Computing giant, Hewlett-Packard has said that it will soon start offering its WebOS platform as an open source tool.

The WebOS mobile operating system was acquired from Palm by HP in April last year for $1.2 billion. The company is aiming to attract more manufactures to opt for the platform taking a similar approach to that of Google with its Android platform.

The popular open source Android has emerged as the leading platform for smartphone globally and has made a significant place for Google, which aims to earn revenues from linked services like apps and other value added services.

Many had believed that HP would sell the platform after it announced its decision in August to discontinue WebOS development and even laid off employees working on the platform. However, the latest move by the company could help it to gain a presence in the open source community and allow the platform to continue to develop under its brand name.

HP said on its website that "with the development power of the open source community, there is the opportunity to significantly improve applications and web services for the next generation of devices," and that those who wish to will now be able to "deliver ongoing enhancements and new versions into the marketplace."