The Myth of the Mojo SDK

[jbluther]

What does Mojo provide that web developers can't do now? Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/12/screen-shots-of-palms-mojo-sdk-already-in-the-wild/) reports about Mojo that Palm is saying "all web, all the time. Apps, which rely heavily on HTML and Javascript, are actually debugged right from the comfort of your desktop web browser, so it seems like there isn't even a native emulator to worry about." Are all WebOS apps just webpages on a 320x480 screen?

Perhaps "Mojo" is just a JavaScript library (http://www.kensheppardson.com/2009/01/11/signs-of-palm-mojo/).

[Apoc]

From the sounds of it I *would* guess that they are just web pages, the only thing you'd really need the commands for is the way the phone handles internet, GPS, multi-touch and other input, as well an emulator for the touch controls, though it seems like it might be difficult to test multi-touch on a computer with only one mouse... Eh, still have some time to see how this plays out.

[winmobilelawyer]

no, the apps will not "just be webpages."

The Mojo SDK will provide devs with access to the hardware features. I have not seen anything written on how deep the access to the hardware will go. But I am really starting to get annoyed with people making the comparison of webOS to the "WebApps" of yore from the iPhone. They are NOT the same.

Think of it this way... programs that run on windows are written in C++ or VisualBasic etc. and then they are run in the windows environment independent of the internet etc. Palm simply thought it would be a great idea (and I agree) to have webOS allow for the execution of PROGRAMS (not webpages) written in Java and HTML etc. There are MANY phone operating systems that are completely based in Java (example: instinct). And also the most downloaded mobile app ever, Opera Mini, is a JAVA based app.

I think people are getting confused because Palm is emphasizing both the Synergy concepts of using the cloud alongside the ease of development in html and java. But the webOS apps are NOT webpages. I repeat they are NOT webpages. They are independent apps written in HTML, CSS, and Java... and the Mojo SDK will help developers gain access in their apps to important hardware features (most likely GPS, data, keyboard input, etc.)

[Apoc]

I understand how one writes programs in java, as it is a scripting language, and it happens all the time for computers and cell phones, but I'm confused as to what they mean by writing program in hyper text transfer protocol. I thought that was just for web pages. Count me a novice in this area. I may know how to make a damn cool web page, but by no means do I attempt to understand the full capabilities or limitations of the language.

[winmobilelawyer]

I understand why you might think that, but you must remember that HTML is simply a language. An internet browser simply reads the website code and executes that code within the browser. A good example if you are familiar with it would be rlToday which is a third party program for Windows Mobile touch screen phones. The program is a today plugin which displays user created "skins" on the WinMo today screen. The skins are completely written in XML (a language based on HTML). Inside these XML files are special "calls" to certain features inherent in the rlToday program.

So what the Mojo SDK will do (this is my assumption) is provide devs with the proper calls and id's that allow a program written in HTML or Java to display/access/utilize the features of the webOS core engine (such as the keyboard, GPS, cards, etc).

Is that a better explanation? Hopefully we can help get rid of the mythical comparison to applications being "web pages."

Further, I have seen several negative comments that you shouldn't expect to see any apps do anything more complicated than what you see in a webpage, but I think that is a lame comment seeing as how much we can do within a web browser (games, Outlook Web Access, and lots of other modern applications). So as far as the capability of HTML to power programs, I am fully confident it will do just fine. And if not, Java will more than make up for it.

And as a backup... lets take a look at what 3rd party apps would really ever bring to the table that is not already built in natively to the webOS. I'll compare it to the fruit phone. HONESTLY, what (other than some nifty games) do third party iPhone apps do OTHER than provide some sort of quick access to a distinct type of information? Dictionaries, Medical databases, bibles, blogs... and the list goes on. These are all information type uses for 3rd party apps and I think HTML/Java/CSS will be able to provide such services beautifully and efficiently. As far as email/contacts/web browsing/calendar etc... I think the native webOS solutions to these will kill any need for such complicated third party solutions.

[jbluther]

A couple points:

-- It's JavaSCRIPT. Not Java. Totally different things. Java is it's own language and has its own SDK. The Mojo SDK will have nothing to do with Java development. Mojo might provide some Java libraries however.

-- HTML is a subset of XML, not the other way around. You can't "program" in XML. XML files are used to configure other software (like the rlToday example) or share data. rlToday is the actual program, the XML file just tells it how you want it.

So I'm in the "they're web pages" camp. By that I mean a WebOS application can be interpreted by a web browser like it will be interpreted by WebOS itself. But as was noted, is that really a bad thing? Hardware integration? From the leaked mojo.js JavaScript library, my guess it will provide functions to access features of the phone's hardware.

[jbluther]

It appears I stand corrected on the Mojo/Dojo thing:

http://www.precentral.net/truth-about-mojojs-and-blast-radius

[winmobilelawyer]

Thank you for the correction on the Java/Javascript. BUT I still stand by my explanation that apps for webOS will NOT be webpages, but native applications.

See this article: http://www.pikesoft.com/blog/index.php?itemid=204

[Apoc]

Wow, great link, thanks!

[Ken]

winmobilelaywer, that's a great article; I think I'll write up a summary and point to it from my site. If you wrote it; thanks!

Just wanted to let you all know Palm has since released chapter 1 of a book entitled Palm webOS (http://www.weboshelp.net/webos-news-and-rumors/120-palm-webos-by-oreilly-chapter-1-summary) that goes into a lot more detail about how webOS applications are constructed and run. It doesn't say anything about compiling them, but they are most likely being run on a highly optimized interpreter and do have access to native widgets and services.

If you want to see the actual anatomy of a webOS application, check out this tutorial (http://www.weboshelp.net/webos-tutorials/194-first-official-webos-mojo-sdk-tutorial-from-palm-redux), presented by Palm at a developer webcast a few weeks ago.

[Chape]

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