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There is also a confirmation from devs that Fuchsia is not merely a toy thing at Google. If we had to speculate, we'd say Google has a specific goal in mind for Fuchsia that it's keeping totally secret for now (or at least until it's more real and can be made official). On the other hand, maybe Google's just tinkering around or future-proofing with Fuchsia. Google Fuchsia: replace Android? Will it Possibly. Android is riddled with issues that Google has yet to address. First, there's fragmentation caused by hundreds of different devices from dozens of manufacturers using different, tweaked versions of Android rather than the latest, purest version. Second, there's an update problem. Google has an annual release schedule for Android updates, but it takes about four years for an update to fully flood the ecosystem. Although many of these problems are related to Android being open source - which means Google gives it to OEMs and carriers and lets them tinker with it and load it onto random hardware, resulting in fragmentation, as Google can't then decide to push Android direct to these devices if any modifications and tinkering has been done - another problem is that Android is based on Linux. Linux is dogged by many legal issues - and subsequent licensing fees from Android hardware OEMs eat away at profit margins. The Linux kernel was also not originally designed for smartphones and IoT devices, and yet the kernel's been completely tweaked and loaded onto those devices, creating a prime environment for bugs and vulnerabilities and security issues to grow. A new operating system and platform would solve all these issues. It wouldn't be shackled by pricey patent licensing deals. It would be safer, built, and optimized for today. It could also be modular and be truly unified, meaning it would work across many devices. Google could even begin licensing it to hardware developers, solving those fragmentation and update problems. But, again, who knows. Google Fuchsia: What about Andromeda? Google was reportedly once working on a Pixel laptop that would merge Android and Chrome OS. That device was codenamed Andromeda. Instead, Google announced support for Android apps on Chrome OS, rather than an entirely new operating system. Now, some people and reports are speculating that Fuchsia could be a successor to the Andromeda project that never came to fruition. Google Fuchsia: else could it be? What Hacker News users have suggested Fuchsia could be designed for augmented reality interfaces. Google Fuchsia: Are there any other clues? Nope. But the top of Fuchsia's GitHub page does say "Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System)". Google Fuchsia: Why is the code public? As for why the project/code is out in the public and thus was able to be discovered in such a low-key manner, Brian Swetland, one of Fuchsia's listed developers, reportedly explained: "The decision was made to build it open source, so might as well start there from the beginning." refer :: www.pocket-lint.com 25