3 ms·
While I'm sure that Google is writing Fuchsia in part to move away from the GPL, there are very good technical goals that Fuchsia accomplishes that Linux does n
by Infinity88 5y ago
While I'm sure that Google is writing Fuchsia in part to move away from the GPL, there are very good technical goals that Fuchsia accomplishes that Linux does not. Because Fuchsia is based around a microkernel, it offers much better security guarantees than Linux ever could. Almost everything from device drivers to the TCP/IP stack is a "normal" process in Fuchsia. If there's a security vulnerability in the TCP/IP stack or in a device driver, even if it's an arbitrary code execution vulnerability, it's much harder for an attacker to move inside the system. If you constrast that with Linux, if you compromise _any_ subsystem or _any_ device driver, you're in. And this is an inherent fault/trade-off when you select a monolithic design like the Linux kernel does.
- pjmlp 5y agoThis is basically what Project Treble made to Android, standard Linux drivers are considered "legacy" from Android point of view, and as of Android 8 all new drivers are their own process using Android IPC and hardware buffer handles.
- snvzz 5y agoWhich is a much better approach. Having driver APIs is a good thing. Drivers belong in userspace, where they can get the benefits of compartmentalization.