Google Working On New "Fuchsia" Operating System, Powered By Magenta / LK Kernel

[droidhacker]

Mhm, mine have version 3.4, and I doubt that 15M lines is little enough :Ь

More over, LK modules are incompatible with Linux ones. And, given there's a bunch of peoples hacking around to have Cyanogen Mode up and running on new phones, plus manufacturer's programmers, who needs to know what API they programming for, the world would have know about the new kernel quickly.

Android devices, in particular, QUALCOMM Android devices, have been running Little Kernel since the HTC DREAM back in 2008.
The version of the LINUX kernel that you are running has nothing at all to do with Little Kernel.

Bootloader chain;
PBL --> SBL1 --> SBL2 --> TZ --> SBL2 --> SBL3 --> LK --> Linux

[Hi-Angel]

Android devices, in particular, QUALCOMM Android devices, have been running Little Kernel since the HTC DREAM back in 2008.
The version of the LINUX kernel that you are running has nothing at all to do with Little Kernel.

Bootloader chain;
PBL --> SBL1 --> SBL2 --> TZ --> SBL2 --> SBL3 --> LK --> Linux

Hmm, wait, I didn't get, what are advantages of running a kernel from a kernel?

[duby229]

Hmm, wait, I didn't get, what are advantages of running a kernel from a kernel?

They get to run code before the linux kernel even gets loaded.

[Hi-Angel]

They get to run code before the linux kernel even gets loaded.

I still didn't see. The only code I know, which have a sense to run before the kernel, is some kind of bootloader. Drivers and most of initialization would be in Linux kernel; so what's the point to run one more kernel before that? To… initialize something which Linux kernel can initialize either…? That just wouldn't make a sense.

[duby229]

I still didn't see. The only code I know, which have a sense to run before the kernel, is some kind of bootloader. Drivers and most of initialization would be in Linux kernel; so what's the point to run one more kernel before that? To… initialize something which Linux kernel can initialize either…? That just wouldn't make a sense.

Well, that's basically what lk does.

https://www.codeaurora.org/blogs/little-kernel-based-android-bootloader

[Hi-Angel]

Ah, I see, so LittleKernel, at least in Android, is nothing more than a bootloader.

[duby229]

Ah, I see, so LittleKernel, at least in Android, is nothing more than a bootloader.

I'd say it's a bit more than that. It loads things like framebuffer or USB and sd/mmc drivers. It allows fastboot to run (pwr+vol-down). That has scriptable menus so things like factory reset or multiboot can be set up early on before kernel loads.

[Hi-Angel]

I'd say it's a bit more than that. It loads things like framebuffer or USB and sd/mmc drivers. It allows fastboot to run (pwr+vol-down). That has scriptable menus so things like factory reset or multiboot can be set up early on before kernel loads.

But a usual Grub, which is bootloader, have all of it either, isn't it? Except for fastboot, just because it is Android specific thing.

[duby229]

But a usual Grub, which is bootloader, have all of it either, isn't it? Except for fastboot, just because it is Android specific thing.

Yeah, you're right. But really if you think about it, grub is a bit more than a bootloader.

[starshipeleven]

Hmm, wait, I didn't get, what are advantages of running a kernel from a kernel?

In embedded it's more obvious, but also in x86 it's the same.
In your mobo there are low-level firmwares that get loaded by the boot ROM (a real ROM present in the chipset usually) to initialize the hardware and even UEFI board firmware is only a payload on top of a chain.

The boot chain loads and executes more and more complex firmwares at each step until it reaches what can be called operating system. UEFI for example is a tiny operating system with full network stack, and you can code games for it (or boot managers like rEFInd or the monstruosity that GRUB UEFI is nowadays).

In general, most modern hardware is initialized at low-level by these things, linux kernel (or any other OS) is unable to actually initialize cold hardware.