As an assailable - source labor with uncertain backing , webOS has a tough road ahead of it , analysts said on Friday .
“ This is a dying judgment of conviction but an honorable death sentence , ” said Avi Greengart , an psychoanalyst with Current Analysis . “ HP is suppose , ‘ We ’re washing our bridge player of this but make it useable for anyone to play with as they see fit . ’ ” “
He was referring to HP ’s announcement Friday that it will lend the code behind webOS to the overt - source community . But the party left a number of unanswered question that have allow experts to enquire if webOS has a hereafter .
For instance , while HP say it would “ stay to be participating ” in supporting and developing webOS , it did n’t say how exactly it would support it . Since a successful wandering OS would belike require meaning support , analysts enquire if webOS will draw in enough investment . “ It ca n’t exist by itself as a science experiment , ” said Will Stofega , an analyst with IDC . “ It has to get support . ”
Such backing will be key for develop the OS and for attracting lotion developer .
“ If you were really looking to go out and build an ecosystem around your product , this probably is n’t the one with the greatest grip , ” Greengart enounce . A earphone Godhead aim market place in the West , where the exploiter anticipation is “ gimme apps or gimme death , ” is not going to opt webOS , he said .
That ’s because even under Palm and HP , webOS struggle to draw in software developers .
Jack Gold of J. Gold Associates agreed that without a beat back force behind webOS , it ’s unlikely to be successful . “ Why is Android successful ? It ’s not because it ’s undecided source . It ’s because it ’s driven by Google , ” he said .
WebOS lean the risk of exposure of following other Linux - based projects that have tended to progress slowly , he say . “ The roving earth shape at 10 times that stride , ” Gold say .
HP did n’t specify which unresolved - source licence it would release the code under . Jay Lyman , a senior psychoanalyst at The 451 Group , expects it to use an Apache license . It ’s one of the more permissive licenses , allowing developers to meld open source with their own proprietary code and betray product that utilise the combined code , he said .
HP also did not say when it will make the code available . Some endeavor to move proprietary codification to open beginning drag on for lengthy period of time , as with Nokia ’s Symbian operating system . However , that was a complicated situation since Nokia had some of its rational property wrapped up in the code , Lyman said .
He bear the process for webOS to be less complex , and since it is being open source by HP , a major drug user and supporter of Linux , the codification might be released by the first one-half of next year , he said .
Still , inquiry remain about which ironware vendor will use webOS .
Some analysts said the availability of the webOS codification might prove attractive to vendors who were made nervous about Google ’s acquisition of Motorola , or , like HTC , have struggle to differentiate their Android product . Still , few expect one of the top roving phone maker to terminate up using the software .
LG , which has been previous to the smartphone market and has a comparatively small market portion , might take an interest in webOS , say Chris Hazelton , an psychoanalyst with The 451 Group . A company look to build up a gadget like Amazon ’s Kindle Fire , which is not dependent on exist applications and help , might also be interested , he enounce . “ There is a hungriness for a high - level OS that is low cost and does n’t fall with luggage , ” he say .
WebOS could also turn up attractive to vendors worry about the increasing effectual attacks on Android . “ WebOS might represent an option that has less of that IP baggage , ” Lyman say .
Hobbiests and developersare also probable to show some involvement in webOS , Greengart said . In addition , ironware vendors in China might use webOS in that country , he say .
HP itself might also develop products using the software . CEO Meg Whitman on Fridaytold The Vergethat HP might make tablets using webOS . However , an HP spokesman later minimize the idea , aver the troupe wo n’t rule out make webOS - based ironware , but that it ’s not make any commitment .
The psychoanalyst all praise webOS for its timbre , and they blamed its problems on its later reaching to market . “ It ’s expectant , ” say IDC ’s Stofega . “ There ’s really no question about that . ”
