Lugging a laptop around is preferable to commuting, but why not go even more portable with a smartphone or tablet? Can Android serve as a capable remote server administration platform? Android is based on Linux and is open source, so it seems it should be a natural for portable administration.
Both Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems were designed from the ground up with the mobile phone as the principal platform. Apple has used iOS for their iPad tablet device and the Apple TV set-top-box, while Google has essentially followed suit with a number of Android-based tablet devices already on the market, and the latest Google-TV product offerings from Logitech and Sony. It certainly seems like Apple and Google are competing head-to-head on many fronts. So are these just toys, or can they do serious work?
So What is Android Anyway?
While many associate Android directly with Google, you might not know that it was actually developed by Android Inc., a company Google purchased in 2005. The Android operating system is based upon a modified Linux kernel and exists under the auspices of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). For an insider view of what Android is you should read a recent blog post by Google employee Tim Bray.
Linux is at the heart of Android. In fact, each Android release is based upon a specific version of the Linux kernel, albeit a modified one. There have been issues along the way over Google kernel modifications with some code being deleted from the main tree (see this blog post by kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman). At the end of the day it's safe to say that Android is based on a modified Linux kernel.
Read more: Linux Planet
Both Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems were designed from the ground up with the mobile phone as the principal platform. Apple has used iOS for their iPad tablet device and the Apple TV set-top-box, while Google has essentially followed suit with a number of Android-based tablet devices already on the market, and the latest Google-TV product offerings from Logitech and Sony. It certainly seems like Apple and Google are competing head-to-head on many fronts. So are these just toys, or can they do serious work?
So What is Android Anyway?
While many associate Android directly with Google, you might not know that it was actually developed by Android Inc., a company Google purchased in 2005. The Android operating system is based upon a modified Linux kernel and exists under the auspices of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). For an insider view of what Android is you should read a recent blog post by Google employee Tim Bray.
Linux is at the heart of Android. In fact, each Android release is based upon a specific version of the Linux kernel, albeit a modified one. There have been issues along the way over Google kernel modifications with some code being deleted from the main tree (see this blog post by kernel developer Greg Kroah-Hartman). At the end of the day it's safe to say that Android is based on a modified Linux kernel.
Read more: Linux Planet