Google is officially releasing its Fuchsia OS

Nest Hub. © Google.

Since 2016, we’ve been hearing about the mysterious Fuchsia operating system developed by Google. We already knew that unlike Google’s other two operating systems (Android and Chrome OS), Fuchsia is not based on a Linux kernel, but on an in-house microkernel, Zircon, and that Fuchsia applications are written in Dart, a Google language on which the Flutter SDK is based. Today, the OS got an official but low-key launch. Goohle announced that Fuchsia runs on the first-gen Nest Hub, a device initially launched in 2018. A replacement for the Cast OS based on Linux, the new OS does not change the user experience and functionality on Google’s smart screen. The difference is invisible to end users.

The Fuchsia-based update for the Nest Hub will roll out over the next few months, starting with the participants of the Preview Program, before becoming widely available. Since the interface and experience are unchanged, it’s likely that Nest Hub owners won’t even notice that they’ve upgraded to the Fuchsia OS. So why is Google changing the operating system? It’s likely that it wanted to proof Fuchsia in a limited setting, before applying it to further devices. But which ones? Too early to tell… But with the operating system designed to run on desktops, on smartphones, and even to run Android applications natively, anything seems possible ...

⇨ Ars Technica, Ron Amadeo, “Google launches its third major operating system, Fuchsia.”

⇨ 9to5Google, Kyle Bradshaw, “Google is officially releasing its Fuchsia OS, starting w/ first-gen Nest Hub.”

2021-05-25