It's an open secret that Google is quietly working on an entirely new operating system that's different than Android — here's everything we know about 'Google Fuchsia' (GOOG)

Ron Amadeo/ArsTechnica

  • Google is behind two of the most well-known operating systems — Chrome OS and Android.
  • But it's an open secret that the search giant has been working on a third OS, which goes by "Fuchsia."
  • Here's what we know.

Google first acknowledged the existence of Fuchsia in May 2017, when Android VP of engineering Dave Burke called it an "early-stage experimental project."

What's giving it the status of OS is its recent development, which allowed some people to run the code on Google's own Pixelbook and launch a working system. IT worker Mitch Blevins has a YouTube channel where he's uploaded a series of videos in which he shows some of the features of Fuchsia.

And in January 2018, ArsTechnica's Ron Amadeo managed to do the same, and we now have some clear images that give us a flavor of what Fuchsia might end up being if Google ever brings it to devices.

What really differentiates Fuchsia from Chrome OS and Android is its core, which is not based on Linux but on a new kernel called Zircon. What this means is that Fuchsia has been developed as a system intended to work on a several platforms, not just phones and laptops.

Here's what it looks like:

When the OS boots up, you're greeted with a familiar Android-looking lock screen.Mitch Blevins/YouTube

There are three buttons at bottom right, which can be either clicked or tapped (both the trackpad and the touchscreen work). Fuchsia's symbol is at top left.

The clock at the center is very reminiscent of Android too.



If you try to log in, Google will run you through its usual procedure, but the last screen remains blank.Mitch Blevins/YouTube

You can enter only as a guest, and when you do you land on the home screen.Mitch Blevins/YouTube

The home screen is radically different from that of any conventional OS, on both mobile and desktop.

It looks a bit like a stretched-out Google Now. There's some info right in the middle — like time and WiFi status — and then what seems to be a personalised feed of Google-related stuff.



Swipe up to get into the Google Now-like feed.Mitch Blevins/YouTube

Google may have replaced Google Now with the more powerful AI-based Assistant, but the feed's look resembles Google Now.

There are only three cards here, and they're just samples (as there is no user logged in), but they are the same kinds of cards that appear in your mobile Google feed — including the rounded look.



Yes, apps are still there!Mitch Blevins/YouTube

The big difference between Fuchsia's home screen and those of more traditional operating systems is the lack of apps. There's no dock, no desktop icons, no launcher.

What is there, though, is Google's famous search bar — and in this alpha version of Fuchsia it doesn't search the web but rather the computer itself, including apps.

The apps don't actually work — they're just image placeholders showing mockups — but they go full screen and show a differently colored strip at the top.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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