WebOS Survival Kit
The year is 2013. It's a post-webOS world.
HP has sold off the webOS group, and the buyer has stripped it for the patents, and shut down all the infrastructure needed to support webOS devices.
The HP App Catalog and the Palm Profile servers can no longer be reached.
The @palm and @webOSdev twitter accounts no longer respond. The developer forums are a barren wasteland.
Some people take the easy way out, and simply move to another platform.
Others learn how to survive, using ... The webOS Survival Kit
Follow @webosinternals
Get a Twitter account and follow @webosinternals. Think of it as your Early Warning System and Short-Wave Radio. When the disaster arrives, watch for further instructions.
Install Preware Homebrew Documentation
In a post-webOS world, you will need to have Preware installed on your device. The HP App Catalog will no longer be available to you, so you need to get the documentation you need to install Preware now.
The Preware Homebrew Documentation app will guide you through the details of many of the following steps already with step-by-step installation instructions.
Ready Your Host Computer
To install Preware (and perform other key survival measures), you need to have a computer with which has working Novacom drivers and which can access the Linux command line on your device.
The latest Novacom drivers can be found on http://opensource.palm.com/packages.html at the bottom of the page. In a post-webOS world, that page will no longer be accessible. Download the drivers for your current and future host computer platforms before they disappear.
Install the drivers and test that your host computer recognises your webOS device when you plug it in.
Work out how to use novaterm or the WOSQI command line interface (which is just a GUI wrapper around novaterm) to access the Linux command line on your device.
Many post-webOS survival techniques may require command line interactions. Get ready for this now. Learn some Basic Linux Use techniques before it is too late.
Install Preware
Use the instructions in the Preware Homebrew Documentation app to do this. Do not delay, you need to have Preware installed now, not after HP and webOS are gone.
If you have any problems running WebOS Quick Install (especially if you are on a Windows computer), install the WOSQI Homebrew Guide app and follow the troubleshooting guide in there.
Do not rest until you have Preware installed and working. It is your key to app distribution and installation in a post-webOS world.
Download the webOS Doctor
Make sure you have the correct webOS Doctor for your device downloaded from the HP servers and available locally on your host computer.
Visit our webOS Doctor Versions page and download the correct webOS Doctor version now.
In a post-webOS world, the doctors will not be available from HP servers, so make sure you have your own copy archived now.
Empty Your Profile
The data in your HP webOS Account (formerly Palm Profile) will not be available to you in a post-webOS world.
Move it all to somewhere else now. Your webOS device supports a number of Synergy providers - choose one with which you are comfortable and move all your data there.
Don't leave any contacts or calendar entries or notes in your webOS profile.
Install Save/Restore
Go into Preware. Search for "Save/Restore" and install the app. Save your application settings.
If you depend on an application which is not supported by Save/Restore, then visit the Save/Restore thread on PreCentral and put up a bounty for developers to add support for that app.
Make sure you copy the saverestore directory contents from your webOS device to your host computer (or online storage account) regularly.
Save Your Tokens
Install the "Show Properties" app from Preware, and email yourself a full token list. Don't worry about what it all means right now, just do it. With the token list and the webOS Doctor you can resurrect your device from just about any calamity.
Contribute Your Tips
Subscribe to the corresponding forum thread in the WebOS Internals forum and post any other tips for inclusion in The webOS Survival Kit there or edit this wiki page directly.
Spread The Word
Make sure every webOS users has http://bit.ly/webos-survival-kit (the official URL for this page) imprinted in their brain. Write it on a piece of paper, and stick it to your monitor. Never forget it, you will eventually need it.
Don't Panic
WebOS Internals and other homebrew developers have your back. Don't Panic.
You will be able to use your webOS device for as long as you please, even if all support and infrastructure from HP disappears overnight.
