The folks have WebOS-Internals have done it again. Today, dtzWill announced in the our forums that they’ve managed to get an X.Org Server working on the Palm Pre. Basically, this means native Linux X11 applications will be able to run on webOS!
One such example of an X11 application is shown in the above video. OpenOffice could prove a perfect alternative to the seemingly-mythical DocumentsToGo by DataViz. Of course some optimization for usability may be needed, but this is more than we’ve seen from anyone else in terms of strong productivity and office tools.
Keep in mind, however, that the X-Server is not yet ready for the average user, and thus is still in the WebOS-Internals testings feed. Rod Whitby has stated:
Just a note to say that we do have a roadmap of being able to install native Debian X11 GUI applications (like OpenOffice) via Preware. But don’t hold your breath, cause it looks like we need to write a whole new FUSE filesystem driver to be able to do it. Think weeks to months, rather than days.
So if you’re a user with knowledge on the workings of Linux and aren’t afraid of getting your hands dirty, it might be worth looking into the vast potentials X11 applications can offer.
