webos
HP’s webOS goes open source officially
Fans of webOS will be pleased to know that HP has decided not to kill the platform. Instead they are going the Android route by making webOS an open source platform from which manufacturers will be able to license it and put it on their phones. In a way they are learning from some of Android’s mistakes by declaring that they will ensure that there will not be any fragmentation, although we guess we will have to wait and find out.
At the moment it does not appear that there are any manufacturers who have expressed interest in licensing webOS, but perhaps we will start hearing some news soon. Will HP succeed with an open source webOS much like Android, or has the webOS name been tainted due to HP’s recent failures with the HP TouchPad webOS-based tablet? Only time will tell, but for now who’s happy that webOS is still alive and kicking, and open source to boot?
According to Reuters, HP has enlisted the help Bank of America Merrill Lynch to determine whether their financial interests will be best served by selling or keeping webOS. Sources are claiming that by selling webOS, HP would only be able to recoup a portion of the $1.2 billion that they paid to acquire Palm, suggesting that the sale on webOS would net HP a few hundred million, which we guess is better than nothing, especially since they’re not doing anything with it at the moment.
There have been tons of rumors in the past suggesting that HP had plans to sell off webOS, and various companies have been named in the past (although none of which are true or can be confirmed yet), such as Samsung, HTC, Amazon and even Nikon. What do you guys think? Should HP sell off webOS or should they give webOS another chance?
What will happen to HP’s webOS? After spending a large sum of money to acquire Palm along with webOS, it seems a bit of a waste for it to end like this, doesn’t it? There have been many rumors circulating the internet suggesting that HP may be killing off webOS, especially since they don’t really have a need for it anymore, but it looks like the death of webOS has been greatly exaggerated.
According to HP’s Todd Bradley, webOS will not be killed off and went on to say that those are unfounded rumors, and that HP was focusing on how to effectively use the “phenomenal” software. While they may not actually kill off webOS, selling it to the highest bidder could be a possibility.
If you bought a $99 HP TouchPad and you’re eagerly anticipating the release of the CyanogenMod 7 team’s Android port onto the webOS platform, the good news is that they have already managed to get an alpha build up and running and have even released it, although this appears to be only for users who know what they are doing. It seems that if you don’t, it could lead to data loss and bricking, along with a slew of other bad stuff that people try to avoid.
However if you think you’re up to the task, head on down to RootzWiki for the download and documentation, or if you’re not that brave and you’re hoping for at least a more stable beta build, you can enjoy 8mins 20seconds worth of video here in anticipation of a beta release in the future.