China Pushes Adoption of Huawei's HarmonyOS to Replace Windows, iOS, and Android

[AleksandarK]

According to ChinaScope, an effort is currently underway to strengthen Huawei's HarmonyOS platform's presence. The local government of Shenzhen has unveiled an ambitious program aimed at supercharging the development of native applications for the operating system. The "Shenzhen Action Plan for Supporting the Development of Native HarmonyOS Open Source Applications in 2024" outlines several key goals to foster a more robust and competitive ecosystem around HarmonyOS. One primary objective is for Shenzhen-based HarmonyOS apps to account for over 10% of China's total by the end of 2024. To facilitate this, the city plans to establish at least two specialized industrial parks dedicated to HarmonyOS software development across various application domains.

Furthermore, the initiative calls for over 1,000 software companies in Shenzhen to obtain HarmonyOS development talent qualifications, underscoring the city's commitment to cultivating a skilled workforce for the platform. Perhaps most impressively, the action plan encourages eligible companies to ramp up their outsourcing services for HarmonyOS app development, with a lofty target of reaching 500,000 HarmonyOS developers. This would represent a significant influx of developer talent focused on the platform if achieved. The Shenzhen government's push aligns with China's broader strategy to reduce reliance on foreign technologies and promote the adoption of domestic alternatives like HarmonyOS. While initially launched by Huawei as a workaround for U.S. sanctions, HarmonyOS has since expanded to power many devices, including smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and TVs.



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[JasBC]

I still don't understand what HarmonyOS is even supposed to be. As far as I understand it the phone-component is basically just reskinned Android 12 or maybe even 11, while the watch-component is some RTOS-thingie and the vehicle-component I have no idea as to what it is. To my knowledge more and more of the Android-stuff was supposed to be engineered out (somehow) over time and replaced with HarmonyOS-specific components that should make cross-device interactions easier but I really don't get the jugling of what seems to not be a unified platform but a bunch of same-branded OSes. . .

TL;DR TF even is a "HarmonyOS"-program?

 

[LabRat 891]

I still don't understand what HarmonyOS is even supposed to be. As far as I understand it the phone-component is basically just reskinned Android 12 or maybe even 11, while the watch-component is some RTOS-thingie and the vehicle-component I have no idea as to what it is. To my knowledge more and more of the Android-stuff was supposed to be engineered out (somehow) over time and replaced with HarmonyOS-specific components that should make cross-device interactions easier but I really don't get the jugling of what seems to not be a unified platform but a bunch of same-branded OSes. . .

TL;DR TF even is a "HarmonyOS"-program?

From a *very* cursory bit of research:
It's like Google's ChromeOS-Android 'ecosystem'.

Notably, there's even HarmonyOS for Industrial use, like coal mining.

 

[Pooch]

This is an android OS. They have aspirations to replace all the other mainstream OS's because they want more control over the software and its ability to mine your information, with complete Chinese Gov. oversight. They actually praise big brother in that country.

 

[thesmokingman]

Much ado about nothing.

 

[A Computer Guy]

This is an android OS. They have aspirations to replace all the other mainstream OS's because they want more control over the software and its ability to mine your information, with complete Chinese Gov. oversight. They actually praise big brother in that country.

Why don't they just fork Linux and start from the ground up?

 

[Space Lynx]

Why don't they just fork Linux and start from the ground up?

Android is Linux I thought?

 

[Beginner Macro Device]

Android is Linux I thought?

A very butchered one.

 

[Double-Click]

Why don't they just fork Linux and start from the ground up?

Easier & cheaper to get out of the gate with preexisting framework I'd assume.
Part of the goal is to ditch reliance as quickly as possible, so it could also be a bridge-gap of sorts.

 

[zzd911]

Android is Linux I thought?

I thought Andriod is a Linux application to run Java applications.

 

[kondamin]

As much a mistake as opting for x64 over dumping the whole thing and starting anew

 

[dicobalt]

I'm sure the NSA is happy they have an easy target.

 

[KrazyT]

This is an android OS. They have aspirations to replace all the other mainstream OS's because they want more control over the software and its ability to mine your information, with complete Chinese Gov. oversight. They actually praise big brother in that country.

Yes, you're probably right, but the China's reaction is logical no ?
Why should they believe in US mainstream OS ?
Maybe they're thinking it's the US mainstream OS that currently mining their informations ?

 

[Prima.Vera]

HarmonyOS, or a 99.9% reskinned Android OS.

 

[Aleksandar_038]

This is an android OS. They have aspirations to replace all the other mainstream OS's because they want more control over the software and its ability to mine your information, with complete Chinese Gov. oversight. They actually praise big brother in that country.

Because actually in the rest of the world our data is perfectly safe. Never mind that the official politics of big-tech companies is data mining anytime and anywhere...

Does anyone really trust Google, Microsoft or Amazon?

Why don't they just fork Linux and start from the ground up?

Android is open source. What Google did from it should not even carry the same name. They forked an open-source project, not Google "abomination".

Thing is, I think Huawei never intended Harmony as PC operating system, so this change is... strange. For standard OS they indeed should have forked Linux (actually, they already have several forks).

 

[Crackong]

Use Android to replace Android ?

 

[micropage7]

Use Android to replace Android ?

maybe coz it done in mainland so they can check and build to meet their needs

 

[bencrutz]

HarmonyOS, or a 99.9% reskinned Android OS.

well yeah at the begining, but now, not really, though HarmonyOS 4 still have AOSP library to unpack .APKs, install & run them. HarmonyOS Next runs own self developed kernels and will only support native HarmonyOS apps .HAPs
Put it this way, if it's just AOSP they would not need to gather 500,000 HarmonyOS developers familiar with arkTS & changjie to support the ecosystem

 

[holyprof]

Proof that all of the Huawei products were, are and will be subsidized and controlled by the Chinese government. No way they could sell phones and other products at the same, and in many occasions way superior tech level than Samsung, Apple and Google, but at much lower prices.
I'd rather have my life controlled by the scummy capitalist mega corporations from US, UK, Japan, South Korea and other western countries than by the CCP.

 

[bencrutz]

Proof that all of the Huawei products were, are and will be subsidized and controlled by the Chinese government. No way they could sell phones and other products at the same, and in many occasions way superior tech level than Samsung, Apple and Google, but at much lower prices.

What do you expect? China support Google's Android? LMAO Off course they will support local companies. Much like US subsidized Tesla. And it's not like Huawei's phones are THAT cheaper than Samsung.

I'd rather have my life controlled by the scummy capitalist mega corporations from US, UK, Japan, South Korea and other western countries than by the CCP.

Yep, that's what they said about Boeing. And it killed 346 people

 

[R-T-B]

I thought Andriod is a Linux application to run Java applications.

Close, but not quite. They use the Java APIs at times but are not java apps. You can't just plug then into a java VM and run them, for example.

Yep, that's what they said about Boeing. And it killed 346 people

I mean lets not make this political, but the CCP deathcount would be the elephant in the room there.

Does anyone really trust Google, Microsoft or Amazon?

I trust them to do one thing: try to sell me shit. That's really all I'd expect them to do. All things considered that's not really that bad.

 

[bencrutz]

I mean lets not make this political, but the CCP deathcount would be the elephant in the room there.

political? why would anyone preferred to be controlled by any scummy capitalist mega corporations / governments?

 

[ThrashZone]

Android is Linux I thought?

Hi,
Even they don't want to sudo a bunch of gibberish

 

[R-T-B]

political? why would anyone preferred to be controlled by any scummy capitalist mega corporations / governments?

See? I would. I like my government (mostly). That's what makes it political. Now stop.

Hi,
Even they don't want to sudo a bunch of gibberish

Just root it and you can. Kernel is there, it's just a pretty face on top.

 

[bencrutz]

See? I would. I like my government (mostly). That's what makes it political. Now stop.

OK, your government is scummy and you loved it. No further discussion needed.