HP to contribute webOS to Open Source

By eGov Innovation Editors | Dec 14, 2011

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HP has announced recently it will contribute the webOS software to the open source community.

HP said by combining the innovative webOS platform with the development power of the open source community, there is the opportunity to significantly improve applications and web services for the next generation of devices.

The company, however, plans to continue to be active in the development and support of webOS.

“webOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected and scalable,” said Meg Whitman, HP president and chief executive officer. “By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices.”

HP will make the underlying code of webOS available under an open source license. Developers, partners, HP engineers and other hardware manufacturers can deliver ongoing enhancements and new versions into the marketplace.

HP will engage the open source community to help define the charter of the open source project under a set of operating principles:

* The goal of the project is to accelerate the open development of the webOS platform
* HP will be an active participant and investor in the project
* Good, transparent and inclusive governance to avoid fragmentation
* Software will be provided as a pure open source project

HP also will contribute ENYO, the application framework for webOS, to the community in the near future along with a plan for the remaining components of the user space.

Developers and customers are invited to provide input and suggestions at http://developer.palm.com/blog/.