Linux Kernel Ported to iPhone
by Kristin Shoemaker - Dec. 01, 2008Comments (1)- Related Blog Posts
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Sometimes porting a bit of code to another platform or piece of hardware isn't about the ported code delivering new features to the device. Sure, sometimes it's about opening the device to a specific application, and sometimes it's just about opening the device up to a new development approach. Sometimes the idea is to push the code (and the device) further, to learn -- because you can.
Sometimes these ports don't get all that far. Four years ago I managed to get Linux running on an iPAQ through online tutorials. I've long since sold the hardware, and "running Linux" meant a command line, and a basic X windows environment. Functional? Not really. Fun? Wouldn't have done it otherwise.
More recently, the 2.6 Linux kernel has been ported, and is running with some basic functionality on the iPhone. The Linux on the iPhone Project says that while this port is a first draft missing many drivers, the kernel boots on first and second generation iPhones and first generation iPod Touches.
The Linux on iPhone Project is currently making its way through getting low level hardware support up and running. They've completed bootstrapping, processor setup, MMU, clock, timer and serial support, but are still working on improving USB support for input/output with the OpenIBoot software and using interrupts (rather than polling) for serial input/output. These last two efforts are particularly important to make the project accessible to a wider developer pool, and make a strong user interface for OpenIBoot possible.
Yes, this project, right now, is the kernel port. Developers can get "into" the kernel running on the iPhone (glibc is working, as well), but many of the hardware drivers for the components that make an iPhone what it is (wireless, touchscreen and accelerometer support) aren't there. So while this is not a project for everyone, anyone interested in learning more and getting involved (the Linux on the iPhone team would like to speak to those with experience in Linux hacking/porting, and especially Android development experience) can contact the development team on IRC.
Whether this project blossoms into a full-fledged alternative open operating system for the iPhone, or explores the device hardware and develops code only to support it on a very basic level is not the point right now. This is the learning experience stage, and for now, what makes it exciting is that it can -- and is -- being done.
