In 2016, it became known that Google is starting work on a new operating system – an alternative to Android. Since then, nothing has been heard about it, but the early design of the Fuchsia OS home screen was unveiled last May. Then came screenshots of the system running on the Pixelbook, from which we can conclude that Fuchsia could later become an alternative to both Android and Chrome OS. In addition, an unofficial demo version of the system has recently appeared, running directly in the browser.
With the resumption of attention to the new operating system from Google, it would be nice to gather together all the information known about it and understand what it is and what is so interesting about it.
Interface
The first thing that catches your eye is the large-scale Material Design. The Fuchsia graphical interface is displayed using its own physically based (physically based) Escher renderer. Windows, notifications, buttons, etc. are neatly arranged on the screen, which gives depth to the view. The wallpaper no longer looks like a flat picture, which is hidden behind the applications, but more like the view from the nearest window.
At the moment, Fuchsia offers two types: a new mobile-oriented design called Armadillo and more familiar to the Capybara desktop. Armadillo moves away from the usual model of icons and menus with applications towards a combination of recent applications, quick settings and your Google Feed. Capybara is still in an unfinished state: there is only a taskbar where you can see the time, place for quick settings and something resembling a power button.
In each case, the applications open in their own cards or several applications share one card. Some offers from Google Feed will directly open two applications at once in one card for combined interaction. In general, this looks like an interesting evolution of the traditional “home screen application” model, which focuses more on the tasks themselves than on the individual applications.
Virtual assistants
From the beginning, it seems that Fuchsia was created to integrate with Google Assistant. Every item on the screen, everything you do, and everything you can do is seen by Google Assistant. At least judging by the current information about Fuchsia.
By holding down the “Home” button, the Android assistant can check the screen for information that he can use, but it looks like Fuchsia will allow you to go even further. For example, you can search the browser for reviews of restaurants, then open the calendar to check the date, and then say, “Okay, Google, invite Katya to dinner,” and the assistant will take into account your previous actions.