Android is Linux?

One of my favorite things in the world is open source software. That's why I use an open source desktop called Linux. All of you purist out there, calm down. I know Linux is just the kernel, but lets face it. Most people see the whole desktop environment as Linux so get over it.

Here is one of the most common questions I get asked about Linux when people find out I use it. "Is Linux ready for the desktop for the average user?" The answer is a resounding YES!

I have been using this Android phone for some time and I gotta say. I love it! With all the apps out there for it there is no limit to what you can do with it. It's user friendly interface and multi-touch capabilities it's seems it's the perfect blend for geeks like me and the average user. What most people may not realize it Android is using a special version of the Linux kernel. The same kernel that is running my computer and many other desktops out there. Most of the websites you go to, like anything Google, are hosted on Linux servers. Linux seems to be everywhere now days.

The other day I read a news story about one of the more popular Linux distributions Ubuntu (Made by Canonical) was trying to crowd source money to make a android phone that would dual boot Ubuntu. You could plug in a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and it would be a full desktop. Unplug and it would be a normal android phone. I thought this was a great idea. I don't really like the idea of having to reboot the phone just to run the desktop though. Maybe some of the amazing programmers out there could figure out a way to run the desktop form the android environment? If that happened no telling what you could do.

Phone calls, text, apps, and Internet access with you at all times is what makes smart phones so popular. However, if you're anything like me it can be a pain in the rear to sync your data with your computer. I use my phone for an MP3 player all the time, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Getting music from my computer to my phone can be a real hassle though. The same thing can be said for documents, pictures, videos, and books. This makes Canonical's idea so compelling.

Phones are just as powerful as a desktop computer was about 10 years ago. So why not use it as such? I think the idea of a dock for the phone that had a mouse, keyboard, a much bigger screen, charging power, and a wired network connection a perfect solution. It's a one stop shop. All your data is in one place and easy to access from either the phone interface or the desktop interface. It's just a matter of docking the phone. Seems great right?

The desktop dock idea seems to be missing something. I like to read in bed or on the move and my phone screen is just way too small. OK, fine, I'm old and half blind but still. Too much scrolling when the text is big enough to read. I would like to see another dock. A tablet dock. This would be about the size of a normal tablet. Contain a bigger battery to run the bigger screen and maybe even boost the charge on your phone. We all know how little batteries last in these things. You would still have all the power of Android just a bigger screen and combined with the power of a tablet. With a headset it could still be used as a phone.

I know, the main argument for something like this is it would cost to much and not enough people would buy it. Well, how many people have a smartphone, tablet, and a laptop/desktop? I haven't looked into the numbers as I'm not even sure where to begin with that kind of data mining. I think the numbers would be pretty high. Why would anyone not want to combine all three? Gamers, the only ones I can think of that wouldn't want this capability. The only reason gamers wouldn't go for it is the phones are still too slow for real high-end games. Sure, there is always someone that wouldn't be pleased. Although, I'm sure even they would take the tablet dock. Could easily sell the docks separately. Let people pick and choose what they want.

So far there is only one operating system that would even come close to being able to provide all of these functionalities. That one operating system is Linux. I know Apple could pull it off at some point since they have the Iphone, Ipad, and Mac running on the same basic operating system. A Modified version of BSD (UNIX) or Solaris (UNIX) depending on who you ask. However, Linux could do it faster, cheaper, and better. Microsoft might be able to do it at some point but that's much further down the road, but what do I know? I'm just a geek named rug and that's what I think.