Android Utility Function Library If you need a feature that is native to Linux but not present on other platforms, construct a platform-dependent implementation that shares the Linux interface. That way the actual device runs as "light" as possible. If that isn't feasible, create a system-independent interface and hide the details. The ultimate goal is *not* to create a super-duper platform abstraction layer. The goal is to provide an optimized solution for Linux with reasonable implementations for other platforms.