Re: Android
Android uses the Linux kernel. So do a bunch of embedded devices and some systems for internal virtualization components. None of those mean that Linux runs the world, for the major reason that an actual Linux system consists of more than a kernel. It's a great kernel, but with a completely closed layer above, the benefits to users just aren't there. Android uses the kernel but prevents real use as a Linux-capable machine by denying root access and being structured such that gaining root access through odd means doesn't allow compatibility with most Linux functionality. I can run some things, sure, but things that expect the standard environment of users or anything complex will run into roadblocks set up by the android developers in an effort to keep android unified and not easily changed by the end user.
If I want to run software that will run on Linux, I need a desktop install, a server running it, or a designed-for-linux embedded device like a raspberry pi or an openWRT-compatible router (some limitations remain). It will not run on my android phone any more than it will on my Linux-powered microwave. In that sense, Linux on the desktop, where there is effort put into letting users control everything, keeping things globally functional, and creating a nonproprietary system, is very far from running the world. It has dominance in servers, but not much else. Claiming victory because android borrowed some code is missing the point.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
