I thought Google was developing Fuschia because some of their ambitious junior project managers need to appear to be working on Something Big And New to get a promotion, leaving their project to turn into Something Half-Assed And Cancelled In Two Years. Isn't that the standard trajectory for Google projects launched within this decade?

I thought Google is developing Fuschia because.

A) Linus won't stablize kernel ABI

B) Device manufacturers won't release driver code to allow recompilation of an updated kernel.

So this means an upgraded kernel needs upgraded drivers from manufacturers that match the kernel version, but manufacturers don't want to do this.

Not sure where I heard it but I thought that was one of things about Fuschia is the device ABI is a separate, stable layer.

>A) Linus won't stablize kernel ABI

Yes, but this is for very good reasons. https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/Documentation/...

Doesn't Android have some sort of stable layer that allows for updating the OS without rewriting drivers?

Yes, Project Treble, it basically kind of changes Linux into a pseudo-"mikro-kernel", which is kind of ironic.

Where classical Linux drivers are considered legacy (Passthrough HALs) and all new drivers since Android 8 are user space, written in either Java or C++ and talk to the kernel via Android IPC (Binderized HALs).

Somewhat recently added, yes: https://source.android.com/devices/architecture/hal-types/

Ha, sounds familiar. :)

I wonder for how long we'll be able to use Gmail before it follows the G+ road.

I've basically given up on Google and their corporate ADHD. I use Android because it's the only phone OS that allows for easy permanent sideloading while also having a healthy native app ecosystem, and I'll use search and maps, but that's literally (not figuratively, but literally) it. It seems that the only products of theirs with any staying power were launched prior to 2010.

But search and maps are a lot of Google. Beyond that it’s YouTube, Gmail, Google docs, Google Cloud. Along with Android, Chrome, ChromeOS as the cornerstones of the company. Search is by far the most important piece. Followed by Android and Chrome, in my opinion.

Or are you saying you aren’t going to use anything new by them? That is probably the case and I misunderstood. Though it’s not like Google has any major hits this decade anyway. Everything mentioned is quite old.

>Or are you saying you aren’t going to use anything new by them? That is probably the case and I misunderstood.

Basically, yes. I don't even make the effort to log in to use any of their services, except for the Google account on my phone for the purposes of Play Store access. I'm just tired of being Charlie Brown trying to kick Google-Lucy's exciting-new-product-football.

You'll need to stop receiving purchase recepits and flight details by email before Google is not interested in reading you email :)

That would leave plenty of room for someone else to take on the android ecosystem...

Sure, because the Android clones without Google services have been such a tremendous market success.

It's not like the google services get much use.

Except for Maps, Gmail, Messages, Photos, Search, and (due to the servicing model) Play.

I could be forgetting a few.

Maps, at least, I've completely replaced with Citymapper. Due to its goal it doesn't work everywhere, but in a supported area I've found it to be completely superior to Google Maps. So there is competition.

Citymapper uses Google Maps. In what way is it competition?

I suppose it's competition in urban navigation, but not competition in map tiles.

They use Google Maps so it’s worse for Google vs using Maps directly. But you’re still using them.

Did you ever try printing a Google map? They're unreadable and the roads are nearly invisible.

Um...no? Why would I do that? It's on my phone...with a moving dot where I am on the map, and a tiny lady in there that can tell me when to turn. I'm genuinely confused by this...what are you getting at?

I happen to like a large printed map, and they do support it in the hamburger menu. The result is unusable though. I dont have a data plan, but I'll look into the latest OSM which has directions.

Pretty good for the other 99.98% of use cases though. Your objection doesn't refute "Maps gets used a lot on Android" in any case.

I don't think they will drop Android until it is not (very) profitable anymore.

They don't need to drop Android, just Linux kernel.

ART is being ported to run on top of Fucshia.