OK I googled a bit harder and my questions now seem kinda silly. http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/09/24/linux-kernel-mainline-status-of-mobile-socs-presentation-at-linaro-connect-sf015/
Nice tables showing how far different companies' SOC's diverge from mainline. Short answer: a lot. http://elinux.org/Mainlining_improvement_ideas http://elinux.org/Kernel_areas_of_focus_for_mainlining Lots of work being done by lots of people to fix this exact problem. Mostly stuck behind a variety of corporate roadblocks. Basically I've got that "I wish I hadn't investigated that funny smell coming from the attic" feeling now. It's far, far worse than I imagined. On 2015-12-08 09:47 , [email protected] wrote: > I saw this a few weeks ago but was too busy to ask at the time: > > https://lists.launchpad.net/ubuntu-phone/msg16877.html > >>> Does this mean we can finally stop using an ancient kernel in the > touch stack? > >> No. And this will never happen. All kernels we have are heavily > customized from what we have for Linux upstream. Porting over > 10.000 > lines of code in a good quality doesn't make fun nor is it worth the > work respecting that we don't have any insight through specs or manuals > on the actual components used. > > I didn't know that. I was naively assuming that since the Linux kernel > has had support for various ARM processor architectures for ages, and > the process of integrating the Android fork was almost complete, > customisation would be the exception rather than the rule. > > Can someone provide more background on this? Are we talking adaptations > for the processor architecture, for particular peripherals, or what? > Are the customisations in modules or in the core kernel code? Are > efforts underway to push any of the changes upstream? And does this > apply to all phones now and in the future or does it depend on the > model/chipset supplier? What would it take for a chipset to support a > stock kernel, UEFI? Is there any movement towards standardisation among > chipset suppliers? > > The issue, obviously, is security. How long will Ubuntu be integrating > security patches for? I want my phone to still be usable in 10 years. > Maybe not as a phone, but I would like to see it honoroubly retired to > some useful function, media player, doorbell, opening the catflap for my > cat, whatever. But not if it's too compromised to be allowed on to my > network. > > > -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-phone Post to : [email protected] Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~ubuntu-phone More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
