Assembling Your Toolkit

After you know that you’re ready to be an Android developer, grab your computer and get cracking on installing the tools and frameworks necessary to build your first blockbuster application.

Linux 2.6 kernel

Android was created on top of the open source Linux 2.6 kernel. The Android team chose to use this kernel because it provided proven core features on which to develop the Android operating system. The features of the Linux 2.6 kernel include (but aren’t limited to)

check.png Security model: The Linux kernel handles security between the application and the system.

check.png Memory management: The kernel handles memory management, leaving you free to develop your app.

check.png Process management: The Linux kernel manages processes well, allocating resources to processes as they need them.

check.png Network stack: The Linux kernel also handles network communication.

check.png Driver model: The goal of Linux is to ensure that the application works. Hardware manufacturers can build their drivers into the Linux ...

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