Did Google use some existing distribution (Debian, Red Hat, etc.) to create Android, or did they use the bare essentials (kernel, file system and some mandatory files)?
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Related: What is the difference between the Linux Kernel and the Android Kernel?– GAThrawnCommented Oct 9, 2013 at 10:00
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3 Answers
Android shares very little with a typical Linux distribution. In fact, this is where Richard Stallman's "GNU/Linux" distinction comes in handy — Android isn't really a Unix-like general purpose operating system with a Linux kernel. It's a new system which happens to use the Linux kernel. This goes all the way down to its own custom libc implementation (called "Bionic"), which does not necessarily attempt POSIX compliance.
This article from ZDNet covers a talk which gives a pretty good overview of the system, and although it's a couple of years old it's still basically correct and helpful.
It's a modified Linux kernel plus modified libraries designed to run on a closed source architecture. The GUI is its own thing with no source-able materials, also partially why Google spent billions fighting Oracle for the rights of Java.
None. Just like Debian, Arch Linux and Gentoo are not based on any other distributions, Android is too not based on any existing distribution.
In fact it is not typical GNU\Linux distributions. It is a Linux Distribution but Not GNU\Linux Distribution