"Myth #1 - Android Lets You Run Linux Software.
"While Android’s operating system is powered by Linux, all applications run on a modified form of Java, called Dalvik.
"Dalvik is essentially a fine-tuned version of Java, which Google made to avoid licensing fees. Dalvik is relatively identical to a desktop version of Java. In the future, Google plans to extend Dalvik with additional APIs that make it better for phones than Java."