The underdog operating system will get a second life at the hands of other developers
The saga of the most downtrodden software platform around has drawn to a close — at least for now. After buying webOS, Palm's smartphone operating system, from the company last year, HP bet it all on a new wave of devices that never gained any traction in the market. The company even promised
to launch all future computers with webOS under the hood. Now, after
all these unforeseen stumbling blocks, webOS will officially enter the
open-source community, leaving its ultimate fate up to the masses.The platform has endured a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs. After betting its tablet chips on the TouchPad, HP abruptly discontinued the device, putting a stake through the heart of still-loyal webOS fans. The future of the underdog OS was called into question, and with iOS and Android competitors cornering the market, HP appeared to abandon all hope of reviving it.
Now with the open source gates opened for webOS developers the world over, some interesting tweaks are undoubtedly on the way. By opening up the platform, HP has essentially forfeited control of it. Both independent developers as well as device manufacturers can now do as they wish with webOS, and modify it to fit their needs. Developers can modify the look, feel, and functionality of the platform, while paying no rights to HP for its use. In many ways, this could make webOS more appealing than ever before, and a possible alternative for those who haven't yet been wowed by Android and iOS.
The company still has a few legal hurdles to clear before it can officially set webOS free, and HP hasn't detailed its plans to either continue making webOS devices or to kill that portion of its business entirely. HP is encouraging input from developers and the open source community during this transitional phase, and the coming months should be very interesting for anyone who picked up a TouchPad for the fire sale price of just $99.
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