Fuchsia - new Google OS

[ible]

an article on it:
http://www.theverge.com/2016/8/15/12480566/google-fuchsia-new-operating-system

github repository:
https://github.com/fuchsia-mirror

 

[levi]

Interesting that now they're closing down Android, they're releasing another open source OS? I wonder what their strategy is?

 

[ible]

they're closing down android?? didn't know that.

well, it sounds like they're trying to be more minimal/light, resource-wise, so maybe people will be developing better faster more efficient algorithms... (or they'll have more CPU time for the lazy ones.) was android with java too hungry?

 

[levi]

they're closing down android?? didn't know that.

Yeah, it's been a few months, but last I heard they'd decided showing the source code of Android let blackhat hackers investigate it for flaws, so they started maintaining a closed source branch of Android that actually goes into phones. I guess the biggest issue is when they release a patch for a flaw on their Nexus phones, there will be a corresponding change to source code, and if you examine that, you can devise a hack for unpatched phones. Given the way it takes some months often for some manufacturers to approve the same patches, there are milllions of unpatched phones out there at that point.

Hopefully they'll still bundle up patches to make it harder to identify which changes apply to which security holes, or just hold them back until the manufacturers have all updated everyone's phone, but either way it means the open source branch of Android is less secure.

 

[ible]

that's sad. i wish there were more white hats...

 

[Silent-Hunter]

Yeah, it's been a few months, but last I heard they'd decided showing the source code of Android let blackhat hackers investigate it for flaws, so they started maintaining a closed source branch of Android that actually goes into phones. I guess the biggest issue is when they release a patch for a flaw on their Nexus phones, there will be a corresponding change to source code, and if you examine that, you can devise a hack for unpatched phones. Given the way it takes some months often for some manufacturers to approve the same patches, there are milllions of unpatched phones out there at that point.

Hopefully they'll still bundle up patches to make it harder to identify which changes apply to which security holes, or just hold them back until the manufacturers have all updated everyone's phone, but either way it means the open source branch of Android is less secure.

What they really should do instead is assert more control over the manufacturers. Force them all to use the same Android image, and force them to allow Google to push the updates on day one.

 

[FlapJack]

What they really should do instead is assert more control over the manufacturers. Force them all to use the same Android image, and force them to allow Google to push the updates on day one.

Not sure that I would agree with that assessment. If Google pushes a singular update to all phones/devices and use the same Android image? Then ALL of those devices might be compromised by a devastating bug or just a backdoor security breach. It's much better - for security reasons - to see some people update and then see how it fares. A universally forced upgrade process could be catastrophic....in the future.