3 ms·

I'd like to see this. Palm had good software and terrible hardware. Samsung has good hardware and terrible software. webOS has too much promise to be killed o

I'd like to see this. Palm had good software and terrible hardware. Samsung has good hardware and terrible software. webOS has too much promise to be killed off by HP.

nirvana 15y ago
Do you mean that you think they would use WebOS to replace Android as the OS for their phones? I'm not sure why they would want to replace android. The only downside I can see of android is potential patent liability. With android, much of the OS development is outsourced and Samsung can spend their software resources making their version of improvements to android that they like. Thus going with android seems it would have more leverage for Samsung. If they buy WebOS, they own the whole enchilada and their software resources have to be spread over an entire OS. On the other hand, since WebOS is essentially a web app running in a browser, of all the possible Phone operating systems they could buy, WebOS is the one that makes the most sense-- has the most leverage. They could presumably run it on linux and webkit and thus enjoy some leverage since others help improve linux and webkit. If the idea is to buy WebOS to avoid patent liability, I think that would be a mistake. Apple didn't sue Palm, but I think this is only because Palm was not a threat in the marketplace. Apple seems, when there are multiple infringers, to focus on the ones that seem to be the bigger marketplace threat. (success there would then allow them to settle with Palm relatively cheaply in terms of legal costs anyway.) I'm not certain that WebOS infringes on Apple patents, but I don't think it is obvious that it doesn't either.
- darklajid 15y ago
  Why replace? For all I care most phones today are ~identical~. Hell, I think HTC is well-known for putting out nearly identical devices with different operating systems for quite some time. Offer both versions. Bonus points: Allow me to flash my phone to move from one OS to the other.

I'd like to see this. Palm had good software and terrible hardware. Samsung has good hardware and terrible software. webOS has too much promise to be killed off by HP.

nirvana 15y ago

Do you mean that you think they would use WebOS to replace Android as the OS for their phones? I'm not sure why they would want to replace android. The only downside I can see of android is potential patent liability. With android, much of the OS development is outsourced and Samsung can spend their software resources making their version of improvements to android that they like. Thus going with android seems it would have more leverage for Samsung. If they buy WebOS, they own the whole enchilada and their software resources have to be spread over an entire OS. On the other hand, since WebOS is essentially a web app running in a browser, of all the possible Phone operating systems they could buy, WebOS is the one that makes the most sense-- has the most leverage. They could presumably run it on linux and webkit and thus enjoy some leverage since others help improve linux and webkit. If the idea is to buy WebOS to avoid patent liability, I think that would be a mistake. Apple didn't sue Palm, but I think this is only because Palm was not a threat in the marketplace. Apple seems, when there are multiple infringers, to focus on the ones that seem to be the bigger marketplace threat. (success there would then allow them to settle with Palm relatively cheaply in terms of legal costs anyway.) I'm not certain that WebOS infringes on Apple patents, but I don't think it is obvious that it doesn't either.

darklajid 15y ago
Why replace? For all I care most phones today are ~identical~. Hell, I think HTC is well-known for putting out nearly identical devices with different operating systems for quite some time. Offer both versions. Bonus points: Allow me to flash my phone to move from one OS to the other.