Details Of Google's Platform Unifying Fuchsia OS Spotted At Git

It's been clear for a good while that Linux (and Unix) can prove to be a great fit for a countless number of use cases. From mobile devices to smartwatches, IoT devices, and so forth; Linux can extend far beyond the desktop and data center. But, in some cases, it's not light enough, or not fine-tuned enough. It's customizable, but at some point, it just might make more sense to start from scratch.

As it appears, that's just what Google is targeting with a project it calls "Fuchsia." This project appears on Google's own Git project site, and it doesn't take much imagination to understand what its purpose will be: to be super-optimized for a next generation of devices. Whether that means that Fuchsia will in time replace Android, we're not sure. It could just be a second Google-built OS used for more specific devices.

The main readme for the project simply says: "Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System)." That tell us nothing, but looking deeper into the subfolders, we can see that Fuchsia is set to support both x86 and aarch64 - ARM's 64-bit architecture.

Could Fuchsia support devices like Chromebook?

The most interesting thing about Fuchsia might simply be the fact that it isn't built on a *nix variant like Android. Without being a developer in the know at Google, it would be difficult to understand exactly why the company might want to break free from that base, so again, it could be that Fuchsia won't be a replacement, but just another option.

However, another file in the repository insinuates that Fuchsia can also target mobile devices and even "modern personal computers." Without a Linux base though, the software ecosystem would likely be quite modest, or self-contained as it used to be with the Chromebook (until it gained the ability to install Android apps).

What we do know for sure is that out-of-the-gate, Fuchsia supports an off-the-shelf product: Raspberry Pi 3. Instructions are given on how to compile the current code for the device, but it goes without saying: you'll want to be experienced before diving in.

It will be exciting to see where this goes, because despite how little is known about the project right now, it's clear that Google has big ambitions for Fuchsia. We might see it used in AR, VR, mobile devices, or PCs but it's just a matter of time until we find out for sure. If you're curious, you can poke around the repository on GitHub, here.