PreCentral: Linux Standard Kernel 3.3 to include Android drivers

News Reporter · February 15, 2012

webOS and Android both have something very fundamental in common - they're based off of the Linux open source kernel. Up until the decision to go open source, Palm and then HP used a custom proprietary version of that kernel to power webOS, but with the OS going open source over the coming months, HP's changing over to the Linux Standard Kernel instead to open up webOS to the wide world of, well, other devices (since HP's not currently making their own). And that brings us to today, when webOS CTO Sam Greenblatt tweeted the following:

"All drivers of Android will be included in Linux kernel 3.3 the LSK. Isn't that interesting?"

Yes, Sam, that is interesting. The merger of Android and Linux kernels with version 3.3 has been going on for a while, but mostly in the circles that are frequented by the uber-techs: the Linux Foundation. They're incorporating a lot of the open source drivers from Android into the open source Linux Standard Kernel, the end goal being to make it easier to install Linux and its derivatives on a wider range of devices.

So what does this mean for Open webOS, now that it's poised to adopt the Linux Standard Kernel? It means that it will be easier for end users to install webOS onto a wider range of devices and get greater support for the hardware inside. Of course, there are plenty of things you can expect to not have support even with Android drivers getting rolled into the kernel. For one, the cellular radios in Android smartphones are powered by proprietary drivers from the manufacturer and won't be included in the Linux Standard Kernel.

Still, it's a big step forward for making it easier to install webOS and other Linux-derived operating systems on a whole universe of Android-powered hardware.

Source: CNXSoft; Via: Sam Greenblatt (Twitter)