Google is working on a new operating system named Fuchsia

'Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System).'

Here's a puzzle: Google appears to have started work on a completely new operating system, but no one knows quite what it's for. The project's name is Fuchsia, and it currently exists as a growing pile of code on the search giant's code depository and on GitHub, too. The fledgling OS has a number of interesting features, but so far Google has yet to comment on its intended function. All we really know is that this looks like a fresh start for Google, as the operating system does not use the Linux kernel — a core of basic code that underpins both Android and Chrome OS.

So what is Fuchsia for? There have been a number of suggestions. Some people think it could be used to "unify" Chrome OS and Android into a single operating system (a plan that was first rumored last year, with the new OS said to be scheduled for a 2017 release), while others say it could be used to power hardware like Google's OnHub router or third-party Internet of Things devices.

FUCHSIA'S CORE CODE IS DESIGNED TO BE LIGHTWEIGHT

However, the Magenta kernel can do a lot more than just power a router. Google's own documentation says the software "targets modern phones and modern personal computers" that use "fast processors" and "non-trivial amounts of RAM." It notes that Magenta supports a number of advanced features, including user modes and a "capability-based security model." Further evidence that Fuchsia is intended for more than just Wi-Fi-connected gadgets include the fact that Google already has its own IoT platform (the Android-based Brillo), and the fact that the new OS includes support for graphics rendering. Some users of Hacker News have even suggested that Fuchsia could be use for augmented reality interfaces. (Google itself has yet to respond to requests for comment.)

This is just speculation for now, and the only real description we have of Fuchsia is what it says at the top of the GitHub page: "Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System)." The question of why the project would be revealed in this way is also confusing, although when pressed on the subject during an IRC chat, Swetland reportedly said: "The decision was made to build it open source, so might as well start there from the beginning."

Well, we've certainly got the beginning of Fuchsia, but where it goes next isn't clear. From what we can see, it's currently being tested on all sorts of systems. Swetland says it's "booting reasonably well" on small-form factor Intel PCs (NUCs) as well as an Acer Switch Alpha 12 laptop ("although driver support is still a work in progress"), while another Google developer involved in the project, Travis Geiselbrecht, says they'll soon have support for the Raspberry Pi 3. At this rate, it looks like Fuchsia will be popping up all over the place.

Source: The Verge
Author: James Vincent

Google is building a new operating system

Google is working on a new operating system — and it has nothing to do with Android.

A page has surfaced on the code-sharing website GitHub about the new OS, called — for now, at least — Fuchsia.

It's not based on Android, the California-based technology company's mobile operating system used in billions of smartphones around the world, nor does it build upon the Linux kernel.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

There has been no official announcement from Google, and it sounds as if the open-source project is in its early days. "The decision was made to build it open source, so might as well start there from the beginning," Google employee Brian Swetland said in an IRC chatlog shared on Hacker News.

"Things will eventually be public, documented, and announced, just not yet," another person said. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Business Insider.

We then come to the billion-dollar question: What is Fuchsia actually for?

Short answer: We don't know, but there is already plenty of speculation.

The tech blog Android Police, which was one of the first to report on the existence of the OS, thinks it might have applications in the Internet of Things. Linux (and Android) isn't ideal for a lot of uses that don't involve traditional computers; as wider technology becomes increasingly linked to the internet, it makes sense that Google would make a play with its own operating system, just as it did (with great success) in mobile.

It is worth noting that Fuchsia isn't limited to the IoT: Android Police took a look at the OS's documentation, and noticed that its "Magenta" kernel is designed to work on as varied systems as "embedded devices," mobile devices, and desktop computers.

Some users on Hacker News (with little hard evidence) are guessing that it might be used for augmented reality. "You want an RTOS for loss and predictable latency. And current GUIs aren't really suited to 3D environments you can walk around inside," Ansible speculates. "This is Google's next Android, with a low latency rendering pipeline for the next generation of mobile devices."

It's also possible that Google will use it to replace and unify Android and Chrome OS, the company's two operating systems that run on mobile and laptops respectively. Over at PC World, Nick Mediati explores this idea: "One possibility I see is where Google uses Fuchsia instead of Linux as the underpinnings for next-generation versions of Chrome OS and Android. That is, both would use some form of Fuchsia — or the Magenta kernel — as the underlying basis of the two operating systems (as well as the operating system for other Google devices such as the Chromecast)."

Fuchsia could be nothing, an interesting project from Google employees that never makes it to a commercial release.

Or it could be the seeds of Google's next major play: a unification of its existing operating systems and a push into the next generation of computing platforms.

One thing we know for sure is that it's worth watching closely.

Source: Business Insider
Author: Rob Price

Google's Fuchsia operating system runs on virtually anything

The open source software appears to be just an experiment, but could lead to bigger things.

Google is no stranger to creating whole platforms when it needs them, but its latest project might be something special. It's working on Fuchsia, an open source operating system that's designed to scale all the way from Internet of Things devices through to phones and even PCs. Its kernel includes 'grown up' OS features like user modes and a capability-based security model, Android Police notes, and it supports both advanced graphics as well ARM and 64-bit Intel-based PCs. To no one' surprise, it's using Google's own Dart programming language at its heart.

You can run Fuchsia either on a computer or a virtual machine if you'd like to give the early code a try, and Google's Travis Geiselbrecht adds that you'll soon see it running on the Raspberry Pi 3.

We've asked Google if it can shed some light on Fuchsia, and we'll let you know if it has something to say. Whatever its answer, there's no guarantee that this will be the next Android, Brillo or Chrome OS. Right now, it comes across as an experiment that could lay the groundwork for bigger efforts. Given that the company is branching out into making smart household gadgets like Google Home, though, Fuchsia might make sense. It could be the platform that Google uses when it wants more flexibility and power than a platform like Brillo can offer, but doesn't need the deep feature set (and resulting overhead) of something like Android.


Source: Engadget
Via: Android Police
Author: Jon Fingas, @jonfingas

Meet Fuchsia, a new operating system in the works at Google

Nobody quite knows what it's for (yet), but according to Android Police, Fuchsia can run on just about any kind of device.

For years, Google has developed two operating systems side-by-side in Android for mobile devices and Chrome OS for laptops and desktops. But it looks as though Google now has a third operating system project underway known as Fuchsia.

Although Google isn't revealing much, Android Police dug into the documentation for the project on GitHub and discovered more details about the OS. The biggest takeaway, Android Police notes, is that Fuchsia's kernel, known as Magenta, is designed to work across a wide range of devices—from small "embedded devices" all the way up to desktops and laptops.

In addition, Fuchsia makes use of Google's Dart programming language, as well as the company's Material Design-friendly Flutter user interface framework.

Is Fuchsia the future?

As you might guess, there's plenty of speculation as to what Google plans to do with Fuchsia. Android Police's Corbin Davenport says it could be a future replacement for both Chrome and Android, an OS built for devices like the Chromecast, or just a side project that may not make it into any Google product in its current form.

But Fuchsia may rekindle earlier speculation that Google is trying to unify Chrome OS and Android in some way. Last October, reports indicated that Google is plannnig to merge Chrome OS into Android and would introduce the resulting new operating system in 2017. Google denied that it would kill off Chrome OS shortly thereafter, but that doesn't rule out the possibility that the company wants to bring the two operating systems closer together.

One possibility I see is where Google uses Fuchsia instead of Linux as the underpinnings for next-generation versions of Chrome OS and Android. That is, both would use some form of Fuchsia—or the Magenta kernel—as the underlying basis of the two operating systems (as well as the operating system for other Google devices such as the Chromecast).

Under such a scenario, Fuchsia wouldn't be a replacement for Androuid and Chrome OS in of itself. Instead, the two OSes would live own with their own branding, their own interfaces, and their own features tailored to whatever device they're designed for. Of course, whether that actually happens is anyone's guess, but given Google's existing efforts to tie together its two operating systems, it seems well within the realm the possibility.

Disclosure: The author of this article provides copywriting services to TechSoup, a nonprofit organization that provides services to Google's philanthropy programs. His role at TechSoup does not influence his work for this publication.

Source: PCWorld
Author: Nick Mediati

Google is developing an OS called “Fuchsia,” runs on All the Things

Every single operating system developed by Google to date has one thing in common: they're based on the Linux kernel. Chrome OS, Android, Chromecasts, you name it. Linux has powered Google hardware for years.

However, the Linux kernel is not ideal for every situation. Especially in the case of embedded devices like car dashboards or GPS units, full-blown desktop kernels like Linux impact performance and cause other issues. There’s a massive ecosystem of operating systems designed for embedded hardware, and Google may be working on their own.

Enter “Fuchsia.” Google’s own description for it on the project’s GitHub page is simply, “Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System)”. Not very revealing, is it? When you begin to dig deeper into Fuchsia’s documentation, everything starts to make a little more sense.

First, there’s the Magenta kernel based on the ‘LittleKernel’ project. Just like with Linux and Android, the Magenta kernel powers the larger Fuchsia operating system. Magenta is being designed as a competitor to commercial embedded OSes, such as FreeRTOS or ThreadX.

However, Magenta is designed to scale much better, enabling Magenta to work on embedded devices, smartphones, and desktop computers. For this to happen, Magenta improves upon its LittleKernel base by adding first class user-mode support (a necessity for user accounts) and a capability-based security model (which would enable something like Android 6.0’s permissions to work).

But that’s just the kernel; what about the rest of the OS? It looks like Google is using Flutter for the user interface, as well as Dart as the primary programming language. The icing on the cake is Escher, a renderer that supports light diffusion, soft shadows, and other visual effects, with OpenGL or Vulkan under the hood. Shadows and subtle color reflections are a key component of Material Design, so it seems Flutter and Escher could be designed for the Material Design UI in mind.

We know it has support for both 32-bit and 64-bit ARM CPUs, as well as 64-bit PCs. If you have the technical prowess, you can even compile it yourself and run it on a real PC or a virtual machine. Travis Geiselbrecht from Google also confirmed it will soon be available for the Raspberry Pi 3.

So, why? Why is Google quietly developing a brand new OS and kernel, with support for smartphones and PCs, possibly built with Material Design in mind? The most obvious guess, and the most exciting, is that Google hopes to one day replace Chrome OS and Android with Fuchsia. But perhaps Google will treat Fuchsia like Samsung treats Tizen OS; a lightweight OS used on hardware not suited for full-blown Android. Google’s collection of embedded hardware, such as the OnHub router and Google Home, is growing. Perhaps Fuchsia is only being developed for devices like these?

But there is always the possibility that this is simply a Google experiment, and may never see the light of day in a commercial product. Developing an entire kernel and operating system is a massive task, and Google currently seems content to continue using Android, Chrome OS, and their derivatives for their hardware offerings.

We shall have to wait and see.

Source: Android Police
Author: Corbin Davenport