Talk:HarmonyOS

Misuse of the term "multikernel"?

This article, and a number of other articles that discuss or even just mention HarmonyOS or OpenHarmony, use the term "multikernel", and link to multikernel.

The multikernel article is a stub that says:

A multikernel operating system treats a multi-core machine as a network of independent cores, as if it were a distributed system. It does not assume shared memory but rather implements inter-process communications as message-passing. Barrelfish was the first operating system to be described as a multikernel.

This does not mean a "design with dual frameworks: the operating system selects suitable kernels from the abstraction layer in the case of devices that use diverse resources", as the lead paragraph says about HarmonyOS's "multikernel"; there's nothing in multikernel about being able to select a particular kernel from a set of kernels.

From what I can tell from the diagram in HarmonyOS § HarmonyOS NEXT, OpenHarmony and, presumably, HarmonyOS have a "kernel abstraction layer" atop which either the Linux kernel or the LiteOS microkernel can run, and HarmonyOS NEXT runs some unspecified microkernel (LiteOS-derived?) atop the kernel abstraction layer. That's nothing like a multikernel in the sense of that article; perhaps the article should speak of "what Huawei calls a 'multikernel'", and not link to multikernel.

In addition, the article should discuss the details of that (non-multikernel) architecture in HarmonyOS § Architecture, preferably with more technical detail (please let some Huawei engineers write it without the interference of the marketing department; I no more want to read what Huawei's marketing department has to say about the architecture of HarmonyOS than I want to hear what Apple's marketing department says about the architecture of macOS or iOS etc.. or what Microsoft's marketing department has to say about the architecture of Windows NT). Guy Harris (talk) 07:35, 1 May 2024 (UTC)

If that's the case, explain why Distributed operating system in the "See also" page. Poppodoms (talk) 08:42, 1 May 2024 (UTC)

alongside within Distributed operating system wiki page. Poppodoms (talk) 08:44, 1 May 2024 (UTC)

A distributed operating system is not necessarily a multikernel operating system. A multikernel operating system is an OS that runs on multi-core systems and that treats individual cores as if they were, to quote the first paragraph of distributed operating system, "physically separate computational nodes", and thus treating the multi-core system as a loosely-coupled multiprocessor rather than a tightly-coupled multiprcessor. All of the various Huawei OSes in question may well function as distributed operating systems across multiple separate machines even if they function as Boring Old SMP systems on a particular machine, but they're not multikernel unless they do the same sort of thing that Barrelfish does. They might be "multi-kernel" if they support putting more than one kernel atop the sadly-undescribed "kernel abstraction layer", but that's not necessarily "multikernel" in the multikernel sense. Guy Harris (talk) 08:56, 1 May 2024 (UTC)

And, in fact, HarmonyOS § Architecture says

The system includes a communication base called DSoftBus for integrating physically separate devices into a virtual Super Device, allowing one device to control others and sharing data among devices with distributed communication capabilities.

If by "physically separate devices" they truly mean devices that don't, for example, physically share memory with each other, unlike the cores on a multi-core system, with the communication going over a network, then that truly is a distributed operating system, but, again, it's only a multikernel system if, even the not-physically-separate cores on a multi-core CPU interact with each other via message passing. Guy Harris (talk) 09:01, 1 May 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for the clarification. Your explanation was very clear. :) Poppodoms (talk) 09:05, 1 May 2024 (UTC)

References

Vandalism on HarmonyOS wikipedia

User:103.125.151.18 has been vandalising the Wikipedia page, it should be noted on a permeant or limited block Majestiqo (talk) 12:00, 14 October 2024 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 21 May 2025

There is a typo in the image HarmonyOS NEXT architecture. It's in the HarmonyOS NEXT chapter (penultimate). On the 5th yellow bubble, the word etc. is misspelled as ets. The whole phrase should be written as etc. (another kernel can be used) instead of ets... (Can add another kernel) as it is now. CamilaJenny (talk) 18:08, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

 Not done: It sounds like you are pointing out an issue with the graphic? The graphic is maintained seperatly at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HarmonyOS_NEXT_Architecture.jpg

So you would need to upload a replacement file at that location or make a request there. meamemg (talk) 18:17, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

“Root technology”

@Guy Harris

According to People's Daily,

As is well known, deep roots foster lush foliage. So-called "root technologies" are those that can generate and support one or more technology clusters. They are the root of the technology tree, continuously providing nourishment to the entire tree and, to a large extent, determining its prosperity or decline.

This expression isn't common and sounds a little odd, even to a Chinese speaker. It's probably best to think of it as a term from propaganda or marketing. Nor is the paragraph's source independent (CEO's social media), so I suggest rewrite / remove it.

内存溢出的猫 (talk) 20:21, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

@内存溢出的猫: So it sounds somewhat like a "core technology" in the sense of being a piece of technological infrastructure atop which other things are built, with "root" vs. "core" just coming from different models of a technological "stack" (is it like a tree, with the lowermost technologies being a root, or like a sphere, with the innermost technologies being a core like the core of the earth?). I don't know whether that's a Western vs. Chinese cultural difference in which model is used, or perhaps a "nerd audience" versus "popular audience" difference.

It's probably best to think of it as a term from propaganda or marketing. Yes, the articles on Harmony OS and related topics sometimes read as if they're from a marketing department; I'd like it if the Huawei engineers could contribute stuff without marketing interference.

Nor is the paragraph's source independent (CEO's social media), so I suggest rewrite / remove it. That might be the right thing to do here. Guy Harris (talk) 20:34, 18 June 2025 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for speedy deletion:

• HarmonyOS NEXT Architecture.jpg

You can see the reason for deletion at the file description page linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 13:52, 13 September 2025 (UTC)