On: Reworking 30 lines of Linux code could cut power use by up to 30 percent

[billy99k]

Android isn't Linux. While Android uses the Linux kernel, it's not a standard Linux distribution. It has its own user space and libraries, making it a distinct operating system.

[hasperdi → billy99k]

Linux is the kernel. Android uses a forked version of the mainline Linux

[murderfs → hasperdi]

Everyone uses a forked version of the mainline Linux.

[voidspark → murderfs]

Some distributions apply patches to the kernel but they don’t fork it.

[kbolino → billy99k]

This means it's not GNU/Linux, but that's not the only flavor of Linux. Alpine uses busybox and musl instead of GNU userland and glibc, but few would say it's not a Linux distribution.

[panzi → billy99k]

It's Android/Linux, not GNU/Linux.

[voidspark → billy99k]

Linux is a kernel, not an operating system.