Is Xiaomi ThePaper OS an Android shell? Or is MIUI changing its name?
Many people with no technical background debated endlessly on the Internet, but could not come up with a clear result. In fact, Mr. Lei, a programmer, has given a very professional and precise definition.
ThePaper OS is based on the fusion of deeply evolved Android and their independently developed Vela system, completely rewriting the underlying architecture and preparing a public base for the Internet of Everything for tens of billions of devices and tens of billions of connections in the future.
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First of all, "based on deeply evolved Android", which means that it is based on Android AOSP, which is beyond doubt. Mr. Lei directly and generously admitted that it is understandable for both Huawei and Xiaomi to use the Android ecosystem, and this is not a shameful thing.
So why is Hongmeng so controversial? Because Huawei defined Hongmeng in 2019 as a distributed operating system based on microkernels. However, four years have passed, and the microkernel still only appears in TEE. It has not yet been implemented on REE, and it is very likely that the microkernel will not even be implemented in next year's Next.
The Hongmeng OS3-4 that everyone is using now is also based on Android AOSP. So in essence, the early development routes of Xiaomi's Thermal OS and Hongmeng OS are almost the same. They both started based on Android. The difference is that one company is suspected of intentional confusion. Everyone has not eaten the pie they painted in 19 years.
The other company has a lot of publicity. You can say that Xiaomi has learned its lesson and stopped making false claims. In fact, it is mainly because of Mr. Lei’s own technical quality.
Mr. Lei himself has a technical background and is one of the earliest programmers in China. He participated in the entrepreneurship of Kingsoft Software as soon as he graduated. Now Kingsoft WPS has long become the leader of domestic office software.
MIUI, which was created after Xiaomi was founded, was also one of the earliest Android releases in China. There is no doubt about the technical background of Mr. Lei and the Xiaomi team.
Then look at the later sentence of "completely rewriting the underlying architecture" of the "self-developed Vela system", which caused widespread controversy.
Among them, the word "self-research" makes people question the meaning of Android. Is Vela considered to be self-developed by Xiaomi?
This is easy to verify. Vela is based on the NuttX open source project, and many systems such as various desktop distributions of Linux and Huawei's Open Harmony standard system are also based on the Linux open source kernel. These are all open source, can’t they all be called self-research?
Let us judge by the same standard. Apple has a well-known project LLVM, which is a compiler framework that supports all Apple devices currently on sale.
LLVM was not originally owned by Apple, but was an academic research project at the University of Illinois. Apple has invested huge resources in optimizing LLVM and using it on its own devices. So, does LLVM count as self-developed by Apple?
Looking at Google, Android was originally an operating system developed by a small team for cameras, and was later adapted for mobile phones. Google acquired the entire Android team in 2005 and continues to invest. Today, Android has become the world’s largest mobile phone platform. So, does Android count as self-developed by Google?
Similarly, let’s look at Xiaomi. NuttX is an open source RTOS project. Xiaomi began to develop its own IoT products based on NuttX in 2017, and gradually evolved into Vela.
Xiaomi has invested a lot of money and manpower in NuttX. The founder of NutaX made a special trip to Beijing to hold a meeting with Xiaomi personnel in 2019. Xiaomi’s engineer Xiao Xiang is now the second largest contributor to NuttX. So, do Vela and NuttX count as Xiaomi’s self-research?
Through these examples and my explanation, my point of view is: self-research is not something that is said with words, but is made with money and hard work.
I have the impression that Apple has almost never said that LLVM is developed by Apple itself, but no one can deny Apple's influence on LLVM.
In the same way, AOSP is dominated by Google. As for Huawei, Open Harmony is led by Huawei, and no one questions it.
Back to Xiaomi, NuttX is currently dominated by Xiaomi, who has the final say who provides the money, who provides the people, and whoever has the final say. This is very simple.
Therefore, I think it is not an exaggeration to think that Vela is self-developed. Xiaomi began developing its own Vela system in 2017. Since then, millions of devices have used the Vela system. Xiaomi ThePaper OS has absorbed the best parts of Vela, and its vision is commendable.
In the last part, they completely rewrote the underlying architecture and prepared a public base for the Internet of Everything for tens of billions of devices and tens of billions of connections in the future.
Perhaps we are a little tired of hearing the term Internet of Everything, but in this direction, Xiaomi and Huawei have chosen the same path, which is undoubtedly the same thing.
The tens of billions of devices and tens of billions of connections in the future will find a common language here, communicate with each other, and understand each other, forming a public base for the interconnection of all things.
We can interact more deeply with the world through mobile phones, computers, smart homes and other devices to achieve a smarter life. This is the wonderful future that the Internet of Everything brings us.
The most important thing is to completely rewrite the underlying architecture. MIUI has made huge changes to Android, so much so that many programmers hate MIUI because it requires special adaptation.
Xiaomi's ThePaper OS will definitely inherit the achievements of MIUI this time, but the key is how to integrate Vela technically.
Recently, Xiaomi ThePaper OS also released an official architecture diagram to answer some questions. However, from a professional point of view, it is still a bit unfinished. We still need to wait for Xiaomi to provide more information, and wait for Xiaomi 14 with Xiaomi Pascal OS to be available to everyone before we can have a definite answer.
Finally, let’s explore the new interface of HyperOS in depth. The similarities between this interface and iOS are striking. Many apps have been redesigned to resemble iOS, so what exactly does HyperOS bring us? Is it worth waiting for a new interface?
Through my personal experience, I found the following key points: lock screen customization, redesigned apps, and optimizations from Android 14, which make it a very good user interface.
First, HyperOS has introduced sweeping changes to the design of applications. This design highlights the similarities with iOS. Xiaomi has been trying to imitate Apple's look for years. But with HyperOS these days, you almost feel like you're using an iPhone. You can get a feel for this first through HyperOS's Control Center.
The first aspect that is completely different from MIUI 14 is the new design of the control center. This design looks very stylish and beautiful, and is very similar to iOS. It uses smooth curves and gorgeous icons that seem to smile at the user. This new design not only gives the control center a new look, but also makes operations smoother for users.
The media control section is another highlight, allowing users to easily manage the music they play. The design of this section is very practical, allowing users to easily control music playback at any time.
The notification panel has also undergone some changes, presenting a more minimalist design. This design makes it easier for users to view and clear notifications, making the phone's interface cleaner.
HyperOS’s weather application is very different from MIUI 14 in design language. It adopts a new design concept to make the weather effect even better. The design of this app is also very practical, allowing users to obtain weather information more easily.
HyperOS, a new design focusing on one-handed operation, is committed to reducing user fatigue and making tasks faster. Today, we're delighted to find that the Phone, Messages, Clock, Notes, and File Manager apps have been redesigned and given new life. The camera application of MIUI 14 is quite similar to MIUI 12, but with the arrival of HyperOS, everything is moving in a new direction.
The new HyperOS Camera application provides practical functions and a simple design, making it easier for users to find functions. But it is worth noting that compared with MIUI 14, the new camera software’s innovation in taking pictures is not significant.