Android Will Surpass Windows By 2016, Say Gartner Stats 149
An anonymous reader writes "Google's Android operating system will be used on more computing devices than Microsoft's Windows within four years, data from research firm Gartner showed on Wednesday, underlining the massive shift in the technology sector. At the end of 2016, there will be 2.3 billion computers, tablets and smartphones using Android software, compared with 2.28 billion Windows devices, Gartner data showed." The comparison would make less sense if Android was strictly for phones, and Windows was strictly for desktops-with-keyboards, but gets interesting as the devices on which each system runs overlap ever more.
Re:x86 port (Score:3, Informative)
*facepalm* It's called linux, Android is based off it. Also you can run Android OS via an emulator just about anywhere.
Re:Extrapolating (Score:5, Informative)
Re:x86 port (Score:5, Informative)
Splitting hairs here, Linux is the kernel, and if one really wants to be technical about it, Android can be considered a really modified Linux distribution.
The issue with Android making the jump to the desktop hinges around one issue: User support. Android uses UIDs to separate apps. How would it keep users separate, which is a must on a desktop box.
The only way I can see that happening would be a hypervisor based system with each user on their own VM, and the core filesystem everything sits on having deduplication built in (so each user's environment only saves what the user's changes are.) Then, have a system where users have one mounted filesystem for sharing between everything.
It can be done, but it would take a lot of work for it to be decently elegant. However, it done right, it would be decently secure unless an app is able to get out of the hypervisor.
Other than the fact that Android is a single-user OS, it would not be too bad on the desktop. The permission model is solid enough that a compromised Web browser wouldn't mean the whole user or machine is nailed.
Re:x86 port (Score:4, Informative)
Android does exist on x86. They officially support it in the NDK, and several OEMs have released products on it.
Re:x86 port (Score:5, Informative)
Simple- it wouldn't. Android on a desktop box would work just like Android on a phone. It wouldn't keep separate users. Why would it? It's not a multi-user system. You seem to want a new feature to Android for a desktop box. Since desktop isn't their goal, I doubt they'd add it.
Your claim is easy and quick to dispute, amigo. [androidpolice.com]
But don't worry; pompousness and self-confidence will get you far in life!
Re:WTF? (Score:5, Informative)
No. Right now.
608 million android device.
1.68 BILLION windows devices.
devices being defined as " computers, tablets and smartphones"
SO, maybe you should put down the pipe and actually read the article.