Is Apple Copying Palm's WebOS? (salon.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Salon: Released in 2009 by Palm -- the same company that popularized the PDA in the 1990s -- WebOS pioneered a number of innovations, including multiple synchronized calendars, unified social media and contact management, curved displays, wireless charging, integrated text and Web messaging, and unintrusive notifications [that have all been copied by the mobile operating systems that defeated it on the marketplace]. The operating system, built on top of a Linux kernel, was also legendary for how easily it could be upgraded by users with programming skills. WebOS was also special in that it used native internet technologies like JavaScript for local applications. That was a huge part of why it was able to do so much integration with Web services, something its competitors at the time simply couldn't match.

Apple's upcoming iOS 11 once again demonstrates how far ahead of its time WebOS really was. The yet-to-be-released Apple mobile system has essentially copied the WebOS model for switching apps by having the user swipe upward from the bottom to reveal several "cards" that represent background applications. While Apple's decision to remove its massively overworked Home button is an improvement, it is still an inferior way of switching apps, compared to what you could do on WebOS eight years ago.

Comments

Apple & Amiga

[Zobeid]

Same old story. Am I the only one who noticed how long it took for Macintosh to support multiple full-screen programs and easy switching between them, which Amiga had already done starting in 1985?

Re:Apple & Amiga

[hajile]

There's a fundamental priority difference between webOS and iOS/Android.

Let's first take a look at macOS (this basically applies to Windows as well). How do you open an app? First, you check the dock for commonly-used applications. If they aren't there, you search the applications folder (or launchpad in newer versions) or use +Space to search for it. Notice that dock offers direct access, but other apps require extra steps.

Window managing is what a desktop OS is all about -- NOT opening apps. You have Spaces/Mission Control to group apps (because positional memorization is important to humans -- I suspect 2D spaces were superior in that regard to the 1D mission control desktops). You can drag windows around, resize them, put them side-by-side, etc. Closing Apps is also first-class with with just a +Q. Notifications are unobtrusive popups. Minor settings are available in the tray and major settings in Preferences (accessible by icon).

webOS follows that paradigm closely. Common apps go in the launcher. Less common apps are either in the app drawer or JustType to search for it. Launcher offers direct access, but everything else takes extra steps.

The primary view for webOS is for window managing. You have a 1D set of apps that you can move into Groups. Closing apps is a simple swipe up. There exists room to add things like side-by-side apps, but most of the devices were never big enough. Notifications are unobtrusive popups. Minor settings are available by clicking on the tray. Major settings are available in the settings view and accessible by icon.

The reason the webOS UI is so good is because webOS is the desktop paradigm you've been using for years.

Android and iOS have adopted many of these patterns, but they still feel foreign. Why? because launching apps reigns supreme. Instead of multi-tasking being the default view, their default is showing apps on the home screen. To change tasks, you have to switch into another, secondary mode and then back out of it. Android's and iOS's UI paradigm is upside down. First-class app opening with second-class task managing is bad UI.

In webOS, users tend to close uncommon apps and leave their common ones running which makes freeing resources the default (good for constrained systems). In iOS or Android, users simply cannot be bothered to use an out-of-the-way, second-class task switcher and don't even realize there are dozens of open apps. Instead iOS/Android app icons become a poor, ad-hoc task manager that is ill-equipped to manage apps and completely unable to kill them.

Re:Apple & Amiga

[Jeremi]

The thing is, Apple doesn't copy other OS GUI's -- it would never even occur to Apple to look at another OS's GUI, since they don't see any point in imitating some else's mediocre design when they are confident they can come up with something far better in-house.

The fact that this often leads to them re-inventing the wheel several years after some other company first invented it is a price it seems they are willing to pay :)

Re:Apple & Amiga

[Anonymous Coward]

The thing is, Apple doesn't copy other OS GUI's -- it would never even occur to Apple to look at another OS's GUI, since they don't see any point in imitating some else's mediocre design when they are confident they can come up with something far better in-house.

The fact that this often leads to them re-inventing the wheel several years after some other company first invented it is a price it seems they are willing to pay :)

BS apple steals the hell out of stuff just like everyone else. Their marketing might be better and make you believe different but really you're just not smart enough to notice. Bah sheep bah.

Ummm

[sit1963nz]

Apple Newton, released 1993
Palm OS released 1996
WebOS released 1999

Are we going to say that Palm copied the first PDA from Apple ?

Re:Yes

[sit1963nz]

WebOS copied from PalmOS.
PalmOS copied from the Newton.

The Newton was the first PDA, so all roads eventually lead back to Apple.

Re:This idea *isn't* brand new?!?!??!

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple is largely being called out because they have been the quickest to sue others for doing the same.