The Chinese government is developing its own operating system, in a bid to oust ‘imported’ software from the likes of Microsoft, Apple and Android.
The unnamed desktop version is due for release in October with its own app store, independent of western companies, with a version for smartphones and tablets due in three to five years.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported via the state-run People’s Post that the Chinese Academy of Engineering software will replace rival programmes created in the west.
Through a statement published on the publication, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it aimed to replace Google’s Android and Microsoft software as the most used OS in the country.
Computer technology has become an area of mutual suspicion between China and the US after the NSA revelations and a number of cyber security rows, including allegations of state-sponsored hacking an
Microsoft is currently under a monopoly investigation in China related to the company’s Windows and Office platforms and its Windows 8 system was banned from government computers earlier this year.
The ban means the majority of machines in the hands of the Chinese government still run Windows XP, a system which is no longer operated by Microsoft.
‘Creating an environment that allows us to contend with Google, Apple and Microsoft – that is the key to success,’ Ni Guangnan from the Chinese Academy of Engineering was quoted as saying in the Guardian.
He also confirmed that China was looking to replace Windows XP from the country’s computers within 24 months, while research has shown it would take between three and five years to displace Android from mobile devices.
‘At present, China’s mobile operating system developers include more than a dozen companies, but they can’t be said to be based on independent intellectual property rights, using Android customisation.
‘You must change the past approach, instead of copying the previous model, integrate the resources accumulated in the past with a state-run unified operating system.’