Android Apps Now Unofficially Able To Run On Any Major Desktop OS

An anonymous reader writes A developer who goes by the handle Vladikoff has tweaked Google's App Runtime for Chrome (ARC) to allow any Android app to run on any major desktop operating system, not just the handful announced last week which were also limited to Chrome OS. His tweaked version of ARC is re-packaged as ARChon. The install isn't very straightforward, and you have to be in developer mode on Chrome. But there's a support forum on reddit. The extension will work on any OS running the desktop version of Chrome 37 and up as long as the user also installs chromeos-apk, which converts raw Android app packages (APKs) to a Chrome extension. Ars Technica reports that apps run this way are buggy, fast, and crash often but expresses optimism for when Google officially "opens the floodgates on the Play Store, putting 1.3 million Android apps onto nearly every platform."

Comments

If this works, then Microsoft is doomed.

[Anonymous Coward]

If this technology matures to the point that it's stable on every desktop OS, then the OS is reduced is reduced to simply being a platform for the chrome browser to run on to run Android Apps. That means

1. Developers gear their software to run on Android since that's where all the software and market is.
2. Microsoft becomes irrelevant as the things consumers want are the Android Apps, not the OS.

I don't think that means Microsoft will die completely, but I do think it means they become just another small player as there is no longer any vendor lock-in to their platform.

Re:If this works, then Microsoft is doomed.

[swillden]

If this technology matures to the point that it's stable on every desktop OS, then the OS is reduced is reduced to simply being a platform

Java did that years ago. Notice how it destroyed Microsoft?

Re:But.... WHY?

[Chas]

We keep telling you. Over and over again.

STOP USING WINDOWS!

But do you listen?

OH NOOOOO!

Re:Finally a universal binary standard

[Chas]

This is it; write once run anywhere has finally arrived.

Nononono. As always. "Write Once, Beta Everywhere".

Re: Please make this thing useful for development

[loufoque]

Just run Android for x86 if you don't want the overhead of emulating ARM...

Re:Finally a universal binary standard

[guises]

But why would you want to? The interface is completely different.

Re:Please make this thing useful for development

[ozmanjusri]

It is not designed for mouse so the result is a complete user frustration.

1. I've used Android apps with an external mouse on my Asus transformer, and found the experience reasonably sensible.
2. Don't forget the "nearly every platform" comment from TFA. Apps aren't currently designed for use with a mouse, but it doesn't have to stay that way. The Android app format is coming close to being the fabled "universal binary", finally giving developers the long-promised write once, run anywhere ability.
3. In light of 2. above, it isn't too hard to imagine a future UI toolkit that can sensibly switch between touch and pointer modes.

Re:Please make this thing useful for development

[segin]

It's worth noting that the Android API already provides methods and identifiers specifically for handling mice and styluses. see http://developer.android.com/r... and http://developer.android.com/r...

Re:Please make this thing useful for development

[SpzToid]

http://www.genymotion.com/

"Genymotion, the fastest Android emulator for app testing and presentation."

I used the free version just so I could see acertain app really work (www.flightradar24.com) and was impressed.

Re:Please make this thing useful for development

[obarthelemy]

Have you actually tried it ? I've got an Android **desktop**, and it's usable. Most apps understand mouse buttons and wheel; the lack of the usual sensors and touchscreen is only a problem in some games.
Things could be better: I miss keyboard shortcuts, right click for Back is silly, and zooming in/out seems to be up to the OEMs. But overall, it's more than usable.

Re: Please make this thing useful for development

[drinkypoo]

android-x86 is a bit of a dog's breakfast. They only kick out a release image every now and again, everything never works, lots of crashes. The latest 4.4 image is way less stable than the last 4.0 image they put out, and they stopped building nightlies and so did everyone else. It's really quite useless and always has been, because they never actually finish a release. Google kicks out a new version, they say "Ooh, shiny!" and they move on before they actually get the system working reliably or properly. Then you get to deal with all the apps that won't work right on x86 on top of that. It makes far more sense at this point to go ahead and run the emulator.