China planning to develop operating system to take on Windows, Android
China could have a new home-grown operating system by
October to take on imported rivals such as Microsoft Corp, Google Inc, and
Apple Inc., Xinhua news agency said on Sunday. [24th Aug 2014].
Computer technology became an area of tension between China
and the United States after a number of run-ins over cyber security. China is
now looking to help its domestic industry catch up with imported systems such
as Microsoft’s Windows and Google’s mobile operating system Android.
The operating system would first appear on desktop devices
and later extend to smart phone and other mobile devices, Xinhua said, citing
Ni Guangnan, who heads an official OS development alliance established in
March. Mr. Ni’s comments were originally reported by the People’s Post and Telecommunication
News, an official trade paper of industry and Information Technology “We hope
to launch a Chinese made desktop OS app stores,” Mr. Ni told the paper.
Some Chinese OS already existed, but there was large gap
between China’s technology and that of developed countries, he added. He said
he hoped domestically-built software would be able to replace desktop operating
systems within one to two years and mobile operating systems within three to five
years. In May, China banned government use of Windows 8, Microsoft’s latest OS,
a blow to the U.S. technology firm’s business, raising fears China was moving
to protect domestic firs. Microsoft is also under investigation for anti-trust
violations.
In March last year, China and Google had too much control
over its Smartphone industry via its Android mobile OS. Mutual suspicious
between China and the U.S over hacking have escalated over the past year
following revelation by Edward Snowden that U.S. intelligence planted “backdoor”
surveillance tools on U.S.-made hardware.
