WebOS Open Source Edition 2 Platform Release

Presented new open platform branch webOS Open Source Edition 2, focused on equipping smart devices. The platform is being developed in public repository under the Apache 2.0 license, and development is overseen by the community, adhering to joint development management model. Raspberry Pi 4 boards are considered as the reference hardware platform.

The webOS platform in 2013 was bought out by LG from Hewlett-Packard and is used on more than 70 million LG TVs and consumer devices. The webOS Open Source Edition project was founded in 2018 after LG attempted to return to an open development model to attract other participants and expand the range of devices on which webOS could be used.

The webOS system environment is created using tools and basic packages OpenEmbedded, as well as the build system and a set of metadata from the project Yocto. The key components of webOS are the system and application manager (SAM, System and Application Manager), which is responsible for running applications and services, and the Luna Surface Manager (LSM), which forms the user interface. The components are written using the Qt framework and the Chromium browser engine.

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 a framework Enact, based on React, but it is also possible to create programs in C and C++ with a Qt-based interface. The user shell and built-in graphical applications are mainly implemented as native programs written using QML technology.

Storage is used to store data in a structured form using the JSON format DB8, using the LevelDB database as a backend.
For initialization it is used booted based on systemd. The uMediaServer and Media Display Controller (MDC) subsystems are offered for processing multimedia content; PulseAudio is used as a sound server.

Features webOS Open Source Edition 2:

  • A new reference user interface has been introduced - Home Launcher, optimized for touchscreen control and offering an improved concept of rotating maps (instead of windows). The interface also adds a Quick Launch bar, which houses shortcuts to frequently used functions such as access to settings and notifications;

    WebOS Open Source Edition 2 Platform Release

  • The platform is adapted for use in automotive infotainment systems. For example, it is possible to work in dual-screen environments typically used in passenger multimedia systems;
  • Proposed tools for automatic firmware update (FOTA - Firmware-Over-the Air), based on application OSTree and atomic system update. The entire system image is rebuilt as a whole, without splitting into separate packages. The update system is based on the use of two system partitions, one of which is active, and the second is used to copy the update; after installing the update, the partitions change roles;
  • Added SoftAP (Tethering) mode, which allows you to organize the operation of a wireless access point to connect other devices to the network;
  • Added support for mandatory access control based on the Smack (Simplified Mandatory Access Control Kernel) kernel module;
  • Improved Bluetooth and WiFi support;
  • The reference hardware platform has been updated to the Raspberry Pi 4 board (previously offered to use Raspberry Pi 3 Model B), which can connect two screens via HDMI, use a more advanced GPU, use Gigabit Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0/BLE and USB 3.0 ;
  • For default logging involved journald from systemd;
  • Updated versions of third-party components underlying the platform, including Qt 5.12 and Chromium 72.

Source: opennet.ru

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