More information on developing for webOS

Dieter Bohn · 01/08/2009, 10:31 PM

http://treocentral.com/content/Stories/2315-1.htm

AggieDoc · 01/09/2009, 04:12 PM

As I rather expected, the pre-announcement speculation that "Nova" (now called WebOS) would be backward compatible with Palm software programs is incorrect. The comment that 3rd parties might be able to remedy that leaves me wishing I had studied programming instead of (or in addition to) medicine. I cannot imagine a more surefire money maker than Palm emulation software that would let Garnet software run on WebOS.

Come on you talented programmers, get on the ball while Palm (and Sprint) are still somewhat viable and folks like me are still missing the software that won't run on our iPhones!

I still have my Treo 700p for those special occasions when AT&T messes up and my iPhone cannot connect, but must admit it's on the nightstand at home while I'm in the clinic.

Can't you imagine some sort of App Store rival that would let Palm go head-to-head with Apple?

Of course, that "always connected" codicil in the WebOS description suggests strong need for the Sprint unlimited data plan. How does that work anyway? My AT&T bill usually shows several hours a month usage and that is virtually all data usage from browsing, etc. Won't 'always' connection be prohibitively expensive without that $99 unlimited plan?

bread · 01/09/2009, 06:48 PM

WooHoo!
Nova is finally here!

I'm withholding judgment for now; we'll see if the OS lives up to all the promises. Although, I certainly expect that it will.

I'm not sure of the best forum/thread to ask this question, but I'll start here.

I recently got a Treo Pro after a few years of having Palm devices running the PALM OS. To put it bluntly, Windows Mobile sucks. I’m really hoping there will be some way to install the new WebOS over Win Mobile 6.1 on my Treo. I assume it will be a long shot, but: (1) Both are made by Palm, and were in development at the same time, and (2) According to TreoProTricks.com you CAN enter bootloader mode on the Pro. (Link here: http://www.treoprotricks.com/post/2008/11/03/... )

Can anyone smarter than me comment on the likelihood of being able to install WebOS on my Treo Pro?

Thanks!

Alli · 01/09/2009, 07:27 PM

The Pre's "engine" is closer to that of a netbook than the Pro..which just won't have enough "juice" for WebOS.

davidg4781 · 01/10/2009, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AggieDoc

Of course, that "always connected" codicil in the WebOS description suggests strong need for the Sprint unlimited data plan. How does that work anyway? My AT&T bill usually shows several hours a month usage and that is virtually all data usage from browsing, etc. Won't 'always' connection be prohibitively expensive without that $99 unlimited plan?

Most smart phones now adays are "always" connected. That doesn't necessarily mean they're pulling data 24/7, but that connection is there, rather than having to start the connection, like with Treos before the 700p.

As for Sprint, all of their current plans with data have unlimited data usage. The everything data plan, with 450 minutes at $70/month, has unlimited data, texts, gps, BIS, TV, and music, although I'm sure I'm leaving something out. I don't know how that stacks up against other carriers, but I know my family plan with 4 lines is a lot less expensive than if I were to go to someone else.

johncc · 01/10/2009, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AggieDoc

...
Come on you talented programmers, get on the ball while Palm (and Sprint) are still somewhat viable and folks like me are still missing the software that won't run on our iPhones!
...

Access are the logical ones to do it as they have already produced a Garnet emulator to run on Nokia and their own ALP.

ebresie · 01/13/2009, 10:34 AM

From the article it mentions usage of Java....does anyone know if this is Java or JavaME? If I understand correctly Android uses plan compiled Java not JavaME. Is this the case here as well?

ebresie · 01/13/2009, 10:41 AM

Does anyone have any information on the underlying lower level OS that hosts the webOS? Since apps are based on HTML5, CSS, etc, then there is a browser. That browser (is it based on anything in particular? Webkit? Opera?) then sits on top of something...what is that?

Rumors previously were that it is Linux based. If so, any details on what distribution if any? How much of the Linux portion is under the GPL (I would hate for Palm to get complaints for not opening their Linux based code) and openly available for review?

bhtooefr · 01/13/2009, 12:20 PM

It is WebKit-based, and the rumors are still that it's Linux-based (I can't remember if anyone from Palm has actually said or not.)

ADGrant · 01/13/2009, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebresie

From the article it mentions usage of Java....does anyone know if this is Java or JavaME? If I understand correctly Android uses plan compiled Java not JavaME. Is this the case here as well?

The article does not mention Java. It mentions Java Script which is something completely different.

ADGrant · 01/13/2009, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bread

I recently got a Treo Pro after a few years of having Palm devices running the PALM OS. To put it bluntly, Windows Mobile sucks. I’m really hoping there will be some way to install the new WebOS over Win Mobile 6.1 on my Treo. I assume it will be a long shot, but: (1) Both are made by Palm, and were in development at the same time, and (2) According to TreoProTricks.com you CAN enter bootloader mode on the Pro.

Can anyone smarter than me comment on the likelihood of being able to install WebOS on my Treo Pro?

Absolutely no chance at all of this working.

NickDG · 01/13/2009, 09:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADGrant

The article does not mention Java. It mentions Java Script which is something completely different.

Quote:

In addition to HTML, Java, AJAX, and the like, there will be special calls for gesture-based navigation, creating background notifications, local storage, and the "JSON-based message bus" to allow applications to interoperate with each other and with the calendar, contacts, etc. The full SDK will include sample code, an Eclipse-based IDE, and more/

Says it right there.

johncc · 01/13/2009, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickDG

Says it right there.

You are quoting TreoCentral there. If you look at the linked article (http://developer.palm.com/) you find

Quote:

Palm webOS applications are easy to write using Mojo, a new application framework based on the HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript standards that web developers already know and love. WebOS applications are installed and run directly on the device at native speed and have access to a wide range of device services.

The confusion is very common.

NickDG · 01/13/2009, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johncc

You are quoting TreoCentral there. If you look at the linked article (http://developer.palm.com/) you find

The confusion is very common.

Thanks for catching that.

There was another thread somewhere about the SDK showing a Java stack trace. Not sure if that confirms it's there or not.

bread · 01/14/2009, 06:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alli

The Pre's "engine" is closer to that of a netbook than the Pro..which just won't have enough "juice" for WebOS.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ADGrant

Absolutely no chance at all of this working.

'Doh.

I guess it was just wishful thinking.
I like the form factor of the Pro, but WinMo has been pretty disappointing from a usability perspective.

GSMacLean · 01/16/2009, 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhtooefr

It is WebKit-based, and the rumors are still that it's Linux-based (I can't remember if anyone from Palm has actually said or not.)

I read this article, which is an interview with a webOS developer who states the underlying OS is definitely Linux. He also says that the development environment is Eclipse, and that before the Pre was a prototype, they were developing using a webOS emulator on Macintoshes.

detective · 01/16/2009, 06:12 PM

You might want to take a look at the most recent posts on this blog, a former PalmOS developer's site (who looks to be planning on a comeback).

johncc · 01/19/2009, 10:32 PM

View of TealPoint and Normsoft on developing for Pre

From PIC - TealPoint & Normsoft on webOS

interesting quote from TealPoint president Vince Lee

Quote:

As a final note, it seems likely now that the release of the Palm Pre will cause us to make a major course change in our company direction. With the recent decline of the PalmOS software market, we had recently been ramping up an iPhone development effort. However, we've been frustrated with Apple's Mac-only development environment, non-standard language (obj-c), and Orwellian product restrictions that allow it to block any product at any time for any reason, potentially wasting months of our development expense at their whim. Because of these reasons, if we can get hold of the WebOS SDK soon, we'll likely drop the iPhone in favour of it.