
Android overtakes Windows as the internet’s most used operating system - rbanffy
https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/03/statcounter-android-windows/
======
_wmd
I guess this means we can officially stop hating on Microsoft for having such
a lax attitude towards security, considering their last OS to suffer from that
attitude was released 16 years ago, and it accounts for less than 3% of
present day traffic according to statcounter.com

Meanwhile according to the same stats, Android sits around 37.9%, and I have
to wonder just how many of those devices are still impacted by for example the
2015 libstagefright vulnerability. Given Google's guiltless ongoing "throw
code over the wall" approach to security and passing the buck on to vendors
who almost never ship firmware updates for old handsets, perhaps now is the
time for us to begin holding Google to the same standard we applied to
Microsoft a decade ago.

Google Security Team, here's your call to stop pontificating on the Project
Zero blog and throwing cheap muck at Microsoft. You've got an even bigger and
more complicated mess to clean up, you dug the hole yourself, it's going to
take you longer, and you should have started on it years ago

edit: If it weren't clear, the tragedy here is that instead of most devices
being governed by a well-tested security process owned by a single responsible
vendor, they're at the mercy of a plethora of downstream vendors who do
nothing, with the ultimate upstream washing its hands and paying little more
than immature lip service to the issue, never mind having anything that even
remotely resembles a solid process.

~~~
chickenbane
> you should have started on it years ago

As somebody who has been following Android for a while, this statement is
incredibly unfair. The Android ecosystem is huge and remarkably safe. For
those actually interested in the details, the Android security team releases
annual security reviews, and the report for 2016 was just released:
[https://security.googleblog.com/2017/03/diverse-
protections-...](https://security.googleblog.com/2017/03/diverse-protections-
for-diverse.html)

The tldr: the number of devices with a harmful app is 0.05%, and for 1.5B
devices extremely impressive. Basically, if you only install apps from Google
Play and never enable unknown sources (the default and the vast majority of
users) you are safe.

While the argument that most devices aren't running the latest security patch
is certainly valid, it's important to note that there are many services
running on device and in the cloud provided by Google which are doing most of
the heavy lifting. If anything, the example of Stagefright actually shows the
safety of Android - many many devices have never received any security patch
to address Stagefright and yet most users aren't affected.

~~~
oefrha
Citing Google's blog post for Android security is not very convincing. If
Android is so secure, why are we seeing (often more frequently than) weekly
headlines on Android security woes, often containing something like "millions
of devices affected" (and often enough, no fix in sight)?

Also, quote from linked blog post:

> only 0.05 percent of devices that _downloaded apps exclusively from Play_
> contained a PHA.

1\. What percentage of Android devices download apps exclusively from Play?
They don't say. I, for one, have quite a few not so technical friends who
sideload stuff. Also, pretty much all Android devices in Mainland China don't
qualify for this criterion, and that's a huge number.

2\. Given the track record of malware in Play Store, the number of devices
containing a PHA is probably much larger than that of ones containing a _known
PHA_.

> many many devices have never received any security patch to address
> Stagefright and yet most users aren't affected.

Not sure how you even know that. Not all exploits are visible.

~~~
chickenbane
In today's media environment is it strange scary-sounding headlines are
published without deep analysis or actual evidence to back them up? But
headlines saying devices are vulnerable is not evidence that the Android users
are adversely impacted by PHA.

On the other hand, I referenced a report with actual numbers of devices
impacted. Obviously you should be skeptical, but as you point out, if millions
of devices affected is true, shouldn't we be seeing millions of instances of
Android spam, remote roots, SMS fraud, botnets, etc.?

Yes, it is true that some users sideload, and threats to Android users vary a
lot by country. There is only so much Google can reasonably do, and this is
appropriate given Android is open source and has so many participants (device
vendors, carriers, app stores, etc.). But it turns out with good integration
with the developers, the distribution platform, and regular check ups, you can
do a decent job at protecting your users.

You can also compare to other platforms and recall how devastating actual
malware on Windows was, and how long Microsoft struggled (and still struggles)
to protect their users. In Android, yes there are many vulnerabilities like
Stagefright found, but in the end Android users are surprisingly safe.

~~~
oefrha
> ... scary-sounding headlines are published without deep analysis or actual
> evidence to back them up...

Scary-sounding headlines, sure. But there usually is actual evidence.

> I referenced a report with actual numbers of devices impacted.

No, there is no "actual numbers of devices impacted". A number 1.4 billion is
thrown out to impress; the pool of devices to which their analysis applies is
much smaller, and of which only a percentage is given.

> if millions of devices affected is true, shouldn't we be seeing millions of
> instances of Android spam, remote roots, SMS fraud, botnets, etc.?

First, what you mentioned do exist. Maybe not in large numbers (not sure), but
there's no guarantee they're not rising. Secondly, there are plenty of easier
and more profitable channels for hackers these days. Please don't equate
vulnerabilities not being exploited with being invulnerable.

> There is only so much Google can reasonably do.

Changing the subject? I was responding to "The Android ecosystem is huge and
remarkably safe", and specifically how you quoted the blog post to back that
up.

> ... in the end Android users are surprisingly safe.

Webcam users are surprisingly safe too. Not realizing their webcams are
DDoS'ing some poor website right now, or their video feed is being streamed
online.

~~~
vetinari
> Scary-sounding headlines, sure. But there usually is actual evidence.

Actually, there usually isn't any evidence. Scary headlines sell, finding
evidence is a hard work that most readers will not understand anyway. Guess
what happens then.

------
JBReefer
On one hand, this is a truly incredible accomplishment for Google, and in so
little time! On the other, it's sort of amazing this hadn't happened already -
so, so many people in the developing world are entirely reliant on mobile, and
mostly use low-end Android phones.

I use a Moto G4 and the experience is shockingly good for a device that costs
less than a bar tab. It's no wonder that low-end Android's are winning, based
on my experience with it. It's not the same caliber of phone as a new iPhone
or a Pixel, but the difference is not worth $800.

And all of this is mostly open source, runs on Linux using Java, and can be
developed on for free. This seems like a good timeline! (even if the API isn't
that great)

~~~
digi_owl
AOSP may be open, but on its own it is a skeleton of a OS.

Most of the magic in Android today is housed in Play Services, one of two
things Google can push an update for (the other being the Play store app)
without any dialog or concent from the device user.

~~~
rtkwe
That's kind of a demon of necessity though. Originally they did things more in
the base OS but getting manufacturers to actually push updates was horrible.
Now they can do bug, (minor) security and feature updates through a side
channel that bypasses the carriers who don't want to update their older phones
when people might go buy new ones instead.

~~~
digi_owl
Thing is though that is proprietary to Google, anyone wanting to use AOSP for
their own has to clone the APIs.

This makes a lie of the whole notion that Android is open source. Yes, the
skeleton is open, but the guts are proprietary. And the skeleton on its own is
useless.

~~~
beaner
What makes it useless?

~~~
WorldMaker
Look at the efforts that Amazon continues to invest in Fire, and CyanogenMod
(the Company that Went Bankrupt as opposed to the jailbreak mod that still
mostly exists) tried to invest in a Play Store/Play Services competitor, and
Samsung is trying to invest in its efforts while also trying to be stealthy
about it in its current Cold War with Google...

Android (AOSP) forks are numerous, yet competing with Play Store/Play Services
seems expensive and onerous. Nontechnical consumers don't see Amazon's Fire as
Android, just an Android-like system that runs many Android apps. Nontechnical
consumers thought the same about CyanogenMod (the Company)'s efforts.
Samsung's Cold War seems so desperate, from the outside, because they are
trying to walk that fine line between remaining a consumer Android and yet
still distance themselves from Google's control.

~~~
maverick_iceman
AOSP forks seem alive and well in China.

But yes, in rest of the world non-Google Android is struggling.

~~~
WorldMaker
I'm curious how many of the Chinese forks label themselves as "Android" and if
the Chinese have a different mental model of what "Android" means.

Without any first hand knowledge, I'd assume that the balance of things
towards WeChat and away from Play Store/Play Services in China might mean that
"Android" really does mean something different in Chinese markets? It's easier
to sell an "Android" device if the benchmark is "runs WeChat" rather than
"runs the apps I see advertised everywhere" (given the near ubiquity of Play
Store emblems on American ads) and "runs the collection of apps I've bought
over the last few years from the Play Store".

~~~
oefrha
I am Chinese and I've been living in the U.S. for a couple of years, so I know
both worlds. Everyone I know in China who use an Android has ton of apps on
their phones. I'd say there are at the very least tens to hundreds of
thousands of apps to choose from either in the various third party app stores
or directly from first party websites, and it's very common for people to have
multiple apps with similar functions, e.g., four or five web browsers.

I don't know where you learned about the misinformation that is "the balance
of things towards WeChat and away from Play Store/Play Services in China",
which is frankly quite ridiculous because WeChat is just a messenger app with
a few added functionalities (social timeline, payment, etc.) — it's not
comparable to an app store or a service SDK at all.

~~~
WorldMaker
Thanks for some perspective. I'm sure my curious bias about WeChat stems from
how often it dominates chat bot conversations (esp. here on HN) and how often
chat bot conversations mention WeChat as _if_ it were the largest Chinese app
store/service SDK. Fresh perspectives help tamp some of that enthusiasm.

Back to my original curiosity, outside of my supposition you think is clearly
wrong, do you have an impression that Chinese phones that have forked AOSP and
don't have access to the Play Store/Play Services still count as "Android" in
China? If so, can you give an indication why that might be different than in
America where Play Store/Play Services are nearly synonymous with Android?

------
mysterydip
I had recently been looking for a laptop to replace my wife's aging machine.
She wanted something to hit all her social media stuff, save pictures and
videos, basic office, and watch her tv and movie streams.

I had a barely-used lenovo that I had put xubuntu on that I wanted her to try
first to gauge her size and performance requirements, but she wasn't ready for
linux. I searched around a bit (knowing putting windows 10 back on there was
not an ideal experience) and came across RemixOS, a version of android for PC.

That's when it clicked for me. She didn't need a traditional PC. What she
really wanted was her phone in a bigger form factor (with usable keyboard). I
was able to get all her apps on in a few minutes and she had a workable system
with nearly no learning curve. I suspect this will be the case for more people
as time goes on. I'm in favor of a competitor to windows, and I now think that
is android, not linux.

~~~
amclennon
That seems like the direction Google is going with Chromebooks. Presumably
newer models support running Android apps as well.

There's an open source version of ChromeOS that you can install on normal PCs,
but I'm not sure if this version comes with Android support.

~~~
digi_owl
Every Chromebook launched from 2017 onwards will support Android apps
according to Google.

------
ezoe
When I was a kid, I was frustrated for most of the adults can't use the
computer so our society is very inefficient at daily life.

I was thinking, since our generation has affordable personal computers, when
our generation become adults, the world will finally embrace the efficiency of
computer where everything is computer-friendly and everyone can write code.

I was wrong.

The birth of so called "smartphone" made everyone dumb. The smartphone does
not encourage its user to write code or text. They mostly consume the
information provided by a handful of people who can use efficient input
device, the keyboard.

My generation and the next generation were infected by the smartphone. Those
hand-sized, touch-screen pathetic computer is the only computer most people
ever use nowadays.

I refuse to own a smartphone. Since our society become so smartphone-friendly,
not owning a smartphone makes me really inefficient at daily life. But I don't
want to own a computer which tried so hard to prevent me to replace OS, modify
the software, writing code and text.

What a dystopian world I live.

~~~
bighi
> I refuse to own a smartphone.

That is your loss. You're blaming the tool instead of the people.

And then you renounce said tool, when it could be used (as the tool it is) to
improve your life and your work. To create greater things.

Before the smartphones, people were made dumb by the TV. And before that, by
the radio, and before that it was something else, and something else.

People that want to passively waste their time could always do that, and will
keep doing.

~~~
3131s
> _That is your loss._

There is no loss. Everything a smart phone can do, a laptop can do better. All
a smart phone does is keep people bound to their online lives in an unhealthy
way -- constantly beeping at you, notifying you of pointless shit, and spying
on you. No thanks.

I don't own any phone, but if I did it would be a dumb phone with week-long
battery life.

~~~
marsrover
It can't fit in your pocket better.

------
georgeecollins
When I was younger there IBM, Apple, Be, and Microsoft were all working on
these amazing new operating systems. Now the #1, #3, #4 most popular operating
systems are all some variation on Unix. What happened? Why did no one except
Microsoft come up with a new operating system worthy of mass adoption?

~~~
loudmax
Well, Microsoft put OS/2 and BeOS out of business, and nearly did the same for
Apple. While this was happening, FreeBSD and Linux emerged as excellent Unix
variants, so when Apple and Google went to look for their own OSs to deploy,
they leveraged what was already available.

If you're looking for alternatives, there is stuff being developed. Google's
Fuscia is intriguing, and there are other non-Unix kernels from other
organizations in the pipeline. IMHO, the difference this time around is that
the web is the new compatibility target. If you design a new OS today and
manage to get a full working web browser with javascript and Web Assembly,
you'll be in good shape.

~~~
pjmlp
> Microsoft put OS/2

Actually regarding OS/2, IBM had lots of blame as well.

They didn't managed the whole situation properly and trying to use OS/2 to get
back into the game of selling their own PS2 architecture didn't help win the
hearts of the buyers.

I would have had to pay almost 500 € extra, on today's money to get a PC
capable of running OS/2 properly, instead of the one I got with Windows 3.1.

~~~
vram22
I had read that OS/2 Warp was considered a pretty good OS technically, though
I don't remember the details now, as to what made it an improvement over
Windows. I remember that PC Quest, an Indian PC magazine, gave out OS/2 Warp
on a CD [1] in one issue.

[1] They often bundled a CD with lots of free software with their magazine
issues, e.g. different distros of Linux, server software, utilities, etc. All
free or trial software, usually. I remember they bundled the QNX OS once, and
I installed it and tried it on my PC. It was very light and fast, had a GUI
too - Photon, IIRC. They might even have bundled BeOS once. I think I tried
installing that too, but it did not work on my PC.

~~~
digi_owl
OS/2 existed for quite a while before Warp came about. Warp was IBM trying to
salvage a sinking ship more than anything else.

[http://www.filfre.net/2016/08/ibms-new-
flavor/](http://www.filfre.net/2016/08/ibms-new-flavor/)

OS/2 was to go along with the PS/2\. A update on the PC platform that was much
more bespoke IBM compared to the largely assembled from off the shelf parts
that was the PC/AT.

~~~
vram22
>OS/2 existed for quite a while before Warp came about.

>OS/2 was to go along with the PS/2\. A update on the PC platform that was
much more bespoke IBM compared to the largely assembled from off the shelf
parts that was the PC/AT.

Yes, I was aware of those points, that Warp was a late or last version of OS/2
and that IBM tried to make the PC architecture closed with the PS/2 line -
after it being originally open with the PC (which was what led to its success
as a platform, due to the adoption and all the clones and extension cards and
software for it). Had read about it. That doesn't change the fact that Warp
had good reviews. Didn't try it out personally though.

------
meri_dian
As the mobile computing ecosystem matures it's becoming clear that it will
mirror the PC dominated computing ecosystem. You have the major player
(Microsoft/Windows in PC, Google/Android in mobile) occupying about 85% to 90%
of total market share [0] while Apple/Mac/iOS will do well in the high end
market and control about 10% to 15% share. iOS today controls about 20% to 25%
of global market share but Android growth rates far outpace iPhone growth as
Apple's first mover advantage continues to be diluted with time and smartphone
commodification.

There must be some fundamental dynamic at play which favors the 85%/15% market
share duopoly.

[0] [https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-
share...](https://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-
share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=1)

~~~
diafygi
So I guess that means we will start to see a <1% libre alternative pop up?
FirefoxOS tried. Ubuntu tried. Definitely interested to see who will occupy
this slot in the distribution.

The hard part this time is all the closed source drivers. How did Linux solve
that back in the 90s?

~~~
problems
> The hard part this time is all the closed source drivers. How did Linux
> solve that back in the 90s?

It never did perfectly. It's about the same as it is on Android currently. All
the basic stuff works but you need proprietary firmware for a few things like
WiFi and cell radio. Some even have cell radio working.

Replicant has done a good job doing this on Android devices, see
[http://redmine.replicant.us/projects/replicant/wiki/Replican...](http://redmine.replicant.us/projects/replicant/wiki/ReplicantStatus#Replicant-42)
looks like they even have cell working on some Samsung devices.

If mostly-open is good enough though, flashing a stock AOSP build or LineageOS
without GApps will get you there, you can install software from sources like
F-Droid too.

------
rb808
Does that mean google can't bundle a web browser with the operating system
now?

~~~
ocdtrekkie
Google now has: The dominant operating system, the dominant web browser, the
dominant search engine, and the dominant email service. They bundle all of
these together and make them relatively independent, and there still isn't an
antitrust suit in the US.

This is where all the money Google pours into government comes into play.

~~~
Tomis02
When Chrome was launched, all you could see when using Google were Chrome ads,
and with good reason - success by word of mouth alone can only come if your
product is significantly better than the alternatives, which Chrome definitely
was not (probably still isn't).

I do find some satisfaction in this, though, because another browser comes to
mind. Firefox won its brief market dominance not through intrinsic quality
(although it had some potential, and was surely better than IE), but through
marketing campaigns, just like Chrome. Now the once-mighty are falling, and
they ask themselves what went wrong. Well, when your product's only selling
point are extensions (mainly developer extensions) and instead of focusing on
performance, features and security you keep spouting "safer faster better"
[1], there will come a time when someone with more marketing money to throw
around will take your place, because your foundation isn't solid. Also, "good
enough" works for most people, so if the IT person in their family set up
Chrome for them, that's what they'll be using (just like they were using
Firefox a decade ago).

[1] There used to be a "Firefox myths" website, it's not up anymore.
[http://www.gilsmethod.com/whyfirefoxnotsaferfasterbetter](http://www.gilsmethod.com/whyfirefoxnotsaferfasterbetter)

~~~
ocdtrekkie
I think Firefox has recently had a bit of a fire lit under them, and has been
going full steam at getting back into being a competitive option.

------
eatbitseveryday
> Report: Linux overtakes Windows NT as the internet's most used operating
> system kernel.

Might be more of an interesting headline written this way.

GNU/Linux dominating Windows as a "most used" consumer OS has been a long-term
push for the entire community. I would see this as achieving it, albeit in a
form different than some would expect.

~~~
ygra
Well, Android is hardly GNU/Linux, is it? Especially the GNU part is
completely absent there.

~~~
eatbitseveryday
The drive isn't / wasn't so much the "GNU" portion dominating as much as it
was just for the Linux kernel itself.

~~~
najati83
The point of the "Linux on the desktop" meme was that everybody would start
using free, preferently GPL'd software for everything. Android is far away
from that.

~~~
eatbitseveryday
> The point of the "Linux on the desktop" meme was that everybody would start
> using free, preferently GPL'd software for everything. Android is far away
> from that.

I guess it depends how you look at it :) I would see it as "not using Windows"
but your statement seems to be "not using any closed-source software".

It's an effort with variable goals and there are different opinions what is
meant. If you ask rms he'd agree with you. :)

------
lettergram
Imo these stats are likely heavily sckewed by adblock. Most people on mobile
don't realize they can install adblock or don't care.

And given the stats likely come from analytics which are blocked, it seems
reasonable to assume these numbers are sckewed

------
nthcolumn
I'd just like to point out that Microsoft win either way: Says Forbes:
Financially Microsoft is one of the biggest winners from the growth of Android
as a platform, thanks to its wide range of patents. Samsung's royalty payment
to Microsoft in 2013 was for over one billion dollars ($1,041,642,161 and
fifty cents), roughly $3.41 per device.

~~~
bitmapbrother
Do you really think Samsung is paying them that much today? Samsung made a
silly mistake by underestimating the growth of their phones. This all came to
head when Samsung refused to keep paying Microsoft for their prior art ridden
shake down patents a couple of years ago. There's a reason why some MS apps
are now stubs on Galaxy phones that can now be downloaded.

------
ns8sl
I'm not sure about methodology differences, but this service tells a different
story:

[https://truemarketshare.com/operating-system-market-
share?op...](https://truemarketshare.com/operating-system-market-
share?options=%7B%22filter%22%3A%7B%22%24and%22%3A%5B%7B%22deviceType%22%3A%7B%22%24in%22%3A%5B%22Desktop%2Flaptop%22%5D%7D%7D%5D%7D%2C%22dateLabel%22%3A%22Trend%22%2C%22attributes%22%3A%22share%22%2C%22group%22%3A%22platform%22%2C%22sort%22%3A%7B%22share%22%3A-1%7D%2C%22id%22%3A%22platformsDesktop%22%2C%22dateInterval%22%3A%22Monthly%22%2C%22dateStart%22%3A%222016-03%22%2C%22dateEnd%22%3A%222017-02%22%2C%22segments%22%3A%22-1000%22%7D)

Clear the 'Desktop/Laptop' filter and it gives share on all platform types. I
think the difference in numbers may be due to this service is measuring only
browsing activity.

It also removes 21% of traffic detected as bots, so that may also have an
effect.

------
Zigurd
To all those pointing out that you can't get an up to date release of Android
for your device: It's not all Google's fault, but it is increasingly becoming
Google's fault because major SoC makers are keeping their Android Linux and
drivers up to date.

Up to now, though, enough bits in OEM-specific drivers will go out of date to
prevent Google controlling updates of all Android devices.

There is renewed urgency to solve this problem in general for Android Things.
Having billions of unpatched things in the field for a decade or longer will
be an even bigger disaster than phones that churn out of the installed base in
3 years. Google is building a field upgrade framework for IoT that should be
applicable to handsets, too.

That MIGHT take enough OEM responsibility out of the picture to enable
updatable Android phones.

------
erikpukinskis
Wow, after all these years let the record state that 2017 was finally the year
of the Linux desktop.

~~~
ns8sl
Ok, check this out - Linux at 2.15% on the desktop vs. other services that
have it lower:

[https://truemarketshare.com/operating-system-market-
share?op...](https://truemarketshare.com/operating-system-market-
share?options=%7B%22filter%22%3A%7B%22%24and%22%3A%5B%7B%22deviceType%22%3A%7B%22%24in%22%3A%5B%22Desktop%2Flaptop%22%5D%7D%7D%5D%7D%2C%22dateLabel%22%3A%22March%2C%202017%22%2C%22attributes%22%3A%22share%22%2C%22group%22%3A%22platform%22%2C%22sort%22%3A%7B%22share%22%3A-1%7D%2C%22id%22%3A%22platformsDesktop%22%2C%22dateInterval%22%3A%22Monthly%22%2C%22dateStart%22%3A%222017-03%22%2C%22dateEnd%22%3A%222017-03%22%2C%22segments%22%3A%22-1000%22%7D)

I have a theory: \- Bots don't show up as Linux, they spoof Chrome, iOS, etc.
\- Since this service filters out bot traffic, it is removing non-Linux
traffic. \- Hence, Linux share is actually much higher than is generally
reported.

It IS the year of Linux!!

------
nottorp
Hmm what's more important is that mobile has overtaken the desktop. If you add
Android and iOS you get 51.09%.

If your site doesn't work well on mobiles, it's high time you fixed it.

------
erickhill
I've got to think this is the rise of internet/consumer purchasing power in
Asia. When I look at the analytics at the company I work for, Android accounts
for 9% of total users visiting the site. We are a US-based web company with a
predominantly English-speaking user base. Windows still rules, followed by Mac
and iOS (interestingly iOS is catching up with Mac and is nearly even).

At a high level, Android seems to have more than doubled on our site in the
past two years, which seems to be a reflection more of our overall site
growth. Windows is still enormous.

All snap-shotty anecdotal stuff. If you're a global enterprise beyond
US/UK/Australia, I'd think your numbers would be fascinating to look at.

~~~
gsnedders
And Africa.

------
julius_set
Google can you please take control of your Android API, make it match iOS's
slickness and UI, and be more controlling on getting your manufacturers to
update their phones?

Can YOU PLEASE work on the perception the public has that Android is for cheap
people? And the preferred upper class phone is iPhone?

For gods sake your iPhone apps are better than your android apps. Do you not
see a problem here? Your developers and engineers think less of your platform.

There is a blatant stance on Silicon Valley as Android is second tier. Change
this perception ASAP.

------
cmurf
Also, Microsoft, with Windows Phone, tried to be much more domineering with
the hardware vendors than Google. And those vendors told Microsoft to go pound
salt. Google is letting the hardware vendors be true to their model which is
to sell something snazzy, and then drop support after 12 months, with life
support for another 6-12. That's what the device manufacturers want.

------
jokoon
What's interesting is that we make OS to make hardware not the other way
around.

Windows improved the PC market, and android improved the smartphone market.

------
petre
Good. Which esentially means Linux has eventually won.

------
ausjke
what's the impact of this watershed for java as a programming language? it
seems like the biggest boost for Java for years to come.

~~~
pjmlp
Depends how much one enjoys using an outdated dialect of the language and
libraries, after Java 6, Android only gets support for Java 7 and 8 features
cherry picked by the Android team, not 100% of them.

One reason why they backtracked on Jake and Jill was that they weren't being
able to make all the annotation tooling and bytecode manipulation libraries
work on the new toolchain.

~~~
ausjke
hope Android will support java8,java9 along the way and fully sync-up with the
new languages.

------
franciscop
Meanwhile Internet Explorer 11 refuses to die having a share above 3%...

~~~
pjmlp
I am currently on a customer where they only allow for IE 11 and FF ESR on
their systems.

Anything else is a security breach.

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bribri
Is now a good time to get into android development?

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dragnot
thats not really a fair comparison because if you take china and india, the
make very inexpensive mobile devices.

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angry_octet
and least secure...

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youdontknowtho
Monopoly no more...

