Is Google replacing Android? Fuchsia OS by Google.

Many of you may be knowing about the not so secret OS being developed by Google but for those not knowing let me first explain briefly about Fuchsia.

What is Fuchsia OS?

Fuchsia is an open source OS being developed by some of Google's top software engineers since 2016.It first came to be known to the public when the project appeared on GitHub in 2016 without any official announcement. While other Google-developed operating systems such as Chrome OS and Android which were based on the Linux kernel, Fuchsia is based on a new microkernel called "Zircon".

What is a kernel?

Kernel is the central module of an Operating system  that manages all core features  and creates a path for the OS to interact with the hardware of the device. All operating system developed previously by google were based on Linux kernel but the Fuchsia OS that is under development will feature "Zircon" microkernel which it self is developed by Google.

How different is Fuchsia from Chrome OS and Android?

Apart from being built on a completely different kernel it is also said to have various other features and capabilities.Inspection of the code published on GitHub, various developers suggested its capability to run on universal devices, including infotainment systems for cars, embedded devices like traffic lights and digital watches, smartphones, tablets and PC's, smart home devices(like the Google Home).

There are some limitations of the Android operating system, especially in the aspect of security updates and voice interactions. Google is trying to overcome those limitations through the new OS. With Fuchsia OS Google will be able to directly push System updates to devices running the OS and no longer rely on OEMs and network operators.

When is Fuchsia OS launching? 

As of now there has been no official statement from Google about the development of this OS, project update or release date/year. But it is believed that the team working on the project is planning to deliver the OS to the smart home devices, before proceeding to laptops PC's and phones.

How does the User Interface of Fuchsia OS looks like?

As of now there are various representation of the UI. There are application as well as webpages which gives a clear view of the experience of Fuchsia OS.

• Android app (find APK here)
• Web (Check the web)

One should take note that this is not the final UI and there may be major overhaul in the UI after final release

Will Fuchsia OS be able to replace Android?

With Android running on about 2 billion devices (including Android Auto, Android TV, wear OS ,Android Things) and how deep-rooted android has become it is seemingly impossible for any new operating to replace it but there are chances that Google will try to make this OS successful at the level of Android. Also Fuchsia has gained ART (Android Run Time) support which makes it possible for android apps to be run on Fuchsia OS natively. It will be interesting to see how things turn out in the coming years.



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