It wasn't always so locked-down as it is today.

The OG Motorola Droid, for example: While it clearly wasn't a design intent, there was really nothing of any gravity to stop people from using it in any way they wished.

Rooting was a simple matter of running a hacked su command, and voila: One becomes root. The bootloader wasn't locked at all. Custom kernels and userlands were normal. It was a great little pocket computer to goof around with for anyone who cared enough to give it a swing.

Just install the "missing" su binary and...done.

At the time, I felt that this was a perfectly acceptable way to keep it working reliably for regular folk.

I have mixed feelings as well.

The security model of Android and iOS is vastly superior, and for "normal" users it is not so much of a problem if they don't have control they neither need nor want.

On the other hand, I obviously don't like it when I don't have control over my hardware. But what I hate the most is when the manufacturers prevent me from installing an alternative OS. I like being able to install something like GrapheneOS.

Also the fact that I'm forced (in practice) to use the Play Services is not really about the device being locked down.

>This looks like it will help a lot of students and families who are on a budget. If you can just plug your phone into a screen you do not need to buy a separate laptop anymore.

Except that android phones with display output are mostly flagships with flagship prices.

But 50 Euros on the used market got me a retired corporate HP/Dell laptop with 1080p screen, intel 8th gen i5 quad core, 8GB RAM and 256GB NVME on which I put Linux. Way better for studying and productivity than my android phone hooked up to the TV.

It's a nice feature to have as a backup in case my laptop dies, but I wouldn't daily drive an android phone as a desktop computer for productivity.

Android Chrome not having extensions is just a build option toggle. It doesn't have extensions because Google doesn't want it to, not for technical reasons.

I don't think this leak implies that (all/some) Android phones will get desktop projection. It just means that Android has a desktop OS and is likely replacing ChromeOS as has been rumored for a while.

How will this succeed where the Motorola Atrix failed way back in 2011?

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/03/the-motorola-atrix-4...

What makes a computer useful is the form factor (decent size screen, mouse and keyboard instead of touch controls) and having full control of the system. It has nothing to do with browser extensions.

Yeah and we’ll be forced to do this because nobody can afford computers anymore because of Ram and SSD prices because of companies like Google buying it all up at extortionist prices.

We’re going backwards by putting all of our compute back in the warehouse.

As Google's domination continues, the US and EU need to force mobile OS vendors to open up platforms for third party app installation without gatekeeping, deep menu toggles, or scare walls.

You already need a phone to pay for parking, order at residents, identify yourself with the government, etc. Two companies should not dictate essential life function interaction.

The monopoly grip on this is so tight that it's almost impossible to compete.

It will not survive. No point in maintaining both. Just costs money. Device management for mobile phones is also a huge point.

My educated guess: tablet/laptop hybrids with Android OS. Not that Apple has huge success with the same move

Unfortunately, it's just generally true that when a bunch of engineers complain about your UI, it probably will be well received by regular people.

Looks great. Hope the team polishes it up before release. The visual nits in shipping Google products make my eyes bleed.

> my concern is convergence computing will reduce the importance of desktop interfaces and the freedom we have to install whatever applications we want

Yep, it absolutely will I expect. All the pieces are being or have been laid to build the new world where only a "trusted" device will be able to use the internet. Us nerds can still have our Linux, but it won't work with much of the internet because we won't be able to pass attestation.

Building to that future is exactly what I would expect from Apple, but Google doing so has surprised me. Google doing so is also the thing that will bring it to pass, so there's a special seed of hatred for them germinating in my heart right now. Hopefully I'm just being alarmist and paranoid, but I really don't think I am.

Some Refs:

Web Environment Integrity: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_Environment_Integrity

Private Access Token: https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=huqjyh7k

>my concern is convergence computing will reduce the importance of desktop interfaces and the freedom we have to install whatever applications we want

The final nail was drilled into the coffin when a judge ruled Google a monopoly with Android a year or so ago.

You would think this is good but:

Apple was not found to be a monopoly with iOS. Why?

Because iOS doesn't allow any competitors, how can they be anti-competitive?

The judge explained this Google when they raised the issue, and just like that, Android wants to become iOS.

Good fucking job judge. 10,000 IQ ruling.

Yep, it is called a "lapdock" now.

That's already here. Android has native terminal in the developer settings and it even has a Wayland graphical environment. I have run Weston with a desktop chromium inside, playing a youtube video with sound.

What is currently is? As OS for home devices with a screen?

It appears ChromeOS is being killed and they're porting much of its feature set into Android. This may be marketed as "ChromeOS", with identical functionality, and consumers won't be none the wiser.