Google Is Turning Chrome OS Into Android To Compete With the iPad (androidauthority.com) 22
Google is reportedly working on a multi-year project to migrate Chrome OS into Android, aiming to unify its operating systems and better compete with the iPad. This transition involves incorporating Chrome OS features like extensions and Linux app support into Android, with upcoming updates focused on improving desktop functionality and device compatibility. Android Authority reports: To better compete with the iPad as well as manage engineering resources more effectively, Google wants to unify its operating system efforts. Instead of merging Android and Chrome OS into a new operating system like rumors suggested in the past, however, a source told me that Google is instead working on fully migrating Chrome OS over to Android. While we don't know what this means for the Chrome OS or Chromebook brands, we did hear that Google wants future "Chromebooks" to ship with the Android OS in the future. That's why I believe that Google's rumored new Pixel Laptop will run a new version of desktop Android as opposed to the Chrome OS that you're likely familiar with.
While Google hasn't publicly confirmed its intentions to turn Chrome OS into Android, it did mention back in June that Chrome OS would become more like Android by "embracing portions of the Android stack, like the Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks." Chrome OS already makes use of some Android tech, such as the operating system's Bluetooth stack code-named "Fluoride," so the announcement that it would start to use even more of Android came as no surprise. However, Google's announcement didn't tell the full story, as we've since discovered that not only is Google building a new version of Chrome for Android with extensions support but also a Terminal to run Linux apps on Android. The former is intended to achieve feature parity between Chrome for Android and Chrome OS, while the latter is intended to deliver a Crostini-like experience when Chromebooks transition to Android.
However, there are still a lot of things that Google has to do to achieve feature parity between Android and Chrome OS. The desktop windowing changes that Google is introducing in the first quarterly platform release of Android 15 are just the beginning, as Google is working on a huge number of new Android features including improved keyboard and mouse support, external monitor support, multiple desktops, and more. All of these changes, we're told, are part of Google's internal Android-on-laptop project, though they'll also obviously benefit tablets like the upcoming Pixel Tablet 2.
While Google hasn't publicly confirmed its intentions to turn Chrome OS into Android, it did mention back in June that Chrome OS would become more like Android by "embracing portions of the Android stack, like the Android Linux kernel and Android frameworks." Chrome OS already makes use of some Android tech, such as the operating system's Bluetooth stack code-named "Fluoride," so the announcement that it would start to use even more of Android came as no surprise. However, Google's announcement didn't tell the full story, as we've since discovered that not only is Google building a new version of Chrome for Android with extensions support but also a Terminal to run Linux apps on Android. The former is intended to achieve feature parity between Chrome for Android and Chrome OS, while the latter is intended to deliver a Crostini-like experience when Chromebooks transition to Android.
However, there are still a lot of things that Google has to do to achieve feature parity between Android and Chrome OS. The desktop windowing changes that Google is introducing in the first quarterly platform release of Android 15 are just the beginning, as Google is working on a huge number of new Android features including improved keyboard and mouse support, external monitor support, multiple desktops, and more. All of these changes, we're told, are part of Google's internal Android-on-laptop project, though they'll also obviously benefit tablets like the upcoming Pixel Tablet 2.
so remove CLI, Linux apps, boot other os, etc? (Score:3)
so remove CLI, Linux apps, boot other os, etc?
Re: (Score:2)
Should have done it in the first place (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Technical part is a straightforward job. Getting everyone to agree to how a desktop GUI is supposed to work is the hard part.
Only two of the UIs you listed interoperate through the Freedesktop.org standards. Android is the odd one out here and probably doesn't belong in the theoretical mix.
Re: (Score:2)
In other words (Score:2)
... Android is going to merge a bunch of ChromeOS features.
This is a bad idea (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Actually, I've thought for a long time this should have been done.
Android now has a desktop mode (you almost never see it).
ChromeOS design point was just enough OS to run Chrome and Chrome is everything. To try to improve the viability of the platform, they added some semblance of Android support.
Might as well be full android.
What Happened to Fuchsia (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Turns out Linux takes more work than an MBA thought.
Didn't they eventually ship it on an alarm clock?
Finally a mobile Chrome solution (Score:2)
Instead of fixing mobile Chrome to give it full parity with desktop Chrome, they will just put desktop Chrome on their phones.
I shouldn't make fun, since I look forward to using the same solution to fix my Firefox woes.