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About webinos

What is the webinos vision?

webinos envisions web applications running and utilizing resources across a range of connected devices, interacting seamlessly with each other to contribute to the development of the internet and facilitate users with more attractive, innovative and valuable applications

What is the webinos project?

To deliver its vision, the webinos project, founded by 22 companies, will build a multi-device, applications platform based on web technology. It aims to translate the success of the web as a distributed document publishing system into a successful, distributed applications platform.
Click here, to read more about webinos deliveries, webinos partners or about engagement

Approach

How will webinos progress its deliverables?

webinos will progress its deliverables in a phased approach (use cases, requirements, specifications, platform and application development) with ambitions timing to take into account market developments. The first platform release and apps are planned for 1.5 years after launch, i.e. March 2012. For more details about current status, click here.

Deliveries

What will webinos deliver?

To fulfill its vision, webinos will define and deliver an Open Source Platform which will extend existing Web technologies to enable Web applications and services to be used and shared consistently and securely over a broad spectrum of connected devices, including mobile, PC, home media (TV) and in-car units. This platform will be built upon and move forward the required open standards. This platform should have a concrete implementation that is accessible to all as an open source asset.
To deliver a qualitative platform widely acknowledged and adopted, the webinos project has assessed requirements of users, developers, terminal vendors and service providers as well as analyzed the existing technology landscape. These assessments will be regularly repeated over the time frame of the project to keep in sync with current developments.
Based on above, will deliver specifications and proof-of-concept applications and will host presentations, demos and community-building activities. It will assess and contribute to relevant standards activities as well as publish valuable research findings.

Engagement

webinos is seeking to engage further companies to deliver the webinos vision. Already, numerous big and small companies have confirmed significant interest.

How can I access or contribute to webinos deliverables?

To enable wider engagement, a range of means are provided, including

  • access to project deliverables (reports, specifications etc.) as soon as possible and to some extent already in draft phase click here http://webinos.org/downloads.
  • participation via an advisory board for invited experts
  • participation via the affiliates program
  • participation via the webinos open source foundation program (still to be set up)

What are the terms & conditions to engagement in webinos?

webinos strongly welcomes any external feedback and contributions to its deliverables. webinos offers different ways of engagement (as stated before), all of which are following webinos commitment to Open Source and Open Standards under a patent free IPR regime.
Engagement in webinos does not require payment of a membership fee but demands adherence to

  • making available any Essential Claims related to the work of webinos under the conditions of section 5 of the W3C Patent Policy; the exact Royalty Free Terms can be found at:
    http://www.w3.org/Consortium/Patent-Policy-20040205 to assure that produced recommendations can be implemented on a Royalty-Free basis.
  • the Open Source Contribution Licence (to be announced)
  • Non disclosure of information (as applicable)

Why should I get involved?

  • webinos will have a big impact on how innovative and secure cross-device web applications will be realized in the near future.
  • webinos will act as an industry catalyst to encourage collaboration and discourage fragmentation in Web-based services and applications.
  • webinos inter-operable, standardized, open source technology will remove economic barriers and will have direct commercially exploitable value.
  • webinos is already backed by a strong cross-domain consortium, bringing along the needed expertise and aimed to boost the industry migration towards Web-based services and applications.

Whom should I contact if interested to get engaged?

If you are interested or have any enquiry please contact us at hello@webinos.org

EU Co-Funding

Why does the EU co-fund webinos?

Amongst others, the EU co-funds ICT R&D projects that have successfully passed the application and evaluation process; hereby the EU puts focus on increasing industrial competitiveness and the quality of life for European citizens in a global information society. For more details regarding the EU ICT research activities, see here http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/

To what extent does the EU co-fund webinos?

webinos Secure Web Operating System Application Delivery Environment (IP) is a 14 Mio. Euro budget project with a 10 Million Euro co-funding by the European Union (FP7-ICT-2009-5 Objective 1.2).

Is webinos only relevant for Europe?

Whilst the EU provides co-funding, all founding partners have made own budget and resource commitments for the three years, reassuring full commitment to the project.
World Wide Web developments are of global nature. Whilst webinos is co-funded by the EU, many of the founding partners are active beyond Europe and know that webinos is of global importance; accordingly, webinos will take into account world wide developments and contribute to relevant initiatives, regardless of region.
As such, any partners, regardless of their home turf, are welcomed to contribute to and /or adopt webinos deliverables.

Events

Where can I meet webinos?

The best way to keep track of conferences and events that members of the webinos team attend is to subscribe to our communication channels captured under ‘Stay Informed’.

For some recent and upcoming venues please check our “website”:webinos.org

For more urgent requests please send an email to hello@webinos.org

Partners

Who is driving webinos?

webinos has been founded and is driven by a strong, well balanced consortium of 22 companies bringing together key players from the industry and academia and covering the four domains. The founding members include handset manufacturers, network operators, automotive manufacturers, academic institutions, industry research firms, software firms and analyst and publishing companies, who have committed resources and secured funding of ⲧ14 million for the project runtime of 3 years. See http://webinos.org/members for further details of these members.

webinos is seeking to engage further companies to deliver the webinos vision for more details, see here http://webinos.org/be-part-of-webinos.

Philosophy

What are the fundamental principles of webinos?

To be successful in its delivery and adoption, webinos follows a few fundamental principles

  • Open standards: webinos shall, where possible, use and build on existing technologies but prefer open standards, unencumbered by IPR
  • Open source: webinos shall place its assets under a common shared open source framework to enable widest possible adoption
  • Pragmatic: in all its standardisation and architectural work, webinos shall implement first and standardise second. Decisions should be informed by practical code examples
  • Transparency: the governance of the open source code asset base shall be open, transparent and neutral, not favouring any single company or actor in the value chain
  • Developer and end user centricity: for all design consideration, the rights and needs of developers and end users shall be put in priority.

Scenarios

What use cases will be enabled by webinos?

webinos will enable a range of scenarios to enable users to communicate with peers, regardless whether these are in front of their TV, driving, using their mobile phone or working from desk PC. Applications will be enriched as they can access new/more device properties.
To illustrate the vision and innovation potential of webinos, watch the video at http://youtube.com/webinosproject or have a look into the user stories compiled in the first project phase at webinos report: User stories and use cases. Note, the list of stories is by no means exhaustive and any feedback, comments and suggestions are more than welcome

Security

How will webinos address security issues?

webinos will directly address security and privacy issues that users of web services expect. It will address the specific challenges of how to provide and adapt security across a range of devices, services, and networks as well as how individuals can retain control over the privacy aspects of their web presence regardless of the device or web application being used. Context and privacy are intimately intertwined: rich context is valuable but without user controlled privacy it becomes a liability. This dual approach is a hallmark of the webinos approach.

Status

What has webinos delivered to date?

webinos publications can be found here: http://webinos.org/downloads.
Deliverables accomplished to date, include thorough analysis of the web environment and developments, the opportunities, the usage scenarios, requirements and needs i.e. the foundation work for the webinos project:

Further, webinos has set up an affiliate program further companies are getting on board.

What is webinos working on at the moment?

At present, webinos specifications for Phase 1 are under review and finalization over the next weeks. Also activities for the platform and application development have kicked off and contributions to standards bodies are prepared.

Stay informed

If you are interested to stay informed about webinos

We are looking forward to keep in touch!

Technologies

Which technologies did you research in your landscape analysis?

  • Technologies researched, include: W3C Web Technologies, UPnP and DLNA, Mozilla, WAC1.0 and 2.0,JIL + BONDI, Chrome family technologies, Nokia WRT, HP WebOS, OpenAjax, Phonegap, Qt, Titanium, Worklight and Rhomobile
  • Platforms researched include iOS, Android, MeeGo, Blackberry OS6, Brew MP, Samsung bada, Symbian, Windows Phone7, Mediaroom, Philips NetTV, CE-HTML, SamsungTV, HbbTV, GoogleTV, AppleTV, FiatBlueMe, ConnectedDrive, AutoLinq, GMonStar, FordSync and GENIVI
    For more details, see: webinos report: Industry landscape, governance, licensing and IPR frameworks

Which technologies are used?

The project will build on state-of-the-art technologies including WAC specification and W3C standards and extend those to work across the domains.
More information will be provided in next weeks.

Timeline of the webinos project

The webinos project started in September 2010 and will run with EU co-funding until August 2013. During this phase, it will produce a number of deliverables; the first ones have already been made available for download.
However, the webinos deliverables are expected and intended to be taken forward beyond 2013; the necessary means for this will be implemented during the project phase.

webinos builds on the following key concepts applying and extending existing Web technologies:

  • webinos builds on the achievements of the Web community and extends an Open Source Web runtime environment.
  • webinos is a federated Web runtime that offers a common set of APIs to allow apps easy access to cross-user, cross-service, cross-device functionality, in an open yet secure manner.
  • webinos will simplify programming of applications by offering a single virtual device that can consist of all devices owned by a user. This virtual device inherently represents the changing circumstances of context and devices.
  • webinos creates open specifications and open source reference implementations that not only show the feasibility of specifications but also simplifies the adaptation by the industry.

The resulting platform features Web components that support the rapid creation of innovative and secure Web applications, where

  • services/applications can be used in several contexts across a range of connected user devices with focus on mobile, PC, home media and in-car units,
  • services/applications can make use of the specific capabilities and resources that the underlying or connected hardware platforms provides,
  • services/applications can securely access private and non-private data and services on the cloud, social web, as well as data on the user devices,
  • services/applications are developed once by service providers and deployed across the range of connected user devices,
  • manufacturers and network operators have a service platform constituted by open standards and open source, which satisfies the requirements of the four domains mobile, PC, Home media and in-car units.

For more details, see also our following reports: webinos whitepaper, webinos report: Industry landscape, governance, licensing and IPR frameworks

 

 

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