A little over a month ago, HP ended months of rumors claiming that it may be selling or licensing webOS by announcing plans to open source the software that it had bought along with Palm. Today the company finally detailed exactly how it intends to go about the process. Starting this month, HP will be releasing bits and pieces of webOS to the world, with the project expected to be completed by September. The final product will be known as Open webOS 1.0.
The first batch of goodies released by HP, which is available today, includes both versions 1.0 and 2.0 of Enyo, the app framework that allows developers to create and distribute apps across other platforms. Other items to be released by HP in the coming months include QT WebKit extensions, Ares 2.0 and a standard Linux kernel like the one used by Android. Interestingly, HP has said that it plans to release an update to Open webOS for the TouchPad later this summer, and that it's also investigating if and when it can bring Open webOS to all other webOS devices.
It's great to see HP get the ball rolling with the project of open sourcing webOS, especially considering how the company has laid out a plan for exactly how it's going to all go down. As long as HP sticks to the roadmap it's set, it looks like the webOS crowd has a lot to be excited about, which is good news after the platform spent so much time in a kind of limbo late last year. What do all you webOS fans have to say about today's news? Anyone planning on diving into Enyo today?
HP to Commit webOS to Open Source by Fall 2012
New version of acclaimed Enyo developer tool and source code available now
PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 25, 2012
HP today began executing its plan to deliver an open webOS by committing to a schedule for making the platform’s source code available under an open source license.
The company aims to complete this milestone in its entirety by September.
HP also announced it is releasing version 2.0 of webOS’s innovative developer tool, Enyo. Enyo 2.0 enables developers to write a single application that works across mobile devices and desktop web browsers, from the webOS, iOS and Android platforms to the Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers – and more. The source code for Enyo is available today, giving the open source community immediate access to the acclaimed application framework for webOS.
By contributing webOS to the open source community, HP unleashes the creativity of hardware and software developers to build a new generation of applications and devices.
“HP is bringing the innovation of the webOS platform to the open source community,” said Bill Veghte, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, HP. “This is a decisive step toward meeting our goal of accelerating the platform’s development and ensuring that its benefits will be delivered to the entire ecosystem of web applications.”
The webOS code will be made available under the Apache License, Version 2.0, beginning with the source code for Enyo.
webOS roadmap
Over the first half of the year, HP will make individual elements of webOS source code available – from core applications like Mail and Calendar to its Linux kernel – until the full code base is contributed to the open source community by September.
Enyo 1.0 made it simple to write apps that worked on a variety of webOS form factors. Version 2.0 extends this “write once, run anywhere” capability to a range of other platforms, including mobile and desktop web browsers.
More information about Enyo and the source code is available at http://developer.palm.com/blog.
Apache License, Version 2.0
The Apache License, Version 2.0 is commonly used to govern contributions to open source software projects. It provides a legal framework that balances open innovation and a dependable user experience, which is consistent with HP’s vision for webOS.
About HP
HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.
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