's Linux Plumbers conference. This is expected to reduce costs and support overhead, benefit the Linux project as a whole, improve performance and increase device battery life. This will also allow for faster deployment of updates and reduce fragmentation.
The first step in this process is to merge as many Android modifications as possible into the main Linux kernel. As of February 2018, the common Android kernel (to which manufacturers make additional changes) has over 32 additions and over 000 deletions compared to the main Linux 1500 release. This is an improvement over a few years ago, when Android added over 4.14.0 lines of code to Linux.
The Android kernel still receives modifications from chip makers (like Qualcomm and MediaTek) and OEMs (like Samsung and LG). Google improved this process in 2017 with Project Treble, which separated device-specific drivers from the rest of Android. The company wants to embed this technology into the main Linux kernel, potentially eliminating the need for per-device kernels and further speeding up the Android update process.
The idea proposed by Google engineers is to create an interface in the Linux kernel that would allow proprietary device drivers to act as plug-ins. This would allow Project Treble to be used in a regular Linux kernel.
Interestingly, some members of the Linux community are against the idea of porting Android to it. The reason is the very fast process of modification and changes in the regular kernel, while proprietary systems “drag” with them the entire burden of compatibility with older versions.
Thus, it is not yet clear when the transition of Android to the standard Linux kernel and the integration of the Project Treble system into it will occur and reach release. But the idea itself is very interesting and promising.
Source: 3dnews.ru