Palm has unveiled its plans for the WebOS developer program, which is scheduled to officially launch in December. It will enable third-party developers to broadly distribute their own software applications for Palm’s Linux-based mobile platform.
Palm’s WebOS application platform takes advantage of standards-based Web technologies, making it possible for developers to build complete applications with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Underlying device functionality is exposed through specialized JavaScript APIs and HTML 5 features are used to support graphics programming and video capabilities. This model lowers the barrier to entry and allows Web developers to transfer their existing skills to the WebOS platform.
Palm has a major opportunity to attract a lot of talented Web developers to its mobile platform, but will only succeed in doing so if the WebOS developer program is easy to navigate and painless for participants. It’s important for Palm to manage the developer program with a high level of transparency and provide clarity about the standards of its application approval process at an early stage. The company’s announcement on Tuesday is a positive step in the right direction.
To read the full story, visit http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2009/10/palm-fixes-webos-developer-program-encourages-open-source.ars
