Linux-based iPhone now (technically) available
While the average iPhone user is pretty happy with the device, some more hardcore tech enthusiasts wish they could get the handset’s cool features without having to stick to Apple’s technology. Those people will be pleased to know their dream is a step closer today.
A member of the iPhone Devteam, the hackers best known for ‘jailbreaking’ the iPhone to run unauthorized applications, has now managed to get Linux working on the device.
This really is a tentative first step: at the moment, all the trickery does is boot the phone in Linux and open BusyBox, a collection of tools which run in Linux. Using the phone in this way doesn’t yet give access to any of the handset’s main hardware features such as sound or internet connection.
Indeed, there’s no Linux driver for using the touchscreen itself, meaning that when you boot the phone in Linux you have to control it through another device with a USB keyboard. So not only can’t you do anything with it, but you can’t really take it anywhere.
That isn’t to say enthusiasts won’t figure out a solution pretty quickly. Simply getting such a tightly controlled device to run Linux may well prove to have been the biggest hurdle in the process.
It’s notable that ‘Planetbeing’, the hacker behind the trick, asks, “If you’re experienced with hacking/porting Linux and especially if you’re experienced with porting Android, I’d definitely like to hear from you.”
Android is the Linux-based operating system for mobile phones developed by Google and recently used for a T-Mobile phone. Because it’s an open-source system, in principle it can run on any Linux-enabled device. However, the current edition of Android is only designed for handsets with a physical keypad, so it will have to be rewritten to work on an iPhone.
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December 3rd, 2008
Herr Jobs isn’t going to let this slide like OSX86. This is potentially a Chuck Norris liberation, not a jailbreak.