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HP's webOS to Be Contributed to Open Source Community

Dec 9, 2011, 1:51 PM by Eric M. Zeman
updated Dec 9, 2011, 2:06 PM

HP today announced the fate of its beleaguered webOS smartphone platform: it will be contributed to the open source community, along with the Enyo application framework. HP said it will remain an active participant in the development and of the operating system, saying that there is plenty of opportunity to improve webOS. HP said that it will make the underlying code of webOS available under an open source license to whomever wants to use it. Henceforth, developers, hardware manufacturers and others can continue to work on webOS and update it as necessary. "webOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected and scalable," said Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer in a prepared statement. "By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices." HP acquired webOS when it bought Palm in 2010. It released several webOS devices, most recently the TouchPad tablet, before deciding in August to cease all further development of smartphones and tablets.

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Comments

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This forum is closed.

Rich Brome

Dec 9, 2011, 2:07 PM

Now what?

I think, best case, we'll see a few neat products based on webOS over the next couple of years. (Maybe... maybe none.)

But unless some company wants to make a massive, risky gamble, I doubt any company will invest in this enough to make on ongoing series of successful products. Especially when it's not clear how the platform will move forward and keep pace with other mobile OSes. I don't trust HP to steward webOS going forward, and I don't think anyone else does, either.

It's great that they're open-sourcing it. Perhaps some programmers out there can get some great ideas for innovations on other projects, but as a platform for commercial products, I think webOS is as dead as Symbian at this point.

Captain Ahash

Unless through some miracle the open source community can make it a viable alternative, no company will pick it up in the current state.

Realistically though, with the way Palm and HP have been managing it there wasn't much hope from the start. At ...
(continues)

BigRed75

I am glad as well that it's going to be open-sourced but at the same time though we already have an open-sourced OS. It's called Android. Sure it's not without it's problems. Fragmentation, etc. but it's getting better and widely adopted.

I know I...
(continues)

furyx639

Maybe the webOS source code can be used to improve Android...

...

T Bone

This may or may not revive webOS, but.....in two and a half years, neither Palm nor HP were able to find much success with this fantastic, exceptional, well made mobile OS....

Opening it up to the open source community at least gives it a fighting ...
(continues)

Mikey C

Dec 9, 2011, 4:11 PM

open source =

I can write an application for free, right?

jmoita2

That's right. Now go out there and make us some kick ass applications,Mikey!!!

...

thevorlon

You could always write applications for the device's OS for free. All HP have done is to make the OS open source.

Vrystaat

Dec 10, 2011, 12:37 AM

For webOS hardware...

...Nokia's Vertu line is for sale...

*sarcasm*

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