Alright, let’s be honest. If you’re a webOS user in 2014 you have to understand how to use patches, occasionally use webOS Quick Install‘s Linux Commandline, and may have even built your own custom webOS doctor using webOS Internals‘ meta-doctor.

The tutorials can be complex for some of the fixes webOS users have to make but a basic understanding of Linux can really help.  Especially since webOS is built upon Linux!  If you already knew that then you might also know about LWN.net.  Essentially, if you want to know anything and everything worth mentioning within the world of Linux then you’ll get yourself over to LWN.net for the news. And the fine folks over there just did a very nice write-up on LuneOS!

Jonathan Corbet from LWN just published a thoughtful, introspective, and down right honest review of the recent efforts of the webOS Ports team and their LuneOS release.

The review is simple enough and praises the UI.  Jonathan says, “The overall presentation is attractive and, in many ways, pleasant to use”.  Although he gets the no-back-button complaint part of his review wrong since he’s unaware that back swipe is the webOS and now LuneOS equivalent to the Android back button. (Try it again, Jonathan. It works. I promise.).

But he has this to say about the potential success of LuneOS:

“It would be a good thing if they did succeed. As nice as Android is, it is in need of strong competition from at least one open-source alternative. LuneOS, a community-developed distribution based on a known-to-be-popular system, could possibly be such an alternative if it could build up some momentum.”

Yes, a nice bit of momentum would be excellent.  Inside reports say that webOS Ports has built up a larger base of developers who understand form over function and are willing to spend time developing in the back-end of the core apps rather than waste time building beautiful UIs without the knowledge of how to integrate it into the core system.  And some of those team additions have been since the release last Monday.  Great news!

I think it’s important to note that competition doesn’t seem to really be part of webOS Ports’ goals.  Neither are timelines.  From what the community has seen so far, it seems webOS Ports is focusing on core app development first and ensuring a quality product is released to the masses.

Will good things come to those who wait?  So far so good. And who am I kidding, I’m not going anywhere!

Have you tried out LuneOS?  These folks have. Check out the videos below.

#webosforever

Related posts:

Official Release of LuneOS and Project Updates webOS Ports: Help Wanted Two weeks with LuneOS: An app sideload test UPDATE: webOS Ports surprises with TouchPad port, name/logo change, Nexus 4