North Korea’s latest version of its state-mandated computer operating system bears a striking resemblance to Apple’s Mac OS X platform, Web watchers say.
Red Star OS — North Korea’s “home-grown” software installed on computers found mostly in libraries and schools — had previously looked a lot like Microsoft Windows, another U.S brand operating system.
Screenshots of the suspiciously Apple-like OS were obtained by American computer scientist Will Scott and published on the NorthKoreaTech blog, the BBC reported Wednesday.
While people in North Korea do have access to technology, including cellphones and computers, the devices are considerably limited; Internet access, for example, is kept to just a few sites mostly featuring state-sponsored information.
An earlier version of Red Star OS could be examined online after a Russian student posted it on the Internet in 2010. The current version is thought to have been release some time last year, the BBC said.
