back to article The Fuchsia is now. Google's operating system lands on real-world consumer devices, starting with 2018's Nest Hub

Google’s Fuchsia operating system has started winging its way to real-life devices, with owners of the company’s 2018 Nest Hub the first to get the upgrade. As first reported by 9to5Google, the OS upgrade replaces the previous Linux-based Cast OS but doesn’t change the underlying experience. As we learned in 2018, Google built …

  1. Warm Braw

    Google started the development of Fuchsia in 2016

    Surely that makes it overdue for abandonment, given Google's usual timescale.

    Given that the roadmap page linked in the article is currently producing a 404 error, it could even have happened while the article was being subbed...

    1. bazza Silver badge

      Re: Google started the development of Fuchsia in 2016

      It's a message passing OS, so you'd think that it would go the same way as anything else that Google has done with communications.

      1. Falmari Silver badge

        Re: Google started the development of Fuchsia in 2016

        The only communications in “messaging-passing kernel.” is about communication with Google.

        The messages the “messaging-passing kernel.” will pass, will be messages sent to Google containing your data. :)

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Google started the development of Fuchsia in 2016

          So in short more spying!

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

    3. JudeK (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: Google started the development of Fuchsia in 2016

      Yep, exactly so.

      There's a cached version here for now: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache%3AizscKhCWBH8J%3Ahttps%3A%2F%2Ffuchsia.dev%2Ffuchsia-src%2Fcontribute%2Froadmap%20&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=de

  2. Nathan 6

    Yeah, I can't see another operating system replacing Android anytime soon. Only way a new embedded OS can be remotely viable is that it must support Android apps, so from a developers standpoint there would be no reason to code specifically for that OS/framework. That's' especially the case if the end user is not going to know, or care what OS/framework their apps are written in. Even the whole Fuchsia framework is a hard sell for developers given the already mature cross-platforms frameworks that already exist.

    1. J27

      It'll run Android apps, they may even call it the new version of Android. This feature vhas been on the board from the start.

  3. bazza Silver badge

    I've long puzzled over why they've done this instead of just buying Blackberry to get hold of QNX. But this isn't the first time Google has written something new rather than adopt something extant and suitable...

    1. Charles 9

      Probably too much baggage. Blackberry licenses QNX to other companies for use in their RTOS systems (QNX is used in car systems and so on), and it's still in active development (v7.1 came out less than a year ago). Google likely wanted something similar but under their full control.

    2. J27

      QNX is small, but it still carries a bit of cruft with it because it's a POSIX compatible OS, Google probably wanted something lighter.

      1. Psmo
        Holmes

        And not compatible with anything else.

  4. Pascal Monett Silver badge
    Stop

    Vade Retro Satanas

    "The Chocolate Factory has proposed it as a potential solution for embedded systems where hardware capabilities are limited (such as IoT devices and car infotainment systems), as well as for more potent smartphones and PCs. "

    If you think I want anything Google in my car, think again. And the fact that you're marketing it for IoShite is quite obvious : you want the slurp on that too.

  5. IGnatius T Foobar !

    But why?

    This seems more like empire-building than a desire to engineer an OS to replace one that wasn't working. Linux has become the fabric of standard computing. For google to claim it can do better is arrogant. Even the mighty Microsoft is starting to show signs of admitting that ownership of a proprietary OS is a bit of an albatross in the current era. Fuschia is a display of hubris on Google's part.

    If you're going to break with an open standard, you'd better have a good reason for it. And they don't.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: But why?

      >> For google to claim it can do better is arrogant.

      Not true, Linux is pretty bloated for many applications, particularly embedded ones. In practice it needs a CPU with MMU support, which can be large and expensive.

      Also this is Google so this is just another one of their releases to have the world dog-food their alpha releases.

      In other news, google announces that Fuschia has been cancelled. "It was just an experiment"

      But the need for a light weight alternative to linux is a real one. In my opinion, this is what is holding back Wear OS/Tizen for eg. Linux is a poor choice for power sensitive battery operated applications like that. All the other vendors for smartwatches and fitness trackers do not use a Linux based OS.

      A POSIX compatible alternative could technically serve the open standards you mention.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: But why?

        POSIX is the biggest problem with Linux if you ask me. It's a horrible and antiquated API.

    2. Dave 126 Silver badge

      Re: But why?

      There are applications that Linux isn't the best option for - just look at the sort of places QNX is currently used. And then there are OSs that are based on Linux but are hobbled - leading to issues down the road (i.e, the problems with updating Android on devices, hence Chrome OS). Rolling your own OS also ensures that there won't be any legal wrangling over licences, too.

      I can't remember Microsoft having a business opportunity to write an OS *from scratch* for a long time. Indeed, many of MS's headaches have stemmed from having to twist one OS into another, or having to support legacy software and drivers.

      If you ever used NT 4.0 against Windows 98 you might think as I do that a clean slate OS can be a good thing.

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