ROYOS

Abstract

Mobile phones are presently one of, if not the most indispensable electronic devices in the world. One is expected to always have a device that can send and receive calls and messages, listen to music, watch videos, play games, and in most cases, have a flashlight. Currently, in the mobile operating system market, there are two major key players: Android and iOS. However, this was not always the case. Twenty years ago, every cellphone had a unique operating system. Each device had a distinct approach to how to interact with the user and deliver the experience. This was because each company owned its own operating system, which it used to showcase its creativity in creating an environment that matches the design of the mobile phone. With a rise in the usage of Android as the primary operating system choice for the majority of the companies in the market, concerns regarding power consumption, control and cost implications need to be addressed. The thesis aims to analyse the problems that arise from using an operating system owned by a multinational tech giant and develop an alternative for it. The primary aim here is to dive into the specifics of what makes an Android phone consume so much space, whether these system apps are as essential to the performance of the mobile phone, and how much space can be done away with to make the smartphone take up less space by default and operate faster. The secondary aim is to make an operating system distro that is attractive to look at and easy to adapt to. And finally, the tertiary aim is to see how many other features can be added to the distro which Android conventionally does not offer. To achieve this aim, there needs to be a clear understanding of several topics. Primarily the research has to be on Android, from its origin, its concept, its rise in popularity, when and under what circumstances it was acquired by Google and later on, what major changes it has shown in terms of the features that it offered. Other than Android, other Linux-based operating systems owned by mobile phone companies that do not use the Android operating system in their phones, as well as mobile phones that do not use Linux-based operating systems must be explored to get a better understanding of how different the distribution of an operating system can be. While this shall be the general approach towards the secondary research of the thesis, the primary research will be done to get the perception of the end user and potential market for any mobile phones using a new Linux-based operating system distribution. It must be made clear over here that the project here is regarding an operating system distribution, and not the operating system itself. The difference between the two terms shall also be made clearer as the research progresses. In the end, the outcome has to be the operating system distribution with a workflow from the point of view of the user, as they are going to witness their first interaction with a device using the distribution.