Going Into 2023, Google Appears to be Stepping up its Fuchsia Development

Google has been preparing its developers to work with the Fuchsia operating system in advance of the new year.

We have been closely monitoring the development of Google’s “Fuchsia” project since 2017, which aims to create a totally new operating system and kernel rather than relying on currently available solutions like Linux. Since then, Fuchsia has developed progressively from a fun experiment to the core of Google’s Nest Hub smart display software.

The running of Google’s smart speakers, including the 2020 Nest Audio and other speakers that are scheduled to come in 2023, is the project Fuchsia’s next imminent frontier, as we revealed earlier this year.

The first time we saw Fuchsia in use, it was clear that Google had a bold vision for the future of desktop and mobile computing. To that end, the first Google Pixelbook was among the first gadgets you could install Fuchsia on.

The Fuchsia team has also been working hard to make sure that the vast number of current Linux and Android apps will work with the new operating system. Initially, this required running everything in a virtual machine, much like ChromeOS does with its selection of Android, Steam, and Linux apps. Google has been developing “Starnix” more lately, an innovative new method that will let Android and Linux apps run directly inside Fuchsia.

Any Fuchsia-powered laptop, phone, or tablet would encounter a chicken-and-egg issue in the absence of these fixes. Of course, Google is aware that Fuchsia can’t always rely on Linux and Android apps. Additionally, the business would probably want to demonstrate its strong support for the new operating system, and native Fuchsia versions of well-known Google applications would help a lot with that.

The Google Chrome team has already created support for running the complete Chrome browser experience within Fuchsia, so there has already been developed on this front. Since then, a group of Google employees has been testing Fuchsia (which is loaded on a Pixelbook Go) on a daily basis. Now that this particular obstacle has been overcome, it appears Google is attempting to persuade additional developers to invest in creating apps and other goods for Fuchsia.

From what we can gather, Fuchsia’s group had an “SDK Bootcamp” event earlier this month. The event’s name alone suggests that a new team of developers was being hastily trained on how to create apps for the platform using the Fuchsia SDK.

We are unsure if employees from any of Google’s partner companies were invited or if this was just a gathering for Googlers to familiarise themselves with the new OS. In any case, this SDK Bootcamp (and the potential release of a new batch of Fuchsia-powered applications and experiences) may be an indication that Fuchsia is getting close to its “big reveal” moment, similar to the introduction of Android at Google I/O 2008.

Having said that, it’s crucial to know how Google personnel have previously discussed Fuchsia before we get overly enthused. One of the early mentions of the project was made by Hiroshi Lockheimer during I/O 2019 when he referred to Fuchsia as a testbed for experiments and cautioned against considering it to be a replacement for or a unification of Google’s work in ChromeOS and Android.

As a result, many people instinctively think that because it’s a new OS from Google, it must be the future. You know, the sole OS from Google. We don’t view it that way. We consider it to be kind of a testing ground for fresh concepts.

In the meantime, a Fuchsia team member clearly emphasized why the platform isn’t a “product” in the same sense that Android is in a debate on Hacker News. Instead, it serves as a foundation for the development of goods like Android or the Nest Hub.

Fuchsia may not always be aiming for application developers or end users. Fuchsia was created to simplify the creation and upkeep of items. For the app developer and end-user experience, products are liable.

In light of this, I continue to be hopeful about Google’s operating system’s future. The future is looking bright, pink, and purple regardless of whether Fuchsia becomes the business’s following eye-catching revelation or the secret foundation of many upcoming products and experiences.