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Comment by mtgx | Hacker News Reader

Then what exactly did they ever mean by "merging Chrome OS and Android" if Chrome OS remains a stand-alone OS, as well? And I'm not just talking about the recent WSJ article, either. They've mentioned the merger multiple times since Chrome OS first came out.

Either way, I could care less about the "merger" (which nobody seems to be able to define anyway), but I do care about them being serious about making Android a real competitor to Windows on the desktop, by taking advantage of the huge native app and developer ecosystem they have there (which by definition is non-existent on the browser-based Chrome OS).

In other words: keep Chrome OS or kill it. Whatever. Just get serious about Android on a PC. And please don't begin with the assumption that the tablet interface is enough for that - you know, like you just did with Pixel C? Like that. Don't do that!

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I don't think I've ever heard that from an official source. It's been rumored basically forever.

Same thing could be said about OSX and iOS. There have been rumors of the platforms merging for a long time.

Instead, they took some features of iOS and integrated them into OSX and vis versa. But they are still separate platforms.

I think with merging them together you run the risk of confusion that Microsoft had with WindowsRT and Windows.

I believe when Chrome OS was first announced it was rumored to replace Android on phones.

after having worked for 15 years in several BigCo-s here i'd suppose that there are a bunch of S/EVPs there and they do what they typically do - whenever they see 2 things walking and quacking similarly [in their non-very discriminant "big picture" opinions] they immediately, like Pavlov dogs, starts to salivate for re-organization and mull the words like "synergy", "duplication", "efficiency", "unification of user experience across the whole range of devices", etc... I mean it is obvious to anybody that these 2 OS-es have majority of similar components that can be made common between them (anybody in Chrome or Android reading that phrase - i'd understand if you choked on your coffee right now :)

> Then what exactly did they ever mean by "merging Chrome OS and Android"

They never said that. The WSJ said it, citing unnamed sources who were supposedly familiar with what was going on.

> They've mentioned the merger multiple times since Chrome OS first came out.

They've said a number of things in the past which suggested a either convergence or increased commonality over the long-term, but increased commonality has, in fact, been occurring, so its not inconsistent with that.

Media was spreading rumors as if it sounded official. There was never an official corroboration.

I don't know the first thing about it, but does App Runtime for Chrome seem like a viable way forward to you?

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