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Preserving webOS apps

Yesterday, webOS day saw the ninth testing release of LuneOS, but it was also the first anniversary without the servers and app catalog. The future looks promising, but we are on our own now. Most of us backed up our apps before the shutdown, but it should be remembered that the original announcement only went out to developers. Since the 15th of April a number of users have appeared whose devices have reset and are stuck at the account activation screen. Having bypassed this obstacle, they will then find their accounts and apps will not automatically restore. For them and to have a reasonable portfolio of apps for LuneOS, steps are being taken to encourage developers to make their apps available in alternative channels. Some have added to the webOS Nation app gallery, others are hosting installation packages on their own websites or code repositories.

Below is a list of developers who have posted to this thread and have made their former catalog apps available after the shutdown. For reasons of space, I have listed up to six apps for each developer, but some have more and you can usually see a full list by clicking the developer’s name. Of course, there are more apps than listed here. There have always been homebrew apps and even now the occasional new app is delivered for the legacy platform, LuneOS or both, but those items will be dealt with in future articles. If you are a developer planning to release your apps, the catalogue is now completely closed and there is nothing to prevent you going ahead. webOS never had a huge app catalog and the more we can save, the better.

Remember, the size of the community means that even charging for the apps will not make significant money. Some will have limited support and others have essentially been abandoned for the community to use or perhaps take over. By donating, you are thanking these programmers for their past support and the continuing gift they have made. Here’s the list:

Notes: The list posted here is based on postings to this thread. The installation packages are either available on feeds to Preware or hosted on the web. I have only included apps I could find and ignored files in repositories that would need to be built for installation. Feel free to contact me to correct errors and omissions. If you posted on the thread, but have not been included, tell me where your packages can be found. If any former developers are reading this, it’s never too late to add to this list with your apps.

Don’t forget that webOS Internals are responsible for much of your current user experience (including Preware) and webOS Ports are building the platform’s future. You can donate to both groups here. A donation link for pivotCE is on the left of this page.

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