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Another Google project that will end up being abandoned. Flutter, Dart, messaging, etc. They need to just fix Android.

clumsysmurf 6y ago
Maybe they will fix Android by replacing it with Fuchsia :P I think the problems with Android run so deep, it can't just be "fixed".
- rob74 6y ago
  No idea why you're being downvoted... I also think that would be one of the most obvious areas where Google could eventually put Fuchsia to use - it would have several advantages: a new OS with a more modern architecture (getting rid of the GPL-licensed Linux kernel, which Google probably sees as an advantage); the possibility to update the kernel independently of the drivers; getting rid of Java and its legal liabilities which Oracle could exploit in the future etc.
- bsder 6y ago
  Well, the touchstone is audio. If Fuchsia manages to have audio performance like iOS, then they definitely rearchitected rather than just slapped lipstick on a different pig.
  - michaelmrose 6y ago
    Do people actually have audio problems with android? People don't seem to even have a problem with all the bad quality audio devices they ought to have a problem with let alone the OS.
    - pjmlp 6y ago
      Musics do have, hence why Samsung had their own real time audio stack, which Google eventually adapted into Android. There are several years of Google IO stuff going into this, until you finally reach the talk done together with a Samsung representative and a couple of DJs using the new demo app on stage to prove Android was finally ready for music professionals. It is just a matter to go down the Google IO archive.
cryptoz 6y ago
I have a strong feeling that Fuchsia will not be abandoned. I can't put my finger on it, but Google's approach and tone around Fuchsia feels really different from how they talked about / marketed Reader, or even Wave, or other things they shut down. I'm an Android developer learning Flutter and Dart out of both curiosity and an gamble that it will likely be a faster-improving way to make cross-platform apps than other approaches (like Kotlin + Swift, or React Native, or the others)
- 101404 6y ago
  ...or Google+ Oh, wait
  - snazz 6y ago
    Google+ was screwed out of the gate. It was invite-only, which did not work for Google+ or Wave nearly as well as it did for Gmail (logically). It also helps that Fuchsia is open-source and sees very active development.
- a3n 6y ago
  > I can't put my finger on it, but Google's approach and tone around Fuchsia feels really different from how they talked about / marketed Reader, or even Wave, or other things they shut down. Different marketers?
  - cryptoz 6y ago
    Maybe - but are the marketers even in charge of the open source decisions? It's possible I guess. But to name an example, the open source code and developer-focused nature of the work just makes it seem completely different to me.
- 1123581321 6y ago
  I agree Fuchsia should prevail. My reasoning is that, presuming it succeeds technically, it could only be killed politically if both Android and ChromeOS prevented Fuchsia from being used on first party devices. This seems unlikely. Google projects that get killed are either retail products that gain insufficient traction (for Google) or expensive projects that stall for technical or logistical reasons.
falcor84 6y ago
Both Flutter and Dart had new preview releases just this month
rstat1 6y ago
I'd hardly consider projects (ie Flutter and Dart) that both had releases in the last week to be "abandoned".
kgraves 6y ago
> Another Google project that will end up being abandoned. Do you have any sort of evidence for this statement or is this pure speculation?
- yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
  Google's track record is evidence, albeit not a guarantee.
diegoperini 6y ago
Your resentment (if there is any) is understandable but you are using a cross platform application framework to predict what Google will do for an OS. Moreover, I believe Flutter isn't going anywhere anytime soon either. I write about Flutter in our company blog every now and then. I can confirm, Flutter posts currently receive their all time high impression counts and time retention rates.
plerpin 6y ago
Ah, the HN hivemind Markov chain is mired in another infinite cycle. https://hncynic.leod.org/ https://hncynic.leod.org/
- matchbok 6y ago
  Truth hurts.
- mathgladiator 6y ago
  This is just pure conjecture.
- mathgladiator 6y ago
  It's a pretty big idea because it's pretty neat, but why not simply run an algorithm to figure out where the "random" random sequence is? Then figure out which random sequence is a good fit for what's happening, as opposed to just looking for it in a random chain.
- mathgladiator 6y ago
  For those of you who find the 'misconceptions' of the phrase 'Mobi', this makes me very glad you aren't just an old friend. It really should be noted that this was published in 2005.
- mathgladiator 6y ago
  That's great, my other three comments were generated from your comment. This is hilarious.
myko 6y ago
Flutter is the UI framework of Fuchsia
rvz 6y ago
Well Flutter is a first-class citizen in Fuchsia and will be able to run Flutter apps as soon as they release the OS. So I don't see this as a likely candidate for Google to abandon this. Android apps compatibility 'appears' to be being supported via a mix of using Android's ART ported to Fuchsia and hardware assisted virtualisation of the Linux kernel, called 'Machina'. The sort of transitioning Apple did between PowerPC -> x86 and now to ARM.
brmgb 6y ago
Google makes a lot of its own infrastructure for its data centers. I would not be surprised if fuchsia was already in use there. It would make sense at least securitywise.
jimbob45 6y ago
Flutter/Dart aren't being abandoned. They're healthy. Also Google needs to move away from the Java ecosystem thanks to Oracle v. Google. That means dumping Android, which was built on Java entirely. Creating a new OS based on their language would seem to be in their best interests.
squarefoot 6y ago
> Another Google project that will end up being abandoned This one however will give Google full control of the devices it runs on (no more Linux kernel related obligations), so they have zero incentives to kill it, unless they write something else that does the same things. Google will rather abandon Android a few years after Fuchsia is launched.

Maybe they will fix Android by replacing it with Fuchsia :P I think the problems with Android run so deep, it can't just be "fixed".

rob74 6y ago
No idea why you're being downvoted... I also think that would be one of the most obvious areas where Google could eventually put Fuchsia to use - it would have several advantages: a new OS with a more modern architecture (getting rid of the GPL-licensed Linux kernel, which Google probably sees as an advantage); the possibility to update the kernel independently of the drivers; getting rid of Java and its legal liabilities which Oracle could exploit in the future etc.
bsder 6y ago
Well, the touchstone is audio. If Fuchsia manages to have audio performance like iOS, then they definitely rearchitected rather than just slapped lipstick on a different pig.
- michaelmrose 6y ago
  Do people actually have audio problems with android? People don't seem to even have a problem with all the bad quality audio devices they ought to have a problem with let alone the OS.
  - pjmlp 6y ago
    Musics do have, hence why Samsung had their own real time audio stack, which Google eventually adapted into Android. There are several years of Google IO stuff going into this, until you finally reach the talk done together with a Samsung representative and a couple of DJs using the new demo app on stage to prove Android was finally ready for music professionals. It is just a matter to go down the Google IO archive.

cryptoz 6y ago

I have a strong feeling that Fuchsia will not be abandoned. I can't put my finger on it, but Google's approach and tone around Fuchsia feels really different from how they talked about / marketed Reader, or even Wave, or other things they shut down. I'm an Android developer learning Flutter and Dart out of both curiosity and an gamble that it will likely be a faster-improving way to make cross-platform apps than other approaches (like Kotlin + Swift, or React Native, or the others)

101404 6y ago
...or Google+ Oh, wait
- snazz 6y ago
  Google+ was screwed out of the gate. It was invite-only, which did not work for Google+ or Wave nearly as well as it did for Gmail (logically). It also helps that Fuchsia is open-source and sees very active development.
a3n 6y ago
> I can't put my finger on it, but Google's approach and tone around Fuchsia feels really different from how they talked about / marketed Reader, or even Wave, or other things they shut down. Different marketers?
- cryptoz 6y ago
  Maybe - but are the marketers even in charge of the open source decisions? It's possible I guess. But to name an example, the open source code and developer-focused nature of the work just makes it seem completely different to me.
1123581321 6y ago
I agree Fuchsia should prevail. My reasoning is that, presuming it succeeds technically, it could only be killed politically if both Android and ChromeOS prevented Fuchsia from being used on first party devices. This seems unlikely. Google projects that get killed are either retail products that gain insufficient traction (for Google) or expensive projects that stall for technical or logistical reasons.

falcor84 6y ago

Both Flutter and Dart had new preview releases just this month

rstat1 6y ago

I'd hardly consider projects (ie Flutter and Dart) that both had releases in the last week to be "abandoned".

kgraves 6y ago

> Another Google project that will end up being abandoned. Do you have any sort of evidence for this statement or is this pure speculation?

yjftsjthsd-h 6y ago
Google's track record is evidence, albeit not a guarantee.

diegoperini 6y ago

Your resentment (if there is any) is understandable but you are using a cross platform application framework to predict what Google will do for an OS. Moreover, I believe Flutter isn't going anywhere anytime soon either. I write about Flutter in our company blog every now and then. I can confirm, Flutter posts currently receive their all time high impression counts and time retention rates.

plerpin 6y ago

Ah, the HN hivemind Markov chain is mired in another infinite cycle. https://hncynic.leod.org/ https://hncynic.leod.org/

matchbok 6y ago
Truth hurts.
mathgladiator 6y ago
This is just pure conjecture.
mathgladiator 6y ago
It's a pretty big idea because it's pretty neat, but why not simply run an algorithm to figure out where the "random" random sequence is? Then figure out which random sequence is a good fit for what's happening, as opposed to just looking for it in a random chain.
mathgladiator 6y ago
For those of you who find the 'misconceptions' of the phrase 'Mobi', this makes me very glad you aren't just an old friend. It really should be noted that this was published in 2005.
mathgladiator 6y ago
That's great, my other three comments were generated from your comment. This is hilarious.

myko 6y ago

Flutter is the UI framework of Fuchsia

rvz 6y ago

Well Flutter is a first-class citizen in Fuchsia and will be able to run Flutter apps as soon as they release the OS. So I don't see this as a likely candidate for Google to abandon this. Android apps compatibility 'appears' to be being supported via a mix of using Android's ART ported to Fuchsia and hardware assisted virtualisation of the Linux kernel, called 'Machina'. The sort of transitioning Apple did between PowerPC -> x86 and now to ARM.

brmgb 6y ago

Google makes a lot of its own infrastructure for its data centers. I would not be surprised if fuchsia was already in use there. It would make sense at least securitywise.

jimbob45 6y ago

Flutter/Dart aren't being abandoned. They're healthy. Also Google needs to move away from the Java ecosystem thanks to Oracle v. Google. That means dumping Android, which was built on Java entirely. Creating a new OS based on their language would seem to be in their best interests.

squarefoot 6y ago

> Another Google project that will end up being abandoned This one however will give Google full control of the devices it runs on (no more Linux kernel related obligations), so they have zero incentives to kill it, unless they write something else that does the same things. Google will rather abandon Android a few years after Fuchsia is launched.