webOS, also known as webOS TV and open webOS, is a multitasking operating system for smart devices such as televisions and watches, based on Linux.
The launch of the new version of WebOS Open Source Edition 2.20, which arrives by correcting a large number of errors detected in the previous version, in addition to this, it also implements a series of improvements and above all, it comes offering images for Raspberry Pi 4.
For those who are still unaware of webOS Open Source Edition (or also known as webOS OSE), you should know that the webOS platform was originally developed by Palm in 2008. The webOS system environment is built using OpenEmbedded and the basic packages, as well as a build system and metadata set from the Yocto project.
The key components of webOS are the System and Application Manager (SAM), which is responsible for running applications and services, and Luna Surface Manager (LSM), which forms the user interface. Rendering is done through a composite manager using the Wayland protocol. To develop custom applications, it is proposed to use web technologies (CSS, HTML5 and JavaScript) and the Enact framework based on React, but it is also possible to create programs in C and C++ with an interface based on Qt.
Main new features of WebOS Open Source Edition 2.20
In this new version that is presented, it is highlighted that sand has started to deliver the images webOS Clipart for the Raspberry Pi 4 board and emulator, it is mentioned that the generated images will be published on GitHub a few days after the release.
Another change that stands out is that the system UI has been moved from the Moonstone framework to Sandstone, besides that the icons of the status bar have been changed and that added the ability to connect to Wi-Fi from the status bar (with this you can now consult a list of Wi-Fi ever connected). The configurator provides the ability to view a list of known Wi-Fi access points to which there have ever been connections.
Besides that, a red indicator is now displayed in the WebEX browser tab to inform the user that audio or video is in useIt is also noted that an initial delay was reduced when webOS OSE works as a CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) client.
On the other hand, a keyboard shortcut (Ctrl + Alt + F9) has been added to take a screenshot (saved in /tmp/screenshots), as well as Ctrl + Alt + F10 to delete all screenshots.
Of the other changes that stand out from this new version:
- Updated version of localization tools
- Changed the default build option for webruntime and WAM to Clang.
- Fixed an issue where HTML5 videos would not play in the emulator
- Fixed an issue where the enter key would not work if the user activated the soft keyboard multiple times.
- Fixed an issue where the main screen would not display correctly if the screen resolution of the main screen was higher than that of the secondary screen.
- Fixed an issue where using a mouse on the secondary screen would cause the Start app to disappear
- Fixed an issue where skipping videos using shortcuts (number keys + Enter keys) would not work.
- Fixed an issue where the
com.webos.applicationService/removemethod did not remove apps completely
Finally, if you are interested in knowing more about this new released version, you can consult the details In the following link.
How to get webOS Open Source Edition 2.20?
For those who are interested in being able to use or test webOS Open Source Edition it is necessary to generate the system image for their device, for this they can consult the steps to follow from the following link
It is worth mentioning that the Raspberry Pi 4 boards are considered as the reference hardware platform. The platform is developed in a public repository under the Apache 2.0 license, and the development is supervised by the community, following a collaborative development management model.