Hi everyone,I’ve been reading about Google’s upcoming Aluminium OS (the unified Android-desktop project aimed at replacing or merging with ChromeOS). While it promises a full Android app ecosystem with a desktop-class Chrome browser, I have some serious concerns as a Linux fan.I wanted to get the community's thoughts on a few points:Market Share: Do you think the arrival of a polished, Google-backed "Android for PCs" will cause the Linux Desktop market share to drop? Since it's built on a Linux kernel but locked into Google’s ecosystem, will casual users even look at distros like Zorin OS anymore?The "Trouble" for Linux: Is this a major threat or trouble for the Linux community? While it might bring better drivers from Intel and Qualcomm to the mainline kernel, it feels like it could overshadow the "freedom" and "privacy" that traditional Linux distros offer.Professional Use: Can an Android-based OS ever truly satisfy professionals who need native desktop apps (not just containers or mobile apps)?I'm worried that Aluminium OS might push Desktop Linux into a deeper hole by dominating hardware partnerships. What do you experts think? Is this the beginning of a new era or a crisis for independent Linux distributions?Looking forward to your insights!
I won't use anything associated with Google, and I think there are a lot of people who feel the same way.
Question: How does your extended query fit the intent of this discussion group?
Will Google’s “Aluminium OS” (Android-Desktop Merger) be the end of Desktop Linux?
No, it will not.
P.S.: I changed the Thread Category to Chat about Zorin because this is no Feedback.
Most of Linux users are allergic to Google so I have some doubts...
They tried with Chrome OS and...
I do not believe it marks the beginning of any crisis.
It is another attempt by Google to dominate a market.
Most people are not interested in having Android on PC.
While it may sound appealing to some - especially those who are deeply interested in Android Emulators on GnuLinux, the majority see Android as a necessary sacrifice for small portable phones, not a usable Workstation or Desktop experience.
I felt very sorry for a poor Mum on a local forum who posted their child could not play a game a few years back. The reason? Chromebook with fused storage to motherboard, eMMC garbage, the inverse of a Mac. I advised her to take it back for a refund and save up for a proper notebook.
I think people who would be fine with an Android PC are people who wouldn't have dared to try Linux either ways. I think that this Android thing will definitely take marketshare from Windows and maybe even some from MacOS, as those are the default "you go to store, buy computer, computer comes with this system", but keeping in mind that's not nearly as common with Linux, I don't think it'll make a big difference. And the thing about laptops that do come with Linux preinstalled, they are either very expensive due to not having the ability to mass-produce on the same scale as Windows laptops, or they are very cheap due to being a refurbished laptop that runs really well on Linux but very slow on Windows. The kind of hardware Google usually sells for their chromebooks (and im assuming the same will remain true for their future android laptops) are either very cheap but worse than what you could get for the same price on a refurbished linux laptop, or quite expensive, but with an entirely different market audience (people really wanting to support open source vs people obsessed with the Google brand and people who buy the first computer they see)
that doesn't really say much, if i'm being honest. I use an android tablet at university because of the wonderful battery life and dedicated pen, and i see it not as a replacement of my laptop, but as a complement. Office suites? Either kinda laggy even on decent hardware (like onlyoffice), unstable (collabora office can't even handle having the window resized in desktop mode without crashing...), or spyware (microsoft word doesn't work if you dont sign in to onedrive and set your documents to save there by default)
Desktop-class chrome browser was already something chromebooks had for over a decade
And even then, chromebooks can already run Android apps. Are there compatibility quirks? I guess so? I don't have a chromebook to check. But here's the thing: Google advertised android app compatibility for chromebooks a lot since more or less 2019 or 2020, but they never mentioned that the compatibility wasn't 100% perfect, so until very recently, I assumed it was
From my point of view, this move will make life easier for Android developers and it will also bring some nice benefits to those who were already going to use either a chromebook or an Android tablet. I don't think it's going to make people switch from Linux to Android. In any case, it will get more people touching around google's debian terminal in their own phones and tablets, getting them more comfortable with it without making them go through the decision of replacing the operating system in their main computer right away, and then they will see they can actually daily-drive linux fine, and move their windows computer to linux (like using a virtual machine, but without having to look into virtual machine software)
So yeah, I think this is going to be a little bad for windows, almost unnoticeable for MacOS, and slightly good for Linux. I don't think this will really mean much outside of the Android ecosystem. Only operating system that might lose a significant amount of users is iOS (specifically iPad)