Rumors are rife that Google is developing a new operating system for smartphones called Fuchsia, which would replace the current-gen Android OS. Rumors regarding its development have been doing the rounds since August 2016.
If the rumors bear fruition, Fuchsia will be the third operating system from the company after Android and Chrome OS. Latest reports suggest that Google has completed designing the user interface or UI for Fuchsia.
What is Fuchsia?
It is the first OS from Google that the company will build completely. The OS will reportedly ditch the Linux kernel for a brand new system. Google designed a new kernel named Magenta specifically for Fuchsia.
The Linux kernel has been around since 1991 and as such, a newer kernel is necessary to capitalize on the superior processors and specs of modern-day smartphones.
What's New In Fuchsia?
Publication Ars Technica was the first to report that Google was working on perfecting the UI. The UI has reportedly been dubbed Armadillo. It features a card-based design and the user can drag each card even when multiple apps are open.
"The OS is licensed under a mix of BSD 3 clause, MIT, and Apache 2.0. Dumping Linux might come as a bit of a shock, but the Android ecosystem seems to have no desire to keep up with upstream Linux releases," the publication revealed.
Currently, nothing else is known about Armadillo, the UI for Fuchsia OS. However, it is likely that more details will be revealed in the near term.
Google's documents reveal that the Magenta-based software is designed for state-of-the-art smartphones and devices that have sufficient RAM for open-ended computation. The company has remained tight lipped about Fuchsia's features and when it will release to the market.
Armadillo: Fuchsia's UI Details
Armadillo bears a completely different home screen which comes with keyboard, home button, and a window manager. Currently, nothing works but the design provides a glimpse to what could be the final UI design for the impending OS.
The home screen reportedly boasts a vertically scrolling list and also comes with slots where the user can set profile pictures, date, battery icon, and even the name of the city. Users can also access "Story" cards, which are recently-used apps. Many more such features would also likely make their way into the final OS.
However, it must be remembered that Google has not confirmed when it plans to launch Fuchsia, or for what purpose it is being developed. More news about this mysterious operating system may come users' way soon.
