No Linux Here: Google Begins Development On New Operating System ‘Fuchsia’

A brand-new project on Google’s Git website has surfaced, and for a number of different reasons, it’s extremely notable. First, it’s an operating system, called Fuchsia. Second, it’s not based on Linux, as Google’s other OS, Android, is. This is going to be interesting.

Inside the project’s main readme file is a simple description: Pink + Purple == Fuchsia (a new Operating System). That’s cute, but not useful. However, after traveling through the various source code folders, it’s not difficult to build a picture in your head of what Fuchsia is: an IoT-specific OS that could be expanded for more advanced computing platforms in time.

Instead of opting for a Linux base, Google has begun building its own kernel called Magenta. Inside that project’s files are hints of both aarch64 (ARM) and x86 support, as well as explicit platform support for the Raspberry Pi. The RPi seems to be the main focus at the moment, but x86 support means that Fuchsia could support a wide-range of hardware in the future.

At this point, it’s not entirely clear if Google has ambitions for Fuchsia to ultimately replace Android, but it seems really unlikely at this point. Instead, the project appears to focus on IoT explicitly right now, although one file in the source alludes to the fact that Fuchsia could also be used on mobile devices and personal computers.

At this point, we’re really at the mercy of more information popping up in the source, or Google itself simply coming out and revealing its full plans for the OS. It’s not every day that a company as large as the big G comes out with a new operating system, though, so this project should be a fun one to watch.