Is HarmonyOS Android or not?

These days, all my four mobile phones have been upgraded to HarmonyOS system. Mate X2, Mate 40 Pro, Mate 40 Pro+, P40 Pro. Actually, when I used it, I felt that there was no obvious change. Occasionally, I saw someone speaking fluently on Weibo, but I didn't feel anything anyway. Is it smooth? Was it stuck before that?

It's natural to show off my HarmonyOS system in Weibo these days. Then something strange happened. In my comment area, there are always two voices saying that HarmonyOS is Android or HarmonyOS is not Android.

I'd be surprised. Fortunately, the two partners of Photo Note are both developers. I don't understand. I can ask professionals. So from last night to now, the village party secretary and the monitor have been explaining to me. My mind is full of things. Finally, I sorted out the train of thought, and added a picture made by the branch secretary of Zhang Cun, which was as simple as possible but not necessarily rigorous for everyone to understand.

Is HarmonyOS Android or not?

Computer languages are 0 and 1, which is difficult for human beings to understand. So we need a language that humans can communicate with computers. So there was the assembly language and Unix operating system, and later there was the C language, which was the C language and Unix operating system. It can be said that all operating systems originated from Unix, and all languages originated from C.

But why don't we use this? Because it doesn't work.

So Unix, the operating system, is mainly divided into three operating systems.

The first one is Microsoft's, from DOS to Windows, drawing lessons from the thought of "tree" of Unix. Come down in one continuous line. From graphical operating system to graphical window.

The second one is an apple. Although it has experienced several ups and downs, it can basically be regarded as a variant of Unix. Created a lot on Unix system.

The third is today's protagonist-Linux. This is written by a young man named Linus, who thinks Unix is not easy to use. And it was completely open from the beginning. So through the joint efforts of thousands of engineers, it has finally become a powerful operating system.

What's the difference between the three? In short, if these three are regarded as countries. Microsoft is unified-the idea of "tree", and documents are like a plant, a tree, a person and a house, all of which must be registered in the country. Therefore, it is always easy to restart the whole country.

Apple and Linux are like confederate countries. For example, in the Spring and Autumn Period, everyone thought that they were Chinese culture and worshipped the Lord's Week, but a vassal state had its own problems. So there is a plug-and-play feeling. What's the procedure? Drag it in and you can use it.

Naturally, the latter two are more convenient and advanced, so everyone likes to use Linux as the operating system of mainstream servers and so on.

Next, let's talk about Linux. Because it is completely open source, different people have started magic changes according to their own needs. So there are three common Linux systems: Red Hat, Red Flag and Ubuntu.

We can regard these three systems as sons of Linux. The personality, physical strength and appearance of the three people are all inherited, or they have eyes, nose and mouth. All sons.

What about Android? Because it emphasizes mobility and ecology, magic change is bigger, so it doesn't look like Linux, just like Linux found a foreign daughter-in-law and gave birth to a hybrid. I really don't like it, but I'm still a son.

So you see, Windows has also made a mobile version, including Android and iOS. Basically, from the Unix branch of the system, it is on different roads, that is, different operating systems.

So HarmonyOS system is also based on Linux. Is it impossible to be independent from Android and become an independent operating system?

Not exactly.

Do you remember an operating system called Saipan? This is also a mobile phone operating system based on Linux. But Symbian and Android are two independent operating systems.

So if HarmonyOS system becomes a brand-new independent operating system, even if it is based on Linux, there is no problem.

So the question is, is the HarmonyOS system completely independent now?

The main components of Android can be divided into two parts. One is AOSP, which is the core of Android. The other is GMS, which is Google Services.

Let's talk about GMS Google service first, which is a set of things that Huawei banned from using in Android system before. In fact, to put it simply, GMS is based on Android and embedded in Google's own system. For example, you can use Google Maps, and you can use Google to apply the market. For example, you can use an account to log in to Google's various website applications-such as tubing.

So do you use Google Maps in China? I used something tacky. Do you use Google Market? Huawei market or vivo market is commonly used-because I use these two brands of mobile phones myself. As for the account, Google's website is inaccessible without a ladder. Domestic websites are basically WeChat or Alipay one-click login, or mobile phone number registration.

Therefore, for the vast majority of people in China, GMS is not used much. Huawei uses HMS instead, G of GMS stands for Google, and H of HMS stands for Huawei.

In fact, the mobile phones launched by domestic mobile phone manufacturers in China are basically their own service systems. You don't have to use GMS

The key is AOSP-the core of Android. This is the foundation of Android system.

Looking at HarmonyOS system again, the composition of HarmonyOS system can be seen as four parts: AOSP, HSM, Internet of Everything, and Full Scene.

As I just said, HSM is nothing In fact, domestic manufacturers basically have it. What does HarmonyOS mean by the distributed and all-scene of the Internet of Everything?

The Internet of Everything can be understood in this way. It turns out that your different kinds of devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, watches, computers … even refrigerators and rice cookers, are all different Android systems. Just like a device and a country, no one can understand each other. If everyone uses the HarmonyOS system. Ok, the robot cat took out the translation of konjac jelly! Everyone can understand each other. Communication will be much smoother.

What about the whole scene? Everyone is based on HarmonyOS system, so developing a software can adapt to various devices more easily. The development difficulty and development cycle are reduced.

These three are the differences between HarmonyOS and Android. The Internet of Everything is distributed, and the whole scene is more advanced in HarmonyOS than Android.

However, we focus on the mobile phone operating system. The basic AOSP of Android is something that HarmonyOS still hasn't got rid of. This key point is why many people question whether HarmonyOS is still Android.

We can see that AOSP only accounts for 65,438+0/4 of the four major components of HarmonyOS system, but in fact, AOSP can account for a huge real development. If HarmonyOS doesn't get rid of AOSP, from the strictest consideration, it can't be called a brand-new operating system on the mobile phone.

Why didn't HarmonyOS mobile phone system eliminate AOSP?

Actually, I think there may be two reasons. The first aspect is technical. In order to get rid of AOSP completely, it is necessary for people to continue building bricks and tiles. This can't be done overnight, and everything depends on Huawei itself. Maybe two years, maybe five years, maybe longer. Huawei needs to have a more open attitude and more mobile phone manufacturers and technology giants to build together. It's like building Android.

The second is market considerations. If you don't want AOSP at all, all Android apps may not be available on phones that have been upgraded to HarmonyOS. Even if every application provider immediately starts making HarmonyOS system applications, time is a problem. Since AOSP can upgrade HarmonyOS system without any discomfort, why not?

So does Huawei use AOSP and Google? Of course, AOSP is completely open source, not just Google's. Huawei has contributed a lot to AOSP for so many years, even a lot. Since it is a public domain, everyone can use it, and it is naturally no problem to use it casually. Not only legal, but also moral.

Among them, ART, the environment responsible for running Android programs in AOSP, was also replaced by Ark compiler by Huawei. Let the mobile phone directly understand the "advanced language", which can cover more languages, multiple chips and a wider range of scenarios. This is also the requirement of HarmonyOS system.

It can be said that AOSP is Android, but part of it is contributed by Huawei and part of it is hollowed out. Step by step. So when can it be completely replaced?

It takes time. It is not only the time of research and development, but also the time of establishing the whole ecology.

At present, many non-mobile phone products, if they didn't need AOSP before, can now use HarmonyOS system, and the lowest-level architecture can be HarmonyOS system or Huawei's LiteOS. This can be said to be a brand-new independent system.

These can be 8 or n in1+8+n.

However, as the center of this 8 and N- 1, the mobile phone system still needs to get rid of AOSP before it can be called a brand-new independent system.

Whether it can be done or not, only time really gives us an answer.

Most domestic mobile phone manufacturers have their own OS, but they are all based on Android magic. You can imagine it as a person who goes for plastic surgery. Make it look better. If it's deep, you may need to change some organs.

But no matter what, you are still this person. No matter how the magic changes, you are still Android.

HarmonyOS system, not only cosmetic surgery, but also organ transplantation, and added some new things, such as adding wings to this person. But most importantly, the HarmonyOS system is now undergoing genetic modification-gradually replacing AOSP.

If a person's genes are completely changed, he may be a completely different species. If an operating system gets rid of the previous genes, then this time it is a brand-new "big" operating system.

Although I don't think HarmonyOS currently has a brand-new operating system, it is still inextricably linked with Android. But at least on the road to establishing a new order.

If Linux-based operating systems such as Saipan are regarded as the first generation of mobile operating systems. Then Android is the second generation.

And HarmonyOS, if it really succeeds in the future, is the third generation ahead of Android.

So once the HarmonyOS system is successful, it will not be an equal brother with Android (I don't understand that Android belongs to the father of HarmonyOS system). HarmonyOS system is a brand-new species. If Android is a person, HarmonyOS can be regarded as an X-Men. Even we should regard HarmonyOS System 2.0 as the cub of the X-Men.

Foreign manufacturers will not give up the battle of three generations of operating systems to build their own X-Men.

Huawei HarmonyOS system has been far ahead of other brands. Therefore, it is really superficial to say that Huawei HarmonyOS system is an empty shell. It's bloody to say that HarmonyOS doesn't need Android at all.

HarmonyOS just wants to build a third-generation system better than Android.

I hope the HarmonyOS system can succeed, because it is our own after all. Just like China endured humiliation for so many years and got his own 5G technology. I hope HarmonyOS will become the world's leading independent operating system in the future.

Ps: I have been using HarmonyOS system for many days. Because there is no multi-device collaboration, and Mate X2 is inherently smooth. So I don't feel any special progress now. However, there is absolutely no retrogression. That's enough for us to get to the HarmonyOS system. This is just a lot of upgrades.

Thanks to the village party secretary and the monitor for helping me straighten out this logic since last night. For me, I know nothing about the operating system. They explained it to me first-although I didn't fully understand it. Then I'll try to make it clear to everyone.