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Google's Fuchsia System UI can now be previewed. The operating system could potentially replace Android and even ChromeOS:
Google, never one to compete in a market with a single product, is apparently hard at work on a third operating system after Android and Chrome OS. This one is an open source, real-time OS called "Fuchsia." The OS first popped up in August last year, but back then it was just a command line. Now the mysterious project has a crazy new UI we can look at, so let's dive in.
Unlike Android and Chrome OS, Fuchsia is not based on Linux—it uses a new, Google-developed microkernel called "Magenta." With Fuchsia, Google would not only be dumping the Linux kernel, but also the GPL: the OS is licensed under a mix of BSD 3 clause, MIT, and Apache 2.0. Dumping Linux might come as a bit of a shock, but the Android ecosystem seems to have no desire to keep up with upstream Linux releases. Even the Google Pixel is still stuck on Linux Kernel 3.18, which was first released at the end of 2014.
[...] This all leads us to an interesting point right now: the Fuchsia interface is written with the Flutter SDK, which is cross-platform. This means that, right now, you can grab chunks of Fuchsia and run it on an Android device. Fuchsia first went public in August 2016, and but back then compiling it would get you nothing more than a command line. Thanks to Hotfixit.net for pointing out that the Fuchsia System UI, called "Armadillo" is actually pretty interesting now.
It's possible to download the source and compile Fuchsia's System UI into an Android APK and install it on an Android device. It consists of a wild reimagining of a home screen along with a keyboard, a home button, and (kind of) a window manager. Nothing really "works"—it's all a bunch of placeholder interfaces that don't do anything. There's also a great readme in the Fuchsia source that describes what the heck is going on.
It's about time for Linux Torvalds' domination of the smartphone industry to end.
Also at BGR, ZDNet, ComputerWorld, and The Register. Preview video.
(Score: 4, Informative) by Post-Nihilist on Wednesday May 10 2017, @09:27PM (3 children)
well that https://fuchsia.googlesource.com/fuchsia/+/b05cc3ec795d12d6ca3c94a4d4b6aabf7803c4a0/PATENTS [googlesource.com] file is almost everywhere in that repo it's content is :
Additional IP Rights Grant (Patents)
"This implementation" means the copyrightable works distributed by
Google as part of the Fuchsia project.
Google hereby grants to you a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive,
no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable (except as stated in this
section) patent license to make, have made, use, offer to sell, sell,
import, transfer, and otherwise run, modify and propagate the contents
of this implementation of Fuchsia, where such license applies only to
those patent claims, both currently owned by Google and acquired in
the future, licensable by Google that are necessarily infringed by
this implementation. This grant does not include claims that would be
infringed only as a consequence of further modification of this
implementation. If you or your agent or exclusive licensee institute
or order or agree to the institution of patent litigation or any other
patent enforcement activity against any entity (including a
cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) alleging that this
implementation of Fuchsia constitutes direct or contributory patent
infringement, or inducement of patent infringement, then any patent
rights granted to you under this License for this implementation of
Fuchsia shall terminate as of the date such litigation is filed.
Be like us, be different, be a nihilist!!!
(Score: 3, Informative) by HiThere on Wednesday May 10 2017, @10:55PM (2 children)
I rather despise the appearance of the screen on the liked site, but that patent license is one of the least abusive I've ever encountered.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 11 2017, @12:13AM (1 child)
It's a google trap. Permissive license until it gains traction, then close it up tight and move on with new exciting features.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 11 2017, @03:19PM
yeah, and with a whore's license (MIT/BSD) it's so much easier.