Web OS叫好不叫座，惠普无奈打出开源牌

    惠普（Hewlett-Packard）的Web OS操作系统还没有完全断气，起码现在还是“死而不僵”。惠普公司今天宣布将把Web OS推向开源社区，也就是说开发者们和其它硬件厂商可以免费获取Web OS的源代码进行开发。

    惠普新任首席执行官梅格•惠特曼在新闻发布会上称：“Web OS是唯一一个完全为移动、云连接和可扩展需求设计的平台。我们将这一创新平台贡献给开源社区，由此可以释放开源社区的创造力，以促进新一代应用和设备的开发。”

    惠普在Web OS的存亡问题上多次出现过摇摆。李艾科去年就任CEO后，他曾表示Web OS不光会安装在平板电脑上，还会安装在惠普的PC以及其它设备上。但今年八月，李艾科又宣布，惠普将关闭TouchPad平板电脑和Web OS智能手机生产线（而且可能会剥离公司的个人电脑业务）。不过不久之后李艾科就被炒了鱿鱼。

    自从今年九月接任CEO以来，梅格•惠特曼一直在收拾李艾科留下的烂摊子。首先，她决定保留PC业务。现在她似乎也终于给Web OS的存亡问题找到了一个解决方案。

    不过将Web OS推向开源，并不意味着Web OS一定就会有前途。虽然这个最初由Palm公司研发的移动系统在评测中表现良好，而且还因为它的用户界面和以网络为中心的路子而广受赞扬，但Web OS设备的发展却裹足不前。要想吸引开发者，公司不仅要有一个有吸引力的平台，市场上还必须有足够有吸引力的设备。尽管惠普表示公司将积极参与和投资新的开源项目，但它却并未承诺将开发更多的Web OS设备。

    另外，事实证明谷歌（Google）的Android和苹果（Apple）的iOS操作系统已经成功地获得了开发者的芳心。微软（Microsoft）也希望新推出的Windows 8应用商店能吸引更多的开发者。在这三大平台的夹缝之中，Web OS能否强势回归？我们还是别抱太大指望。

    至于惠普能否东山再起的问题：现在就判断梅格•惠特曼能否扭转乾坤还为时过早。不过从她就任CEO后的头两个重大决策来看（保留PC业务、将WebOS推向开源），在眼下一团乱麻的情况下，她的这两个决策或许是最好的结果了。虽说把Web OS推向开源也许并不能让这个平台大获成功，但起码惠普现在终于可以给这个问题画上句号了。

    译者：朴成奎

    WebOS isn't completely dead, at least not yet. Hewlett-Packard today announced that it is taking its struggling mobile operating system open source -- a.k.a. making its code freely available to developers and other hardware manufacturers.

    "WebOS is the only platform designed from the ground up to be mobile, cloud-connected and scalable," Meg Whitman, HP's (HPQ) new chief executive officer, said in a release. "By contributing this innovation, HP unleashes the creativity of the open source community to advance a new generation of applications and devices."

    HP has flip-flopped on its WebOS strategy several times. After taking the helm last year, former CEO Leo Apotheker had said WebOS would power not only tablets but also HP's PCs and other devices. But in August he announced the company would kill off its TouchPad tablet and the WebOS smartphone line (and possibly spin off its personal computer business). He was fired shortly after.

    Since taking over in September, current CEO Whitman has tried to clean up Apotheker's mess. First, she decided to keep the PC business. And now she has finally brought the WebOS question to some resolution.

    But going open source doesn't necessarily mean WebOS has a future. Although the operating system, originally developed by Palm, was well reviewed and praised for its user interface and web-centric approach, WebOS devices never took off. (Check out 7 innovative features that couldn't save WebOS.) And to woo developers, companies not only need an attractive platform, they also need attractive devices out in the market. While HP says it will be an active participant and investor in its new open source project, it isn't recommitting itself to developing more WebOS devices.

    What's more, Google's (GOOG) Android and Apple's (AAPL) iOS operating systems have already proven success with developers. Microsoft (MSFT) is also hoping its new Windows 8 app store will attract developers. So does WebOS stand a chance at making a comeback? Don't count on it.

    As for HP's comeback, it's still too early to tell whether or not Whitman can turn things around. But her first two big decisions as CEO—to keep the PC business and to open source WebOS, were probably the best possible outcomes in a very messy situation. While the new, open source version of WebOS might not make it big, at least it provides HP with some closure.