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Open webOS Adopts Apache Cordova for Hardware Access

Posted by Unknown on from the fighting-the-good-fight dept.

In their December newsletter, Open webOS announced that they've ditched the webOS-specific hardware interface that was part of Enyo 1.x for the Cordova project (formerly PhoneGap). Combined with the portable Enyo 2.0 framework, applications written for webOS are now portable to other platforms (and the other way around). There were also a number of other under-the-hood improvements: "This month we completed and delivered the pluggable keyboard project, WebAppMgr separation and upgrading to Qt 4.8.3. Work continues as planned on upgrading Qt5/webkit2 (more details next month). Also, the complete rewrite of mediaServer has been completed and is now undergoing internal QA testing, look for this to hit the repos in the coming weeks."

17 comments

  1. Touchpad Update by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So when can I get this on my Touchpad?

    1. Re:Touchpad Update by spottedkangaroo · · Score: 2

      Many I miss WebOS. But I gave up and just started using Android. It's not nearly as good, but it's better in the way italian is better than latin.

      --
      Imagine if you weren't allowed to use roads because a bus company complained about your driving 3 times. --skunkpussy
    2. Re:Touchpad Update by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So when can I get this on my Touchpad?

      On your TouchPad? Call me when it runs on Linux ... on my Raspberry Pi: Beowulf cluster.

  2. Cordova by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Why is that feeling always the same? Whenever I go look at one of those Apache Graduated Whatever it's like taking a shower of MarketDroidSpeak. I didn't understand one thing and still feel all dirty. I mean -- quoth

    I mean: how do they do it? What's the gist of it? At which level do they interface to the "camera" and the "accelerometer"? Do they use the underlying OS's "services" or do they just sprinkle magical fairy dust between the Javascript and the devices?

    Of course, "a set of uniform interfaces for user input/output devices" sounds so much more mundane (that's what X has been doing for a couple of years now).

    The thing itself is useful, and I thank those folks for doing it, but the marketing babble makes me sick.

  3. Get with the program by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WebOS the war's over - you lost. Sometimes worse is better

  4. I was hoping for hardware access.... by ducomputergeek · · Score: 1

    To become part of the HTML5 spec. We've already sort of have it with geolocation, but I seriously thought in the near future we'll see access to cameras etc. without having to use Cordova or some other abstraction library.

    --
    "The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.
    1. Re:I was hoping for hardware access.... by Kethinov · · Score: 3, Informative

      Cordova's API is the spec. When you target Cordova's API, you're targeting what will eventually be native browser APIs. Have a look here for more info: http://phonegap.com/2012/05/09/phonegap-beliefs-goals-and-philosophy/

      --
      You're right, I wouldn't steal a car. But if it were possible, I sure as hell would download one!
    2. Re:I was hoping for hardware access.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      http://www.w3.org/TR/html-media-capture/

      It already exists: I've used it in Firefox.

      Cordova is hardly a complicated abstraction layer to learn - I even appreciate some of its shorthand ednature (as I do jQuery versus JS).

  5. In theory, yes by Unknown+Lamer · · Score: 1

    "With the release of Cordova 2.2, Enyo 2.0 is now supported on webOS up to version 3.0.5, which includes the Community Edition"

    I didn't manage to score a touchpad during the firesale, so I can't confirm.

    --

    HAL 7000, fewer features than the HAL 9000, but just as homicidal!
    1. Re:In theory, yes by Sulphur · · Score: 1

      "With the release of Cordova 2.2, Enyo 2.0 is now supported on webOS up to version 3.0.5, which includes the Community Edition"

      I didn't manage to score a touchpad during the firesale, so I can't confirm.

      Try eBay.

    2. Re:In theory, yes by Sulphur · · Score: 1

      "With the release of Cordova 2.2, Enyo 2.0 is now supported on webOS up to version 3.0.5, which includes the Community Edition"

      I didn't manage to score a touchpad during the firesale, so I can't confirm.

      Try eBay.

      http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=touchpad&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313&_nkw=hp+touchpad&_sacat=0

  6. 13 comments says it all by StormyWeather · · Score: 1

    RIP WebOS

    (Typed on a touchpad running android marvelously)

    1. Re:13 comments says it all by ggendel · · Score: 1

      RIP WebOS

      (Typed on a touchpad running android marvelously)

      Spoken like a person that's never used a Pre 3 which I used to beat the Microsoft challenge. The only issue has been stalled development. OpenWebOS is the last hope for this work so I hope they make it a good one. Supporting existing devices is a step in the right direction. Oh, I've got 4 Pre phones in the household, plus three touchpads all hombrew patched with LunaCE and overclocked kernels. Both my and my wife's Touchpad hasn't needed a reboot in over 6 months of daily use. We tried Android and Jelly Bean comes close, but it still is clumsy compared to WebOS (especially on phones). The latest threaded email app from OpenWebOS is a nice piece of software. WebOs needs a serious refresh on the browser (ala Isis) to make it competitive again.

      The main reason that there are so few comments is that HP has raised hopes and subsequently dashed them in the 11th hour so many times that the community has adopted a "show me when it becomes real" attitude.

    2. Re:13 comments says it all by Xeranar · · Score: 1

      Eh, most people bought touchpads in the firesale to port android to them. /. Is the ultimate hobbyist ideal, but lets get serious android is dominating. WebOS was fun, I loved it on my touchpad but without critical support for apps it is useless.