infoTECH Feature

January 26, 2012

HP Puts Its Muscle behind Open Source by Publishing webOS Enyo Framework

Today, companies can access a range of open source options for substantial cost savings. For example, it’s been well-established that the functionality of Linux-based, open source virtualization is equal to Windows-based, proprietary solutions. In addition to increased scalability, high performance, and interoperability, open source has proven that over time, an open virtualization solution costs less than half of a closed source proprietary alternative. HP has identified these qualities with its recent publishing of the webOS Enyo framework as open source.

The decision stems from the attempt by HP to reverse an earlier decision to scuttle the company’s ambitious mobile product division. By taking that operating system, Enyo 1.0, and now making it available as open source, HP has made the decision to continue mobile development. However, this time it’s including the generally diligent and productive efforts of the open source community. The fact that the source code will be available on GitHub, one of the centers of open-source activity, guarantees the community can participate directly in the development project.

When it comes to webOS development, a key aspect is portability. That is, the ability of developers to take their applications to other environments, and to make them work on top of other Web runtime environments. This newest iteration of HP’s webOS core is dubbed Enyo 2, and the availability of the source code will make that portability a reality. And that’s an important, key feature in this latest announcement.

According to Sam Greenblatt, HP’s webOS strategy head, "Today's release also includes the core of Enyo 2.0, which will be the foundation for Enyo going forward. It expands Enyo's 'write once, run anywhere' capability to even more platforms, from mobile devices to desktop web browsers." This range of commitment from HP’s mobile division represents an important resurgence for the company to reapply its formidable resources to compete with existing mobile JavaScript application frameworks like Sencha Touch and jQuery Mobile, and by extension, against Google’s Android and Apple’s (News - Alert) iPhone.

In conjunction with the latest release of Enyo 2, HP has also initialized an Enyo-specific developer website. This is sure to demonstrate HP’s renewed commitment to the mobile market. The company’s foresight in basing it mobile future on open source may prove to be a turning point in showing what’s possible in the relationship between for-profit corporations and the millions of developers committed to the relative democracy of open source.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2012, taking place Jan. 31-Feb. 3 2012, in Miami, FL. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO registration click here.

Stay in touch with everything happening at ITEXPO. Follow us on Twitter.


Kerry Doyle has written extensively on high tech issues for over 15 years. He specializes in computing trends vital to SMBs and enterprises alike, from virtualization and cloud computing, to disaster recovery and network storage.

Edited by Rich Steeves
FOLLOW US

Subscribe to InfoTECH Spotlight eNews

InfoTECH Spotlight eNews delivers the latest news impacting technology in the IT industry each week. Sign up to receive FREE breaking news today!
FREE eNewsletter

infoTECH Whitepapers