[Political Season]

See my complete original post: How the Community Can Save Webos:

This is a call to arms. Our Mission,if we choose to accept it - Save Webos

So what are the Webos faithful to do now? Seemingly, Webos is a failed platform. It matters little if HP develops the OS if there are no devices that run it. Admob is cutting Webos off, removing an incentive for developers. While it may be semi comforting to some that the DNA of Webos might find its way into printers and cars and various and sundry enterprise apps, thats cold comfort to die hard users of this outstanding moble OS.

How can the community have an impact now that will save Webos from a slow death? We make lemons from lemonade:

HP is all about the bucks, not the vision. For Webos to survive and not be sold off for its parts (patents), HP must successfully monetize it. This is where we, the community of users and developers, come in. We have to work together and with HP (much as we might wish they were HTC) to retain, indeed enhance the value of Webos as a platform. We all have a part to play. Time to make lemonade. Here is how we do it.

1. HP must do an all out press to retain its developers and should subsidize big name developers to create apps for the platform - Raw app numbers don't matter, but app quality and popularity does. HP must bring the most popular developers to the platform by any means necessary. if that means building the app for them, its what they should do. Get creative, offer bounties for certain app types, prize competitions like Netflix has done. Whatever it takes HP, get it done.

2. Webos developers must support and update existing apps and create new ones. The platform has to stay alive for 12-18 months without a hardware refresh (the time I think it takes for PSG unit to get spun off or a savior company purchase by HTC, Amazon or some other unknown player). The key to that is keeping the ecosystem alive and that means developers must not orphan, shelve or deep freeze their apps in the meanwhile. Developers must keep their apps alive.

3.Webos users must Buy apps - This is key. Its about the money. The firesale has put thousands of webos devices in the hands of new users and their numbers are now added to those of us still using webos. With no devices being made for 12-18 months, the platform will quickly wither in mindshare and marketshare for lack of developer support and devices beginning 1st Qtr 2012 if developers can't see any future return for their labors. The Webos community must buy apps. Not just apps we want or like or that are really good. We must buy apps simply because they exist. We must buy apps as a recreational activity. Buy $5 worth of apps a month. Whether you use them or not. Whether you like them or not. Just buy apps. We must subsidize our developer community through this period, so they can come out the other side ready to create new apps when hardware for webos comes back to the market. A component of this strategy: App/Patch bounties on the software solutions we want, funded by the user base. I'm talking more than uncollectible port petitions or app requests not backed up by any cash. These are app bounties with pledges of real cash by real people of their real money, collectible by a developer when the solution is delivered.

4. User community and HP must financially support Webos Internals - Webos Internals is arguably as responsible for innovation and advancement of the Webos platform as its owners have been. We'll need them to continue their life giving work to this platform, so we must financially support their work and HP should enable them with equipment and bucks. They are a cheap investment in the life of the platform. The user community is already doing its part and we should keep doing it. HP, give them what you spent on the nearly worthless tv advertising, you'll reap far more return for it than the tv spots ever got.

5. Convert new touchpad owners to rabid webos fans who buy apps - We have been gifted a new crop of webos users. We must convert them to die hard supporters of the platform and mondo app purchasers too.

6. Retain pre-, pre+, pre2 and touchpad hardware for as long as possible - There are a dwindling number of replacements. We have to keep using all of these devices to keep a mindshare and a semblance of market share and help each other as a community with creative ways to fix or replace our devices in the event of loss or failure for the 12-18 months needed to get to a new webos hardware cycle.

USER SIDE STRATEGY: APP Bounties - How it works

Users make pledges of money to a collectible bounty for a given app/solution/patch via credit card. Developers take action to develop that solution when a bounty gets big enough to attract them. Solution/app/patch gets developed. Developer gets paid, users get solution, Webos is improved, everyone is happy. If solution never materializes, users don't have to pay. No risk. All upside.

I've already begun campaigns to work this userside strategy and I invite you to join them and create even better, more inventive campaigns of your own.

Bring Words with Friends to Webos!
Bring Netflix Watch Instantly to Webos!
Bring a Mint.com app to Webos!

Click here to go to the Official App Bounty Thread with all current and pending app bounty campaigns

This approach over 12-18 months could conceivably keep Webos on vital life support while HP solidifies its plans or a buyer comes to the rescue. It preserves our developer community, ensures vitality in the platform and keeps webos attractive for potential purchasing or licensing interest from companies interested in winning the market with its mobile goodness. Webos has a window of time between now and the end of the 1st quarter 2012 where action by this community in this period could keep enough viability in the platform that hardware gets another shot via the spun off PSG, which I consider about the most probable and realistically likely path to any future for Webos. Thats how the Webos user and developer community and HP, working together, can save Webos to live another day.

I don't think I'm dreaming here. Come on. We are smart people. My plan has some flaws, but we are the Webos community. We take stuff and make it better, so lets do what we do. Take this strategy outline and build on it. We can make this happen.

[mistermojorizin]

This is a call to arms. Our Mission,if we choose to accept it - Save Webos

Mission impossible huh? Kinda self defeating isn't it? just kidding

[C-Note]

I like it, but the 'fly' in this bowl of soup is HP. The have not shown a willingness to do anything remotely intelligent. The Firesale buzz gave them a small window of opportunity and they haven't used it.

As soon as someone release a decent $300 dollar tablet (probably Android, maybe Windows), or the next generation of more powerful, capable tablets arrive, the buzz will be gone.

[Political Season]

I like it, but the 'fly' in this bowl of soup is HP. The have not shown a willingness to do anything remotely intelligent.

You're right, they are a major uncertainty in all of this, however, if we create market movement on a big enough scale, we may prod them to more intelligent action. They already look foolish and are losing customers and confidence because of their poor handling. I say we take advantage of their confusion by creating market pressures for them to act in Webos's favor.

[cgk]

There is no way on earth, I am going to be handing over cash to the makers of mediocre second-rate apps. If I was going to give away money I would rather give it to something worthwhile like cancer research.

[Suntan]

if we create market movement on a big enough scale,

Wasn’t the lack of this happening the problem that got webos to where it is today?

-Suntan

[nappy]

After "going viral," "Project Jumpstart," and "Veer Peers," I just don't see the point anymore.

As for the port petitions, set your forum view to "From the beginning" and see how many petitions are sitting in the webOS apps forum. They just don't work.

[Political Season]

After "going viral," "Project Jumpstart," and "Veer Peers," I just don't see the point anymore.

As for the port petitions, set your forum view to "From the beginning" and see how many petitions are sitting in the webOS apps forum. They just don't work.

Port "petitions" lack efficacy because they are not backed up by anything. I'm organizing bounties on apps and solutions that are backed up by by pledges made by credit card that will pay when the objective is met, app built or solution provided. That's a better approach.

[Mikey47]

Let us know how it goes...

[jdale]

3.Webos users must Buy apps - This is key. Its about the money. The firesale has put thousands of webos devices in the hands of new users and their numbers are now added to those of us still using webos. With no devices being made for 12-18 months, the platform will quickly wither in mindshare and marketshare for lack of developer support and devices beginning 1st Qtr 2012 if developers can't see any future return for their labors. The Webos community must buy apps. Not just apps we want or like or that are really good. We must buy apps simply because they exist. We must buy apps as a recreational activity. Buy $5 worth of apps a month. Whether you use them or not. Whether you like them or not. Just buy apps.

While I agree with the sentiment, there are plenty of great apps. I am pretty sure I could pick out $5 of apps a month and have them all be great and useful. I'm well over that mark currently and have bookmarked another $21 in apps for the future.

[eblade]

With it now looking like HP wants to ship off Enyo to other platforms, at which point they will realize that Enyo is both a great selling point, and a major achilles heel. No one will use it on other people's devices, unless they have no choice.

[Political Season]

Enable txt messaging from HP Touchpad via bluetooth tether | The Point

Let us know how it goes...

oh, come on, be activist. If we do nothing, we are guaranteed to get nothing. I just put up a bounty on txt messaging. Join it!

[vszulc]

The only way I can see the community saving webOS is cool cash. Let's say there's a million users (a little optimistic, but not that unrealistic). If a million users donate 1000$ each, there'll be enough cash to buy webOS, and for a year or two of operating losses.
(Assuming HP will sell for 4-500 million)

I'm afraid that anything different than that won't be enough.

Other companies buying webOS? Sorry... After seeing how it performed on theoretically powerful hardware like the Touchpad, it's obvious that webOS isn't anywhere near as polished or mature enough it needs to be, to compete with iOS and Android. I doubt any company would be interested, considering how many further ressources they need to throw after development.

[9orynych]

I am one of the original Palm users who waited for years for a release of the new OS.
I loved my Pre enough to buy Pre3 and 32Gb Touchpad of eBay (£520 combined), I do not regret it for one minute and so far they meet all my needs but for a few apps that I would love to have but can live without.

In the last month alone I spent close to £100 buying various apps off official catalog (kept majority of them, deleted some). Am trying to sort out donations for the apps I downloaded through Preware - I intend to donate £10 for each homebrew app I am using and will keep donating £10 for each new app I download.

I e-mailed Amazon asking them for update to Kindle app, e-mailed 1 (so far) of the publishing houses (Penny Publications) whose magazines I would like to subscribe to - all responded with assurance that it will be updated.

Would be nice of course if more people e-mail them and ask for the update.
Anyone interested can just go to their websites and hit "Contact us" buttons (can't post links or e-mail addresses yet).

I also e-mailed Mugen Power with request for batteries for Pre3, received an answer it will be released within 2 months.

It takes only few minutes to e-mail but if enough of us do, they will respond and they will update simply because there are probably close to half a million of us out there and that's a damn nice block of customers any company would want to get their hands on.

So, for those of you who are not willing to spend money supporting Devs, how about you spend few minutes of your time e-mailing Amazon, publishers, manufacturers and ask them for updates and accessories.

[Mikey47]

The only way I can see the community saving webOS is cool cash. Let's say there's a million users (a little optimistic, but not that unrealistic). If a million users donate 1000$ each, there'll be enough cash to buy webOS, and for a year or two of operating losses.
(Assuming HP will sell for 4-500 million)

I'm afraid that anything different than that won't be enough.

Other companies buying webOS? Sorry... After seeing how it performed on theoretically powerful hardware like the Touchpad, it's obvious that webOS isn't anywhere near as polished or mature enough it needs to be, to compete with iOS and Android. I doubt any company would be interested, considering how many further ressources they need to throw after development.

This is funny. You want a group of unrelated, unknowledgeable users to put $1B at risk when you yourself say companies that do this as their bread and butter don't want to touch it?

[nappy]

The thing is, Mikey47, we've both been here long enough to see all these grassroots efforts launch and fail so we have a different perspective on this.

Newcomers to webOS still think its somehow saveable because they've missed out on all the Twitter spam, petitions, Facebook groups, and app sale drives that never amounted to anything in the end.

[9orynych]

Please, let me know how I can pitch in. Would love to support an app like the one you are requesting even though Pre is now a secondary/backup for Pre3.

[Mikey47]

Enable txt messaging from HP Touchpad via bluetooth tether | The Point

oh, come on, be activist. If we do nothing, we are guaranteed to get nothing. I just put up a bounty on txt messaging. Join it!

I actively gave money to Palm, Sprint, Homebrewers, and Application Developers. When I saw that my money was being flushed down the toilet I stopped giving. While I would love to see webOS make a rebound, I am going to sit on the sidelines and adopt a wait-and-see attitude.

[kill_dano]

Saving webOS is something out of the communitie's hands. Even your list has things that only HP can do.

[Political Season]

I actively gave money to Palm, Sprint, Homebrewers, and Application Developers. When I saw that my money was being flushed down the toilet I stopped giving. While I would love to see webOS make a rebound, I am going to sit on the sidelines and adopt a wait-and-see attitude.

That stance assures nothing will happen. I'm not professing my strategy to be a slam dunk. I am saying that effective user activism may move the needle, tilt the scales more in favor of a positive outcome and we should try to tip those scales that little bit if we can, and we can do that.

I'm far from a newbie to Webos and some of the past user activism you note is either ineffective or too small scale to do the job in an eco system that has been cast into uncertainty.

Port petitions and bounty pledges in a precentral forum are not backed by collectible cash in a way that a developer can rely on and be motivated to put in man/woman hours on an app or patch. My approach uses real pledges by real people of their real money, that can actually be collected. Thats a whole notch above whats usually been done and it has to be taken to that level in an eco system thrown out of kilter like ours.

We can't count on naturally existing eco system market forces to help us, we are going to have to create those forces. WE are those forces. Smart user activism is needed now. If we do nothing, we get nothing. We have a window of time. I think if something does not break for us or change by March 2012, Webos will be dead as a platform and I'll just rock my TP and Pre- till they die (or my Pre3 if I can ever get my hands on one).

Until then, HP gifted us an army of new Webos recruits. I say lets go to war for our platform. Nothing beats a fail but a try. So I'm gonna try. Nothing to lose. Everything to gain. Stand with me.