HP: Open webOS 1.0 arriving in September, Enyo 2.0 framework free to developers today
When HP announced last month that it would open-source webOS, the outfit seemed mighty pleased (and relieved) to have finally made a definitive decision regarding the fate of its $1.2 billion software experiment. In fact, though, the company's initial announcement was light on detail, other than the fact that webOS will live on with the help of developers both inside and outside HP. Now, the company's ready to talk specifics: HP says it expects the software will be fully open-sourced by September, at which point its official name will be Open webOS 1.0. The first piece of the puzzle is arriving today in the form of the second-gen Enyo framework, a free tool that lets developers write webOS apps for tablets, phones and desktop browsers. Like the original framework, it supports WebKit, but version 2.0 also expands compatibility to modern desktop browsers such as Firefox, Chrome and Safari. The company also revealed that it's moving to a standard Linux kernel -- a clear attempt to sweeten the pot for hardware manufacturers that have never experimented with webOS, but at least know how to build systems running Linux / Android. For now, that Enyo framework is available for free (more details at the source links), and we've got the PR below, which details HP's plans between now and the OS' September release.
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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.
January:
Enyo 2.0 and Enyo source code
Apache License, Version 2.0
February:
Intended project governance model
QT WebKit extensions
JavaScript core
UI Enyo widgets
March:
Linux standard kernel
Graphics extensions EGL
LevelDB
USB extensions
April:
Ares 2.0
Enyo 2.1
Node services
July:
System manager ("Luna")
System manager bus
Core applications
Enyo 2.2
August:
Build release model
Open webOS Beta
September:
Open webOS 1.0
Enyo 2.0 and Enyo source code
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.
