Not that obscure; lots of hardware vendors use Linux in their routers/TVs/tablets/phones/etc and distribute the sources separately. In fact, every manufacturer of Android phones should have such an offer included with their device.
Yes, my router is Linux, and my TV is also linux (containers not quite, because they don't emulate the kernel, except for Windows and macOS machines, that NEED to emulate at least one kernel instance, but whatever). And is pretty clear to me those limitations. More than my router, or my TV, or any embedded system for that matter, Android does try to follow other systems specifications, it has a own libc implementation, you can still utilize most of linux that we are used of: filesystems, syscalls, networking, even containerization (all of them limited and various levels, of course).
That is what makes a linux distribution too me in my opinion, in the same way I can run a linux with musl libc, and busybox, I can run Android
I think all of the Android devices (phones, tablets and such) running some version of Linux would in some way benefit from increased attention to Linux support.
Good point. The Linux ecosystem is much more amenable to that than chasing whatever Android does. Also, the popular home router hardware is more amenable than most handhelds (which often locked bootloaders, signed images, and lots of unsustainable closed drivers).
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