Nearly every single operating system developed by Google has one thing in common: they’re all based on Linux. From Chrome OS to Android and even Chromecasts, Linux has been the backbone of nearly every Google device since the company’s birth. However, the Linux kernel does have some drawbacks. For instance, it can affect performance and cause other issues when it comes to embedded devices. As a result, and this comes as quite the surprise, Google is working on a brand new operating system which it will use to enter the embedded hardware market.
The name of the new OS? “Fuchsia”. Google’s GitHub page for the project simply reads, “Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System)”. Android Police dug further into the repositories to discern more information about the system. First of all, there’s the Magenta kernel based on the ‘LittleKernel’ project. Much like Linux and Android, the Magenta kernel powers the larger Fuchsia operating system. However, Magenta is designed to scale much better, meaning it isn’t just relegated to embedded hardware. It could also work on smartphones and desktop computers.
Google is also using Flutter for the user interface and Dart as the primary programming language. And keeping with Google’s Material Design, Escher is also being utilized as a renderer. Escher supports light diffusion, soft shadows, and other visual effects, most of which are prominent in Google’s Material Design.
But why the cloak and dagger? It’s possible that this is simply a Google venture. However, it’s also possible that Google will one day replace Android and Chrome OS with Fuchsia. Of course, it’s also quite likely that Fuchsia won’t transcend beyond IoT devices.
Brian Swetland – a senior Engineer at Google who has worked on Android and the T-mobile Sidekick’s OS – mentions that the decision was made to build the OS open source from the beginning, implying that some details are yet to be finalized. Eventually, things will be made public, documented and announced, says Christopher Lane, another engineer at Google. Until then, we can only speculate.
Source: Fuchsia GitHub Repository
