Android re-engineered for PC. Meet Remix OS. | Hacker News Reader

Android re-engineered for PC. Meet Remix OS.

jide.com

51 pointslahdo17 comments

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Previous discussions:

140 days ago - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10886979

144 days ago - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10861334

Personally, I love the idea, but please double check the EULA before using - [1] is eyeopening.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10888760

I just don't really get why I'd want Android on my desktop/laptop. I can't imagine the interface being anything but clunky.

If you run a small business and don't need a full blown windows setup - nor want to figure out linux it's perfect. We have folks who come in and do work and all they need is chrome.

You can imagine slightly more complex work requirements, but remix (and chromebooks) fit the bill perfectly. And most importantly, they are cheap to setup and manage.

With more and more businesses using stuff in-browser, I have been wondering for a while if people will bother to continue paying for Windows seats

Say hello to ChromeOS, that has been aimed at this very issue for some years.

Never mind that moving forward, ChromeOS will be able to run Android apps.

Exactly. Why in the hell would one want to change their current non-google device into a 'playstore' portal ????? I just don't see it.

I would consider doing so to an XP machine.

But i would use Android-x86.

http://www.android-x86.org/

If you don't want to figure out Linux, why would you want to figure out Android hacked for desktop which it was not designed to do?

Access to popular applications that you and your staff are familiar with and can use anywhere on a plethora of other devices, potential simplicity compared to maintaining Linux on the desktop.

Android is surprisingly well tuned even out of the box for trackpad/mouse usage. And many interfaces are already tablet-optimised.

I'm not saying it's amazing, but it wouldn't take that much work for it to be usable.

And with Android N that work takes a big step forward.

By default any device have the ability to split the screen in two, and show apps side by side (apparently you can even have two Chrome "windows" up side by side, each with its own tabs).

And if the OEM so wants, they can enable floating windows, making Android behave very close to that of a traditional desktop.

I wanted it originally because Amazon didn't have a Kindle app for Linux. I could read in browser, but I thought this would be the easiest way to download and read.

It seems as if this is where mainstream Android is going, anyway. They may find a market in "retrofit" installations on PCs since I doubt Google would make an official PC release. But hardware like Pixel C is is going to be a better way to blend mobile and desktop computing.

I'll probably try it on an old laptop.

As Jide is a Chinese company based in Beijing, and as their OS is closed-source, I cannot see the means by which they can honor their statements on user privacy. I believe they simply don't possess such prerogative.

To be fair, many would now have the same concerns about US-based companies.

An entirely legitimate concern if you're in an EU member state or a place with superior protections.

While the EU may look at the US and think of how they have much better protections, both the EU and the US can look at China and see a difference of magnitudes. The standard EULA for companies operating in China already speaks volumes.

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