Google architects give a technical perspective on Android

Google has recently announced its foray into the vast wireless arena with its much awaited launch of a powerful open-source development programme, termed Android.The search engine giant is looking to impart the comfort and power of desktop computing to the wireless devices through Android. Google is expected to make use of the new platform for providing a mobile version of its highly lucrative AdSense advertising service. Android is a comprehensive Linux based software stack that is aimed at the expanding cell phone market as well as tapping the potential of other mobile devices like high end MP3 players and PDAs.

The complete software stack is basically split into four different layers, namely the application layer; the libraries and runtime; the application framework, and the kernel.

Jason Parks and Dianne Hackborn, two of the architects in the Android engineering team, have talked about this new platform in their latest podcast to give a technical perspective on it. The two share a background at both PalmSource and Be. They explain how that vital experience has come into play in the development of Android.

The two architects also elaborate on Android’s high level architecture. For example, they reveal how Linux processes ably handle the VM as well as manage security. They provide details of the Dalvik VM and how it’s optimised for small devices.
Other technical aspects of Android they have discussed are the architecture (Intents; Views; Permissions & more); the conversion of the XML by relevant tools to a nicer format; the tooling & steps necessary for building an app on Android, etc.
The two architects have also explained things like how so many objects can have a URL and how the environment is akin to a ‘mini-SOA’ (meaning, services across the processes and not across the network)

No Comments

No comments yet.

RSS feed for comments on this post
TrackBack URI

Leave a comment