China's first open source desktop operating system, OpenKylin 1.0, is released on Linux.
China's first open source desktop operating system, OpenKylin 1.0, is released on Linux. The software website states that 3,867 developers, 74 groups, and 271 enterprises contributed to the Linux-based OS.
OpenKylin is based on open source code, in this regard, users have the ability to modify the system at will. Windows and macOS are closed source, which makes it difficult to create modifications to these OSes.
A CGTN Digital writer tested OpenKylin 1.0 and pointed out that the software is very similar to Ubuntu, which was developed by the British company Canonical.
The creators of OpenKylin claim to have developed OpenKylin from the ground up by combining separate open source programs. Therefore, Canonical or other companies will not control the Chinese OS.
The UKUI OpenKylin 1.0 desktop environment was developed by the community. The system comes with pre-installed programs, including the WPS office suite, Firefox browser and video players. The OS has a digital store that features both Linux apps and Windows and Android solutions running through emulators.
OpenKylin runs on x86 computers, and there are PC versions based on Arm and RISC-V.
The head of the OpenKylin community, Zhu Chen, called the current version of the OS "a milestone." He noted that now users will be able to independently develop the OS.
OpenKylin is one of a series of operating systems named after the legendary creature of Chinese mythology, Kirin (Qilin). The name of chips for Huawei smartphones also comes from this name. Kylin OS can be found in PCs, servers and smartphones used in financial, energy and other fields. The Kylin OS series is used in China's space programs, including the Chang'e and Tianwen lunar and Martian missions.
The openKylin 1.0 OS currently supports X86, ARM and RISC-V architectures for PCs, tablets and educational development boards, meeting the needs of most individual users and developers! The ARM architecture has been adapted to Raspberry Pi, Cool Pi, Chillie Pi and other development boards, while the RISC-V architecture has been adapted to VisonFive2, HiFive, SG2042 EVB, Lichepi4a and Lotus2 development boards.
OpenKylin's main competitor is Deepin, a Wuhan-based enterprise that has also promised to create an independent open source developer community.
