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Chrome OS is (Apparently) Merging with Android

✇OMG! Ubuntu!
Par :Joey Sneddon
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Consider this post apropos of nothing given that nothing has been formally announced, but it seems that long-rumoured merger of Google’s two operating systems is indeed happening.

Sameer Samat, who works at Google as president of the Android Ecosystem division that oversees Android, casually mentioned the merger in an interview with TechRadar, saying:

“…we’re going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform, and I am very interested in how people are using their laptops these days and what they’re getting done.”

OMG! being read on Chrome OS in 2011

Combining operating systems would mean the end of one, since they are fundamentally different. It’d clearly be ChromeOS; Android is the brand with marketshare and mindshare, and does most of what ChromeOS can (Android 16 added GPU-accelerated Linux VM and a terminal).

Rumours about Google rebasing ChromeOS on Android have been kicking around for years, stretching as far back as 2014 when Google created ARC as a way to run Android apps via Chrome as ‘extensions’ (something you didn’t need ChromeOS for).

So why is a merger only being confirmed now, over a decade later?

Samat namecheck Apple in his chat, the blurring of iPadOS and macOS, and the productivity synergy of the Apple ecosystem (by virtue of running on All The Things™ – things Android could very easily run on too).

Anti-trust actions on the horizon may also hasten a merger.

If Google is forced to sell off its Google Chrome browser—and what happens to the Chromium codebase is unknown since Google is the biggest financial and technical contributor, idk—it would complicate Google’s ongoing involvement and support commitments to ChromeOS.

Users can already install Android apps on Chrome OS, but they run in a tightly-integrated subsystem and container (ARCVM). Users can also choose to enable Linux Developer mode to access a Debian-based container to install Linux apps on Chromebooks.

Why am I mentioning this news on a blog dedicated to a specific Linux distribution? Should I not blow the dust off mothballed sister-site1 OMG! Chrome and write about it there instead?

Ubuntu is not an island, and splashes made within the wider Linux ecosystem do ripple out. Plus, the news may still be of interest more generally. Google is a key contributor to Linux kernel development, and each new kernel release adds or improves support for Chromebook hardware.

In the early days of ChromeOS, Canonical was contracted to provide engineering support as ‘Chrome OS’ (back then, the brand used a space) was initially based on Ubuntu (‘Google OS’, the search giant’s internal system, was also Ubuntu-based).

Phasing out Chrome OS and Chromebooks in favour of a desktop-friendly Android OS with better desktop-style multitasking could lead to a glut of newer, cooler Linux-friendly hardware on the market (whether said hardware can be made to run regular Linux, unknown).

So Chrome OS is a Linux-based desktop operating system. It runs a (heavily-patched) Linux kernel, but it uses a read-only, signed system image and atomic updates from a single, Google-maintained source. There is no end-user package manager, heavily restricted shell access, and a custom desktop.

It is not what I class a Linux distribution, but other opinions are available2 ;)

Arguably, if this merger happens—no timelines, dates, other details have been revealed—it is overdue.

Chrome OS is directionless and without purpose. What began as a low-cost, thin-client and web-first OS has snowballed into a hodge-podge of containers and conflicting user experiences in an effort to appeal to everyone.

Chromebooks run web apps, Android apps and Linux apps, but none best-in-class.

Most Android apps are designed for phones; Linux apps behave, run and look better on a proper Linux desktop; the simplicity and opportunity of a web-focused OS is diluted by tacked-on subsystems running non-web apps.

In a sense, there is no point to Chrome OS: Android does everything Chrome OS, but better; Chrome OS does some of what Android does, but worse.

Being subsumed into a unified, more coherent Linux-based OS (even if it is more Android than Chrome OS) is clearly the smarter move — should this melding of machine systems happen, of course. Google does have a habit of having—or buying—a good idea only to fudge it.

  1. For those who don’t know, I launched a spin-off of OMG! Ubuntu called OMG! Chrome that ran between 2011 and 2016 (sporadic posts thereafter as my enthusiasm for Chromebooks waned). ↩︎
  2. As is Chrome OS Flex, which anyone can download to install Chrome OS on modern-ish Intel and AMD-based PCs and laptops. It lacks some of the more appealing features found in the mainline version preinstalled on Chromebooks, like Android containers. ↩︎

You're reading Chrome OS is (Apparently) Merging with Android, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

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Rio is a Fast, WebGPU-Powered Terminal for Ubuntu

✇OMG! Ubuntu!
Par :Joey Sneddon
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Terminal emulator apps: ten-a-penny on Linux, right? All major Linux distributions (Ubuntu included) preinstall one, and most command line aficionados are loyal to their preferred client.

Because yes, every terminal emulator runs commands and displays output. They do the same thing in at first blush, which makes switching or swapping feel less urgent. Yet implementation choices, be it language and toolkit or convenient integrations, suit some more than others.

I often cover new or updated terminal apps, like Pytxis (the new terminal app in Ubuntu 25.10), speed demon Ghostty, and AI-infused agentic terminal-cum-IDE Warp.

Rio is yet-another terminal emulator that Linux (as well as Windows and macOS) users make kick the tyres on. Although not new—first release was in 2023—Rio was updated recently, and an even bigger update on the way.

Since I plan to cover that release when it lands, I ought to spotlight the who, what and why first.

What Makes Rio Different?

Rio on Ubuntu 25.04: split panes, background blur

Rio is described as a Rust-built, hardware-accelerated terminal emulator powered by WebGPU (itself, notable) with a focus on being “fast and efficient“. On Linux, it works with both Wayland and X11, and offers native ARM64 builds for Pi users.

It’s the use of WebGPU that makes Rio a little different. WebGPU is a new web standard and JavaScript API that lets web developers build apps which can use the underlying system GPU for computational tasks, as well as fancy graphics.

Of course, Linux isn’t short on hardware accelerated terminal apps these days either.

Rio carries a crop of features more advanced users will appreciate such as font ligatures (where characters like -> are combined into a single glyph →), terminal splits (multiple panes in one window), and iTerm2 and Kitty image protocol support.

Rio also reuses code from the legendary Alacritty for its ANSI parser, events, and grid system, plus borrows a few features, like a toggleable Vi mode.

Much like the carnival, the Rio terminal brighter look will be pleased to hear the terminal emulator supports themes and transparency (with or without background blur. On Ubuntu you need to install the Blur My Shell extension to see blur in action).

It also has a couple of novel (or gimmicky, depending on your viewpoint) features like being able to apply RetroArch shaders, if you fancy CRT-style aesthetics, and it handles the Sixel protocol for in-terminal bitmap images.

Rio Relies on Keyboard Shortcuts

Rio terminal config.toml file contents being shown in the Text Editor app.
Get used to using the keyboard – to navigate, and to configure

Rio is a cross-platform app so there is a hit to cohesiveness (a USP of the Ghostty terminal is that it uses native tool, despite also being cross-platform) versus native terminal tools.

Designed to be used with a keyboard, you also won’t find (m)any right-click menus in Rio and to customise the app (e.g., theme, behaviour, keybindings, default directory, etc) you need to edit the configuration file in a text editor as there’s no in-app preferences dialog.

Thus, using Rio requires learning a (fair) few keyboard shortcuts to get the most from it. The full list of key bindings on the Rioterm website is worth checking out, but here are few handy ones to swot up on off-the-bat (for Ubuntu):

  • Shift and Ctrl and R – creates a right split
  • Shift and Ctrl and D – creates a bottom split
  • Ctrl and D – closes the focused split
  • Shift and Ctrl and T – opens a new tab
  • Shift and Ctrl and ] or [ – switches left/right tab
  • Ctrl and - or + keys – change font size

Is it possible to resize splits in Rio? Per the list of keyboard shortcuts, no — for now, anyway!

How to Install Rio on Ubuntu

The purpose of this app spotlight is not to convince you to switch wholesale from what already works for you, but make you aware of choices – if not for you directly, so you can recommend and share the knowledge on with others.

While raw CLI utility can be had from a TTY, extra bells and whistles are appreciated by many. And for those whose command-line heavy workloads may benefit from the WebGPU speed, Rio is worth checking out.

Rio is open source software available for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Its cross-platform nature should make it appealing to developers who routinely move between different operating systems.

As Rio is on Flathub, it’s easy to install on a wide range of Linux distributions. Ubuntu users may prefer to download a DEB installer from the Rio GitHub. The DEB will not add an APT repository, so you will not receive automatic updates.

Have you tried Rio? Share your experience with it — or any of its rivals — down in the comments!

You're reading Rio is a Fast, WebGPU-Powered Terminal for Ubuntu, a blog post from OMG! Ubuntu. Do not reproduce elsewhere without permission.

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