India is making its mark in the tech world with the introduction of BharOS operating system -Made in India. This new operating system promises to revolutionise as its free from bloatware and pre installed apps. We have compared the BharOS operating system with Andriod and iOS extensive features. Read on to find out more about BharOS and what makes it so special!
What is BharOS operating system?
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, has revealed the first indigenous operating system called BharOS, which is designed to offer a secure and private mobile operating system. Currently, the Indian market is dominated by Android and iOS.
BharOS is a Linux kernel-based free and open-source operating system funded by the government of India and developed by JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops), a non-profit organisation at IIT Madras. The vision behind this operating system (OS) development was to reduce dependency on foreign operating systems. BharOS is set to give tough competition to Android and iOS by featuring security as a core feature of the OS. BharOS can use 5G network infrastructure as a secure operating system.
Overview of Bharos and its features:
There are several features unique to BharOS that set it apart from Android and iOS:
- Support for multiple Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, and Tamil
- Built-in security features, such as support for biometric authentication and encryption.
- Support for the Indian government’s digital initiatives, such as Aadhaar and Digital India.
- Customizable user interface, with options to change the theme and font size.
- Support for the Indian government’s apps.
- Support for the Indian government’s e-governance services.
- No preinstalled apps or bloatware.
- Native Over the Air (NOTA) updates will be available, signifying automatic updates on security and bug fixes.
- Access to the Private App Store Service (PASS).
- Installed on commercial handsets.
Background on BharOS operating system:
BharOS, developed by JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops), incubated by the IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, a Section 8 (not-for-profit) company established by IIT Madras. This foundation funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, under its National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NMICPS). With the ambition to put India on par with the few countries that currently possess such capabilities.
How is BharOS different from Android and iOS?
| Features | BharOS | Android OS | iOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customizability | High | Medium | Low |
| Multi-lingual support and regional language keyboards | Yes | Yes | No |
| Support for Indian government services and apps | Yes | Limited | No |
| Built-in security features (encryption, secure boot, biometric auth) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| User interface design | Simple and Intuitive | Various | Simple and Intuitive |
How to install BharOS operating system?
There are no official details available on how to get the BharOS operating system and install it on a mobile device. But it becomes risky to remove the existing OS and install BharOS on the existing device.
The BharOS operating system will be part of the upcoming devices once the OS developers collaborate with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to launch devices that support BharOS.
How will apps work on BharOS operating system?
There will be no default apps installed on the BharOS, unlike on Android and iOS phones. Users will have full flexibility to choose the apps and provide the required access on their devices.
BharOS will be providing its own app store from which users can search and download apps, so there will be no need for the Google Play Store.
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How BharOS differs from Android?
Its too early to comment on the comparison with iOS and Andriod, but definitely BharOS operating system has an edge on security and privacy.
Millions of users have already become accustomed to the wide range of products that the Android ecosystem supports, including smartphones, tablets, televisions, smart watches, and in-vehicle infotainment systems.
| Features | BharOS | Android |
|---|---|---|
| Development | Developed by JandK Operations Private Limited (JandKops), IIT Madras | Developed by Google |
| Target audience | Government projects and organizations | Consumers and businesses |
| App ecosystem | Limited | Extensive, with millions of apps available on the Google Play Store |
| Customization | Can be customized to meet specific government needs | High degree of customization possible through third-party launchers, skins, custom Roms and mods |
| Security | Focused on security and privacy for government use cases | Regular security updates and features such as Google Play Protect to keep devices safe |
| Hardware support | Limited | Widely supported across a range of devices from various manufacturers |
BharOS operating system is at its early stage of development and still has a long way to go before it is widely accepted by users and replace the existing Android systems.
BharOS are in talks with DuckDuckGo and Signal as default browsers and messaging apps.
BharOS tweet from Ministry of Education:
How can BharOS replace Andriod?
To replace Android with BharOS the developers and Indian government needs to strictly adhere the below steps :
- To ensure BharOS is stable and compatible with a wide range of devices and hardware, rigorous development and testing is required.
- To create a robust app ecosystem for BharOS, which will encourage Indian developers as well as around the world to develop apps and games for the platform.
- A form partnerships and collaborations with device manufacturers to integrate BharOS into their products.
- To further promote the use of BharOS, government policies and initiatives should be implemented to encourage its use in government projects and organizations.
- Marketing and education campaigns should be launched to raise awareness about BharOS and to educate users on how to use the new operating system.
Benefits of BharOS:
There are several benefits of BharOS:
- Increased security and privacy: BharOS is designed with security and privacy in mind, which is especially important for government projects and organizations.
- Economic benefits: India will have its own indigenous OS which will reduce dependency of foreign OS and create new job opportunities.
- Customization: BharOS can be customized to meet specific government needs, which can be beneficial for government projects.
- Open-source: BharOS is an open-source operating system, which means that it can be freely used, modified and distributed.
- Cost-effective: BharOS can be a cost-effective alternative to foreign-made operating systems, as it is developed in-country.
- Support of “Make in India” initiative: BharOS supports the “Make in India” initiative launched by Government of India to promote domestic manufacturing and production. A step closer to Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Conclusion on BharOS operating system:
In conclusion, Bharat Operating System Solutions (BharOS) is an open-source operating system that is being developed with the goal of reducing India’s dependence on foreign technology.
Our Indian developers have the potential to provide increased customization, security, and privacy to the OS which in turn brings economic benefits and cost-effectiveness. However, BharOS is still in the development phase and has a long way to go before it can catch up to Android and replace the operating systems.
It is important to note that BharOS is still in the early stages of development and has not yet been widely adopted or used in real-world scenarios.
We would like to encourage our readers to share their thoughts and opinions on BharOS and will you be opting for BharOS in the future. Please feel free to leave your comments and opinions below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
BharOS is similar to Android OS. But, built on the AOSP (Android Open Source Project).
The BharOS operating system will be part of the upcoming devices once the OS developers collaborate with OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers)
BharOS is based on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and similar to Android.
BharOS is in initial stage of development and will be rolling out on upcoming devices.
BharOS are in talks with DuckDuckGo and Signal as default browsers and messaging apps.
