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10/29/2010, 03:32 PM
#1
On Monday, MotionApps announced that they would no longer be selling Classic as HP had removed the needed Palm roms from 2.0. This was an unexpected shock to those of us who rely on Classic.
Due to the turmoil with the Pre release hardware issues and the HP buyout of Palm, developers have not migrated applications to the native WebOS platform as fast as one would have expected. Most have taken a 'wait and see' attitude towards WebOS, holding off on development until the platform shows more promise.
This situation has moved Classic from its expected role as a temporary transition tool to being an important part of the operating system. For many users it was what allowed us to move to WebOS in the first place, as we could enjoy the new platform while maintaining access to our needed apps.
We depend on productivity applications that currently have no WebOS equivalents. These are tools that we use every day in our jobs, with critical data.
If HP is going to remove this support from 2.0, then users are left with difficult choices. They can move to 2.0 and lose access to their data, stay on 1.x and lose access to new applications and features, or leave the WebOS platform entirely.
Many of the applications that are currently only available through Classic on WebOS exist as native apps on the Android and iOS platforms. Those of us who have been using WebOS since the Pre release day would much prefer to stay with it - but the loss of needed applications will make it difficult.
MotionApps has also implied that the removal of the needed roms was a surprise to them, and contrary to agreements. It is disturbing to see HP abrogating agreements with major WebOS developers, as it does not encourage other companies to devote resources to the platform.
A week has passed with no statements from HP on the future of Classic or why it has been removed. It would be wonderful if HP could find a way to continue support for PalmOS applications in WebOS 2.0. If that won't be possible, please at least officially notify users that the support will not be available.
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