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Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

androidauthority.com

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Re: Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

#241

Post by wkat4242 »

raw_anon_1111 wrote: post #81
wkat4242 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think a mega corp having full access to my phone while me not having that is very "secure". Sure it's pretty ok against third parties but in my threat model Google and Apple are also adversaries. Microsoft too by the way. In my model my Linux pc is a lot more secure as there's no adversary having direct access and more control than me.

Do you personally go through every line of source code for your Linux distribution?

No but many people do. Try getting something by Linus and his kernel team lol. Good luck!

Re: Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

#242

Post by dredmorbius »

wkat4242 wrote: post #28
charcircuit wrote: post #14

I'm excited for this as it will allow desktops to get closer to the security of phones.

I don't think a mega corp having full access to my phone while me not having that is very "secure". Sure it's pretty ok against third parties but in my threat model Google and Apple are also adversaries. Microsoft too by the way. In my model my Linux pc is a lot more secure as there's no adversary having direct access and more control than me.

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/whoosh-you-missed-the-joke>

Re: Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

#243

Post by netdevphoenix »

I wonder what this means for the mobile ecosystem (talking about essential apps whose usage requires a smartphone : digital only banks, whatsapp, etc). The sitation is such that if you need to use any of the above (except whatsapp which has backward compatibility going all the way back to android 6), you pretty much are required to buy a new phone every 2-5 years which is wild. Making Android Os available somewhere could potentially be another avenue to access Android apps.

Yes, I know about waydroid and similar, but it is very slow and requires you to have relatively powerful machine.

Of course, ideally, a Proton like layer would be best

Re: Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

#244

Post by dredmorbius »

xmprt wrote: post #19

The entire basis of this article/rumor is a single job posting on Google's careers website... Unifying Android across all devices is Google's holy grail and they've been hiring for that for most than a decade. I don't think we have to read into this much.

Might be that the source of the rumour is an inside disclosure which pointed to the job listing as a published fact.

That's an extrapolation on my part, of course, but it's not inconsistent with how other leaks or disclosures have occurred. Can't speak to Android Authority's practices here.

Re: Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

#245

Post by Zak »

tomrod wrote: post #193
jfoster wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The market for operating systems naturally falls into oligopolies. It's usually not financially feasible for third-party applications to support more than a few of them. Users tend to have strong preferences toward operating systems that have lots of applications built for them.

Standards fill this gap, allowing for interoperation. When was the last time you had to write custom logic for your browser to access 99% of the domains you access?

I've certainly run into websites that were doing something nonstandard and my browser of choice didn't work as intended. Sometimes when I've complained to the site operator, they've told me that browser isn't supported.

I can (and have) told them they should build to web standards rather than specific browsers, but they're only motivated to care if it impacts a large enough percentage of users.

So markets determine the outcome even when standards exist.

Re: Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

#247

Post by powerclue »

blinding-streak wrote: post #204
rockskon wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't trust Google anymore or what their business model has become over the years. I won't be using Aluminum OS.

Curious to hear what other technical products you use that are from companies that are pure as the driven snow.

Don't do this. Don't put words in others mouths. I don't see anywhere where the parent comment said they only use software from perfect companies. They only asserted one company fell below their threshold of trust.

Re: Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

#249

Post by powerclue »

pjmlp wrote: post #175
wiseowise wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Semantics.

Those semantics hide that game studios keep using Windows workstations, developing Windows games, creating kernel drivers, targeting Windows users as customers, and it is up to Valve to make those games run on SteamOS.

Seems like you moved the goalposts pretty far... Consumers using Linux has shot up pretty dramatically this year, at least in my social circles. I count at least a dozen, non technical friends who decided to drop windows. That number has been zero a year for decades.

Game devs working in Linux is always a lagging indicator. Once there's a market share, they'll go there. Once it's the preferred os for people, you'll be able to develop on it. Games is already an incredibly risky market sector.

Instead, I encourage you to look at blender. It's gone through a "cute hobbyist/prosumer tool" phase and is now in the mega million dollar movies and games use it as their primary tool. Desktop Linux is on a similar curve thanks to Valve. If enough people start using it at home, industry will flip over.

Re: Google's new 'Aluminium OS' project brings Android to PC

#250

Post by __aru »

iamcalledrob wrote: post #201

I struggle to imagine existing Android apps being useful in a desktop form factor. It's not just about touch vs mouse/keyboard, it's the whole interaction design philosophy. And it's not as if you can say that getting the Android developer experience on desktop is going to entice developers. Compose is decent, but the actual Android system APIs make Win32 look brilliant. At least Win32 is stable. For this to be viabl…

> I struggle to imagine existing Android apps being useful in a desktop form factor.

Rather than full desktops, I suspect that Desktop Android will be popular for 2-in-1 style devices like the Surface Pro.

I've always thought that the Surface Pro was a good idea, just with the wrong operating system. Newer iPad Pros kind of accomplish the same, but are still too locked down by Apple to be a true computer replacement.

Android has the potential to be the perfect middle ground: touch-centric UI paradigm, can work well with keyboard/mice, and open/flexible enough to be an actual computer replacement.

Google has been working on adding extensions to Chrome on Android, already has apk sideloading, and has work-in-progress Linux VM support. That's likely "good enough" to replace computers for the vast majority of people.

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