The Android Runtime On Chrome OS Makes Use Of Wayland

[Brophen]

Since it's making use of Wayland, if Google open-sources this new ARC solution I can't see why a distro wouldn't include it. Hopefully this would incentivize the effort to make Android apps look nice on larger formfactors as well

[Hi-Angel]

Let's read together what I wrote.
"opensource orgs that work for ideals aren't exactly happy to toil to add a major closed-source app provider to linux."
closed-source app
app

What you wrote makes little sense, if at all: specifically for linux there's very little closed source projects that they're contributing to. I can name just a couple of extensions to Chromium, transforming it into Chrome.

Perhaps you meant something Android specific, then the point of the discussion is that its ecosystem is divergent of GNU/Linux one, and I was wondering why to not bring it here.

Sure there is F-Droid that is a FOSS store of apps, but 99.9999% of those that want to run an Android app they want to run a binary blob from the Google Store.

The idea is to make Android apps to run easily on GNU/Linux. As for market, that's not that big problem, there were apps allowing to download a binary from the market, and it would further evolve if there were interested users.

Probably, I should emphasize, why would anyone interested in these apps. I'm not interested, neither, probably you. But you're probably noticed, there are peoples interested in running Android on their netbooks, for whatever reason. This means that there're peoples, interested in those apps, so if GNU/Linux could run them, the peoples could've use that instead of Android on their netbooks.

[liam]

That's because Android is Google's stuff. There is no real monetary benefit in making a layer to run apps for Google, for free.
And the opensource orgs that work for ideals aren't exactly happy to toil to add a major closed-source app provider to linux.

Google's runtime for chromeOS is mostly open afaik, which allows people to just port it over and run it inside Chromium (Google doesn't really have any good reason to prevent that) https://archon-runtime.github.io/

That's not EXACTLY true, I think.
The incentive for Google to port their android runtime(and services) to other operating systems is the same as Google deciding to provide Android, and the rest of their services, for free.
It is bizarre, however, that no one has yet finished the work of porting the runtime to a nearly identical Linux base.

[JonathanM]

I guessed Compatibility Layer, I don't think CL has a standardized meaning in this context.

Thanks, that makes sense.

I'm somewhat Ok with that as Google is firmly a service-based company and has no intention to go other ways (i.e. start extortion businness with licenses). Service-based businness model is best for keeping stuff open, and more respectful of customer needs too.

Google isn't really doing anything wrong, but it seems to get increasingly hard to avoid using its (or Facebook's and Microsoft's) services or create something competitive to it. (Not that I've tried avoiding Google.)

[starshipeleven]

Sorry if I'm not adding much to the discussion, but what does CL mean? I hate not knowing what words mean...

I guessed Compatibility Layer, I don't think CL has a standardized meaning in this context.

I'm getting increasingly uncomfortable with googles power over the android ecosystem. Well, actually, it's getting too big and powerful in general.

I'm somewhat Ok with that as Google is firmly a service-based company and has no intention to go other ways (i.e. start extortion businness with licenses). Service-based businness model is best for keeping stuff open, and more respectful of customer needs too.

[starshipeleven]

Well, but aren't Android open source anyway? I'm actually wondering too why wouldn't some of GNU/Linux companies take over a project to run Android apps on GNU/Linux systems —

Let's read together what I wrote.
"opensource orgs that work for ideals aren't exactly happy to toil to add a major closed-source app provider to linux."
closed-source app
app

Sure there is F-Droid that is a FOSS store of apps, but 99.9999% of those that want to run an Android app they want to run a binary blob from the Google Store.

that would bring a big ecosystem with almost no efforts (as opposed to Windows/WINE efforts, and Windows not even free).

Note that wine is an independent project, and that it's parent company is selling a product also for OSX.

[JonathanM]

Sorry if I'm not adding much to the discussion, but what does CL mean? I hate not knowing what words mean...

Google's revenue comes from the store (ads and apps), why you think they opensourced this? Same as with Android. It's a trap to get others to expand their market, for free.

I'm getting increasingly uncomfortable with googles power over the android ecosystem. Well, actually, it's getting too big and powerful in general.

ell, but aren't Android open source anyway? I'm actually wondering too why wouldn't some of GNU/Linux companies take over a project to run Android apps on GNU/Linux systems — that would bring a big ecosystem with almost no efforts (as opposed to Windows/WINE efforts, and Windows not even free).

Android itself is opensource but the play store and google play apps and services are kinda mandatory to have these days. A lot of apps require that the closed source google play services are installed and enabled.

[Tomin]

It is rather a matter of a closed source, i.e. one can't install Turbo Dalvik wherever they want, and on whatever architecture.

Oh, I didn't know that. Phones are usually armv7, so what is the problem here?

[Hi-Angel]

Sailfish OS isn't probably major enough. And even there it's available only to phones sold with license and therefore none of the ports to other phones have it. And it must be installed from software store separately so not quite out of the box even with Jolla phone.

It is rather a matter of a closed source, i.e. one can't install Turbo Dalvik wherever they want, and on whatever architecture.

And the opensource orgs that work for ideals aren't exactly happy to toil to add a major closed-source app provider to linux.

Well, but aren't Android open source anyway? I'm actually wondering too why wouldn't some of GNU/Linux companies take over a project to run Android apps on GNU/Linux systems — that would bring a big ecosystem with almost no efforts (as opposed to Windows/WINE efforts, and Windows not even free).

[starshipeleven]

most likely google shutdown all this projects,

FYI: BSD license does not allow this. So far Google only has asked to not use "Chrome" in the name.

Google's revenue comes from the store (ads and apps), why you think they opensourced this? Same as with Android. It's a trap to get others to expand their market, for free.

maybe a CL for ubuntu touch was the solution for the lack of app's, at least some of them

Read what I said above. This is NOT what companies investing on Linux want.

With a good enough CL there is no more need to make native apps for Ubuntu Touch.