Why Google must put Chrome OS in the hands of developers

Apparently, I was not the only one to notice that when Google unveiled Pixel 3 and Pixel Slate, the word "Android" was not mentioned once.

Who is Google becoming now? Amazon? The open-source operating system that should not be named?

Why does not Google use the name "Android"?

This may be due to several reasons: as a brand, Google already seems to be phasing out Android, with respect to platforms (Android Wear becoming Wear OS), and giving up the nickname of many of its own applications, such as with Pay and Messages, preferring to simply use the Google name as the primary brand for many of its applications and services.

A number of legal issues are also being developed, which could be a significant liability for the company in its litigation with Oracle.

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We also know that Google is working on a successor to Android, Fuchsia. But it may be necessary to wait several years even before seeing a functional beta.

But, for now, Android and its various APIs are the main programmatic target for applications running on its two main platforms: Android Pie and Chrome OS.

Asking small developers to buy Chromebooks is a bad idea.

Android has a fairly robust and mature SDK, Android Studio, which provides a complete IDE and a Windows, Mac, and Linux device emulator, which allows you to test and debug applications before deploying to a target device.

There is no equivalent or SDK-compatible runtime environment for Chrome OS – which runs Android applications. If you want to develop for Chrome OS, you have to create the Chromium operating system from the source and try to install it on generic PC hardware or on a virtual machine.

Like AOSP, it does not include the runtime elements of the Google Play Store or Android because they must have a license. So it's useless unless you're an OEM like Asus or Samsung and want to make your own Chromebooks.

Otherwise, you also need to purchase Chrome OS hardware: Chromebook, Chromebox, or Chromebit (launched by ASUS in 2015 and has not been updated in hardware). If you first want to use the latest version of Chrome OS, like Android, you'll want to run it on Pixel hardware.

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This remains a significant expense for an application ecosystem that has not been fully proven or optimized for this platform. While Android apps run almost universally on Chrome OS, most of them are not optimized for the tablet or desktop, making the user experience generally mediocre.

This problem needs to be solved if Pixel Slate and similar Chrome OS convertible systems have a chance to gain significant market share against convertible systems for iPad and Windows tablets like Surface.

Although $ 300 (or even $ 80 for a Chromebit assuming it's updated) does not seem like a lot of money, it's not unimportant for programmers and students alike, as well as for specialty stores in developing countries, which have taken advantage of the Android SDK past to put their applications in the Google Play Store. Some of the best apps for Android are out of this pool.

No virtual environment is a serious limitation

In addition, the inability to run the software in a virtual environment on a Mac or PC running Windows or Linux – and taking advantage of this isolation and the ability to create a prototype across multiple instances – is a serious limitation.

Over the years, a few third-party solutions for installing Chrome OS on native hardware or virtual machines, such as Neverware CloudReady, which you can download for free for non-commercial use, are a great way to reuse older PC equipment. and provide a nice, secure environment for students and other use cases where a complete Windows, Mac, or Linux desktop environment is not needed. The company also recently purchased Flint OS, another UK-based Chrome OS distribution.

Also: How to run Quantum Firefox on a TechRepublic Chromebook

I've used CloudReady to reuse old laptops and give them a new life. Before I buy Chromebooks for older family members, it's like that I've put Chrome OS into use. I highly recommend it, it is an extremely polished product.

However, Neverware has not installed the Google Play Store and the company does not intend to license it. In addition, it does not behave well in a virtual machine because the pseudo-device does not support high resolution displays.

It would be up to Google to create an installable runtime environment for Chrome OS that runs smoothly on PCs and Macs. It must be able to be installed on the metal and ideally, its main use scenario must be a virtual machine or container, and virtualization / containerization support must accompany the click-to-run distribution as that self-closed application.

The use case container / virtual machine would be beneficial because an isolated runtime environment provides that extra layer of protection to the end user. On native Chromebook hardware, Chrome OS uses a combination of specialized firmware and sandboxing to prevent malware from being hacked.

With the BIOS, it is not necessarily possible to do it, and even EFI also has its limits. However, in a virtual machine or container instance, this feature can be replicated.

Also: Google Pixel Slate problem: Android apps are awful

Put the Android API stack everywhere

There is no reason why, when this is implemented, an installable Chrome OS virtual desktop with a built-in Google Play Store can not replace the regular Chrome browser, as it simply adds support for the Chrome browser. Android and additional security.

Once Chrome OS is in the hands of tens of millions of users, it becomes viral. Because then everyone using it is now a potential developer of Chrome OS, and this places the Android API stack everywhere.

Should Google make Chrome OS viral and installable everywhere? Speak back and let me know.

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