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Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

developer.palm.com

161–170 of 180 posts

Re: Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

#161
post #58
post #33

WebOS is definitely very cool. I doubt WebOS can overtake Android or iOS at this point, but it should be a solid third place in this market (I don't think other competitors like WP7 or Bada can make it).

Nokia makes WP7 #3 by default. A respectable #4 by volume would be fine if WebOS has a shot at #2 in quality. #1 in quality is, I trust, sewn up for practically everyone reading this, though with disagreements at great length and volume on which name to fill in.

> Nokia makes WP7 #3 by default.

I don't get this argument. Nokia is big now, but why would it still be big with a completely different product, some time in the future, and after the market has changed quite a bit?

Re: Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

#162
post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you think the private ssh key would be sync'd with Google in first place? There's no background sync of your Android phone's contents to Google, just things like Contacts and Email (which are optional)

When I setup an Android phone I am asked if I want to sink my configuration and data with Google, and that this information includes things like wifi psks. Are ssh keys stored in an area that is separate from what Google syncs?

As I understand it, it's up to each app to decide what exactly it will back up. After a quick glance at the code, it seems to me that it backs up preferences, host keys, and public/private keys.

Re: Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

#163

> There’s no cost to become a developer. But there is, to submit (signed) apps? https://developer.palm.com/index.php?option=com_register&#38... says "Benefits include: Enroll in the webOS Developer program ($99/year; covers up to xx application submissions) Submit you webOS application(s) for review and approval by Palm" Am sure am missing something. Also, these devices are too costly for geeks on other side of plane…

Thanks for pointing out the old text. When we originally opened the dev program, there was a fee for submitting apps, but this has all be eliminated in the last year.

Re: Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

#164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't know webOS could do that. Maybe webOS could replace my Maemo N900. I have a Debian chroot on my N900 (with OpenOffice, GIMP & Apache) but don't use it that much. Other Linuxy things that I use my N900 for that I'd like to know if webOS could do: - vnc server - all the usual ssh port tunnelling / forwarding stuff - bash - cron - git - curl / wget / nmap - software repositories (Maemo uses apt) - python / ruby…

Yes, you can do a lot of those things, but over homebrew. You can install ipkg-opt, which will give you access to the nslu2-linux optware packages. It's no apt, but you can still use it to install packages. From the optware packages, you can install python/ruby/php, install a vnc server (although I think there are some homebrew apps for that), install git, cron, and a lot of the standard programs you would expect in…

Tunneling has worked like a champ for me. With a linux box at home and a linux phone in my pocket, corporate blockers are a thing of the past and all of my work is only ever an ssh away. =]

Re: Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

#165
post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I setup an Android phone I am asked if I want to sink my configuration and data with Google, and that this information includes things like wifi psks. Are ssh keys stored in an area that is separate from what Google syncs?

As I understand it, it's up to each app to decide what exactly it will back up. After a quick glance at the code, it seems to me that it backs up preferences, host keys, and public/private keys.

Okay, so that's a big red flag for me. Google can't have my private keys, so I can't use it. Thanks.

Re: Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

#166

You know what's lacking from this list? A killer feature that both Android or iOS lacks. And that doesn't just have to be software, it can be the backing of other high profile manufacturers or a super low price point. The problem is that when you don't have market share you have to have bells and whistles the get geeks excited. I love HP as a company, and they're great as making stuff — but making an operating system…

Good point... if I was writing this again, I'd mention the Synergy system that ties in data sources from email, contacts, and calendar sites online into the core webOS PIM apps, giving you a unified view of everything. I didn't list it because it's a bit hard to build on, but I feel like it's the stand out feature. Oh, and really nice multitasking. Effortless app management... but those are more user concerns.

My HTC phone does that for contacts; not sure whether that's Android or HTC Sense.

Re: Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

#167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wish it had been ~2004 but it has been happening since 2008. They sold that crappy computers to one of the biggest and newest university libraries in Europe. So, I have a real reason to ignore HP products even if they have great platform.

Because they sold them something they were willing to buy? Sorry, that doesn't make any sense.

As a coder, ethical behavior of the company behind the platform I use is very important to me.

Re: Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

#168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because they sold them something they were willing to buy? Sorry, that doesn't make any sense.

As a coder, ethical behavior of the company behind the platform I use is very important to me.

Where's your proof that this behavior was unethical? I know nonprofits and educational institutions that still require IE6 today due to various reasons, and some on XP because they haven't okayed an upgrade cycle even if they're not using it. No offense intended, but your claims are difficult to take seriously. This sounds significantly more like "I don't like that they use Microsoft" than anything to do with what kind of Microsoft software they sold.

In the overwhelming majority of these cases that I've seen, there is much more going on than "derp, we're gonna give them IE6 because we're eeeeeevil."

(And if that "ethical behavior" is really so important to you, you might as well just stop using computers because each and every one of them are, on one level or another, not fundamentally opposed to screwing the next guy to get ahead. Don't use Google or Yahoo. Don't use Twitter or Facebook. Don't send network packets over Cisco hardware. Don't buy Intel hardware. Don't buy AMD hardware. Don't buy nVidia graphics cards. The list goes on.

Even everybody's favorite guys over at Canonical have demonstrated a willingness to screw people over, viz. the Banshee project.)

Re: Why Geeks Should Love HP WebOS

#169

I've always had a soft spot for WebOS and still prefer it over Android and WP7. However, Palm gimped themselves by making it Sprint exclusive and putting the OS on cheap plastic hardware.

They released all their phones to AT&T and Verizon shortly after the Sprint exclusive. The Pre 2, vastly improved over the Pre, was formerly available only as a GSM unlocked device, and now on Verizon. The Veer is an AT&T exclusive. Sprint distanced itself from webOS a long time ago.

By "shortly after" you mean 1 year after, I take it? Which also makes that available just under a year on AT&T today as well. So it hasn't really been that long and now we are hearing about a new OS and new hardware. Not sure I know anyone that would pay $150 for an outdated phone.
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