China Aims to Replace iOS, Android with National Operation System

[IanDavis]

China Aims to Replace iOS, Android with National Operation System

The Linux-based "China Operating System" runs on everything from PCs to phones.

The initial Snowden leaks were like a massive omelet on the face of the NSA and the American government in general. Ever since, fresh info keeps leaking, like a busted sewage truck on the highway. Oops, they [a href=http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/17/22338261-us-germany-relations-hit-new-low-amid-nsa-spying-scandal-official-says]tapped[/a] the German Chancellor's personal phone. Oops, they [a href=http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-nsa-uses-powerful-toolbox-in-effort-to-spy-on-global-networks-a-940969-3.html]intercepted[/a] phones and laptops in shipment and bugged them. At this point, it's understandable for foreign nations to feel decidedly squeamish about using American tech. To that end, China announced that it'll be releasing [a href=http://www.china-cos.com/news/detail/news_id/18.html]COS[/a], the China Operating System, to replace Windows, Android, and iOS in one nationalistic swoop.

In a recent launch event, COS was announced as a tool to break the foreign "monopoly" on technology. The Linux-based operating system is the product of the Institute of Software at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISCAS) and the Chinese tech company Shanghai Liantong.

Not only will it not have NSA backdoors, but it'll be better too, at least according to the ISCAS chief. As reported on [a href=http://chinese.engadget.com/2014/01/16/cos-china-operation-system/]Engadget China[/a], iOS is too closed, Android is too fragmented, and Windows Phone is too insecure. How exactly COS fixes these issues isn't explained, and Chinese consumers aren't exactly thrilled. One Chinese citizen is [a href=http://qz.com/168120/the-communist-partys-answer-to-ios-and-android-gets-jeered-in-china/]quoted[/a] as saying: "What does COS stand for? COPY OTHER SYSTEM?"

Keep in mind that this isn't the first time that China has [a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPhone]attempted this[/a]. While I can totally understand its fears about the NSA, as far as the consumer is concerned, it looks like a pretty lateral move.

Source: [a href=http://tc.people.com.cn/n/2014/0116/c183206-24133631.html]People's Daily[/a] via [a href=http://readwrite.com/2014/01/17/meet-cos-chinas-answer-to-android-and-ios#awesm=~otmRTjqUbdyZjk]Read Write[/a]

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[Amethyst Wind]

while an interesting idea it wouldnt in any way have a backdoor for access to chinese government intelligence services now would it

Only for the safety of the innocent children of the first nation. Surely that is better than leaving them to find trouble? /Red bullshit

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

If it's not free, I bet most will stick with pirating Windows.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

I have a feeling this will operating system will not be very good.

The NSA backdoors will be replaced with Chinese governmental backdoors, frontdoors, and really big windows.

Also, China isn't well known for it's large workforce of great programmers.

 

[Thaluikhain]

while an interesting idea it wouldnt in any way have a backdoor for access to chinese government intelligence services now would it

Eh...allows people the freedom to choose if they want to be spied on by the US or China, which I guess is a plus. All the trendy people will want to be spied on by China, being spied on by the NSA is too mainstream.

 

[MysticMongol]

Makes sense for them. Do you want the operating system of your country to be easily hacked by your government, or by a foreign power?

 

[MysticMongol]

Makes sense for them. Do you want the operating system of your country to be easily hacked by your government, or by a foreign power?

 

[RA92]

It'll probably be named something like Brave Warrior Dragon Operating system or something.

 

[mysecondlife]

Chinese national anthem as default and only choice for ringtone.

It'll probably be named something like Brave Warrior Dragon Operating system or something.

The great wall of flying golden tiger as the anti-virus system

EDIT: and the sound of gong as alarm clock.

 

[Yopaz]

while an interesting idea it wouldnt in any way have a backdoor for access to chinese government intelligence services now would it

Nah, there won't be a back door. It will come with an open front door, a few open windows and a secret entrance, but no back door, don't be silly.

Eh...allows people the freedom to choose if they want to be spied on by the US or China, which I guess is a plus. All the trendy people will want to be spied on by China, being spied on by the NSA is too mainstream.

Pfft, China spied on me before it was cool. Now it's gotten all mainstream and such. I'm going to let NSA spy on me ironically now.

 

[Alexander Kirby]

I know that China just legalised games consoles, but despite that they seem to be getting yet more xenophobic. It's a shame they couldn't take one step forwards without another one back.

 

[marurder]

Chinese programs are notoriously insecure.
This isn't to protect itself against the NSA or 'foreign' agencies. But to get control over more data and users. Chinese agencies don't have easy access to Microsoft, Google, Yahoo etc. for information, and only those users IN China use the Chinese equivalents. this would be a step to increase control of information for those who regularly view non-Chinese material.
It would most likely be filled with software to monitor and automatically censor undesirable images, phrases and content (Re: Green Dam a few years ago.) Wouldn't touch this OS or even let it exist in my network.

 

[VanQ]

Are you sick of the US Government spying on you? We, the Chinese Government would like to offer an alternative. Let us spy on you! You don't want anyone spying on you? Too bad! Pick your poison and be glad we gave you a choice.

 

[an annoyed writer]

Like the others have said, this is more of a matter of control over their own citizenry type of matter than it is a security thing. To think that the NSA doesn't know how to exploit anything based on the Unix kernel and Linux family of operating systems is pure absurdity, and no amount of 'creative' coding will get them around the fact that it's still a programming language that the NSA is already familiar with.

 

[mindfaQ]

Instead of american spyware it will now contain chinese spyware . I don't really like big framentation of OSes if the same apps/programs are not compatible on the different systems. Makes it harder for the programmers to bring their program to all relevant platform and makes it harder for the consumers, since they have to put up with exclusivity crap.

 

[Xan Krieger]

Interesting choice, get the american programs and let us spy on you or get the chinese version and let them spy on you. I think it all comes down to whose intelligence service does more brutal interrogations. Given that choice I'd say NSA, I think China might've learned a few things from the KGB back during the Cold War and as everyone knows the KGB are beyond brutal.

 

[ShirowShirow]

It's funny how bare-faced about all this China tends to be. They ain't foolin' anybody, and I'm not sure if it's worse if they know that or think they're being clever.