Linux could have been brought down by backdoor found in widely used utility

[ZedRM]

Fine, but I see the kernel being forked for Android

Why would Google do that? There is no reason to do so. The Linux kernel works perfectly for the AOSP.

eventually becoming so drastically changed that you'll barely know that it was based upon the Linux kernel.

This has been said many times over the years and it's never happened yet. So again why would Google do that? They would be subjecting themselves to a software ecosystem that is not community driven and examined. Most of the vulnerabilities and problems that have been found in Android have been as a result of discoveries in the Linux community. Then there is the App and development tools compatibility aspect to consider. Sorry man, Google ditching the Linux kernel makes no sense from a support or security standpoint. It's VERY unlikely to happen.

It's just like how the kernel of MacOS is based upon the BSD kernel but you'd hardly know it today.

While true, that's Apple not Google. Comparing Google to Apple makes no sense either..

 

[waclark]

This will never happen. Linux is WAY too ubiquitous to disappear anytime soon. Android is the most used OS on Earth and is based very closely on the Linux kernel. Many have argued, including me, that Android is a Linux distro. You can't easily kill something the whole world uses.

Linux and all its derivatives won't go away for one reason. Cost. It's the whole reason it was created. No one wanted to pay Unix licenses to ATT back in those days.

 

[yannus]

I think FOSS has pros and cons as evidenced by this article. Somone hijacked open-source code. For the most part it works pretty well but relying on "the community" to supply patches and updates isn't always a good option for some companies. That's why some of the larger distros have paid support like Red Hat, etc.

"By February 2015, Linux had received contributions from nearly 12,000 programmers from more than 1,200 companies, including some of the world's largest software and hardware vendors." ...relying on "the community"... and we're talking about 2015.

 

[waclark]

"By February 2015, Linux had received contributions from nearly 12,000 programmers from more than 1,200 companies, including some of the world's largest software and hardware vendors." ...relying on "the community"... and we're talking about 2015.

First contributions doesn't mean they are still maintaining the code they provided. If they aren't getting paid, how long will they have interest in maintaining that code? And just because they work for Dell or HP or IBM, doesn't mean they will step up to fix bugs with someone else's hardware. Do those 12,000 programmers know enough to fix someone else's code? Probably not all of them. Second, very few large corporations are going to rely on the "community" alone to provide mission-critical fixes especially during an outage or a security breach. Hence why I mentioned the paid support.

 

[ZedRM]

Linux and all its derivatives won't go away for one reason. Cost. It's the whole reason it was created. No one wanted to pay Unix licenses to ATT back in those days.

Yes, that's a good reason too. Keep in mind that while Linux is "free", developing it isn't. It takes time and money invested. You do make a good point though.

 

[trparky]

Yes, that's a good reason too. Keep in mind that while Linux is "free", developing it isn't. It takes time and money invested. You do make a good point though.

And there's the rub. If no one is willing to pay to allow the development to continue and developers end up not contributing because they can't support themselves, then what?

 

[ZedRM]

And there's the rub. If no one is willing to pay to allow the development to continue and developers end up not contributing because they can't support themselves, then what?

You missing the point. The cost of development is MUCH less expensive than the costs of licensing existing software.