Background information

Remix OS - Android for your PC

22.11.2016

Translation: machine translated

The phone in your pocket is almost as powerful as the computers sold a few years ago. These devices still work perfectly, which is logical proof that they could perform the same functions. Operating systems pose mutual problems. Only Windows has managed to run its operating system on both devices. Until now, that is. Thanks to Remix OS, developer Jide has now made it possible to install Android on a PC.

My laptop is nothing like it used to be. For, instead of Windows or one of my Linux virtual machines, I have before my eyes a screen that reminds me familiarly of that of a tablet. The device is currently running Remix OS. Remix OS, with its slogan "Android for your PC", is the talk of the town. The user experience so far has been very pleasant. I feel like I'm using Android, the only difference being that I have a keyboard I can type on.

After installation, Remix OS doesn't look all that different from Windows. Except that the device runs on a 64-bit Linux kernel, and is also strongly reminiscent of Linux. It doesn't take long to find the answer to the question of whether developer Jide just copied a Linux and made it look like Android, or whether he took an Android and transferred it to the PC. Because where the 'Start' button is normally located in Windows, Remix OS has a 'Jide' logo instead. Clicking on it brings up the 'Play Activator'. This is probably the most striking feature of the operating system, which also has Jide's own App Store.

Android for PC

From a technological point of view, if I'm not mistaken, Remix OS tricks the operating system into thinking that, along with a laptop or PC, it is in fact a tablet to which a peripheral has been connected. This is particularly ingenious, as Android has been able to connect peripherals for some time now. I come to this hypothesis because the display of tablets is always part of the software settings. What's more, the keyboard settings are accessed via the same options as the normal Android software keyboard, which reinforces this hypothesis.

It is difficult to recognise the architecture of Remix OS, given that the source code, unlike the sister project Android-x86 is not openly accessible. But Android x86 and Remix OS are so closely related to each other, that during the latter's boot sequence, the Android x86 symbols appear, and it is then assumed that the projects are largely similar. Android 86 is a project that attempts to transfer the ROM from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) to PCs and laptops. So ultimately it's an Android version that runs on a PC.

Look and Feel

In the background, a man at the top of a hill facing a valley, to the left of the icons, also in the taskbar, a button at the bottom left. This button opens a Start menu, just as we are used to on Windows. The station at the bottom of the screen, to which macOS has become accustomed, has completely disappeared. But that doesn't mean it looks like Windows, because the windows are more reminiscent of Linux desktop environments such as KDE or Gnome. Or more reminiscent of Android. Even though the black bars at the top of the applications, which offer the usual 'Minimise', 'Full Screen' and 'Close' functions, look a little like a Windows window, they're still a little too familiar.Close" look a little strange and break with Google's ingenious hardware design, there's no denying we're in the presence of an Android system.

So it makes perfect sense that Google applications have been installed on this operating system. You can technically access not only all the apps on offer in the Google Play Store, but also an App Store provided by developer Jide. The purpose of this second App Store is to make up for the many shortcomings of the Play Store and extend its limits. In order to install all your applications in the most flexible way possible, you can, as a super-user, grant privileges to the Jide App Store indefinitely - Remix OS is clearly a kind of rooted Android.

Spotify, YouTube, Google Docs, SBB Mobile Preview... They're all here. And that's a huge advantage you have over whatever operating systems are currently available. Given that in recent years companies and organisations have placed more and more emphasis on mobile app development and consequently neglected this outside of websites, installing this mobile app on the desktop is therefore very strongly justified.

Advantageous touch screens

When using applications, we notice that Remix OS works best on a computer with a touch screen. The touchpad is extremely sensitive and cannot be adjusted in the current version 3.0.206. The mouse pointer speed can and should be adjusted in Settings → Language and Input → Pointer Speed. If you find that your clicks are happening too quickly, you can simply connect a mouse to your laptop. Or become more skilled than I am myself.

This has also been recognised by our product manager and can be avoided with devices from Italian manufacturer e-tab, the first devices to run Remix OS natively. The tablet, which comes with its own keyboard, not only has more physical buttons, but also a touchscreen. This means you can make full use of Remix OS.

Notebooks

e-tab Pro WiFi Dual OS

10.10", 64 GB, 4 GB, Intel Atom x5-Z8300

Notebooks

e-tab Pro LTE Dual OS

10.10", 64 GB, 4 GB, Intel Atom x5-Z8300

Tablet keyboards

e-tab e-keyboard

e-tab Pro

Notebooks

e-tab Pro WiFi Dual OS

Notebooks

e-tab Pro LTE Dual OS

Tablet keyboards

e-tab e-keyboard

Contrary to the test I carried out on my laptop, the e-tabs work on Remix OS 2.0. However, I tested version 3.0 of the operating system, as this is the latest version offered as a free download by Jide. The difference between the versions is quickly described.

Remix OS 2.0 is based on Android 5.0, which is Android Lollipop
Remix OS 3.0 was created based on version Android 6, also known as Android Marshmallow

The differences in operation can be counted on the fingers of one hand and are destined for a thorough examination of the operating system without much consequence. Because, if you remember correctly upgrading your mobile phone from Lollipop to Marshmallow, the difference in operation was small.

The benefits of gesture-based control are clear: in the spirit of Zero UI - a software design movement, where the aim is to make human/computer interaction more natural - the mouse function is bypassed and replaced by natural gestures. Want to launch an application? Just press the button. Want to scroll? You simply push the image in the direction you want it to move. So it makes the operation really intuitive, even though we've got used to operating with the mouse over the last few decades.

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However, even without a touchscreen, Remix OS is very easy to use. The mouse buttons work in the same way as in Windows and macOS, including the scroll wheel and right-click. The only significant difference is that an image cannot be moved by left-clicking. Otherwise, the differences are marginal and already familiar from Android. Only familiar keyboard commands such as the "Space" key, the Play/Pause function in Spotify or the "j", "k" and "l" keys as well as the navigation keys and Play/Pause buttons in YouTube no longer work.

Functions of the future

Where Remix OS can undoubtedly score points is on its multitasking predisposition. Of course, Windows can do it too. So can MacOS. But apart from the windows, which are all open by default in portrait orientation in a familiar mobile phone look, the variety of applications on offer makes life extremely simple. At the moment, I'm looking at this document in Google Docs from a video blogger called Boris, who shares with me the intricacies of a Slavic buttered loaf and the associated consumption of alcohol.

Boris aside, operating under Remix OS is a throwback to the 1990s, while nonetheless looking to the future. When you look at the development workflows that were previously mentioned in software development, it becomes clear that the focus is on Internet applications, i.e. applications that can be launched from a browser. These are delivered in the form of plug-ins, extensions or equivalents on the site, and promise to simplify everyday life. In recent years, operating systems have generally been designed to open a browser and then launch an application. Productivity can suffer enormously.

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Remix OS is taking a step back into the past by once again separating applications and browsers. With Android, the developers at Jide have thus found a good platform, which already offers a varied range of applications from all over the world and uses the browser only for surfing. Interaction is usually optimised via a separate application. It's a lot of fun to use.

Heritage of small screens

The only obvious weaknesses lie in the great strengths of the old competition from Microsoft and Apple. Interoperability between applications leaves a lot to be desired. In the test, it was shown that the drag-and-drop functionality between applications is extremely limited.

An example: if I want to upload a file, say a screenshot from the Remix OS desktop to my Google Drive, I can't drag and drop it into the browser as I used to do from the desktop version of Chrome. To download the image, I have to find it in File Manager, open it and share it with the Drive app using "Share with".

While this isn't particularly complicated, it does create a break with the otherwise intuitive Android app base. Generally speaking, there's nothing particularly complicated about Remix OS, but it's often just different. Sometimes these new functions interfere with the usual operations of other computers.

Although Remix OS is a complete operating system that works between well and very well on PCs, no one can dismiss out of hand the fact that it was originally invented for small screens. The problems with drag and drop are just the most prominent outgrowth of that legacy.

A big step into the future

Remix OS feels like it belongs to the future With Android, Jide developers not only have a solid application framework on their side for all screen sizes - from big TVs to watches - but also the future. With Android, you've chosen an open, modern infrastructure that enables development and scalability. What's more, I've noticed that many features that are still present on Windows and Mac only for historical reasons are no longer there. Remix OS has taken the best features of other operating systems - from ALT + TAB to application switching - and integrated them quickly. Native support for touch screens and therefore gestures and not just standard movements is a small revolution for PCs and laptops.

I personally miss the ability to use the operating system without any mouse. This is just a peculiarity on my part, but I find that the mouse makes me slower at handling a computer, which is why I often work with keyboard shortcuts. These no longer work in most cases, which I think is quite a shame.

Is Remix OS the killer of Windows and Mac? Is it the future of operating systems? No, its development is far from complete, but 95% of the work has already been done. Jide now has to work in depth on the detailed functions of the operating systems and adapt the best features. The user, for his part, will have to adapt to the new habits and customs. Although Remix OS is intuitive and pleasant to look at, it still doesn't work exactly like Android, Windows or Mac OS.

My conclusion: go and check it out for yourself!