Linux kernel gets longer-term support, could be good new for Android devices
There’s a major update to the Linux kernel released once every 70 days or so. If you’re using a Linux-based PC that’s probably good news, since you can look forward to new features and improved hardware support pretty frequently. But if you’re building an Android device, you’re probably going to look for something a bit more stable, which is why Android phones and tablets tend to ship with a Linux LTS (Long Term Support) kernel, which receives 2 years of support. Even that isn’t really very much though… since it takes a while to develop the software for an Android phone, so that LTS kernel is usually near the end of its support lifecycle by the time a phone ships… which means Google and its hardware and software partners are on the hook for providing support. That’s one of the reasons some phones receive few, if any software updates over time. Now Long Term Support is being extended from 2 years to 6… which could theoretically mean better long-term support for Android devices. ...