
“Proof” that Fuchsia will replace Linux for Google - techenthusiast
https://techspecs.blog/blog/2017/2/15/proof
======
RubenSandwich
I'm sorry but his "proof" is mostly just puns. Sometimes OSS projects are
given pun names simply for laughs, not because of some deeper meaning. No
doubt Google is researching new OSs, View Managers and development frameworks.
(Every company that large does.) But I think it's too early to call it a
potential successor; architecture takes a long time to change.

~~~
techenthusiast
[https://disq.us/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fchrismck...](https://disq.us/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fchrismckillop%2Fstatus%2F765438910658772992%3Al4L8Nx5RcZzAgmYMsPZIK3PRzoU&cuid=1370072)

~~~
callalex
You posted a link to a protected tweet that nobody can read with no summary or
context.

~~~
losteric
It's not protected, I could read it and I don't even have a twitter account.

> @chrismckillop: Slow news week? [http://www.cnet.com/videos/googles-
> mysterious-new-project-fu...](http://www.cnet.com/videos/googles-mysterious-
> new-project-fuchsia/) … #Fuchsia

> @gavkar: @chrismckillop heard Travis was involved. Is the purple in pink +
> purple the purple we know?

> @chrismckillop: @gavkar Yes and Yes (in spirit). The Pink part is also a
> reference to the Taligent project. You should come help. :)

Here's the URL without the disqus tracker:
[https://twitter.com/chrismckillop/status/765438910658772992](https://twitter.com/chrismckillop/status/765438910658772992)

~~~
pawadu
and what does this prove, exactly?

~~~
losteric
It proves that the tweet was not protected?

------
relics443
I find it hard to believe that 8+ years of APIs and OS level code would be
abandoned just like that, especially given the scale of Android.

If this ever happens, it would probably be an extremely slow, well thought out
(hopefully), well documented (also hopefully) rollout.

~~~
rdtsc
They've already replaced Dalvik with ART for bytecode and it was mostly
transparent from what I understood.

But popping up with a completely new platform API without any backwards
compatibility would be very bold and risky. There would have to be a good
compatibility story there.

Also there is talk in the article about a POSIX layer. Now that's easier said
than done. But it is Google we are talking about so they certainly have the
manpower and resources to try.

~~~
relics443
A new runtime is very different then a new framework/API/OS. The former
doesn't necessarily require code changes (dalvik -> ART did not), the latter
requires new everything.

~~~
techenthusiast
The Android API wouldn't be going anywhere. That's what I say in the article -
Fuchsia would continue to support the Android API seamlessly.

------
frik
It was pretty obvious for some time, but it's good that the dots are connected
and documented, for some kind of proof. Fuchsia OS will be huge, even if it's
hidden in the background.

Samsung has its Tizen OS (previously Bada) for 6 years as alternative ready.
If anything happens with Android that Samsung doesn't like the could ship new
devices simply with Tizen and kiss Google good bye. It allowed them to get
better agreements. I wonder why Samsung waited that long, they had a near
monopoly around 2012 with Android devices, now several new chinese players
entered the market.

Samsung TV and Gear, and some phones run already on Tizen and some older on
Bada. (Tizen is Linux based, it's history is complex and some involvement was
also from Intel and Nokia (before the MSFT inside job)).

~~~
CaptSpify
Have you used Tizen at all? How do you like it, if so?

~~~
pawadu
The first iteration was not very impressive, but has since steadily improved.

If I had to choose between Android+Fuchsia and Tizen+Linux I might as well
give Tizen a try. I am very impressed by their new watch, which IIRC runs
Tizen.

------
pavanky
That wasn't coherent at all. The only pieces of evidence are flimsy at best
and then there is a shit ton of speculation.

------
therealmarv
Again this blog? Seems we have also fake news problems here on HN. This is all
fairy tale speculating for me. And I don't believe his sources.

And btw: Tizen is also based on Linux. You don't build that easy a Kernel
replacement.

~~~
pvg
That's not what 'fake news' means. It's perfectly clear the piece is
speculative and it does not intentionally deceive (even if it turns out to be
completely wrong).

~~~
em3rgent0rdr
The title is "Proof". The url has "proof". Not only is that a misleading
click-baitey title, it is also false, because there is no proof.

~~~
pvg
It's in quotes. It even talks about the quotes. It's obvious from the tone of
the thing it's not presented as real proof. And again, "I don't like the
title" is not what makes "fake news".

~~~
em3rgent0rdr
Well this is quite a silly discussion then. If the author is using a title to
mean something other than the words in the title in a manner such that the
author still protects the veracity of the title, then what is the point of the
title? All I can tell it is just a clickbait title.

And then I read the article and see that it is a bunch of speculation and
making inferences from puns.

~~~
pvg
I don't think it's a great article or that great a title. But the fact that
it's speculation is completely obvious. And that bit of punctuation is used to
change the literal meaning of words, yes. It's just how English works.

------
arca_vorago
I thought google would do something like this. They didn't want to fully
embrace linux so they locked all the freedom of linux away behind
restrictrions in android until they had a replacement and now they are going
to try to drop gnu+linux anything GPL they can...

The new kernel is MIT/BSD... Welcome to Tivoization all over again.

I get the need for a better kernel, the gnu+linux kernel is out of control at
over 14mil+loc, but why not put that effort into making a minix3 style
microkernel that's gpl, or fix hurd?

I wish people understood the dangers of BSD style licenses, I hope this fails,
the last thing we need is another proprietary OS on a device they built on the
backs of the FOSS community but doesn't give back in a meaningful way.

We don't need another OSX, or _android apps on your PC_ , we need someone with
the money and will to fix the future of GNU!

~~~
jsmeaton
I don't understand the dangers of BSD style licenses, can you expand on that a
bit please?

~~~
sitharus
The "danger" is BSD licenses are highly permissive, you can take BSD licensed
software, modify it and sell it and never return the changes to the community
or release the source to customers.

This means all the work of the OSS community is 'free' for corporations to
take.

~~~
stephenr
So basically, if _you_ make some improvements to something, _you_ get to
control those improvements. What a horrible idea that is.

Note: this is clearly sarcasm, and it pains me that I need to put this here,
but some won't get it.

~~~
tortasaur
Considering it doesn't sustain the free software you needed to improve in the
first place, yes, that is a terrible idea.

------
supremesaboteur
Will it be lightweight ? Will it have a shell ? Will it be customizable ? Will
it have loads of third party applications ? Will it support non-Google
hardware ? Will it finally bring serious OS innovation to the consumer desktop
market ? Here is to hoping yes!

------
rethab
Doesn't putting "Proof" in quotes immediately disqualify it from being a
proof?

~~~
em3rgent0rdr
No. Putting quotes around a word could mean a whole bunch of things.

------
LordWinstanley
"reached out" in the first sentence. That saved me some time!

------
dynaxis
Googlers reach out him and confirm his guess is largely right? I can't believe
it. The Googlers, please reach me and tell whatever you told the author. I can
sign you an NDA.

