BREAKING: Next Major Version of Android to Finally Remove Dalvik and Set ART as Default!

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Ever since we first saw ART appear alongside the release of Android 4.4 KitKat, we all knew that it would eventually replace the aging and relatively inefficient Dalvik runtime compiler. Well folks, the time is now upon us, as commits made late last night to the AOSP master branch show Dalvik getting the axe and ART being set as the default.

The changes in question are in the form of merged commits 98553 and 98618. The former is responsible for the removal of Dalvik from the AOSP master branch, and the latter switches the default runtime compiler to ART.

The changes in their full glory can be seen below:

Dalvik is dead, long live Dalvik! DO NOT MERGE croot cd libcore repo start dalvik-is-dead-long-live-dalvik . repo sync -c . git rm -r libdvm git add JavaLibrary.mk (after removing libdvm references, adding explict core-libart references) git add Docs.mk (after replacing references to libdvm with libart) git add benchmarks/Android.mk (after adding explict core-libart references) git add Android.mk (after removing dalvik-host target) git commit -a -m ‘Dalvik is dead, long live Dalvik! DO NOT MERGE’ Switch from core to core-libart

Well folks, the merges speak for themselves. Dalvik is dead, long live Dalvik! And judging from how workable ART has become over the past several months, Dalvik probably won’t be missed—at least not after XDA Senior Recognized Developer rovo89 releases an ART-compatible build Xposed Framework. 🙂

[Source: AOSP Code Review (Changes 98553 and 98618)]