Although it may seem presumptuous, news regarding Android and Linux indicate Linux may finally get some major credit for the popular mobile device platform. Fork or not, Android is undoubtedly a success despite many reports of usage issues and unsatisfied customers who thought it was iOS. On the flipside, adding Android code into the Linux kernel has a lot of potential and could provide a new approach to innovating any system running Linux.
Nokia abandoning Symbian was a bit disheartening, but it's good to see Linux's role in mobile devices is becoming more and more apparent to consumers. A closer relationship between Linux and Android will open up a new world between Android devices and Linux distributions - the potential for a Linux ecosystem and better interaction between the two can be greater than any feature Windows 8, OSX, or iOS may offer in the future. Imagine the wonders of Android-powered phones seamlessly taking advantage of remote applications from a Linux host and vice-versa. Hopefully, a strong relationship between Android and Linux will also encourage more users living in the Apple and Microsoft world to join the legions of Linux users.
On another note, I wonder if integration between Android and Linux code had an influence in Canonical's user-interface changes and overall direction of Ubuntu. Love the desktop environment Unity or hate it, Canonical should be praised for taking a stab at revolutionizing Linux's role for a mainstream audience - which is what Android succeeded in doing though many are unaware of its Linux roots.
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