GEIS-新闻详情

China launches its first open-source desktop operating system as it moves to cut use of US tech

2023-07-16 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-亚洲原网页

BEIJING - China is ramping up efforts to wean itself off foreign technology by launching its first open-source desktop operating system (OS) last week, but it faces an uphill task getting its citizens to use it widely.

The OS, called OpenKylin and developed by state-owned China Electronics Corp – formed in 1989 to build home-grown semiconductors, software and telecommunications products – is aimed at replacing foreign-owned software that currently dominates the market. It did not set a timeline for achieving this.

The project is Beijing’s latest move to build greater self-sufficiency amid tech sanctions – such as those on Huawei and ZTE – over “national security” concerns by the United States.

The Chinese authorities had in 2019 ordered all government offices and public institutions to remove foreign computer equipment and software in three years.

“A lot of the major software, especially Windows, is controlled by US companies,” said Associate Professor of Computer Science Ben Leong from the National University of Singapore. “There is nothing stopping the US from passing some law to force US companies to stop support for China and Chinese companies.”

China is still a long way from dislodging the incumbents, such as Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s MacOS.

According to Statcounter, which analyses Web traffic, Windows accounts for around 85 per cent of desktop operating systems in China as at June 2022. MacOS has expanded its market share in recent years to about 8 per cent.

ST Asian Insider: Malaysia Edition Get exclusive insights into Malaysia in weekly round-up

Thank you!

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and T&Cs.

Beyond existing sanctions, the US has reportedly been mulling over further legislation to prohibit American investment in Chinese companies working on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

Officials at the launch of the Linux-based OpenKylin called for support from related industries to propel China forward as a technological power. Software that is open-source is meant to be publicly available for other users to help develop, encouraging greater use and innovation.

OpenKylin has a user interface that looks similar to Windows’, is available in Chinese and English, and has pre-installed apps such as the Firefox Web browser and a Chinese-developed office suite that works with Microsoft Word and Excel documents.

But the challenge is getting people to adopt OpenKylin, with the average computer user likely to be more concerned about whether the programs and apps he uses can work, than the OS itself.

One tech enthusiast who posted his experience on Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu demonstrated the OS’ touchscreen functions and its ability to run photo-editing software, but noted that there are bugs to be fixed.

China will need to create an ecosystem of software developers who can further make the software more alluring to users for this home-grown OS to gain traction, said Prof Leong.