
HongMeng OS Is Huawei’s Alternative to Android (Rumor) - StudentStuff
https://www.cnx-software.com/2019/05/21/hongmeng-os-is-huaweis-alternative-to-android-rumor/
======
rgbrenner
That doesn't really seem like a solution to the problem. The problem is that
they aren't getting access to the Google play store, and lose access to a
large supply of android apps.

If they just used the open source version of android, and added their own
store (which they've been working on [0])... then android developers could
just submit their app in both places.

But changing the OS, would likely mean developers would need to develop a new
version of their app just for HongMeng... making the problem an even larger
obstacle.

0\. [https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/21/18633772/huawei-app-
galle...](https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/21/18633772/huawei-app-gallery-
google-play-store-rival-trump-ban)

~~~
petecox
> android developers could just submit their app in both places

Except for US entities barred by the same government decree. Users of many
popular online services from ride sharing to social media would be forced to
use the mobile web interface.

------
duxup
>A professor led the Huawei operating system team to develop a proprietary
operating system – Hongmeng. The operating system has been optimized for Linux
(open source), and has been used in Huawei mobile phones (safety part). In
addition, the project also won the first prize of the Ministry of Education
Technology Invention (2018), the second prize of the National Technology
Progress (2012), and strive for csranking as soon as possible before entering
V. Prepare to declare the 2020 National Technology Progress Award.”

Not much data there.

An Android fork seems to be the assumption of the masses as far as anything
going in another direction....but a possibility whole new OS would be a big
undertaking I would think.

This just sounds like a research project, possibility one of many.

------
ethbro
As far as geopolitical cybersecurity plays go, making a lot of Chinese phones
run an OS written by Huawei is insidiously brilliant for a potential attacker.

Assuming the Huawei UK reports about internal code practices are to be
believed...

~~~
duxup
Brilliant, as more difficult, or easier for an attacker?

Personally I'm not sure an in house OS is necessarily more and I'd guess
possibility less secure.

~~~
ethbro
[https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/03/28/hcsec_huawei_oversi...](https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/03/28/hcsec_huawei_oversight_board_savaging_annual_report/)

~~~
duxup
Sounds about right.

Even trying, doing it securely would be hard.

~~~
ethbro
I'd probably say "precise."

In the sense that precision takes time and money, but mostly the former.

Starting on a Linux base gets them a lot of time saved, but as soon as they
start having to write custom code (and they'll have to write a lot of it to
re-adapt Linux to mobile systems) they're back in the same boat.

Essentially, mythical man month. There's no amount of programmers you can
throw on a project to produce a secure, complex OS in a week's time.

Extrapolate to Android still making major security rearchitectures after a
decade? Good luck starting back on Step 1 of _that_ journey.

------
stefan_
I flagged this because it's blogspam whose primary source is chinglish
garbage.

> been optimized for Linux (open source)

> used in Huawei mobile phones (safety part)

------
tbrock
Without Android, Huawei is as good as dead in terms of being a competitive
handset manufacturer. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to purchase a phone with
“HongMeng OS” given the technical/security concerns, lack of apps, and general
unfamiliarity of the OS to most folks.

At one point a phone was a phone was a phone, but today the app and messaging
ecosystems are everything.

