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HP to Contribute webOS to Open Source

Posted by bob on · 8 comments
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HP today announced it will contribute the webOS software to the open source community.

HP plans to continue to be active in the development and support of webOS. By combining the innovative webOS platform with the development power of the open source community, there is the opportunity to significantly improve applications and web services for the next generation of devices.

webOS offers a number of benefits to the entire ecosystem of web applications. For developers, applications can be easily built using standard web technologies. In addition, its single integrated stack offers multiplatform portability. For device manufacturers, it provides a single web-centric platform to run across multiple devices. As a result, the end user benefits from a fast, immersive user experience.

“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. “By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices.”

HP will make the underlying code of webOS available under an open source license. Developers, partners, HP engineers and other hardware manufacturers can deliver ongoing enhancements and new versions into the marketplace.

HP will engage the open source community to help define the charter of the open source project under a set of operating principles:

* The goal of the project is to accelerate the open development of the webOS platform * HP will be an active participant and investor in the project * Good, transparent and inclusive governance to avoid fragmentation * Software will be provided as a pure open source project

HP also will contribute ENYO, the application framework for webOS, to the community in the near future along with a plan for the remaining components of the user space.

Beginning today, developers and customers are invited to provide input and suggestions at http://developer.palm.com/blog/.

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Comments (8)

kennethh ·
I thought this might be the direction HP would take. Now it's just a matter of commitment and also developer's creating apps.
penguinist ·
This is good news, but first, they have to release the source. According to some irc chatter, HP management released the press announcement without first telling the WebOS troops. It might take a while before they have the sources pounded into shape for a release.
Scott_Ruecker ·
No source code..no open source period. I know I am stating the obvious but just in case an HP management team reads this..;-)
penguinist ·
Looking at this from a broader view, just last week Google released the full Android sources, and I've already pulled them down and have been enjoying reading them.

Now we have a promise from HP that WebOS will become FOSS.

What amazing movements are taking place right now in the open source arena. The mobile space is highly contested right now, with tremendous battles taking place between the major players, and FOSS is right in the middle of it all. 2012 will certainly be an interesting year as this all unfolds.
gus3 ·
@Scott, agreeing 100%, but how much delay was there from Netscape to Mozilla, and from StarOffice to OpenOffice? Patience, my friend.

I for one want to see WebOS on the Raspberry Pi. If that can be made to work, it will be a real vindication for the RP project.

OTOH, what did I say earlier today about Adobe? Oh yeah... "a replay of Sun." I want to be optimistic about HP, but...

well...

Scott, would you object to an Adobe-HP "dead pool" on LXer?
cr ·
Quoting: I for one want to see WebOS on the Raspberry Pi. If that can be made to work, it will be a real vindication for the RP project.


I want to see it on something with some decent uncommitted IO pins/ports to it... something a Maker can dig into. Aside from spreading it too far and wide for MS or Apple to kill, that just might fulfill HP's desire for it to become a ubiquitous control-panel OS for complicated hardware, because then people will be solving hw interfacing problems for them and giving them kernel drivers they can at least hack to their own purposes if not adopt outright. I don't know that the world needs yet another tablet OS, but hardware-adept OSes with enough friendliness to attract enthusiasts are still thin on the ground.
JaseP ·
I forsee,... Web-Droid (TM)...

That's Two, Two, Two great mobile OSes for the price of One,... No, make that NONE!!! Get all WebOS versatility and All Android App support in one convenient OS... Available for a short Holiday sale period only,... so get yours TODAY!!!

This statement is totally baseless and without support. No express or implied warranties apply. Kids, get your parents' permission before hacking source code.
helios ·
I LIKE WebOS...I just can't afford a device right now, and honestly, a HPPad (P-Pad?) would probably sit unused just like any android-based pad. I played with one for a couple of days then bored with the distraction, sat back down at my computer and got some real work done.

My daughter had a Palm Pre with WebOS on it and I have to say I am severely impressed. I hope nothing but the best for this platform and hope still that the developer community will embrace it.

Of course, I "Hoped" the Astros wouldn't trade Berkman to New York a few years back as well.

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