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Android-Based Console OS Available For Download

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  • Android-Based Console OS Available For Download

    Phoronix: Android-Based Console OS Available For Download

    If you're after running Android on your laptop or desktop computer and Android x86 isn't panning out, the Android-based Console OS is now available to download...

    Phoronix, Linux Hardware Reviews, Linux hardware benchmarks, Linux server benchmarks, Linux benchmarking, Desktop Linux, Linux performance, Open Source graphics, Linux How To, Ubuntu benchmarks, Ubuntu hardware, Phoronix Test Suite

  • #2
    Yet another crazy way for Google to spread on PC...

    IMO the dual boot make it born dead but they will once again get a little marketshare.

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    • #3
      I've had an environment set up to build android x86 for a few years, but I've found it to be half baked. A lot of apps aren't built for x86. There does exist an arm emulator for andriod x86, but I've never been able to get an arm multilib to work with it. I can even build android for arm devices, but I never was able to get it working on actual hardware due to the OSS driver situation for arm devices.

      Andriod on a desktop sounds cool, but so far I have had little luck.

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      • #4
        Proprietary

        They can take their closed source proprietary software and shove it up their ass!

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        • #5
          Proprietary crapware.

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          • #6


            "... Our transition to Lollipop has opened the doors to taking Console OS open-source.... ... We expect in the first and second quarters of this year to complete that process."

            So until then, I'll just forget that it exists.
            Not sure what is meant when phoronix says "and Android x86 isn't panning out" ?
            I.e., there is no reason to assume that "consoleos" will work if androidx86 doesnt. In all likelihood, consoleos is just a fork of android x86 to begin with.

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            • #7
              Hi everyone, as the last reply mentioned, we are working on taking Console OS open-source.

              The big difference between Console OS and Android-x86.org is the closed-source drivers and frameworks. I'd compare it to Ubuntu vs Debian. Ubuntu includes proprietary drivers as an option, and when you enable it -- things work a lot better.

              So, we're giving people choice.

              Unfortunately, stakeholders in the industry have to get their heads around what we're trying to do - make Android viable on the PC, and then get them to the point of signing off on our technical plan to offer their frameworks and drivers in binary blob form.

              It's a process. And not an easy one. But we know the average Phoronix reader loves open source, and we love it too. We're moving as fast as we can on that front.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Christopher Price View Post
                Hi everyone, as the last reply mentioned, we are working on taking Console OS open-source.

                The big difference between Console OS and Android-x86.org is the closed-source drivers and frameworks. I'd compare it to Ubuntu vs Debian. Ubuntu includes proprietary drivers as an option, and when you enable it -- things work a lot better.

                So, we're giving people choice.

                Unfortunately, stakeholders in the industry have to get their heads around what we're trying to do - make Android viable on the PC, and then get them to the point of signing off on our technical plan to offer their frameworks and drivers in binary blob form.

                It's a process. And not an easy one. But we know the average Phoronix reader loves open source, and we love it too. We're moving as fast as we can on that front.
                I think you hit the nail on the head directly. But, this is where I think you go wrong, very wrong.

                "our technical plan to offer their frameworks and drivers in binary blob form"

                It's plainly obvious that proprietary drivers written for android have been traditionally bad, very bad. Most of them are only ever built for the one version of the kernel that hardware is shipped on, and then never updated or bug fixed. In almost every case there is no possibility to upgrade android or the kernel -because- of proprietary drivers.

                Advocating proprietary drivers is bad. Especially proprietary android drivers.

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                • #9
                  Well, we agree. And eventually we'll be able to give people choice between open and closed source.

                  Both AMD and Intel are open-sourcing their drivers. For various reasons, the Intel open-source driver doesn't work well with Android right now. These are short-term problems.

                  We have no problem with letting people use open-source drivers where they work. There is a big limitation that Android doesn't let you change drivers currently. We've told Google ATAP about this and they share those concerns (Project Ara, for example, will eventually require Android to have driver modularity).

                  Right now, we have to prove the market. We have to show that an Android game on an Intel Core 2-in-1 is actually more fun to play than a PC game on similar hardware. And it is. But we have to get a couple million people enjoying that experience before the industry will back us. Which is what the industry has told us. And that's led us to shipping Console OS early.

                  When we open-souce Console OS, we probably will offer a -open option that will pull in Mesa in place of closed-source drivers. But only where that will actually work. We can't fix everything.

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                  • #10
                    I know this might seem sentimental, but hear me out.

                    I think Linux should work everywhere for everyone. Right now the situation with andriod isn't even close to that. That's why I think advocating -for- OSS drivers is such a good thing.
                    Last edited by duby229; 24 February 2015, 04:33 PM.

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