iOS-Linuxkit: Linux on iPad, the Hard Way
A developer has created ios-linuxkit, a Linux runtime for iOS devices, to run Linux binaries on an iPad. This project addresses the limitations imposed by Apple's lack of hypervisor support on iOS. The developer aims to provide a stable environment for various programming languages and tools on the iPad, despite performance trade-offs.
- ▪The ios-linuxkit allows running a working AArch64 userland on iPhone and iPad without violating App Store policies.
- ▪The project has successfully passed 82 core tests on Alpine ARM64, covering multiple programming languages.
- ▪The developer utilized an Orange Pi 6 Plus board for testing and development, enabling a more efficient workflow.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
I’m done waiting for Apple to fix things. And one of the things I think should exist is a decent way to run Linux binaries on my iPad. And after almost six months messing about with ARM emulation in various forms, I can finally do something about it. ios-linuxkit running on my M1 iPad Pro Put bluntly, the lack of hypervisor support on iOS should be an embarrassment to Apple–an EUR 1400 iPad Pro with an M4 chip can’t run Docker, can’t run a VM, can’t do any of the things I do daily on an EUR 50 ARM board. Apple has the hardware support, the kernel entitlements, and has chosen to keep it locked away. ios-linuxkit is my answer to that, or at least as much of an answer as you can get without Apple’s cooperation.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Tao of Mac.
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