HP’s Mobile OS has been struggling ever since HP launched tablets running webOS, tablets which failed to capture the tablet market. As a result, HP had declared that it won’t be producing any more devices running webOS. However, despite expectations that HP will abandon webOS altogether, HP has decided to make webOS open-source. Can the move save this operating system?
HP had purchased Palm for $1.2 billion in April last year in an attempt to gain the platform for webOS development. HP then launched a number of devices, including tablets, which ran webOS. But the global audience didn’t take a liking to the OS or HP’s devices. The result of which was that HP was forced to announce that it will be abandoning the line of devices running webOS. And now, in it’s latest move on webOS, HP has revealed plans of turning the OS open-source. The question is: will this help?
Can open-source webOS affect other open-source platforms?
The largest and fastest growing open-source platform is Android. And it has gained such a fan-following and deep rooting in the online community that there is barely a change that an open-source webOS will pose it any challenge. A number of ecosystems have sprouted around Android which is the hallmark of Android tablets. At best, HP’s webOS may become another ecosystem trying to adapt to the general Android outfit and may eventually benefit Android itself. As an independent open-source platform, webOS has little appeal for the developers and it barely is any way better than Android.
Image courtesy abulhussain.
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