back to article HP outlines schedule for full WebOS open source release

HP has announced the schedule for the open sourcing of WebOS tools and source code, and said it will be continuing to push development hard to build a truly open platform. “We wanted to do it right, we’re upleveling WebOS to the most current versions,” said Sam Greenblatt, CTO of WebOS, told The Register. “Basically we …

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  1. Tom Kelsall
    Go

    Will the code release include that of the hardware interfaces/Drivers to current WebOS machinery? Such a release would aid the effort to bring ICS to the Touchpad immensely.

    1. Tom Chiverton 1

      No need. Android 4 already boots via CynagonMod on the Touchpad with everything apart from the camera, charging and the GPU acceleration, which are to come.

      This is just icing on the cake.

      I would still love to know what HP is actually up to. Why spend money on all this if their not doing hardware any more ?

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        But are they going to be able to fix the wifi?

        1. Tom Kelsall
          Thumb Up

          With the WebOS code? Very likely. Without it, less likely but still highly possible.

        2. Afflicted.John
          Thumb Up

          Why?

          Cyanogen Alpha Zero on my TP has flawless WiFi. I think. I haven't noticed anything.

          If only the actual device was not build like a pregnant hippo with very easily broken plastic. I have had to take a tube of SuperGlue to the speaker cover areas...

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Ah, I got the official case with mine

            as well as the keyboard and charging stand. Will probably try CM9 with the next release.

  2. Tom Kelsall
    Thumb Down

    Getting them working (ish) and having the original specs to optimise the code are two completely different things.

    1. Tom Chiverton 1

      The touchpad is almost all well known COTS hardware, you just need to take the drivers from elsewhere.

  3. Thomas 4

    "HP was still totally committed to WebOS"

    "What's that? You want a new device that uses WebOS? Yeah, right."

  4. Giles Jones Gold badge

    September? it's a dead platform now, by September nobody will remember what it is.

    1. Anonymous Coward 15
      Flame

      Burning

      The term is 'burning platform'.

    2. Levente Szileszky
      WTF?

      I you'd know anything about OSS projects...

      ...you'd also know that's a pretty stupid comment - because that's the point: it's a largely dead platform so then why not letting people do whatever they want with it? And that means people interested in the platform won't give a rat's @ss about playing with it in September or tomorrow, they are not whipped by managers of some for-profit corporation.

      Besides it's not even true: Enyo 2.0 is pretty awesome, well ahead of others on the market. You don't seem to get it but the advantage of WebOS is that you write an app and it works EVERYWHERE, on your Touchpad, mobile phone, desktop browser, refrigerator or toaster as long as they can run JS. And it's already out: http://enyojs.com/

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        But the problem is

        that it's JavaScript.

        1. Levente Szileszky

          No, that's the upside...

          ...that it's JS.

    3. Steve McPolin

      hate to agree with you...

      but your dead on. Shelf life depends very much on viability. WebOS is great, but suffers by comparison. In a few months it will be a head scratcher.

  5. Caff

    "upleveling" "inverted the triangle" - they killed it with management speak!

  6. Hooksie
    Thumb Up

    I don't know any more than you but.....

    Here's my prediction: Before the end of this year HP will release a tablet device, might be called TouchPad 2 might not, and it will be a dual boot device with both Windows 8 and WebOS on it. Either that or it'll be one bit of hardware and you'll be able to choose which OS you want on it at purchase time.

    Personally, I love my TouchPad and anything that makes development of more applications likely is a good thing. I would love to be able to dual boot my HTC Sensation as either Android or WebOS - how cool would that be!!

  7. Inachu
    Pint

    I can see it now.

    Some nit wit will try and cry wolf --- It uses some of my code I wrote while in my underwear at home at 2am in the morning as a contractor for -addbigcompanynamehere-

    I just hope the code is clean and has been refuted as copyright free.

    What open source will it use? GPL 3,4,5,6,7? not sure the version history. Gave up tracking since SCO lost in court so many times.

  8. Master Rod

    Why Bother?

    Android and WebOS are toys compared to a true operating system. Why not just port GNU/Linux to the devices. You would have just so much more usage from these devices. Plus, the apps are free and can easily be installed from repositories. Oh! Silly me... The processors in these devices most truly suck! They are inferior even to the Lowliest of Lows from Intel and AMD. Very little Ram. Poor battery life. Somebody! Please get me a 10" tablet that is a phone, has 2 Gig of ram, dual-quad core processor, 32 Gig SSD, OpenSuse installed, WiFi, Audio in and out, Microphone, 2 USB Ports, Bluetooth, HDMI, and Monitor out put, SD card slot with a removable battery. This is the winning configuration right here. This will dust off most of the sad tablets out there. Where do I buy one for $500?

    1. Hooksie

      This isn't the kit you're looking for.....move along

      With respect you've got your head up your ar$e. Clearly you are not the target audience for tablets and this is why the i(amafanny)Pad sells by the bucket load whilst faster, better, more equipped bits of kit sit on the shelves in Curry's. Tablets are, for the more part, for idiots. People who know F*$k all about computers but want to be able to switch on, browse for some pr0n or do some online shopping and then switch it back off again. They don't want a laptop replacement which is I'm afraid what you just described. In saying that though, if you engaged your fingers over to Google I'm sure you'll see more than one example of Ubuntu running on an HP Touchpad and some smart Alec even managed to get a self powered USB to work on it but, really, why would you?

      I use my Touchpad for watching movies, playing a bit of Assassin's Creed and browsing the BBC News/Sport. And I get FAR more battery life out of it that any other connected device I own. I suspect that the product you just described would be chunky, expensive and would run Android. NOBODY WANTS LINUX BUT YOU!!! (and yes, I'm aware of the irony that Android is built on Linux code)

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