Google has many secret or non-public projects, information about which the company, if it tries not to keep it secret, then at least is not particularly in a hurry to disclose it. The leading place among such projects, perhaps, rightfully belongs to the operating system Fuchsia, which Google began to develop several years ago, but never released. She was given the title of replacement Android and a competitor of the upcoming Harmony OS from Huawei, but neither the one nor the other prediction so far has never come true. We figure out where Fuchsia is now, at what stage of development it is and when it will finally be released to the public.
Fuchsia OS is the most unusual operating system known today
Fuchsia is a core operating system called Zircon, which is believed to have been in development since 2015-2016. Unlike Android, which is based on the core Linux, Fuchsia has it completely unique. It is it that provides the wide scalability of the operating system, which, in fact, means compatibility with a wide variety of devices – from smart home gadgets and the Internet of Things to smartphones, tablets and personal computers. Until now, there is not a single device that would work on Fuchsia.
Differences between Fuchsia OS and Android
Fuchsia OS can be compatible with more devices
However, this did not prevent Google from making a very promising OS out of Fuchsia, distinguished by a high level of performance, general lightness and undemanding resources, with which Android clearly loses. According to the developers who tested Fuchsia, it is very fast at processing applications written in the Dart programming language, which can run at up to 120 frames per second. This is a very serious indicator that many programs and games under Android still cannot achieve.
It would seem that there really is some logic in the development and possible launch of Fuchsia. A flexible platform that can handle the widest range of devices is a good investment for the future. When Android, Chrome OS and Wear OS become obsolete, Google will be able to migrate all compatible devices to Fuchsia OS and develop them based on it. This will greatly facilitate the task of developing, improving and software support for a platform that will be able to receive fresh updates that are compatible with each other on all devices. But, as it turned out, Google had a different vision of the situation.
When will Fuchsia OS come out?
Fuchsia gives us the opportunity to take a fresh look at what an operating system can and should be. I know that many are thrilled when they hear about her. “This is the same replacement Android” or “This is new Chrome OS”. This is what users say. But this is not the case. In fact, Fuchsia for us is an opportunity to study the operating system, and then apply the knowledge gained when working with our other products, '' explained Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google VP of Development Android and Chrome OS.
Fuchsia OS is just a test platform, but it has no commercial ambitions
That is, it turns out that Fuchsia is a technical operating system that Google is not going to release to people, and the company needs its versatility in order to test new features before direct implementation. On the basis of Fuchsia, you can test innovations for Wear OS, and for Chrome OS, and for Android, and for Android Auto, and for Android TV, and then safely port them to commercial platforms. This greatly saves time and resources, allowing you to carry out all the preparatory work in one place.
It is difficult to say unequivocally at what stage of development is an operating system that is not going to be released at all. Most likely, this is exactly the stage that is optimal for Google and so that Fuchsia can work as a testing ground for all the upcoming innovations, which it actually is. But the question 'when will Fuchsia OS come out?' now there can be only one answer – never. At least until Google changes its mind and wants to change something drastically. But would she?