Yesterday, when I was browsing Zhihu, I saw a piece of news. I was actually quite shocked. I was shocked, but I also lamented that Huawei's courage is indeed very strong.
Recently, Huawei held the 2023 Huawei Developer Conference (HDC.Together). In addition to releasing HarmonyOS 4 and the newly upgraded Hongmeng development kit, Huawei also brought a developer preview version of HarmonyOS NEXT.
HarmonyOS NEXT is developed based on OpenHarmony, which can be said to be the real Hongmeng OS. According to the digital blogger "WHYLAB" hands-on experience, HarmonyOS NEXT is no longer compatible with Android applications. If you open an Android APK file, you will be prompted "Cannot open this file".
It is worth noting that the HarmonyOS NEXT system base is fully self-developed, cut off the traditional AOSP code, and only supports the application of the Hongmeng kernel and Hongmeng system.
This is how I see it.
Huawei adopts a four-step strategy for its self-developed system, a steady and progressive approach.
1.0 is an Android shell, 2.0 relies on Android, 3.0 hollows out Android, 4.0 can run independently, and NEXT removes Android.
What does that mean? We all know that building a system may not be the most difficult thing, the most difficult thing is to create a system ecology.
For example: Why is it difficult to replace the Windows operating system? It’s not that there are no other operating systems, but that the Windows system has a mature ecosystem. There are many applications based on the Windows system. Users are familiar with how to use these applications and have accumulated a lot of information and materials. Once the operating system is switched, these original Information and materials may not be compatible, and migration costs are too high. It's like office software.
In the same way, why are iOS and Android operating systems difficult to replace? Because after more than ten years of development, developers and users have accumulated a lot of things in these systems. Once the system is switched, it is difficult to start from scratch.
If Huawei Hongmeng is not compatible with Android at the beginning, it will be difficult to succeed, because most Huawei mobile phone users have used the Android system before. How to migrate the system and data in it under the premise of incompatibility? If Hongmeng is not compatible with Android, there are very few applications developed by the Hongmeng system at the beginning, which may not satisfy the user's experience and use. Will users still buy Huawei mobile phones?
Therefore, Huawei is taking steady and progressive steps. When its own ecological creation is relatively rich and mature, it is a wise step to abandon Android.
Sometimes, it is rare not to build a system, but to form an ecology.
Now that the traditional AOSP code is cut off, the system base is fully self-developed, and only supports the application of Hongmeng kernel and Hongmeng system. From the perspective of developers, the development cost may increase.
Do I need to develop two sets of codes? In the past, one set could be developed to adapt to the Hongmeng system and Android, but now it has to be developed separately for the Hongmeng system.
To achieve this and make it worthwhile for APP developers or developers to develop two sets of codes, the Hongmeng system must have a large number of users and the market is sufficient, so that everyone will spend money on development or Hongmeng will provide corresponding subsidies or incentives for developers Only then will everyone have the motivation to develop, otherwise, the number of apps in Huawei's mobile app market may drop sharply.
In any case, I feel that Huawei must have discussed countermeasures, or has enough courage to do so. Otherwise, this kind of behavior may hurt users, and it is not good for Huawei itself.
Judging from this operation, at least Huawei believes that the ecological foundation of Hongmeng has been built and improved.
What do you think of this incident?
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